#mnof

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 29 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 2,131 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: a short, but eventful chapter! a few warnings for homophobia and swearing, but other than that, hope you enjoy the drama!! <3

Everything was over. All of his hard work, his caution, and his ingenious lies. In the end, it was all for nothing, and Kibum couldn’t help but pray to the gods for forgiveness at what that implied. He could hear his heartbeat pounding loudly in his chest and the apprehension which soaked his every limb was making it difficult to breathe. He could feel the pure disgust and anger exuding off his father beside him, and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for his teacher and what she was about to endure.

It was silent. Almost too silent. The room was chilling and every tiny sound was decipherable within the enclosed space. Kibum tried desperately to breathe at an even pace, but it was futile. He was much too nervous to think rationally, on edge at the look which he knew his father was sending his way.

The man’s cold voice broke through the silence, striking Kibum with a bout of unadulterated and genuine fear directed at his own father.

“What do you mean Jonghyun doesn’t go to this school?” he gritted through bared teeth, large hands gripping the table so tightly that his fingers turned white.

Kibum’s teacher coughed awkwardly in embarrassment and hurriedly flicked through her files once more. “I’m sorry, sir…the only Jonghyuns we have at this school are first years. Maybe you’re just thinking of someone el—“

Her feeble attempt at reducing the tension came to an abrupt halt as Kibum’s father roughly stood up, his chair falling down behind him at the sheer force. “Then tell me, son,” he spat, glaring down at the boy with an almost sickening anger in his eyes. “If Jonghyun doesn’t go to your school, then who the fuck is that creep you’ve been spending so much time with? The one who’s been corrupting you?!”

Visibly shaking, Kibum could only shake his head, unable to find any words which could defend his current predicament. His mother too sat ghostly beside him, staring forward at nothing in particular with a mixture of guilt, fear and sympathy for her son.

“I-It’s Jonghyun,” Kibum stuttered feebly, “He just…He just doesn’t go to this school, is all.”

Kibum’s father growled in his throat, before promptly grabbing the neck of Kibum’s shirt and wrenching him to his feet. “First the fucking dancing and now this? I’ve just about had it with you, boy.” the man snarled menacingly, giving Kibum one last, repulsed look over before shoving him back into his chair and taking a seat.

Desperate to change the subject of conversation to anything except what they were talking about, Kibum’s mother started awkwardly. “Well…How about the project Kibum’s told us all about? The one with Amber?”

At her seemingly innocent words, Kibum’s blood ran cold, and judging by the expression upon his father’s face, he was equally aware of Kibum’s utter trepidation and was basking in it.

It was apparent that the teacher didn’t want to say anything more which would evoke an eruption from the man before her, however crumbled beneath their stern, expectant glares. Kibum’s family really were something else, and she briefly gave one of her favourite students a sympathetic smile before turning back to the monster beside him. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I haven’t assigned anything like that…perhaps one of Kibum’s other teachers—“

But her excuses were futile, for Kibum was already being strewn from his chair and onto the cold floor below. No resonating ‘slaps’ sounded throughout the room – instead, Kibum’s chair had merely been kicked over by his raging father, whose beet red face loomed over Kibum’s frail form.

“Pray tell me, Kibum, because I’m very curious...” the man began, taking another step forward. Kibum desperately scurried back onto his feet and took an instinctive step back.  “If you haven’t been with Amber for every godforsaken time of day, then what the fuck have you been doing? Oh wait, let me guess. You’ve been with that Jonghyun boy – if that’s even his name – committing all kinds of indecent acts that he forced you into.”

Kibum could handle a lot of the bullshit that his father tended to spurt out. But accusing Jonghyun of something so atrocious and disgusting? Clenching his fists so hard that he was certain there would be crescent marks imprinted into the skin, Kibum could no longer contain the rage and hatred for his father which had been gradually building up for far too long.

“Don’t you dare accuse him of something like that, you sick bastard.” Kibum scowled, ignoring the startled gasps of shock which sounded from the women. “Unlike you, some people in this world actually have a few shreds of decency and don’t take out their anger and issues on harmless kids. So don’t you fucking dare chide me for spending time with someone who actually cares about me and my wellbeing, and who would gladly go out of their way to make sure I was safe and happy. You’re the indecent creep, and sometimes I wish you would just die!”

The teacher and Kibum’s mother looked at each other with mutual expressions of distress, before nodding to each other in a silent expression of agreement. The two noiselessly lifted from their seats and made way towards the door, knowing that there was simply nothing else they could do but seek help. Kibum’s mother gave her son one last look over her shoulder as she left, eyes soundlessly screaming at him to ‘stay safe’.

Jonghyun strolled down the school’s hallways and through the waiting families casually, giving every class a quick peak through the window in an attempt to find where Kibum was. He, quite frankly, wasn’t really meant to be here, and had flushed in utter embarrassment the few times a teacher had seen him staring in at them shamelessly. But he had, after all, been invited by Kibum’s mother a few weeks ago, and Jonghyun figured that he looked enough like a student to not raise any suspicions.

Once he got to Kibum’s classroom, Jonghyun wasn’t quite positive of what he was going to do. Sure, he could wait outside and surprise Kibum on the family’s way out, or poke his head in and say hello. But Kibum’s father was still in the picture, and Jonghyun didn’t think that he could ever confront that man after what he had overheard from his position in Kibum’s wardrobe.

The singer continued to contemplate these strategies as he pressed his face against multiple more windows in search of Kibum, sighing in disappointment each time his eyes were met with unfamiliar strangers. But it seemed that Jonghyun didn’t have to search for long, because all of a sudden two women came hastily around the corner, one of whom Jonghyun immediately recognized as Kibum’s mother.

“Mrs Kim!” he exclaimed, smiling widely at his luck. “I’ve been looking for you guys.”

Kibum’s mother smiled fondly at the man which she had recently learned was the object of her son’s affection, but her grin was immediately replaced by a frown of worried desperation. “J-Jonghyun,” she stuttered. “It’s Kibum. He’s fighting with his father and things are getting bad and I just don’t know what that brute might do—“

But Jonghyun was already running down the hall towards the classroom which the women had come from, only one thought resonating throughout his head. If that harsh slap had been brought about by Kibum simply making a joke, then Jonghyun didn’t want to even think about what would happen to his boyfriend if the two males were actually arguing. He was vaguely aware of the two women which trailed behind him but paid them no mind, simply barging through the door of the classroom which he could decipher the loud shouts were sounding from.

“—not have these unnatural tendencies infecting my son. They started because of him, and we both know it!”

“Did you ever consider that maybe that’s just who I am?! No one caused this but me – I’m sick of you controlling my life, okay? Stay out of my goddamn business, because I swear to god if I hear one more threat or insult from your dirty, old mouth, I’ll put arsenic in your coffee and smile as you choke.”

The middle aged man stepped forward with a growl in his throat. “Is that a threat, boy? I’m fucking done with all your bullshit. I knew from the moment I saw you, you were a fag… I tried to put a stop to it, I really did. But you’re beyond help, boy – you’re sick. Constant lies from your filthy mouth, that makeup shit you’re always putting on your face, the dancing…If it doesn’t stop, boy, then you better get out of my goddamn house and never come back.”

Jonghyun, despite his utmost fear and guilt, ran forward and stepped between the two, gently pushing Kibum to the side. The younger boy’s expression immediately morphed into surprise, then relief, then worry, before finally settling on downright dread.

“P-Please sir,” Jonghyun stuttered. “I think that’s enough…You need to think rationally, Kibum’s your son!”

The room fell silent, before all of a sudden a burly fist came flying out of nowhere and smashed Jonghyun ruthlessly against the face. The sheer force of the blow knocked Jonghyun off his feet and back onto the rough floor below, ears ringing as his head rebounded painfully against it.

“Don’t interfere. This is between the boy and I, and the last thing we need is berating from the son of a bitch who got us into this mess to begin with.”

Upon impact with the ground, Kibum had ran immediately over to Jonghyun and knelt by his side, making sure that the older boy was alright. A trail of blood ran down his chin and his head pounded painfully, but other than that, Jonghyun was fine, eliciting Kibum to sigh in relief.

Kibum’s father watched the exchange with revulsion, adding coldly, “Besides – that fag is not my son.”

Those words stung Kibum more than he’d ever let on, but he merely glared up at the man with insurmountable hatred. “Glad the feelings are mutual,” he spat, grabbing Jonghyun’s hand and helping the older boy stand up.

“Don’t think you’ll be allowed back at my house.”

Kibum ignored his father and simply smiled sadly at his teacher who had witnessed the whole, horrifying ordeal. “I’m sorry about what happened, Miss. I’ll come talk to you at lunchtime tomorrow or on Friday.”

She smiled back. “See you, Kibum.”

Kibum began to walk out of the classroom, Jonghyun’s hand locked in his. He hovered beneath the door frame, and looked back one last time at his mother, searching for something that even he wasn’t quite sure of. But her gaze remained firmly locked on a poster situated above the teacher’s desk, not straying even as Kibum shut the door firmly behind him.

The pair walked solemnly down the hallway hand in hand, eventually reaching Kibum’s locker. Kibum unlocked it almost mechanically, grabbing out his homework for the night and shoving it into the bag he had brought along.

“Kibum?” spoke Jonghyun softly, afraid to break the silence.

“Mn?”

Tears stung Jonghyun’s eyes, and he began pitifully. “I’m so sorry, Kibum.” he choked out. “For everything. I didn’t know that things were so bad at home, but I should have paid more attention. I let you stay with that…that monster…and I did nothing.” The tears began to run down Jonghyun’s face as he spoke, mixing with blood as he tasted salt on his tongue. “When I heard him hit you from the wardrobe, all I could do was run home and cry – I didn’t even get out of bed until yesterday. I-I’ve been so pathetic, Kibum. I don’t deserve someone like you…I let you go through all that shit, and now all I can do is say sorry. I shou—“

“Jonghyun.”

The older boy looked up, startled.

“I love you.”

If possible, Jonghyun’s tears began to fall even harder, watching with wide eyes as Kibum hands lifted gently to wipe them away. He smiled radiantly, and to Jonghyun, it was the most beautiful site in the world.

“I’m not the one meant to be crying right now,” he laughed softly, face flushed from both his tears and embarrassment.

Kibum leant forward and pressed his lips soundly against Jonghyun’s. “I love you.” he repeated, staring into Jonghyun’s eyes with nothing but pure admiration.

Jonghyun grinned, kissing Kibum back delicately as his arms wrapped around the younger’s waist.  “I love you too.” he whispered into the embrace, and for just a moment, the two boys forgot about everything which had occurred and allowed themselves to submerge into a world where they were the only two that mattered.

[wholesomehowell]

Okay I’m lowkey drunk amd I wanna answer random questions ask me stuff

[letthestormrajohn]

Mne Mnandalorian mnakes mnlace mnive mnears MNAFTER mne mnevents mnof Mneturn mnof mne Mnedi

Sheesh lady, let an Adam Driver have his goddamn Baby Yoda. Causal logic only good for breaking hearts

[loveimanb]

#Testimonials ✨ @thefaithmodelguide 💖 https://www.instagram.com/p/CRjigr-MnOF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mangofeeesh]

mnof

spell your username without using the letters in your name

mine is ptipi

[ourshineeshrine]

are u planning to update 'no. 1 fan' anytime soon? just curiosity thx :)

hey! i haven't ditched this story, so don't worry! i will be updating it eventually, but atm i am very stressed, tired and even a little sad for reasons i don't really know, so i cant seem to find the motivation to write anything :( if anything, a few updates are most likely to happen in september (my school holidays), but i WILL update eventually - i won't leave it unfinished. i'm so so sorry to you and everyone else who's waiting, but please don't give up on mnof ♥️

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 28 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 4,370 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: first of all - i have never been more sorry in my life. i know this took months, and i don’t really have any excuse. i’ve just been really stressed with school and unmotivated, but don’t worry! i’ve got another chapter after this to upload and i’ve started the last two. please enjoy, and don’t hate me <3

“Where are we going, Minho?” laughed Taemin happily, perfectly content to be dragged from place to place by his boyfriend.

Minho beamed, practically skipping across to his car on the other side. “On our first date!” he sang. “I wanna take you someplace nice.”

Usually the type to act tough when presented with anything sentimental, Taemin had seemingly morphed into a completely new person, blushing brightly at even Minho’s smallest displays of affection. School had finished for the day and everyone, in their pursuit to hurry home, had already cleared out. “It’s a school night…” he hummed, though no signs of disappointment were evident. Taemin shrugged at his own comment. “Oh well!”

Pausing, Minho regarded Taemin worriedly. “You sure your parents won’t care?”

“No, no, no,” waved Taemin assuredly, snatching Minho’s keys and unlocking the car with glee. “They won’t mind at all.”

Minho rolled his eyes fondly and slipped into the driver’s seat. “If you say so, Taem.”

The car started up and Minho pulled out onto the road smoothly, making sure that Taemin had clipped his seatbelt in before speeding off.

“But seriously, where are we going?” spoke Taemin again after a few moments of silence, watching out the window as they headed away from the city centre.

Reaching one arm over, Minho clasped his hand together with Taemin’s. “It’s a surprise.” he teased playfully, shooting the younger a quick, adoring glance.

An hour into the drive, Taemin had already managed to fall asleep, head lolling to the side as his quiet breaths filled the air. Minho smiled serenely, hoping that he would remain asleep until they reached their destination. He had thought long and hard about where to take the younger, and eventually decided that for a first date, this would be the best option.

Only fifteen minutes remained, and when the two finally came to the top of the hill Minho had driven them too, the taller boy let out a whistle of appreciation. He was careful as to not wake Taemin while he worked, reaching into the trunk of the car for his blanket and picnic basket. Due to the time of the day, the sun was already beginning to set, the vague outline of the moon making itself known through the speckle of white clouds.

Taemin was beginning to stir just as Minho finished setting up, patting the blanket down one last time in reassurance that everything would be perfect. A slight wind ruffled his hair, and Minho barely contained the shiver which ran down his spine. Rubbing his eyes, Taemin looked up at Minho through the windscreen and smiled widely, jumping out of the car in tired excitement.

“How did you…What is—,”

“It’s pretty, right?”

Taemin snorted. “Never thought I’d hear the word ‘pretty’ falling from your mouth.”

Minho gave Taemin a gentle nudge. “Shut up, I’m trying to be sentimental. But yeah…Do you like it?”

“Of course I like it,” Taemin rolled his eyes before taking a seat on the picnic rug. “Come and sit down.”

Joining the younger, Minho spread the food around the blanket and took a sandwich off the platter. Taemin followed suit, and for around ten minutes or so the two teenage boys spent the time stuffing their faces with fruit, sandwiches, cake and beverages. Looking at Minho mischievously, Taemin grabbed a grape from a plate and gestured to Minho’s mouth. “Try and catch it,” he smirked.

Although he rolled his eyes, Minho obliged without complaint and shuffled back a bit. The first grape bounced off his teeth and onto the grass, but before he could complain about it Taemin was at the ready with a second. This one too, bounced off his face and rolled pathetically along the blanket.

“C’mon Taemin, we’re wasting them.”

Taemin tutted indignantly, before offering with a wide grin. “If you catch one, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Immediately, Minho’s facial expression changed and he gestured for Taemin to hurry up and throw one. “Well then, what are you waiting for?”

An unattractive snort emitted from Taemin, and without hesitation he threw the third grape. Minho dove desperately, yet nonetheless ended up groaning in annoyance as it wacked him on his chin. “How am I meant to catch one if you’re throwing them that hard?”

Taemin offered no response. Instead, when Minho looked up, he rolled around hysterically with phone in hand. “W-Why…You look so desperate,” he cackled loudly.

“No...” whinged Minho, reaching forward to pluck Taemin’s phone from him. “That’s so embarrassing!”

Rolling out of the way, Taemin couldn’t contain the squeal which escaped his mouth as Minho lunged at him and trapped him against the grass below. Taemin beamed up at Minho’s red face, popping a grape in the older boy’s mouth as he moved to say something.

“Oh! You caught it!” exclaimed Taemin excitedly, and Minho didn’t even have time to process what had happened before a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Minho squeaked in shock before sinking into the embrace, and reciprocated almost immediately. The two spent a while simply laughing and mucking around on the grass, before soon, it became too difficult to see where they even were under the sunless sky.

Relaxing on the rug side by side, Minho and Taemin looked up at the vast array of stars beyond them. They had opted to lay down, and suddenly affected by the cold, strong winds that blew from every direction, Taemin snaked his hand down to entwine it with Minho’s.

Minho grinned giddily, and gave Taemin’s hand a tight squeeze.

“Hey, Minho?” Taemin spoke gently, as though he was afraid to break the calm silence surrounding them.

“Mm?”

Taemin hesitated for a few seconds. “Have you told anyone yet?”

He was met with silence, and Taemin briefly considered that Minho hadn’t heard him. But as he went to repeat the question, Minho finally spoke.

“Not yet.” he replied. “But I will.”

“Me too.” spoke the dancer, reassured. “I’m not scared or anything…But I am, at the same time. If that makes any sense.”

Minho laughed breathily. “Not really.”

Sighing, Taemin went on to elaborate. “I’m not scared that they’ll judge me, or the fact that it’s you I’m dating rather than a girl, but…To say it aloud and make a deal out of it makes it seem a lot more daunting. Because then it becomes awkward and…yeah, I don’t know.”

“I getcha, don’t worry.” Minho spoke, turning his head to kiss Taemin softly on the cheek. “Then we just won’t ‘tell’ them. Maybe next time I come over, we’ll casually just hold hands or something like that. Or maybe drop some hints so they’ll ask you instead.”

Taemin grinned widely, a light blush tingeing his cheeks. “You always have the best ideas.”

“Don’t I?”

Minho yelped as Taemin slapped his leg not-so-lightly, and turned his head to see an evil smirk upon his boyfriend’s face.

“Don’t be cocky,” Taemin tutted, and rolled his eyes at the faux look of hurt imprinted on Minho’s face. He leant forward for a kiss, and all of a sudden, the brief animosity between them was gone.

Jonghyun was fairly certain he hadn’t left his room in four whole days other than to go to the toilet, and even then, it was for a mere minute at a time. His bed had become his safe haven – hiding from nothing but his own fears and guilt. Cursing his fragility, Jonghyun cocooned himself within his blankets and stared at the door with forlorn.

His stomach growled in anger, but with the air conditioner on and his blankets draped over him leisurely, he would’ve much rather continued to indulge in luxury than leave his room for some mere food. The guilt that he felt after the whole ordeal with Kibum was stifling, even more so because he knew that he couldn’t even do anything about it. Kibum was trapped in a house with an abusive father, and deep down, Jonghyun knew that it was partially his fault.

If he had only controlled his emotions for once in his life and stayed out of Kibum’s business when he was asked, then would Kibum’s father still treat him so terribly? Sure, he wasn’t the reason Kibum was gay – the younger had stated that he had always known he was, after all. But if Jonghyun hadn’t appeared in Kibum’s life, flirted with him, and taken their relationship to the next level, then perhaps Kibum’s father wouldn’t have had an excuse to take action.

Kibum’s words rang loudly in his head.

“It’s your fault.”

“Everything was fine before you got here. My dad was fine before you got here!”

“Being with you is so hard.”

Jonghyun felt he was the cause, yet nonetheless, was too selfish to ever think of leaving Kibum. Because Kibum’s life wasn’t the only one who had changed upon the beginning of their relationship. Jonghyun’s had too. Before, he was writing songs pointlessly day on end, flittering in and out of a depression which left him consistently powerless and without motivation. Kibum had ended that. Now, Jonghyun had a reason to get out of bed every day. He had a reason to write songs, and he had something to strive towards.

So despite his fear of Kibum’s father, and the utter guilt which infected every bone in his body, Jonghyun could never give him up. It was that thought that left him stuck in his room for days on end, staring at the roof with a blank gaze and sleeping for an amount unnatural to most humans.

Jonghyun was, to put it simply, afraid of rejection. He wanted to apologize to Kibum, yet at the same time, didn’t want Kibum to see his faults. Like his own father had done to his mother, Jonghyun was afraid that Kibum would eventually realise that he wasn’t all that great, and leave him for someone else who didn’t cause him this much trouble.

It was an endless game of cat and mouse, one that Jonghyun was only knocked out of by a loud knock on his bedroom door.

“Jonghyun, honey?” came the concerned voice of his mother.

Jonghyun grumbled in response.

“Honey…do you need to talk to me about something? Did something happen with Kibum? Or maybe Jinki?”

“I’m okay, mum. J-Just…what day is it? My phone went flat.”

He could hear his mother sigh from the other side of the door, and flushed rouge. He hated his mother seeing him like this, but despite the shame, he simply couldn’t will himself out of it. “It’s Tuesday, Jonghyun. It’s been a week. Roo wants to see you.”

Abruptly, Jonghyun sat up straight and stared at the door in astonishment. A week had already passed? A week of him snacking on packets of chips and chocolate which he kept under his bed and drinking water from the bathroom sink.

He briefly considered what he had planned for the week and cursed aloud when he remembered that tomorrow was Wednesday. The day that Kibum’s mother had told him was parent teacher interviews. The day he could finally see Kibum again and apologize. The fear and guilt lingered, but Kibum’s wellbeing resonated at the forefront of his mind in spite of his other foreboding thoughts. Pushing his blankets down to his ankles, Jonghyun called through the door. “I’ll be out in half an hour.”

Jumping a few times to assure that his precariously balanced camera wouldn’t fall when dancing, Kibum grinned when it remained steady and moved to turn on the speakers. The past few weeks had got him thinking about his future, and while pursuing law or something similar was probably more practical and expectant of him, what Jonghyun and he had talked about so many months ago still resonated in his mind. University would provide him with a degree – that was certain. But it would do the same for so many others. Why pursue something that he has no interest in whatsoever to please those around him, when he could finally do what he wants for once and achieve his dream?

That’s why Kibum had decided he was going to apply for Korea National University of Arts. Many people already knew how much he enjoyed dance, so it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Yes, it was university. And he could still obtain a degree. But he could focus solely on his dancing while he was doing it, killing two birds with one stone. To Kibum, it was the perfect compromise, not that he was going to tell anyone bar his small group of friends and Jonghyun.

With the prospect of freedom in mind, Kibum pressed play on his chosen song and hurriedly ran back to the centre of the room, proceeding to dance like he had never danced before.

Wiping away the sweat upon his forehead, Kibum dropped onto the dance studio floor and breathed heavily. After dancing a few times over and looking over the recording, the video was finally done, and all that was left was for Kibum to send it, along with his application, to the university of his choice.  

Dread remained at the pit of his stomach at what tomorrow would bring – his parent teacher interviews. All the lies he had told up until now weighed on his shoulders, but all Kibum could do was pray that his parents would only ask about his grades and that the teacher would just go along with everything they said. Despite his optimism, a bad feeling remained in the back of his mind. A bad feeling that Kibum just couldn’t shake off.

Before he could contemplate it for much longer however, the door to the dance room opened, and in walked Taemin and Minho. Kibum smiled at them brightly and went to look back down at his phone before –

His head shot up quickly, studying the two boys before him. Kibum’s eyes had not been fooling him, because right there, clear as daylight, were Minho and Taemin holding hands as though they had been doing so their whole lives. Kibum coughed loudly, gesturing down at their entwined hands with a raised eyebrow as the two looked his way. Minho flushed brightly in embarrassment whilst Taemin beamed and lifted their hands higher for display. “We’re dating now,” he spoke bluntly, glancing up at Minho with admiration in his eyes.

Astonished at Taemin’s sudden bravery and confidence, Kibum could only thank you Minho inwardly at returning the younger boy’s feelings. He didn’t deserve to be rejected twice, and Kibum hoped that Kai was somewhere regretting the loss of a great friendship.

He cheered aloud at the revelation and congratulated the two, but both Minho and Taemin could see that there was a light missing in his eyes. “Is everything alright, Kibum?” asked Minho concernedly, thinking back to the suspicions he’d had about Kibum’s life outside of school.

Kibum blinked. “Of course it is.”

Sighing inwardly, Minho could only nod at Kibum’s response before he and Taemin took a seat on the floor beside him. “How about Jonghyun? I haven’t seen him in a while…”

Kibum visibly stiffened, attempting a casual shrug. “I don’t know, he’s probably fine.”

“Haven’t you been talking to him?” spoke up Taemin, discretely sharing a worried look with Minho.

“Not recently, no. And can you stop fucking looking at each other like that? Jonghyun and I don’t need to spend every goddamn second of the day together to be happy.”

Overcome with guilt, Minho and Taemin softly apologized, though Kibum’s ears picked up on the low, “Sure seems like that from the way you’ve been acting recently,” which Minho muttered beneath his breath.

Choosing to ignore him, Kibum directed his attention to Taemin. “So how did you two get together, anyway?”

Taemin blushed. “I kinda just yelled at Minho for ignoring what had happened a few weeks ago, and then he confessed he didn’t dislike the kiss, and then um…yeah, you know how it is.”

Bouncing on his legs excitedly, Kibum sighed contentedly. “Who knew that so much would happen this year?”

Minho agreed wholeheartedly, but Taemin remained silent. Kibum regarded the youngest of the three with curiosity, before he finally spoke up.

“This year’s been great and all, but…I just don’t know what’s gonna happen next year when you both leave. I don’t have many friends here, if it wasn’t already obvious.”

The mood was all of a sudden dampened considerably, and Kibum looked at Taemin with empathy in his gaze. He knew all too well what it was like to go to school each day with no friends to sit with. Quite frankly, it was horrible. There was no will to get out of bed in the morning, no will to study hard. But Kibum said to Taemin the only thing that he felt was right. “Just keep coming to school, Taem. Things get better. It might take a while but… they do get better.”

Taemin nodded, albeit reluctantly, however was hurriedly comforted by Minho who wrapped an arm around Taemin’s shoulder and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll come visit you here every day,” he laughed warmly, rolling his eyes at the sly expression Kibum sent his way.

“Aren’t you two the cutest thing to ever bless this universe?”

Cheeks reddening, Taemin shied away from Minho’s embrace, though still remained comfortably situated within his arms. Minho simply laughed off Kibum’s comment, and instead moved to change the topic. “Are you going to parent teacher interviews tomorrow?”

With a loud grumble of annoyance, Kibum nodded. “Yeah, I have to. Are you?”

“Yep – Jinki and Luna wanna hear all about my grades and potential scholarships and whatnot… I’m not too pumped about it but hey, at least they don’t go for too long.”

Kibum mentally applauded Minho’s optimism, though it was safe to say that he did not harbour the same hope as his fellow third year.

Out of curiosity, Taemin reached forward to snatch Kibum’s camera from his grasp, however it was already too late. The school bell signalling the end of lunch time sounded loudly throughout the room, and Kibum jumped up hurriedly with a small poke of the tongue at Taemin. “As if I’m letting you see this, you little shit.”

Taemin stood up and smirked devilishly. “I knew it, it’s a fucking porno of you and Jonghyun.”

Minho burst into laughter at that, ruffling Taemin’s hair fondly upon gauging the expression on Kibum’s face.

“In your dreams, Taem. For your information, it’s just a dance I choreographed.”

Shoving Kibum playfully out of the dance room door and into the corridor, Taemin commented offhandedly. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Don’t worry, little Kibum, your secret’s safe with me.”

At that, Kibum could only roll his eyes, giving Taemin one last wave before Minho and he made their way back down to the third year classrooms.

The following evening brought Kibum and his parents back to his school for day that Kibum had been dreading for so long. He regarded the other students with slight jealousy clouding his eyes, watching as their parents patted their shoulder proudly and congratulated them on a year well done. His mother made polite conversation and commented on the school every now and then, however his father remained utterly silent and stoic, trailing behind with a harsh expression permanently printed onto his face.

Unsurprisingly, his family had shown up earlier than their designated time, and were left to merely wander around the third year building until they were called into Kibum’s classroom. Kibum expected to run into a few people he was acquainted with, but what he wasn’t expecting was to see Minho, Jinki and Luna making their way up to his family, all with equally wide and carefree grins on their faces.

“Hey, Kibum!” Minho called across the hall upon spotting the other boy.

Kibum beamed and gestured Minho over, though it was obvious to see that the family’s joyous demeanour wavered upon meeting Kibum’s father’s dark stare.

Jinki stiffened as he regarded the burly man – this was surely Kibum’s father. Though some of their features appeared very similar, Kibum’s youthful and caring nature juxtaposed with his father’s unforgiving one made it obvious that the two males were complete opposites. Jinki recalled Minho’s concerns about possible abuse, and felt his own eyes narrow to a glare in caution.

Pushing his prejudice and doubts aside, Jinki stepped forward with a kind smile and offered his hand for a shake. “Hi, I’m Jinki! Nice to mee—“

“Aren’t you a little bit young to be a father?”

Jinki paused, shocked, and slowly retracted his hands. Never before in his life had he been greeted with something so blunt, and all of a sudden a piece of the puzzle concerning Kim Kibum found its way into the picture.  Kibum’s chatter with Minho came to an abrupt halt and he looked at his father with disbelief, ears flushing red in utmost humiliation. “I’m sorry, Jinki…” spoke Kibum softly, eyes apologetic.

“No, no. It’s fine.” Jinki reassured brightly, before redirecting his attention back to Kibum’s father. “Minho’s actually my brother. And this is my wife – Luna.”

Kibum’s mother smiled politely and offered a quiet, “Nice to meet you”, however his father remained silent, assessing the family for a few long seconds before finally harrumphing in acceptance. He offered no more words, nor any handshakes, leaving Jinki to stand there awkwardly on edge.

Giving one last wave to Kibum, Jinki took Luna’s hand and gestured for Minho to follow, pointing at an open classroom door to the right. “That’s us guys, c’mon.”

Kibum waved, yet his cheerful conduct immediately changed upon their departure. Words couldn’t describe how much Kibum loathed the man beside him. He was disgusted at his rudeness and treatment towards others, and never before had Kibum been so embarrassed to call that man his father.

Yet before he could think about it for too long, a door slightly up the hall opened and Kibum’s mother took another glance at the paper in her hands. “This is us,” she spoke, before the family of three promptly made their way towards the designated classroom.

Kibum wiped his sweaty hands against his jeans before greeting his teacher politely. “Hi, Miss. This is my mother and father.” Kibum gestured to his parents, swallowing thickly at the sudden icy atmosphere which shrouded the room.

“Hey, Kibum. Hi, Mr and Mrs Kim. Take a seat.”

Upon sitting across from the teacher, she took a pile of papers from her bag next to her and spread them over the table. “So, as you can see from this report card,” she pushed it closer to the family, “Kibum has been doing excellent in class. He’s averaging A’s and A pluses, though he’s got the occasional B plus in maths. His English is phenomenal, though, so I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about.”

Kibum’s father snatched the report card from the desk and studied it himself with a scrutinising stare. He grumbled something incoherent about the math grade, but Kibum ignored that to instead beam at the proud look upon his mother’s face.

“Now,” spoke his teacher again. “Final exams begin next week, so make sure Kibum continues to study hard – maybe boost that math mark a little bit. Kibum has written down that he is interested in studying law, but I also understand that Kibum wants to pursue dance or fashion design in the future so he doesn’t need to worry too much about it. Math isn’t the top priority.”

Yes, Kibum thought. Coming here was most definitely a mistake. His fists clenched the fabric of his pants and his blood ran cold at the teacher’s words, cursing the day he ever told her or anybody else about his interests and dreams for the future.

“He wants to pursue what?” questioned Kibum’s father slowly, though it was clear that he had heard the woman’s words perfectly.

“Um… dance?” she repeated unsurely, eyes flickering to gauge Kibum’s reaction.

Kibum ignored her gaze and instead chose to stare a hole in his lap, fearing the words which were definitely to come.

“Dance?” the man gritted out, teeth clenched in anger. “Boy, I thought you told me that was for the third year prom.”

The teacher sat dumbfounded, looking on confusedly. “Prom? What prom?”

Kibum wanted to cry. His father’s face was reddening in anger by the second, and Kibum could tell that it wouldn’t take much more for him to explode. He thought back to when he had told his father about the ‘prom’, and wanted to beat himself up for not thinking about it more carefully. The interview had only just begun, but already, Kibum’s intricate spiral of lies was being gradually unravelled and leaving all of his secrets in the bare open.

“We’re gonna have a little talk about this dancing later.” his father growled lowly, and Kibum’s mind shot back to the feeling of a large hand striking his face painfully. He visibly flinched.

“Um…Well…On another, more positive note, I suppose… Kibum’s made a lot of friends this year, which is great. I’ve seen him around school with Choi Minho and Lee Taemin, so I’m glad he’s found a nice group of friends.”

Kibum’s mother nodded, content, recalling that Jonghyun didn’t go to high school and praying that her husband wouldn’t pick up on the absence of his name. But the man was sharper than she took credit for, and the woman could only glance at Kibum with worry clouding her vision.

“And what about this Jonghyun I keep hearing of?” Kibum’s father practically spat Jonghyun’s name out. “In Kibum’s history class. Hasn’t been trying any funny business on my son, I hope.”

The teacher sat anxiously, scouring her mind for any student in Kibum’s history class who was possible named ‘Jonghyun’. It came back blank, and although she wanted to protect her student from the terrifying man before her, she could help but speak honestly beneath the man’s ruthless glower.

“I… I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know who you’re talking about. That Jonghyun mustn’t go to this school.”

[linkchapin]

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Help. (via olliepots)

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 11 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 5,284 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine

Kibum gave the teacher a hasty glance before returning his gaze back down to the phone within his lap, frowning in worry at the lack of text messages he had received throughout the day. He scolded himself mentally for the umpteenth time that day, vehemently wishing once again that he hadn’t sent that text to Jonghyun. What on earth had he been thinking to send something as improper as that to begin with?

‘I obviously hadn’t been thinking at all.’ his conscience jeered, and Kibum dejectedly turned his phone off and looked back up at the scrawl upon the whiteboard.

Biting his lip, he risked a peak over at Amber, smiling reassuringly at her curious look.

”I’ll tell you about it later.” he mouthed, shooting the girl a thumbs up as she nodded eagerly and turned her head back to the front with reluctance and anticipation.

The lesson seemed to drone on for what felt like a year, and Kibum found himself unconsciously doodling within his notebook as the teacher’s words flew into one ear and spewed immediately out of the other. His pencil glided over the page without thought, and after he had finished he stared at the result with a mixture of glee and embarrassment.

A roughly sketched drawing of Jonghyun’s face now lie upon his paper, and although he took pride in the accuracy of the image, Kibum nonetheless turned the page to prevent anybody sneaking a glance at the singer he happened to fancy. It was humiliating enough to have the older boy not reply to his risqué texts, but for his fellow peers to witness that he’d been daydreaming and drawing another man in class? He just wouldn’t have it.

Seconds ticked by dully, and Kibum’s gaze bore into the clock fiercely in hopes of causing it to move faster. His attempts were futile however, and soon enough Kibum could feel his eyes become heavy with exhaustion and threaten to droop. Before he’d met Jonghyun, it was safe to say that Kibum had a much simpler time paying attention during class, but now it seemed as though the older boy had absorbed all of his attention and there was nothing left to share.

Kibum didn’t mind entirely. Although he did enjoy studying and discovering new things, he certainly didn’t want to be a mathematician or a scientist after graduation. Dance was what intrigued him the most, however the idea of his parents investing in dance classes for him was laughable. And undoubtedly impossible. So Kibum made the most of the studio at school and practiced whenever possible, spending his lunchtimes dancing away his thoughts and worries in lieu of socialising with his fellow peers.

These thoughts were consuming Kibum so profoundly that he didn’t even recognize the persistent tapping on his shoulder until a loud voice sliced through his ears and reverie like a steel blade.

”-rry up, Kibum!” urged Amber, her impatient face appearing clearly before Kibum as his eyes finally managed to focus.

Kibum blinked and looked around himself in a daze. Like expected, the classroom was empty bar from him and Amber. Hurriedly, Kibum began to shuffle his books together in order to speak to the tomboy as soon as possible, however he was halted as a calloused yet gentle hand placed itself on his rounded shoulder.

“No point in going somewhere else. We’ll get more peace in here.” stated Amber with a grin, pulling over a nearby chair and placing it across from Kibum.

Swirling the seat around so the back of it was in front of her, Amber plopped herself onto the chair and rested her head on the backrest in anticipation. “Spill the beans, Kibum. What’s got you in such a stupefied daze?”

Kibum sighed deeply, and looked up at Amber through his lashes with furrowed brows. “I’m so stupid.” he muttered.

Amber quirked an eyebrow with incredulity. “You confessed?”

The older student’s eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. “God, no. I’m not that stupid.”

“Hey, what else am I meant to think when you say that?” she defended with a whine, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. “Seriously though, tell me what’s happened.”

Kibum rolled his eyes at her persistence, yet chewed his bottom lip between his teeth nervously nonetheless. He reached into his pants pocket and plucked out his phone unsurely, raising his gaze to Amber as though he were contemplating something.

“C’mon Kibum!” she urged, almost bouncing on her seat in anticipation. “You can trust me, ‘Bum…we’ve been friends forever. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Kibum exhaled with the realization that she was perfectly correct. “I know, I know. Just…let me put it in context for you.”

“…”

“So last night I went to Jonghyun’s house, and because I spent so long there, we ended up falling asleep on the couch together.”

“Kibum, you didn’t do the nasty did you?!” interrupted Amber with a gasp, dramatizing the situation far more than it needed to be.

Kibum laughed and shook his head. “Calm down, Amber. No, I did not do the ‘nasty.’ Anyway, when I woke up this morning I could’ve sworn he was singing or something, I don’t know, but that wasn’t the embarrassing part. My limbs were, like, draped over him like an old rag or something, and when I went to move, he just stopped me!”

Amber clapped her hands together in excitement and leaned even closer to Kibum if possible, resting her chin on her open palm. “You’re getting in there, Kibum! He so likes you!”

Kibum pouted. “I don’t reckon so, Amber. This morning, I thought that he did too! We were being flirty and stuff all morning, and I could’ve sworn he was checking me out at some point. He kept making all these sexual references after I cooked breakfast and—“

“You cooked him breakfast?! Oh my god, Kibum, that’s adorable!” exclaimed Amber joyfully, sitting back down in her seat hurriedly at the pointed glare Kibum was directing at her.

“Is that all you gathered from that?! Did the sexual reference part not pique your interest in the slightest?”

Amber gulped thickly. “It did, it did, I swear! I just thought the cooking part was extra adorable. Please, continue.”

Kibum rolled his eyes but continued nevertheless. “Anyway, so after I cooked, I was all like, “Did you gather anything from that?” as a joke, and out of anything he could’ve replied with, guess what he chose to say.”

“Um, perha—“

“”How to turn someone on, I suppose”!” continued Kibum breathlessly, not even giving Amber the opportunity to respond.

Amber blinked once, then twice. “He really said that?!”

Kibum nodded vigorously, and then without even pausing to take a breath, resumed. “So as you might’ve guessed, I was beyond fangirling at that point. I was practically having a seizure in my brain, and I figured that if he was being all brave and stuff then it wouldn’t hurt if I was too.”

Amber looked intently at Kibum but made no motion to comment.

“And then right before I got out of the car at school, he was joking about being unsatisfied and stuff, so I worked up my nerves after he left and sent probably the worse text I’ve ever conjured in my entire life. Here.” rambled Kibum, unlocking his phone and sliding it over to Amber in order for her to take a read.

The room was completely void of any noise for a few seconds; so silent that Kibum could even hear himself breathing. Finally, Amber rose her gaze to meet Kibum’s and stared into his eyes intently, leaving no warning whatsoever before bursting out into a fit of laughter.

Kibum’s eyes widened considerably, an immediate worrying mask clouding his feline features. “Stop laughing and help me!” he whinged, poking out his bottom lip and quivering it for extra effect.

Amber’s laughter seized but the large smile adorning her face remained inevitably. “I’m sorry ‘Bum, but you’re just too funny. This is pure gold, why are you panicking so much?”

Kibum crossed his arms over his chest and screwed his face up in distaste. “He hasn’t replied since I sent it and the day’s nearly over! I came on too strongly and now he probably thinks I’m a gay freak.”

Amber frowned sympathetically and slid her fingers through Kibum’s in solace. “He does not think that, Kibum. He probably hasn’t even seen the message. Besides, if he didn’t reply because you came on too strong then he’s a hypocritical loser and you should slap his sorry ass. Face, I mean. Don’t slap his ass.”

Kibum offered a brittle smile at Amber’s attempt to enliven the mood; the light not quite reaching his eyes. “Yeah…maybe.”

“Leave it ‘til tonight, and if he hasn’t replied by tomorrow or doesn’t come over, it means he’s probably seen it. But maybe he’s never been a relationship with another guy and doesn’t know how to react.” started Amber, gasping suddenly as though an epiphany had suddenly struck her out of the blue. “Maybe…Maybe he thinks you’re straight and is trying to distance himself because he doesn’t want to get his heart broken!”

Kibum’s smile grew slightly and a glint of joy sparked in his eyes. “You’re looking too far into it! I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow, and then if nothing happens we can start looking into your little theories.”

Amber flashed a broad grin and scratched the back of her neck bashfully. “Sounds good! As of now, however, I’m super hungry. Come eat with my group today.”

Kibum shot Amber a sceptical expression, raising his eyebrow in doubt. “We both know your friends don’t like me.”

“They’re just jealous your fashion is better than theirs. It was worth a try, I guess.”

Kibum laughed and flicked his hair out of his eyes in agreement. “They think I’m gonna steal their man or something? I reckon I’ll pass for today, Amber, but thanks for the offer.”

Amber poked her tongue out and stood up from her chair. “I figured you’d say that. The offer’s always there, Kibum. Catch ya later!”

Kibum waved in farewell and smiled as the tomboy made her way out of the classroom and down the corridor, grin fading slowly once she was out of sight. Looking at his phone once more out of spite, Kibum frowned in expected disappointment and shoved the device back into his pocket with a dejected sigh.

Reluctantly standing from his seat, Kibum followed Amber’s footsteps with a trudge and slowly shuffled his way towards the lockers aimlessly. Offhandedly, he swiped his lunch from his bag and continued on down to the dance studio, poking his head through in greeting once he had arrived. However, a wave of melancholy engulfed his delicate form as his eyes landed upon the empty room, his reflection in the mirror being the only type of company nearby. With a begrudged sigh, Kibum stepped foot inside and closed the door behind him nevertheless, thinking to himself that he should be elated at the lack of presences.

He wasn’t though, and sat down heavily by the mirror with furrowed brows adorning his sharp features whilst twiddling his phone between his long fingers. Kibum chewed on his sandwich half-heartedly with his eyes locked on the bright screen that seemingly glared up onto his pale skin. So preoccupied with the device within his palm, he took no notice of the door opening or the light footsteps which made their way up behind him. The mirror should’ve been a dead giveaway, but Kibum couldn’t be bothered raising his head merely to see how forlorn his expression was.

“Jonghyun, huh?” came the voice of Taemin, and Kibum couldn’t prevent the jeer of ‘deja-vu’ clipping at his memory.

Kibum, with a fright, tilted his phone to the ground and flicked his head to face Taemin. The younger boy, not fazed in the slightest, continued speaking and plopped down beside Kibum without a worry plaguing his youthful face.

“Sorry I wasn’t here earlier; Minho wanted me to check out this new soccer trick he learnt. Anyway—why’ve you got your phone like that, Kibum? Tryna hide something?” he laughed, reaching his hand forward playfully in attempt to snatch Kibum’s phone from the elder’s grip.

Kibum retracted his hand back quickly as though the younger’s touch stung, before smiling lightly at Taemin in defence of his strange actions. Despite his grin of reassurance however, Taemin frowned.

“I was just kidding…but seriously though, what’s wrong?” he questioned carefully, slowly bringing his hand back to rest in his lap whilst giving Kibum’s phone a curious study.

Kibum faltered for a few seconds and fumbled on his words. “N-nothing. I was just a bit shocked, that’s all.”

Taemin quirked an eyebrow dubiously, genuinely not believing an ounce of junk that spilled from Kibum’s mouth. He alternated his gaze between Kibum’s eyes and the phone that lie in the third year’s fisted hand for a few, silent seconds, before out of the blue, he lunged forward and swiped the device from Kibum’s unsuspecting grasp.

“Yah!” Kibum exclaimed furiously, jumping onto his feet hastily in attempt to tackle Taemin to the ground.

It seemed that Taemin was quite swift however, for he had already managed to sprint to the other end of the room with phone in hand, fingers tapping at the screen frantically in hopes of stumbling across the cause of Kibum’s grim mood.

Kibum’s face flushed a bright shade of crimson as he tried feebly to halt Taemin; to no avail it seemed as the younger curled himself up in a ball by the corner of the room with the phone concealed tightly in his clutch. “Seriously, stop! It’s none of your business!”

Taemin furrowed his brows and poked out his tongue in concentration, ignoring Kibum’s cries entirely as his mind became absorbed with the task at hand. “I don’t wanna see you slumping around all day because of some petty thing on your phone.” he defended, eyes all of a sudden jolting wider in delight as they landed upon Jonghyun’s contact name.

Kibum’s hands clenched tightly by his sides and his legs visibly shook in nervousness, looking almost on the verge of tears as a thought of horrific realization invaded his mind. Amber was the only one who knew about Kibum’s infatuation with Jonghyun, and he didn’t think he would be able to cope from the embarrassment if anyone else; especially a newfound friend such a Taemin; found out.

“T-Taemin…nothing’s wrong I swear. You d-don’t need to worry.” he reassured shakily, taking tentative steps forward towards Taemin’s sprawled body without an ounce of amusement clouding his face.

Although Taemin’s features were adorned with an expression of pure, innocent mischief, Kibum was far too worried and anxious to be optimistic and take the situation lightly. Oblivious to Kibum’s desperation however, Taemin continued humorously, voice laced with hearty laughter.

The young dancer grinned, and poked his tongue out at Kibum in cheek. “Tut tut, Kibum. You can’t lie to me!”

Flashing a bright smile, Taemin’s gaze returned to the phone within his hand and he tapped on the name of Kibum’s affection with anticipation. And just like Kibum had expected would happen, an unsettling silence engulfed the room before Taemin’s jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment.  His eyes awkwardly lifted to meet Kibum’s insecure ones, brow furrowing at the sheen of tears that were threatening to fall.

Taemin cleared his throat and, out of respect, turned Kibum’s phone off. “I-I’m sorry.”

An unintelligible sound emitted from Kibum’s throat before he hastily whipped his head around in order to avoid the younger’s intense gaze. Taemin watched the older boy intently, and felt his heart clench in sympathy and repent for what he had intruded on.

“I’m really sorry for invading like that Kibum…I shouldn’t have.��� he began unsurely, twiddling his fingers around each other in awkwardness. “If it makes you feel any better…I really don’t mind if you like him like that. I kinda suspected it anyway.”

Kibum slowly peaked back around to take a glance at Taemin, and although his cheeks were slightly stained in dried tears of humiliation, he took solace in the younger’s words and kind smile. “You did?”

Taemin laughed heartily upon the floor, and his eyes crinkled in mirth as he looked at Kibum. “Until yesterday I actually thought you dating him…so yes, I definitely did.”

Kibum���s eyes widened and he looked at Taemin sceptically. “You thought we were dating?!” he exclaimed.

Taemin giggled behind his hand and nodded vehemently. “Oh c’mon, Kibum. All the signs were there, what else was I meant to think? But on a more serious note, what about our little Jonghyun has got you in such a crappy mood?”

Kibum groaned into his palm and sat upon the panelled floor with a heavy thump. “Did you happen to read the last text I sent? I can’t believe I actually did that, I’m so stupid!”

Taemin rose an eyebrow, and reached his hand over to grab Kibum’s phone back off from the ground. Unlocking it swiftly, his eyes skimmed over the last message sent and felt his lips automatically quirk up into a smirk.

“Don’t you dare laugh at this, Lee Taemin.” chided Kibum from his ball on the ground, voice screaming in embarrassment.

Taemin snorted and shook his head in amusement. “What on earth, Kibum? What gave you the courage to send this?”

“I honestly have no idea. We were low key flirting all morning, so I assumed it wouldn’t be that bad if I sent something like this, but…he hasn’t replied all day!” rambled Kibum desperately, voice adapting a whinging tone the more he spoke.

Taemin’s eyebrows rose suggestively, and ignored the woes Kibum spoke of. “So you slept with him last night, then?”

Kibum exhaled loudly in exasperation. “Did you listen to a word I just said? And no, I did not sleep with him. I slept next to him. There’s a difference.”

“I was listening! You guys were flirting all morning, after you slept next to him. Isn’t that the important part here?” defended Taemin, scrambling to his feet before plopping himself down closer to Kibum.

“And the part about him not replying all day?! That didn’t register through your mind at all?”

Taemin breathed out deeply. “Kibum, Kibum, Kibum. You’re the one meant to be giving me advice, not the opposite way around. Listen; when I came over yesterday it was obvious to see that you’re both head over heels for each other. You confirmed that by mentioning the flirting and everything, so you really have nothing to worry about. Besides, it hasn’t even been quarter of a day yet. He probably hasn’t even looked at his phone.”

Kibum screwed up his face and picked at his fingernails in doubt. “You reckon?”

“I know he likes you Kibum. He was looking at you as though you were the moon the whole night.”

Kibum failed in trying to conceal his smile, a slight shade of crimson brushing itself over his sharp cheekbones. “And you sure you’re not grossed out with me liking him and all?”

Taemin smiled in reassurance. “Positive I’m not. It’s pretty cute, if I must say. And I’m pretty sure deep down, Minho agrees too.”

Kibum tilted his head confusedly, and narrowed his eyes in Taemin’s direction. “What the heck have you and Minho been saying about me?”

Taemin threw his head back and laughed loudly, “You don’t wanna know, Kibum. Anyway though, the bell’s about to go and my locker’s on the other side of the school. You better keep me updated about what happens with Jonghyun, and I wish you luck!”

Kibum rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground. “Yeah sure, whatever. If he never replies though, I’m blaming you for getting my hopes up.”

The younger student scoffed as he opened the dance room door, responding with a mere two words as he left the brightly lit room. “You suck.”

The third year student snorted, before picking his phone up off the ground and trailing behind soon after.

As the end of the day approached, Kibum felt his mood noticeably increase because of the talk he’d had with Amber and Taemin. It was as though a gigantic weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and despite the fact that he still inwardly feared what Taemin was thinking as of now, he generally felt so much lighter now that he’d gotten this secret off of his chest.

He made the trek home with a slight bounce in his step, and promised himself that he wouldn’t even take a glance at his phone until he’d reached his house and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. With an earplug resting within his ear, his footsteps synced to the beat of the song playing, and he inwardly noted that it would probably sound much better if Jonghyun were singing it.

Although the idea of that haunting text still plagued his mind, he tried to be optimistic about the subject and think about what Taemin had mentioned instead. Was it true that Jonghyun looked at him as though he was the moon? He had never really noticed it before, but maybe that was because Kibum himself was far too busy admiring the older male in all of his glory when they were together.

Kibum had never really pegged Jonghyun as someone who would be with another guy, but he was rather touchy around Kibum and he definitely didn’t have a filter when it came to flirting and speaking his mind. So many different ideas and theories were easing their way into his thoughts one by one, and before he knew it, he was already trudging up the driveway to his house and unlocking the front door with an audible click.

Hurriedly grabbing an after school snack from the pantry, Kibum clenched his phone tightly within his grasp as he raced upstairs to his vastly decorated bedroom. As he set foot inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to the picture of Jonghyun and him on the wall, and a befitting grin spread over his face in joy. Practically throwing himself onto his bed, he impatiently turned his phone on and hurriedly swiped to his view his messages, chest once again tightening in anticipation for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

Kibum inhaled sharply, and felt his breath catch in his throat. Jonghyun had seemingly replied, and Kibum’s eyes ran over the message as quickly as possible, taking in every aspect of the message as he read it.

I left my phone in the car all day, and I missed out on a message like this? Damn Kibum, I didn’t know you could be so blunt. But I must say…I like it ;)

Now I’m even more excited! See you tomorrow Kibum, I’ll be anticipating it! :’)

Your idol, Jjong x

Kibum’s heart went wild in his chest, and he felt himself grinning so wide in a way that threatened to split his face in two. Rolling onto his stomach, Kibum buried his face into his pillow and screamed loudly, unable to control the overwhelming happiness that had immersed his mind.

He read the message a few more times just to etch it into his mind and confirm he wasn’t dreaming, before turning his phone back off and jumping from his bed. All of the worries that had accumulated throughout the day immediately flew from his mind, and he mentally thanked Amber and Taemin for having faith in Jonghyun and himself despite his doubts.

The older male’s straightforward attitude towards these kind of things unnerved Kibum, yet the excitement that went along with it was thrilling, nonetheless. Every time Jonghyun would say something suggestive or even make a low-key flirty comment, Kibum found his legs turning to jelly and his heart melting to goo, unable to control the cage of butterflies that were released inside of his pleasantly churning stomach.

Suddenly overcome with the urge to dance in delight, Kibum bounced his way over to the CD player and pressed play, knowing fully well that his favourite song was already loaded inside. Kibum flinched slightly as the first beat of the song blasted out of the speakers, adjusting the volume slightly as to not to disturb the neighbours – or his eardrums.

It wasn’t often Kibum found himself dancing in his room like this. These types of moments were usually conserved and saved for the dance room at school, being able to utilise a large space such as that much better than the expanse of his bedroom floor. However at that moment, it would suffice, and before he knew it Kibum was flowing between the walls, punctuating his moves sharply yet remaining elegant and graceful at the same time.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was with sweat dripping down his forehead when Kibum decided to stop, grabbing a towel from his bathroom and wiping away the sheen of moisture gently. And it was quite beneficial that Kibum had decided to stop when he did, because within a few minutes his ears could scarcely pick up the sound of the front door opening and a pair of light footsteps making their way onto the kitchen tiles.

Kibum allowed a breath of relief to escape his lungs. It was only his mother. Although the student still feared his mother’s reaction to his disappearance the night before, he figured she was much more lenient to this kind of thing in comparison to his father. Making the decision to kill two birds with one stone, Kibum worked up his minimal courage and began the slump downstairs, poking his head around the kitchen wall in anxiousness once he had arrived.

He braced himself before taking a tentative step forward into the kitchen, offering his mother a sheepish smile as her head whipped up to greet him.

“H-hey, umma.” he stuttered awkwardly, digging his toe into the floor beneath as he stared at his feet in forged interest.

Kibum’s mother stood and stared in silence, and Kibum could practically feel the anger building up beneath her harsh gaze.

“Kibum.”

He gulped.

“Would you mind telling me why on earth you didn’t come home last night?”

He trapped his bottom lip between his teeth and gnawed on it apprehensively, more petrified by her calm tone than anything. “I-I was at A-Amber’s house…f-for that project. Remember?”

Kibum mentally praised himself for his fast thinking and lying skills, and his face morphed into a more confident façade. “We had so much to do that it was midnight before we knew it…I thought it was better to sleep there instead of coming home so late and my phone has no credit, so I assumed you guys would be okay with it.”

It was strange. His mother never really questioned when he stayed with Amber despite the fact that the younger girl was not a good influence in the slightest. And although he knew personally he wasn’t going to make some kind of move on Amber, it still befuddled him that his mother didn’t doubt what they were doing with their time together.

And his mother suspecting his sexuality was out of the question. He might be quite flamboyant, and he might have different interests than most of his other male peers, but Kibum knew ‘gay’ wasn’t in his parents’ vocabulary. It was quite a taboo topic to them and the rest of South Korea, and Kibum was perfectly fine not making a fuss out of the whole concept. Honestly, Kibum was just excited to move out after he’d graduated high school and have the freedom and joy of merely being himself. Thankfully, there wasn’t too long to go.

Kibum didn’t hate his parents. Really, he loved them. But there’s a difference between loving someone and loving their morals and what they stand for. And Kibum definitely didn’t agree with anything his parents had to say. In all honestly, they were bigoted, biased and belittling towards anyone who landed outside their standards of normativity, and Kibum often nearly laughed at the mere thought. If only they knew.

He heard his mother exhale loudly and looked up from his gaze on the floor just in time to see her run her hands through her hair in exasperation. “Kibum, Kibum, Kibum. What are we going to do with you?”

“Send me to the asylum?” he joked, earning himself a brisk slap over the arm.

She continued, not an ounce of amusement spiking her stern tone. “Be serious, Kibum. Last year you were such a disciplined boy, and now here you are running off every night and not even telling me where you’re going! I don’t mind if you’re staying at Amber’s house or whatever, but it’s the fact that you don’t tell me anything! How am I supposed to know you’re not going to run off and get yourself killed tomorrow when me and your father are out?!”

Kibum blinked and felt his brows furrow in guilt. He was reminded once again why he preferred his mother over his father. “Umma,” he whined, slouching down onto the kitchen stool.

“It’s not as if I’m going out and doing drugs…All I’m doing is hanging out at my friend’s house to do school work. You talk as though you don’t trust me at all.”

Kibum definitely felt guilty for blatantly lying to his mother, however he physically couldn’t allow his mother to find out the truth about Jonghyun. And so he continued to lie, bending the truth only slightly in order to give his mother what she wanted to hear.

It worked. Soon, she was wrapping him up in a tight hug and apologising softly for doubting her beautiful boy, Kibum’s face remaining stoic as thoughts of Jonghyun and deceit plagued his mind. Their chat was over quickly, and Kibum began the trek back upstairs, mind alternating between the guilt he was experiencing and the overpowering excitement the thought of Jonghyun supplied.

The latter seemed to outweigh the negative, and so Kibum decided to begin and finish his homework as soon as possible, satisfied with the idea of not having to do it later. He seized his books from his school back and got to work, surprising himself significantly as he ploughed through the questions he was assigned. Dinner was nearing by when he finally completed his workload, standing up from his desk with a crack or two before reluctantly making his way downstairs.

Although his mother was quite lenient and biased when it came to her only son, Kibum’s father was quite the contrary, and never seemed to be fazed by anything constructive he had achieved. Unlike with Kibum, his father’s negative feelings always outweighed his affirmative ones. He hoped that his mother had managed to put some decent opinions into his head, and held his breath as he turned the kitchen corner.

His gaze met his father’s, and the both of them remained silent, diverting their gazes almost immediately after making contact. Kibum sat down hesitantly and fiddled with his cutlery in an awkward manner, hoping to God his father wouldn’t ask any questions. He didn’t.

It felt as though a year had gone by when supper finally finished, and Kibum breathed a huge sigh of relief as he entered his room once again for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Collapsing onto his bed, Kibum allowed a wide grin to etch itself onto his worn face, and he fell asleep with a feeling of eagerness swimming around in the pit of his pale stomach.

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 27 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 3,348 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: okay this chapter is very late but school is back and as busy as ever…it’s pretty short but it’s action packed and i really hope you enjoy <3 BTW: after this chapter i’ve only got around four more to go :(

chapters 10-25 posted on @ourshineeshrine for now

Hands tucked away comfortably in his oversized pockets, Jonghyun revelled in the gentle breeze which brushed against his face and through his hair with a content sigh. His feet travelled quickly, almost skipping down the asphalt sidewalk and stumbling every so often in his excitement, but it was fruitless to ignore the growing butterflies which occupied Jonghyun’s stomach. Kibum’s large, middle class house could be seen easily from a distance, but it was impossible to determine from where he currently stood whether or not the boy’s parents were home.

It was a Tuesday afternoon – closer to 4:30pm to save Jonghyun the embarrassment of crossing paths with Kibum on his way home from school. The plan was to surprise the younger at a place where they both felt comfortable, and most importantly, away from prying eyes. Jonghyun simply wanted to talk, something which was proving increasingly difficult with the way Kibum had been avoiding him the past week or so.

The house grew larger as Jonghyun neared, but he paused hesitantly before crossing a certain point to make sure that there were definitely no parents home. The driveway remained empty and the house seemed relatively quiet, however upon noticing a large tree by the side of the house, Jonghyun mentally shrugged.

‘Better to be safe than sorry.’

Taking one more cautious glance at his surroundings, Jonghyun carefully made his way towards the tree, looking at its branches with distaste. He’d never been the sort to climb trees in his spare time as a kid. He’d always opted for staying inside where the warmth was, covered in blankets as he poured his feelings into stories, poems and songs. So now, even though he was twenty-one, Jonghyun found he had absolutely no idea how to go about this, and awkwardly looked up the tree to make sure it looked strong enough.

He’d watched plenty of romance movies over his lifetime, and figured that no matter how uncomfortable and terrible he felt climbing the tree, it would be worth it to see Kibum’s surprised and ecstatic face at the end. Jonghyun grabbed onto the nearest branch and gradually began to pull himself up, ignoring his shaking legs and quivering heartbeat. Nerves wouldn’t have any benefits for him now – instead, he sought to turn his anxiousness into confidence.

Climbing up the tree itself seemed fine. But upon looking down to the ground below and observing the sheer distance which separated him and safety, Jonghyun felt his heart dropping to his stomach. If anything however, he was closer to the window, so continued on after another half-hearted attempt of reassurance.

Jonghyun cursed his affinity for romance as he reached the window, staring at it with a new bout of utmost anxiety. Should he knock? Perhaps wait for Kibum to open the curtains (which, much to his chagrin, were closed)? Open the window himself and surprise Kibum?

Nope, definitely not. He didn’t want to seem like some creepy pervert or scare the living daylights out of his boyfriend. And so, with one last heavy sigh, Jonghyun reached forward and gently tapped on the window.

To be met with absolutely nothing in response.

Jonghyun looked around awkwardly. It would do no good for someone to him like this. He prayed to the gods that Kibum was actually home, and hesitantly, knocked again – this time, a little louder. Something seemed to rustle behind the curtains, the slight movement eliciting Jonghyun to hold his breath in anticipation. And then, in one swift movement, the curtains were pulled back to reveal Kibum, regarding Jonghyun with an emotion akin to both astonishment and slight anger.

The older of the two smiled sheepishly, and although he was tempted to run a nervous hand through his hair, he didn’t want to skew the hat on his head and ruin the dyed surprise. Kibum sighed deeply on the other side of the glass before, albeit reluctantly, opening the window.

“Jonghyun,” he spoke frantically, looking out the window to make sure his parents weren’t in sight. “What the hell are you doing here?” Kibum gestured for Jonghyun to slip through the window, helping his boyfriend in despite his initial anger.

Stumbling onto Kibum’s bedroom floor, Jonghyun’s hands fidgeted by his side. “I—just…W-Why haven’t you been talking to me? I miss you.”

Kibum sat on his bed heavily. “I’ve been really busy, Jjong, I—“

“If you were busy you could’ve at least replied to my texts. You’re ignoring me, ‘Bum. Why?”

Of course Jonghyun knew Kibum was grounded. He’d heard the words from the boy’s mother herself. But he wanted to hear it from Kibum, too. He wanted to hear Kibum’s side of the story.

“I just ran out of credit, okay? I’m sorry.”

Jonghyun could feel a slight burning behind his eyes but willed himself to push his tears aside. He couldn’t let his sensitivity and emotions get the best of him now. He inhaled shakily. “Why are you lying?”

Standing from his bed, Kibum frowned. “I’m not. What’s with you?”

“Me? What’s with me? I know you’re grounded, Kibum! So just stop lying and tell me why.”

Freezing, Kibum could only respond with silence, staring at Jonghyun with wide, sorrowful eyes. And it seemed that the silence was an invitation for Jonghyun to continue, cursing himself mentally as he felt the first tear threatening to spill.

“I know you have to lie to your parents sometimes…for your own good. To protect yourself. But me? Why are you lying to me, Kibum? What did I do wrong?”

Kibum shook his head softly. “I’m grounded…” he whispered, and Jonghyun had to lean forward in order to gauge what he was saying. “Because of you.”

“…What?”

“I said,” Kibum gritted, “It’s your fault.”

Jonghyun stopped, staring at Kibum in stunned silence. Already, you could feel the air thickening around them, but Jonghyun refused to give up, denying tentatively. “B-But I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear I never said anything, Kibum…”

Sitting back down, Kibum could only stare at his lap.

“C’mon, ‘Bum. Please—“

“I know you didn’t say anything, you idiot!” burst Kibum, head shooting up in anger. Water fell from his eyes, and judging by the way his hands gripped at the bedsheets, it was easy to tell he was still holding a lot in. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s all your fault.”

The older of the two watched concernedly as Kibum desperately swiped at his eyes in a fruitless attempt to quell his tears. “Everything was fine before you got here. My dad was fine before you got here!”

“You’re being unfair.”

Kibum shook his head. “It’s just too hard.”

Cautiously, Jonghyun shuffled closer, biting his lip to assure that his own tears didn’t fall. Scared to hear the reply, he asked cautiously and held his breath. “W-What is?”

“Being with you.” Kibum choked out. “Why is being with you so hard?”

Frowning deeply, Jonghyun took another step closer, ignoring the large droplets which slowly began to splash against his cheeks. “I don’t know.” he replied hoarsely. “But please…please don’t blame me, Kibum. I swear…we can work through this – whatever it is – together. Just please don’t shut me out.”

“We can’t just work through this, Jonghyun! Because my father and everyone else is never going to stop being homophobic, and I’m never going to stop being gay and I just—“ Kibum let out an ugly sob. “—can’t help but hate myself for it sometimes.”

“No…” Jonghyun muttered, “Please don’t say that.”

Kibum allowed himself to be wrapped in Jonghyun’s embrace, but made no move to return the gesture. His arms remained limp by his side, and seemed to ignore Jonghyun’s gentle whispers of reassurance. “Why would you even say that?”

“Because it’s not normal! Haven’t you realised that yet, Jjong? If it was normal, then we wouldn’t have to sneak around like we’ve been doing. If it was normal, t-then…nobody would give a shit if I held your hand in public. I wouldn’t be bullied, I wouldn’t be grounded…my dad wouldn’t hate me.” Kibum breathed out deeply. “Why can’t we just be normal?”

“Normal?” Jonghyun scoffed, using his thumbs to softly wipe away Kibum’s tears. “What’s normal? Because if normal means not being able to do this,” Jonghyun lightly pecked Kibum on the lips. “Or this,” he entwined their fingers together. “Then who gives a shit?”

Slowly, Kibum’s cheeks grew pinker, and it was easy to see he was struggling to conceal a smile.

“Does this feel wrong, ‘Bum? Unnatural? Uncomfortable?” Jonghyun moved one hand to rest lightly against the skin of Kibum’s waist and leant forward to kiss him once again.

Kibum could only shake his head softly.  “No,” he mumbled. “Of course not.”

Grinning, Jonghyun tightened his embrace and rested his chin on Kibum’s shoulder. “I really like you, y’know? And I know it’s hard…I know you hate living like this sometimes but…it’s worth it, right? If you feel the same way I do, then…I hope us being together is worth it.”

“It is.” Kibum grinned softly, before a barely audible gasp escaped his lips. Jonghyun pulled away marginally in curiosity, but could only gleam with pride upon realising where Kibum’s gaze was directed. A hand reached forward to snag the hat off his head, followed by another hand running through the thick, dyed locks in awe.

“You dyed your hair.” Kibum acknowledged.

Jonghyun nodded and grinned bashfully. “Does it look alright?”

Allowing a loud, melodious laugh to escape, Kibum could only pull Jonghyun back into the hug and nod ferociously. “I love it.” he whispered.

Tightening their hug, Jonghyun breathed in deeply – content, but anxious to hear everything he came for. “S-So…When are you grounded ‘til, anyway?”

“Until I finish school.” Kibum pouted, “But it’s only a month away.”

Albeit disappointed, Jonghyun nodded understandingly. “That’s fair enough…Make sure you’re studying hard, okay?”

Kibum laughed loudly and rolled his eyes. “Not you, too.”

Chuckling good naturedly, Jonghyun kissed Kibum on the forehead affectionately. He began to hum an unintelligible tune under his breath, swaying Kibum back and forth in time with the rhythm. “I’ve really missed you, ‘Bum.”

“I think I’ve missed you more…How’s Roo doing?”

Jonghyun jolted in concealed excitement. “She’s really growing fast.” he spoke enthusiastically, trailing off awkwardly with an upturn of the nose. “But she keeps peeing on the bed.”

Snorting, Kibum slapped Jonghyun playfully on the arm. “You’re meant to toilet train her, you dunce.”

“I’m trying,” the older whined, “it’s really hard, Kibum…she won’t listen.”

“You’re too soft.” tutted Kibum indignantly, before kissing Jonghyun firmly on the mouth. “It’s cute.”

The singer smiled good-naturedly and made move to respond, yet paused suddenly in horror at the sound of movement downstairs. The stairs, despite their sturdiness, squeaked, and Kibum cussed aloud in panic. He took Jonghyun’s arm roughly and gestured to the wardrobe, giving the older male an all but gentle nudge to quicken his pace.

Jonghyun bit his lip worriedly, trying to speak to Kibum with his eyes.

Let me stay, they screamed. Let me help.

Kibum shook his head roughly before promptly shoving Jonghyun into the wardrobe, closing the door with haste and fishing his phone clumsily from his pocket.

“Yeah, Amber. I’m telling you, it’s due on Friday.” he spoke into the device, walking over to his bed and sitting down tensely. The door flung open and Kibum shot his father a casual smile, gesturing to the phone in his hand. “No, it’s just my dad. Nah…Yeah, I don’t know…I’m pretty sure…Mhm, I’ll call you back. See ya, Amber.” Kibum put the phone down and regarded his father with faux curiosity, ignoring the anxiety and fear which seemed to keep his limbs locked in place.

Breathing heavily, Jonghyun tried fruitlessly to calm his nerves, staring intently at a particular ray of light which drifted through a crack in the wood. He mentally applauded Kibum’s quick thinking and acting skills, yet no amount of talent could quell his apprehension. In an attempt to muffle his loud breathing Jonghyun clamped a hand over his mouth, butterflies leaping in dread as he heard the bedroom door close abruptly.

“What’s up?” came Kibum’s voice – low and absentminded.

“I thought I heard voices…”

“Yeah, I was on the phone to Amber. We’re just finalising our project.”

Silence, followed by a deep harrumph. “Better than that Jonghyun. And close the goddamn window, boy, it’s freezing in here.”

The window slammed close after a few seconds. “What’s your problem with him, dad?”

Jonghyun bit his lip harshly and prayed to the gods that Kibum would move onto another topic. Now was not the time to be defending him.

“My problem, Kibum, is the fact that he is a bad influence on you. All this disgusting behaviour started after you became friends with him. We should have sent you to a private school.”

Undeniably, the tension in the room began to increase at a rapid rate, Jonghyun struggling to breathe silently through his nose. The wardrobe was warm and lacked fresh air, and knowing that he had to stay quiet, Jonghyun was finding it increasingly difficult to sit still.

“Disgusting behaviour? Are you kidding me? I—“

“I know a fag when I see one, Kibum. And I don’t trust ‘em…Who knows what he’ll try to do to you if you’re left alone together.”

With fists clenched so tightly, Jonghyun was vaguely aware of the marks his nails were making his palms but chose to ignore it, too focused on the suspenseful conversation at hand. His own anger was slowly becoming more evident, but nothing could prepare Jonghyun for what Kibum would say next.

A light chortle escaped the younger male’s lips and he allowed himself to fall backwards onto his bed. “Who’s to say he hasn’t already?”

A resounding slap echoed around the room. Met with complete and utter silence.

Jonghyun struggled to stifle a gasp, feeling his eyes water immediately at the connotations the mortifying sound held. The image of Kibum’s beautiful, porcelain face being struck so mortifyingly by his own father made him shake with rage, never feeling such a strong sense of protection towards someone as he did in that moment. Jonghyun itched to reach forward and push the door open just an inch, create a distraction – anything to help. But Jonghyun also understood that this particular situation, as much as he hated to admit it, was out of his hands.

“Take a fucking joke…” muttered Kibum eventually, any sign of humour having disappeared from his voice entirely.

“A joke?” the man roared. “Do I look amused to you, boy? If I hear anything else like that falling from your mouth, be assured that you’ll be getting a lot more than a pathetic little slap.”

“Get out.” whispered Kibum, staring absentmindedly at the wardrobe door across from him.

Nobody moved, the room becoming thick with tension. Jonghyun felt the vague urge to sneeze and tightened his clenched fists, praying to the gods that he could hold it for just a while longer. The chilling, gruff voice began to speak again, and Jonghyun held his breath.

“Don’t you dare speak to me li—“

The sound of something breaking shattered against the walls. “Get the fuck out my room!” screamed Kibum, and then it was silent. A door clicked shut and a window slid open. Hesitantly, Jonghyun gave the wardrobe door a gentle nudge and peered around the corner. Kibum stood alone, a smashed lamp pooling by his feet.

Warily, Jonghyun exited the enclosed space and regarded the younger boy with concern, inching forward to check if he was alright. But, Jonghyun added mentally, that thought in itself was stupid. Of course Kibum wasn’t alright. “K-Kibum…?”

His hand reached forward to give Kibum’s hand a reassuring squeeze and to pull him into a hug, feeling his heart drop to his stomach as the younger boy shied away. “Please leave.” Kibum spoke.

“’Bum…I-I’m sorry—“

“It’s not your fault, okay?! Just please, leave!”

Jonghyun nodded solemnly, and albeit reluctantly, began to edge towards the open window. His throat was thick with distress, concern and trepidation, overcome with the inability to utter any other words.

“Stay safe…please, Kibum…my house is open whenever you need it.”

Kibum looked as though he was struggling to keep his tears at bay, nodding softly yet refusing to meet the older male’s eyes. His balled fists shook and Kibum appeared weaker than Jonghyun had ever seen him before. He wanted to hold him – reassure Kibum that everything was going to be okay. But Jonghyun wasn’t sure it was, and figured that despite how much he urged to comfort Kibum, the best thing to do would actually be to take action in making sure that everything was going to be alright. He slipped out of the window and shakily closed it behind him, watching with blurred vision as Kibum’s pent up tears of frustration, humiliation and devastation finally began to fall.

Jonghyun descended the tree hurriedly, tripping over slightly upon reaching the bottom and ignoring the twigs as they scraped roughly against his skin. His chest heaved with concern and fear, looking back up at Kibum’s window once before quickening his pace onto the pavement. Droplets of tears clung to his eyelashes and blurred his vision, the sleeve he was using to swipe at his face proving to no avail.

The words and noises he’d heard from his previous position in the wardrobe rang through his ears, and as Jonghyun’s worries increased, so did his heartrate. It was certain – Kibum’s father scared the shit out of him, and it wasn’t even him who the irrefutable malice and disgust was directed it. His gut churned for Kibum’s safety, the mere thought of any harm being brought to the younger boy setting Jonghyun off with another bout of sobs.

His body shook, but for the first time in a while, Jonghyun didn’t curse his fragile sensibility. His feet scuffed against the ground and occasionally he stumbled on a loose piece of asphalt but Jonghyun didn’t stop, tears not even dying when he reached his home and burst inside. With streaks of tears staining his face, red rimmed eyes and a heaving chest, the singer looked anything but okay, however ignored his sister’s exclamations of concern and continued down to his room, locking the door securely behind him.

“Jonghyun!” came Seodam’s shouts as she knocked on his door. “What happened?”

He refused to respond, merely shoving his face into a nearby pillow. “Nothing.” He blubbered incoherently. “C-Can you just bring Roo?”

A sigh sounded from outside his bedroom, followed shortly by footsteps which gradually grew more distant. Jonghyun’s emotions were getting the best of him, and while the situation didn’t affect him directly, he found that he was more heartbroken than ever. The resounding slap continued to haunt his ears, but Kibum’s lack of reaction was the real, underlying reason for his distress.

He just stood there, bearing it without even an utter of sound as though…he was used to it.

The door squeaked open marginally and in crept Roo, pawing at the bed desperately in an attempt to join Jonghyun. He rolled over and helped her up, smiling pensively as the puppy nudged at his pathetic figure and whined in worry.

“I’m okay, Roo.” he spoke, scratching her affectionately behind the ears before adding with a forlorn whisper. “But I’m not sure if Kibum is.”

With Roo lying over his stomach, Jonghyun plucked his phone from the nightstand and looked over his array of sent messages, scolding himself for ever having felt angry at Kibum. They all remained unanswered, but nevertheless, Jonghyun’s fingers began to move across the screen frantically.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Kibum…’

Nothing came in return except for a sunken heart on Jonghyun’s behalf. Instinctively – desperate for a response – his fingers began to type something else out, yet backspaced the three, authentic words as soon as they became something coherent.

‘I love you.’

It would do no good to let his emotions get the best of him now.

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 10 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 5,049 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine

It was Seodam who first stumbled upon the two in the morning, eyes immediately widening in gleeful astonishment at the sight of Jonghyun and Kibum enveloped gently in the other’s embrace. It seemed as though the two had changed positions throughout the night, Kibum’s head now fitting in the groove of Jonghyun’s neck with his arms wrapped around the older boy’s built torso. A light, befitting smile adorned Jonghyun’s features as a peaceful aura seemed to engulf their forms like a wave, and Seodam couldn’t prevent the inevitable grin of fondness from spreading over her cheeks.

She took a glance down at her watch and figured it was too early for them to wake just yet, opting to fish her phone out of her pocket and snap a candid photo of the two instead.  

‘This is seriously too cute…and they claim they’re not dating?’

Scoffing to herself, Seodam shook her head in disbelief.

‘Just friends, my ass.’

Seodam grabbed her bag off the table and shot the two boys one last fleeting glance before leaving the house, grinning mischievously to herself as she went.

Jonghyun was the first to awake out of the boys quite a while later, eyelashes fluttering wildly as he attempted to gain an insight of his surroundings. An uncomfortable feeling in his eyes took away his attention immediately, and he sighed in frustration as he realised he’d left his contacts in overnight. Just as he went to stand up and go change them however, Jonghyun took notice of the beautiful boy now lying within his embrace and blushed considerably at the slender arms wrapped around his torso. Despite the quite suggestive position the two males were in, Jonghyun took no actions to remove the younger’s grip and merely smiled in pure affection down at Kibum.

The dry feeling in his eyes didn’t seem to be disappearing in the slightest, and so Jonghyun hurriedly took the contacts out without bothering to replace them. After all, it wasn’t as though he needed great eyesight to see and admire how beautiful the boy lying within his arms was. A blind man could see it, in Jonghyun’s opinion.

The singer craned his neck slightly to check the time and nodded to himself, pleased. His gaze drifted back down to stare at Kibum, and his eyes crinkled at the sides as an inevitable smile immediately spread over his face. He cautiously reached out his hand and began to run it through Kibum’s black tufts of hair, biting his lip to conceal a squeal of utter joy as Kibum leaned into the touch.

Jonghyun, unconsciously, began to hum gently a song that didn’t exist, tunes and melodies drifting from his mouth and cascading quietly over the slumbering boy. Soon, minutes had passed, and Jonghyun figured it was unfortunately about time to wake Kibum up. Not wanting to startle the younger, he began singing Kibum’s name softly, volume rising gradually as the light from outside became brighter through the curtain’s peak.

His attempts to awaken Kibum via singing seemed futile, and so Jonghyun took a chance and leaned down to peck the dancer’s nose.

“Kibum-ah,” he whispered in song. “Wake up, ‘Bummie.”

Jonghyun grinned in accomplishment as Kibum’s eyelids began to flutter. The younger boy shifted unconsciously from his position in Jonghyun’s arms, yet kept his eyes closed to shield them from the bright sunlight peaking in through the curtain gap.

He shifted again so his head was facing the other way, and his eyes shuttered in a blink. Kibum squinted up at Jonghyun in confusion, rubbing his eyes with closed fists.

“Hm?” he mumbled, much too tired to form a coherent sentence.

Jonghyun grinned widely at the cute display, and reached down to poke Kibum’s cheek. “Time to wake up. You’ve got school.”

Kibum frowned with a groan and went to bury his face into his pillow, only then realizing that his head was in fact resting on Jonghyun’s torso and not the cushion he had thought. His eyes began to slowly widen in realization, and an immediate pink hue spread over his button nose. Diverting his gaze hurriedly, Kibum jumped to distance himself from the older male in a fit of embarrassment.

‘How on Earth had he ended up like this?’

Jonghyun allowed a smirk to grace his lips at Kibum’s adorable fumbling, and hurriedly reached out to place his hand over Kibum’s. “There’s no rush ‘Bum, you have a while yet.”

Kibum bit his lip in nervousness and bore a hole into the couch with his eyes. His breath caught in his throat as Jonghyun ran a thumb over the back of his hand, and he gulped to rid himself of the lump that had begun to form there.

“Jonghyun,” he stuttered, flustered. “W-We still have to go back to my house…and I take a while to choose clothes.”

Jonghyun felt his body being drowned in a cold wave of disappointment, and exhaled crestfallenly. “Ah, right. Well, um, feel free to have a shower…I’ll be making breakfast.”

Kibum nodded from his huddled position on the couch, and watched Jonghyun’s retreating form longingly as it made itself into the kitchen. The high schooler sighed, and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair.

He could feel a cloud form over his heart at his dismissive actions, and once again scolded himself for not being able to control his actions. Had he been a straight male, he could’ve went along with Jonghyun’s playful actions nonchalantly and without the worry of losing the older male. Unfortunately however, Kibum was not in fact a straight male, and had developed quite strong feelings for the singer over the past several weeks. He knew that if he had gone along with Jonghyun’s joking acts of skin ship, he’d get carried away and lose him as a friend forever. And Kibum definitely could not afford to lose Jonghyun.

With another begrudged sigh, Kibum pushed himself up from the couch and began to trudge his way to where Jonghyun’s bedroom had been revealed to be. He prayed that he would find the bathroom along the way, because he didn’t think he could face the further embarrassment of asking Jonghyun as to where it was.

Thankfully, he did indeed stumble upon the desired room, and made his way inside before locking the door behind him. Showering in bathrooms other than his own had always bothered Kibum, and this was no different. Despite the locked doors, there was always that constant fear that someone would stumble through the door and witness Kibum in his stark nakedness, dancing within the shower’s clear walls. The foreboding chill that enveloped the room cascaded over Kibum’s body, and he shivered involuntarily. His gaze met his own and Kibum tugged at his shirt indecisively. The mirrors adorning the wall intimidated Kibum, and so he turned around and shed his clothes, watching the door for any signs of movement.

The shower knobs were another story entirely. Kibum found himself standing there for a solid three minutes in an attempt to figure out which knob was hot and which was cold, and then how far to turn each one. The desired temperature was reached at last, and Kibum stepped inside the glass enclosure with a sigh of relief. The hard spray of the shower head splashed on Kibum’s sore back, and when he figured he’d been standing unmoving for long enough, he began to wash, basking in the soap scent which Kibum recognised as floating around Jonghyun each day.

When he finally convinced himself to step out of the shower, and had wrapped a fluffy, warm towel around his slim hips, Kibum’s fear partially came true, a slight knock coming from the other end of the door.

“Kibum-ah?”

Kibum’s shoulders relaxed. It was Jonghyun.

“Yeah?”

“Do you need some boxers or something?”

Kibum bit his lip, and looked back down at his strewn clothes lying upon the tiled floor. “That would be nice.”

“May I come in?”

Kibum cautiously went to the door and unlocked it feebly, tightening his towel around his hips and clasping it together tightly. The door clicked open, and in popped Jonghyun’s head, a large grin adorning his face. He handed over a pair of pink boxers, and blushed crimson.

Kibum took them gently, and looked up at Jonghyun with a slightly raised eyebrow. “You and pink boxers? I never would have expected it.”

Jonghyun’s face went even redder if possible, and he rolled his eyes. “Well sorry if you don’t like them.”

Kibum laughed loudly and shook his head hurriedly. “Pink’s my favourite colour, so I apologize if you never get these back.”

Jonghyun grinned proudly, and as if only then realising Kibum was donned solely in a towel, raked his eyes over the boy’s bare chest. Feeling his face heat up considerably once again, Jonghyun shot his gaze back up to meet Kibum’s, only to find that the boy’s face was possibly even redder than his own.

An awkward kind of cough escaped Jonghyun’s throat, and he slowly made his way back through the door. “I um, I’ll leave you to it then. Breakfast is nearly done, so when you’re ready I’ll be in the dining room.”

Kibum nodded softly, and avoided eye contact completely as Jonghyun backed away and closed the door after him gently. His mind was racing at a million thoughts per hour, and he found his breath coming in short, yet excited kind of puffs.

‘Had Jonghyun been checking him out? Probably not, but a man can dream.’

Kibum changed hurriedly, yet regretted his impatience almost immediately as his still dripping legs stuck to the insides of his jeans. He eventually managed to jump into his pants comfortably, and threw his t-shirt over his head in haste. Picking up his dirty underclothes and stuffing them in a plastic bag, Kibum fixed his hair consciously in the mirror before turning around and strutting out of the room with a new found confidence.

As soon as he stepped foot out of the bathroom, a scent of some kind immediately invaded his nostrils, and Kibum found his nose screwing up in distaste. He hurriedly stuffed his clothes into his school bag before rushing to the kitchen, already quite prepared for what he was about to see. Poking his head in around the corner, Kibum sighed in slight fondness as he found Jonghyun staring down at his pan disappointedly, bottom lip poked out almost unnoticeably.

“Can’t leave you alone for ten minutes, I swear to God.” muttered Kibum playfully, strolling towards Jonghyun and looking down at the burnt eggs in disgust.

Jonghyun looked at Kibum sadly, blinking back what seemed to be tears. “S-Sorry Kibum…I didn’t realise eggs were this hard to cook.”

Kibum rose an incredulous eyebrow, and huffed in laughter. “Don’t stress, Jjong. For further reference though, I don’t mind ramen for breakfast.”

Jonghyun quirked a smile, taking the pan from the stove and chucking the disaster into the sink for later. “I’m real sorry, though.”

“I really don’t mind. How about I cook breakfast and you rest?” suggested Kibum, working up his confidence and placing one hand on Jonghyun’s bicep.

Jonghyun’s gaze dropped to Kibum’s hand, and his lips twitched slightly in a concealed smile. “Uh, sure. Only if you want to though…”

Kibum nodded happily, and began to push Jonghyun out of the kitchen.

Jonghyun’s mouth dropped in realization, and he began to protest vigorously. “No way am I leaving! If you’re cooking in my kitchen, I have the right to at least watch.”

“Ugh, whatever. But no looking over my shoulder, that’s just creepy.”

Jonghyun laughed, and bopped Kibum’s nose. “Don’t worry, Ki. I’ll sit here and sing for you.”

Kibum’s face reddened. “Ki?”

Jonghyun faltered, and his cheek colour mimicked Kibum’s. “Well um…yes. Is that alright if I call you that? Ki?”

“Ki?”

“Yeah, Ki.”

Kibum smiled, and his dimples deepened considerably as his eyes crinkled in mirth. “I like it.”

Jonghyun grinned in response, and sat himself on the bench stool, chin resting on his palm in anticipation. Kibum looked back at Jonghyun expectedly, and with a begrudged sigh, Jonghyun began to sing.

Kibum poked his tongue out in delight and got to work; cracking eggs, pouring milk and mixing flour with the skilled practice he had gained from making himself breakfast over the years. He bounced around the kitchen rhythmically to Jonghyun’s loud singing, every now and then even shooting the older male a cheeky wink when bending down to grab a bowl from the cupboards below.

Each and every time Kibum did so, he watched in amusement as Jonghyun’s face glowed up like a tomato, taking delight in teasing the male at every opportunity he could get. Soon enough, Kibum’s omelettes were cooked, and he dished them up onto two plates ready to be consumed.

“There you are,” spoke Kibum as he presented Jonghyun his plate of food. “I hope you gathered something from that educational performance.”

Jonghyun snorted. “I gathered something, Kibum. I’m not exactly sure what, but I definitely gained some valuable knowledge from that.”

Kibum rolled his eyes and took a large bite from his omelette. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Jonghyun paused. “How to turn someone on, I suppose.”

As it seemed, Jonghyun had chosen a rather unfortunate time to say such a thing, and watched concernedly as Kibum choked on his mouthful.

“A-are you alright?” Jonghyun stuttered.

Kibum banged his chest and swallowed his bite with difficulty, breathing a sigh of relief before shooting Jonghyun a mock glare. “Of course I’m not okay, you idiot! Why would you even say that?”

Jonghyun giggled into a closed fist at the younger boy’s reaction, before flashing Kibum an over exaggerated wink. “I’m quite an honest man, Kibum.”

Kibum’s ears burned red, but he couldn’t conceal his laughter nonetheless. The scholar shook his head with an eye roll, before pointing a directed gaze from Jonghyun to his omelette.

“Hurry and eat, Romeo. Juliet’s getting impatient waiting for the arsenic to work.”

Jonghyun scoffed and shoved a forkful into his awaiting mouth, humming in enjoyment once the omelette hit his tastebuds. He took a few more bites, before his eyes widened slightly in realization and he shot Kibum a mischievous brow raise.

“So you’re admitting you’re Juliet?”

Kibum ran his tongue over his teeth in pretend annoyance. “If it means that you die first, then sure.”

Jonghyun chose to ignore Kibum, and opted to start singing instead. “Juliette, oh!”

Kibum slapped Jonghyun’s arm playfully, and gestured at the older male’s plate in hopes of getting him to finish his omelette quickly. “Hurry!” Kibum laughed, “I’ve gotta go to school, you idiot!”

Jonghyun nodded seriously, and began stuffing his face hurriedly, gesturing at Kibum’s bag. Kibum took his last bite and went to grab his school bag, placing his plate in the sink along the way. Jonghyun stood up with his plate still in hand, and grabbed his keys from their spot on the calendar hook. Hanging them around his pinkie finger, he quickly finished his own omelette and checked his hair in the mirror.

“You’re still wearing your clothes from yesterday.” pointed Kibum with a snort.

Jonghyun shrugged blithely and poked his tongue out at the younger. “As are you. Besides, it’s not as if I’m going to see anyone I know.”

Kibum nodded. “Touché.”  

The two males made their way out the front door and slid themselves into Jonghyun’s car, Kibum throwing his bag by his feet. As soon as the car had started up, so had the radio, with Jonghyun immediately beginning to belt out whatever was playing at the time. Kibum listened comfortably, and nodded his head along to the beat, vaguely wishing the radio would stop so he could have Jonghyun’s voice all to himself. The ride, although silent, was pleasant, not a surprise considering the time. Kibum could recall multiple times he was nearly lulled to sleep by Jonghyun’s heavenly voice, but all too soon they were pulling up Kibum’s driveway. The younger breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of cars by his house, knowing that his parents must already be at work.

“Is it alright if I come in?” spoke Jonghyun, marvelling at the size of the home.

Kibum unbuckled his seatbelt, and nodded joyfully. “Duh, Jjong. I just intruded on your family, ate dinner with you all and then slept on your couch. Wouldn’t I be just a tad rude not to let you in my house?”

“You didn’t intrude, but yeah…Just a tad.” laughed Jonghyun, unbuckling his own seatbelt and opening his car door.

“Besides, you’re coming over tomorrow. You’re going to be in my house either way.” added the younger, grabbing his bag and stepping out of the rickety vehicle.

Jonghyun chuckled at his own stupidity, and the two began to make their way up the path to the front door. Jonghyun looked in awe at the house, and turned his gaze to Kibum with wide eyes.

“Your house is really big.” he commented bluntly.

Kibum snorted, yet it lacked any amusement. “Too big, if you ask me. Considering I’m the only one home half the time.”

Jonghyun hummed, not quite sure how to reply. Kibum grabbed his spare key from his pocket and unlocked the door, poking head through first just to make sure his parents definitely weren’t home. Jonghyun followed behind like a lost puppy, and stepped carefully over the smooth, wooden floorboards.

Kibum trudged over to the staircase, and looked back at Jonghyun. “I’ll be around half an hour getting ready. Do you want to wait in my room?”

Jonghyun nodded with a grin of curiosity, quick steps making their way to meet Kibum by the staircase. As soon as they reached the top, Kibum turned right and opened the door that met them there, looking at Jonghyun as though he was unsure of himself.

“You won’t judge my room, right?”

Jonghyun rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest incredulously. “If you can deal with my family, I guarantee you I can deal with your bedroom.”

Kibum chortled, and took one last deep breath before stepping back and allowing Jonghyun to pass through. Jonghyun took small footsteps forward and could feel his jaw slowly drop in wonderment at the sight his eyes were met with.

Various shaded of pink walled the room, and along the walls lied pictures upon pictures. Photos of Kibum himself mostly; but fashionable outfits, famous dancers and a few photos with friends also adorned the pink colouring. Jonghyun couldn’t help but wish that he were on the wall too.

Kibum’s double bed was donned in a pure white and rather luxurious duvet, and lay right in the middle of the feature wall. A white desk lay beside the bed, and although there wasn’t much on it, a photo of Kibum in the middle of what seemed like dancing immediately grasped Jonghyun’s attention. He took another tentative step into the room, and the smile cladding his face only got wider as his eyes landed upon a poster of himself on the west side of the room.

Kibum had seemingly also just realised that the poster was there and ran to cover it with his body, ears and neck prickling with an indescribable feeling of embarrassment. “T-that’s just there so I could remember where the place you sing is. I’m very forgetful, you see.”

Jonghyun’s stomach fluttered wildly despite Key’s rather awful excuse, and he looked back at the other boy with a large smile. “My number one fan strikes again.”

Kibum bit his lip sheepishly and diverted his gaze in pure embarrassment. “You said you wouldn’t judge.” he mumbled.

Jonghyun beamed kindly before ruffling Kibum’s hair. “Your room’s beautiful. I love pink.”

Kibum lifted his head, and rose a dubious brow. “Liar.”

Jonghyun gasped. “Am not! If you can love pink, why can’t I? You’re wearing my pink boxers, for goodness sake!”

Kibum’s lips twitched, before he hurriedly turned around and excused himself from the room to go get ready. Jonghyun didn’t miss his smile of amusement on the way out.

Jonghyun felt a sense of awkwardness flood his veins at the lack of Kibum’s presence, but he chose to ignore it and opted to study the pictures embellishing Kibum’s room instead. The framed photo sitting upon the desk grasped Jonghyun’s attention the most, and so he padded his way over there first, picking the frame up in his hands and looking at it closely. Although he couldn’t describe the position Kibum’s body was in, he was entranced by it, and had trouble finally tearing his gaze away.

Placing the photo down gently to where it belonged, he then made his way over to the wall besides Kibum’s bed, and leaned in towards a particular photo that piqued his interest. It was Kibum and a rather tomboyish girl, arms around each other in a particularly friendly manner. Although Jonghyun knew deep down that the girl was just a friend, he couldn’t help the surge of jealousy that enveloped his mind and frowned in annoyance. For the second time that day, Jonghyun wished that he were on the wall.

Despite the fact that a rather large picture of him adorned the adjacent wall, it didn’t satisfy Jonghyun. He wanted a photo of him and Kibum on the wall, and decided that after Kibum came back from getting ready, he would make that wish a reality.

He didn’t have to wait too long, thankfully.

Kibum came back ready within around fifteen minutes, and Jonghyun was once again reminded of how good the younger could make himself look when he wanted to. As soon as he stepped foot into his bedroom, Kibum immediately went to grab his school bag from the floor, however was stopped by Jonghyun placing a hand on his arm.

Kibum tilted his head in confusion, however Jonghyun merely pointed with a frown at the picture wall in response. “I reckon I should be on the wall.”

Kibum blinked. “You are, you idiot. The biggest picture in the room, mind you.”

Jonghyun sighed and shook his head, biting his lip as though not quite sure how to phrase it. “Like…a picture of both of us. Like you and that girl.”

Kibum looked back at the wall and nodded in understanding with a slight chuckle. “Alright then, just let me grab my Polaroid.”

Jonghyun grinned widely and clapped his hands together, watching as Kibum opened his bedside drawer and took out a white Polaroid camera. “We have to hurry Jjong, school starts in ten minutes.” urged Kibum, standing besides Jonghyun and holding the camera out in front of them.

Jonghyun tutted indignantly and shook his head. “This won’t do…your arms are too short. I’ll hold the camera.”

Kibum narrowed his eyes and shot Jonghyun an incredulous expression. “You’re shorter than me Jonghyun.” he stated bluntly.

“Never mind that…Here, pass it over.”

Kibum sighed and gave the camera to Jonghyun, quite confused yet knowing he didn’t have much time to argue. Jonghyun held the camera before them much like Kibum had done previously, and began to count down from three.

“Three, Two…”

Kibum smiled widely into the camera, and prepared for the inevitable shutter it was certain to emit. However, just as the final number slipped through Jonghyun’s lips, the male in question wrapped an arm around Kibum’s waist in order to pull him closer and rested his head on the younger’s shoulder.

Click.

Kibum’s face was bright red, of that he was certain.

Although his smile hadn’t had time to fade in that short second, the colour of his skin certainly had, and Kibum was rather afraid to view the final outcome of the photo. After risking a quick peak at Jonghyun, Kibum could tell that the older male was quite pleased with himself, and had to stop himself from shaking his head fondly at the singer’s antics.

As soon as the photo printed, Jonghyun began to shake it quickly in order for the image to display more clearly, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he did so. Although Jonghyun was quite excited for the final result of the photo, Kibum was contrastingly dreading it, not wishing to see the embarrassing expression he knew would be adorning his face.

Inevitably however, the photo had to appear eventually, and appear it did. As the quality of the photo finally became the clearest it could be, a huge, triumphant grin spread over Jonghyun’s face and he looked at Kibum excitedly.

“Ah, it’s perfect Ki! Come look!” he spoke with mirth, holding the photo out proudly for Kibum to see.

Kibum reluctantly laid his eyes on the photo, and as they landed upon the small, rectangular card in Jonghyun’s hand, he decided that perhaps the photo wasn’t too bad after all. In reality, the photo was in fact perfect just like Jonghyun had stated. Although Kibum’s face was tinged slightly pink, the large smile on his face looked as though it had only grown, dimples protruding a deep dint in the dancer’s face.

However that aspect of the picture wasn’t what pleased Kibum the most. It was Jonghyun’s head resting on his shoulder, along with his blonde bangs which unlike usual, swept across his forehead that made Kibum truly fall in love with the image. Not to mention the toothy smile that Jonghyun bore, flashing brightly as his eyes crinkled at the sides with pure joy.

Kibum allowed his mouth to spread into a wide grin, and looked at Jonghyun with bright eyes. “I love it!”

Jonghyun nodded happily, and took the photo gently from Kibum’s hands. “I reckon we should put it right here!” he exclaimed, holding the photo right in the middle of the younger boy’s collage.

Kibum agreed whole-heartedly, and began scrummaging through his drawers for a wad of blue tack. His hand emerged grandly exhibiting a ball of the stuff, and so he hurriedly ran over to Jonghyun and plucked the picture from his hands. Sticking the selca on the wall, the two males stood back to admire their work, nodding happily at their masterpiece.

“Perfect!” they explained simultaneously, whipping their heads around to face each other before bursting out into a fit of chuckles.

Their cries of pointless laughter slowly began to fade, leaving the two males breathing heavily. With a content sigh, Jonghyun fished his phone out of his pocket and gasped, running a calloused hand through his golden locks. His sudden exclamation earned a concerned look from Kibum, to which Jonghyun replied by flashing the younger his phone screen.

8:26am

“Shit, school starts in 4 minutes!” exclaimed Kibum, scurrying to grab his bag off the floor and fix his hair in the wardrobe mirror.

The two hurriedly made their way down the stairs, and Jonghyun found that he paid a lot less attention to the size of the house this time round. There were much more important matters at hand, after all.

Sliding into the car and buckling their seatbelts, Jonghyun pulled out of the driveway and swerved onto the road skilfully, breathing a sigh of relief once they gained a steady pace down the road. “How long does it usually take to get to your school from here?”

Kibum sat in thought for a few seconds. “Around 2 minutes, I reckon.”

Jonghyun nodded to himself before turning the radio on, earning an inquisitive look from Kibum. “Hey,” the singer defended. “If there’s an opportunity to listen to music, I’m going to take it.”

Kibum grinned fondly at Jonghyun and the two sat in a comfortable silence, before all of a sudden a thought struck Kibum and he straightened in anticipation. “I wonder if Taemin’s better today.”

“I sure hope so, the poor kid. Bash those bullies for me, won’t you Ki?” replied Jonghyun, shooting the younger a glance from the corner of his eyes.

Kibum laughed at Jonghyun’s words and looked down at his feeble arms. “I can try.”

Jonghyun grinned in response, and before they knew it they had already arrived at Kibum’s school. “Ah damn, we’re already here.”

Kibum tutted. “Don’t act disappointed, Jjong. You spent all night and all morning with me; you might get addicted if you hang around me any longer.”

The older male ran a hand through his blonde tufts with a hearty chuckle, parking his car into one of the student reserved slots. “Too late, Kibum.”

Kibum rolled his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt, opening the car door yet making no motion to leave. Jonghyun continued.

“Aish, seriously Ki. You flirt with me, get me all hyped up, only to leave me unsatisfied. Darn you.” he ranted, yet Kibum didn’t miss the slight mischievous tone that laced his voice as he spoke.

Kibum shook his head at Jonghyun’s antics affectionately and heaved his bag up to swing over his shoulder. “I seriously gotta go, Jjong. I’ll text you.”

Jonghyun pouted in Kibum’s direction yet waved enthusiastically at the scholar nonetheless.

“Cya!” exclaimed Kibum, before closing the door softly and making his way up towards the third year block.

Jonghyun watched him go from behind, admiring the view with a small smile.

“You’ll seriously be the death of me, Kim Kibum.”

Kibum bounded through the school yard hurriedly, checking the time on his phone out of pure habit before breaking into a slight jog. The bell would be going in one minute, and he couldn’t afford to miss homeroom or be tardy for the second time that week. His mind drifted back to Jonghyun’s words in the car, and the ecstatic smile that faced no struggle to find its way onto his face was inevitable.

Reaching the corridor in which his classroom sat, Kibum figured he had enough time to text Jonghyun back, fingers flying over the screen eagerly. He wasn’t really quite sure of what he was writing, and why on earth he had the nerve to write such a thing, but Kibum wrote it anyway, clicking send and shoving his phone back into his pocket before he could ponder over what he had just done.

‘Don’t worry about being unsatisfied, we have the whole weekend alone after all ;) Thanks for everything, Your Number One Fan x’

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 9

Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 4,345 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine

Minho came quickly as promised, arriving a mere five minutes after Kibum texted him Jonghyun’s address. The wait had been mostly silent, Taemin opting to close his eyes and rest his sore body until need be. He had looked around curiously, and questioned Kibum as to their whereabouts, but other than that his eyes had remained locked at the ceiling, not even noticing Jonghyun whom sat by on the neighbouring couch.

Despite Minho’s obvious impatience, he had in fact rang the doorbell, and Jonghyun silently volunteered to answer the door for the teenager whilst Kibum continued to accompany Taemin. The door creaked open softly, and Jonghyun prepared to greet the stranger politely, only to have his jaw drop in shock at the person who met him on the other side.

“Minho?!”

“Jonghyun hyung?!” they exclaimed simultaneously, eyes widening at the appearance of one another.

“What are you doing here?” questioned Minho confusedly, slyly attempting to peek inside through the gap over Jonghyun’s shoulder.

Jonghyun blinked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “I live here?”

Minho made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth, biting his lip in pure befuddlement. “Then have I got the wrong address?”

Jonghyun shook his head furiously, moving back slightly to give Minho a clearer view into the warm home. “No, Taemin’s here with ‘Bummie.”

Minho stood awkwardly, mind racing through a thousand thoughts an hour. He thought back to earlier that day, hurriedly recalling the conversation he’d had with Taemin at lunch. The revelation about Kibum having a boyfriend, the picture of the hug, realising that the other male was Jonghyun—

‘Oh.’

The tall third year nodded in understanding, though his brow quirked slightly at the older’s use of ‘’Bummie’ and everything else that had been revealed at school. He really hadn’t thought of Jonghyun to be into guys, but then again, he didn’t know him that well. Maybe he could talk to Jinki about it – he ought to know.

Jonghyun stood back slightly, allowing Minho to enter. He followed behind the frog like boy and wordlessly guided him to the lounge, watching perplexed as Minho immediately rushed over to the bedridden male. Kibum silently shifted from Taemin’s side and allowed Minho to privately check on Taemin, joining Jonghyun back on the sofa.

“Taemin-ah…You told me you were going to go straight home!” whispered Minho, Taemin’s eyes shooting open at the elder’s familiar voice.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows with strain, flashing Minho a weak smile. “I was going to, I swear. But I forgot my science homework and quickly ran back to get it…I didn’t think they’d still be waiting.”

Minho sighed, reaching out to ruffle Taemin’s hair. “Next time, text me. I’ll go get your homework for you.”

“But I don’t wanna have to rely on you all the time,” pouted Taemin, fiddling with his hands as he avoided eye contact.

“You aren’t relying on me…I just wanna help you, okay? How’d you get rid of them today?”

Taemin bit his lip and glanced at Kibum, only then noticing Jonghyun who sat beside him, tracing shapes on Kibum’s hand. His eyes widened considerably, yet at Minho’s curious look he opted to answer the question first.

“I just remember Kibum coming down the hallway…and then I kinda fell asleep.” he murmured cluelessly, staring at Kibum with a thankful yet curious look glazing his eyes.

Minho averted his attention to Kibum, the silence being self-explanatory as the two youngest awaited Kibum’s response. Kibum’s eyes, which had previously been focused on Jonghyun’s hand drawing circles on his own, lifted at the silence, blinking at the attention directed towards him.

“Huh?” questioned Kibum obliviously, inducing Jonghyun to lift his own gaze before he hastily removed his hand from Kibum’s.

The two older boys immediately felt as though something was missing when their hands separated, however ignored the forlorn chill that flooded their veins and both concentrated their attention back on Minho and Taemin.

Minho spoke first, raising one eyebrow in pure befuddlement at the mere thought of the situation. Because honestly, one could not imagine Kibum using nothing but force to rid a gang of buff guys.

“Taemin and I were wondering how you managed to get rid of those assholes earlier. Were you alone?”

Kibum’s face remained blank in thought, before all of a sudden a sly smirk played at his lips and a smug appearance adorned his feline face. “Oh, those losers? Yeah, I was alone. Trust me, those guys may look all tough, but a few…insulting words seemed to shut them down in heart beat.”

Jonghyun laughed quietly to himself at Kibum’s arrogant words and kept his gaze fixed on his lap, Taemin allowing a proud grin to grace his lips at Kibum’s recount; however Minho’s expression remained stoic, eyes seemingly glaring into Kibum’s soul. Kibum felt a chill go down his spine at the taller male’s harsh gaze and swallowed thickly.

“Look tough? Are you suggesting that Taemin’s weak? What those guys do to him isn’t some kind of sick joke so don’t you dare act like they’re nothing much.”

Kibum stared in shock, and attempted to fumble for a reply to the intimidating male’s accusation. He sincerely hadn’t meant for his arrogant remarks to come off as belittling to Taemin; he was merely stating it as a joke.

Despite his struggle to defend his words, there was really no need as Taemin spoke up and interrupted Minho’s criticizing words timidly.

“Minho—“stuttered the youngest boy in protest, resting his hand on the soccer player’s arm. “I’m sure Kibum didn’t mean it like that…we should be thanking him.”

Kibum held his breath at Taemin’s words, mentally thanking the younger for practically saving him from Minho. He’d barely just made friends with the two at school, and he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he ruined his chance at friendship this early.

Minho’s look of anger remained for a few long seconds before he suddenly exhaled deeply and ran his hands over his face in exhaustion. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just really angry at the moment.”

Taemin shot him an empathetic smile. “Don’t worry, Minho…I’m fine, see? Let’s just change the topic.”

All four boys nodded in mutual agreement, Taemin managing to swing his legs around from their place across the sofa to give Minho some room. He patted the seat beside him, and the tall boy gingerly sat down before carefully lifting Taemin’s thin legs so they could rest leisurely across his thighs.

A comfortable silence lingered throughout the spacious yet cosy lounge, enveloping their lazed forms in a warm, pleasant glow. Taemin surveyed the situation before him from his snug position on the soft couch, studying Jonghyun closely and allowing his mouth to tilt at the ends in approval of his relationship with Kibum.

“So Kibum…” began Taemin casually, adopting an innocent, curious façade despite the sly smirk that seemed to tug at his lips whilst addressing the older boy.

Kibum quirked an eyebrow “Mm?”

Taemin’s smirk only grew wider and his eyes flittered back and forth between Jonghyun and Kibum suggestively. “Are you going to introduce me to your…friend?”

Kibum grinned, oblivious to Taemin’s ulterior motives. He grabbed Jonghyun’s hand out of impulse and gestured extravagantly to the man next to him. “Oh yeah…this is Jonghyun! We met recently and well…He’s kinda my idol.”

Jonghyun and Kibum both chortled at their private joke with identical blushes adorning their faces, neither yet accustomed to the spark which ignited at their physical contact. Taemin’s eyes widened at their now entwined fingers, and if one were to look at him, they would notice the way his eyes glistened in devilry.

Kibum ran his gaze over Minho and Taemin’s astonished expressions before widening his own eyes in belated realization.

“Oh! And Jonghyun, this is Taemin and his friend Minho…”

Taemin nodded his head cutely, as did Minho, adding in a gruff tone, “Jonghyun hyung is my brother’s best friend, we’ve met.”

Jonghyun’s face reddened and Kibum’s mouth dropped into an ‘o’ shape. The younger’s gaze flittered between Minho and Jonghyun questioningly, a million thoughts zooming through his mind like a difficult math equation waiting to be solved.

“Really?! That means…Luna is your sister-in-law!” he exclaimed excitedly after a few seconds of mental calculation, directing his line of sight back to the frog like male.

Minho allowed a small smile to play at his lips, Kibum noting the look of pure joy that crossed his face at her name. “Yeah, Luna’s pretty awesome.”

Kibum grinned, inclining his head in agreement. Out of pure habit, Kibum then shifted his eyes to the clock which hang directly above the fire place, an expression of worry passing over his face hurriedly before adverting back to its prior smile.

Jonghyun, whose gaze had been unintentionally watching Kibum with affection during the past few minutes, picked up on the apprehensive demeanour shrouding the young dancer’s face, and quirked a curious eyebrow at him as their eyes met. Kibum however, merely shook his head, before diverting his stare to Sodam whom had just reappeared via the kitchen.

“How’re you feeling, buddy?” she asked, directing her attention to Taemin who lied draped over Minho’s legs comfortably.

Taemin blinked dazedly at the new arrival, before his eyes lit up in realization and a large smile donned his youthful face. “Much better! Thank you for taking care of me, by the way…I’m sorry for intruding on your home.”

Sodam tutted indignantly, however the slight twitch of her lips contrasted the irate demeanour she currently beheld. “Don’t you dare be sorry, sweetie. If anything like this ever happens again, you’re always welcome to stay here.”

Taemin gnawed on his lower lip in concealed joy, beaming up at Sodam in gratitude. “Thank you.”

Sodam smiled in a motherly manner, eyes scanning over everyone in the room. She nodded to herself in what seemed like satisfaction before she addressed the newly acquainted group.

“Mum was wondering if you would all like to stay for dinner – We’re having chicken.”

Everyone bar Minho’s eyes seemed to light up at that small phrase, shooting each other excited looks at the thought of the delicious meat. Kibum, who still happened to be quite cosy beside Jonghyun on the sofa, gave the older boy a look which seemed to ask for reassurance at the kind offering, raising his eyebrows in questionable doubt. Jonghyun merely smiled widely in confirmation, shrugging his shoulders as if to say ‘it’s fine.’

Taemin, although quite ecstatic at the prospect of chicken, was more so worried about Minho’s reaction, shooting the taller male a look of concern. “You don’t want chicken?” he questioned softly with a pout.

Jonghyun, having heard the youngest boy’s inquiry, snorted in amusement, evoking an irritated glare from Minho. “Knowing Jinki, Minho probably has chicken every day.”

Minho screwed up his face in distaste, rolling his eyes exasperatedly at his older brother’s antics. “Sometimes if Luna’s feeling extra generous it’s more than once a day.” he scoffed.

Minho’s small comment elicited a loud guffaw from the occupants of the room, Sodam feeling enough sympathy to shoot the tall boy an apologetic glance. “Sorry, bud.”

The soccer player merely shrugged in resignation, lips twitching in what Kibum assumed was an attempted smile.  Sodam bounced out of the warm lounge joyfully to relay everything to her mother, the chatter in the room immediately returning at her absence. The group of boys talked adamantly between one another, various topics arising throughout their conversation.

Jonghyun, whom despite was still quite shocked at the events that had occurred that day thus far, was evidently enjoying himself, not often having the chance to chat with other guys around his age. Not going to college nor thriving for social contact didn’t really assist in developing close friendships, however the solitude he usually possessed didn’t bother Jonghyun in the slightest and he was quite content in living the quiet life he currently did.

During their small chat, Jonghyun had found that despite Taemin’s shy and innocent exterior, the youngest male in the room was actually –as Kibum put it– a little shit, often pointing out the puppy-like man’s inferior height and dinosaur resemblances.

“Yah, Taemin! Only I’m allowed to call Jjong a dinosaur!” Kibum had scolded in defence, not helping Jonghyun’s wounded pride in the slightest.

Minho, like usual, had a deadpan expression plastered on his face, nose still screwed up at the prospect of eating chicken yet again. He contributed to their conversation nonetheless, often adding in small comments which stated his opinion on the topic, but never delving further into the discussion.

Jonghyun’s mum eventually finished preparing their food, walking into the lounge with tousled hair and rosy cheeks which exerted a loving, motherly feel. “Dinner’s ready, boys!” she exclaimed joyously, “Minho – I’ve prepared some bibimbap and vegetables so if you don’t feel like chicken you’re welcome to grab as much of that as you’d like.”

Minho smiled kindly in the older woman’s direction, bowing his head slightly in gratitude.

With a mutual feeling of hunger and eagerness, the boys all hopped up relatively quickly and made their way towards the dining room with a bounce in their step; Jonghyun sitting beside Kibum with Taemin and Minho across from the two older males. Sodam was seated to the left of Jonghyun, and their mother sat contently at the head of the smooth, wooden table.

“This is so cute! It’s been so long since our Hyun-ah’s bought some friends over, it feels like a birthday party!” the middle aged woman exclaimed with a large smile as she dished her food onto her plate, inducing the rest of the occupants to follow her lead and do the same.

Jonghyun immediately felt his face heat up at his mother’s comment, purposely ignoring the smirk Kibum shot his way and the slight nudge of the dancer’s elbow.

As soon as the delicious meal landed upon the taste buds of the group, they began praising Jonghyun’s mum’s cooking with wide, elated smiles. Her face tinged slightly red, however she brushed off their compliments humbly with a small ‘thanks’ and a shy smile.

The overall atmosphere floating throughout the room was a happy one, Kibum feeling quite joyous and excited at the complete contrast Jonghyun’s home held to his own. It wasn’t often he ate dinner with his parents, however when Kibum somehow did get the chance it usually wasn’t an affair filled with sunshine and butterflies, topic usually drifting to studies, girls and his future at one point or another. And Kibum wouldn’t mind talking about those things if it wasn’t for the fact that the future his parents saw for him was not one in which he wanted personally, not to mention that Kibum wasn’t interested in girls. At all. So this warm change of surroundings was quite welcomed in his eyes, taking in as much information and memories as he possibly could of the older boy and his life which seemed so much superior to Kibum’s.

Kibum, although quite deep in thought at this point whilst he chewed on his tender chicken, was knocked out of his reverie by the mention of his name.

“—where did you and Kibum meet?” Sodam had questioned with vast curiosity, Jonghyun seemingly glaring in her direction at the subtle attempt to learn more about her younger brother’s crush.

Kibum blinked in slight confusion, but answered her question politely nonetheless. “Hm? Oh, Jonghyun and I met at the bar he sings at. I started going when I saw these posters around town advertising it.”

Sodam smiled in satisfaction, however her inquisitive expression suggested that she yearned to know more. “He is a great singer, isn’t he? How about you, Kibum? What are you interested in?”

Kibum glowed at the attention, and quickly finished the piece of chicken which currently resided in his mouth. “I really enjoy dancing and fashion design.” he replied proudly, allowing an endearing smile to etch across his lips.

“Well you are quite fashionable! What university do you go to, Kibum?” added Jonghyun’s mother interestedly in question, resting her chin on her palm in fascination.

Kibum blinked confusedly.

‘University?’

“Oh no, I’m still in high school Mrs Kim.”

Sodam and Jonghyun’s mother blanched, heads immediately whipping to gape at Jonghyun inquisitively. Kibum and Jonghyun’s cheeks flushed crimson at the mere look upon the women’s faces, both feeling the desire to defend themselves.

“But I’m in my last year! I’m already 19.” spoke Kibum hastily, Jonghyun nodding in a way that looked as though he was attempting to reassure himself.

The older woman’s dumbfounded expression slowly transformed into an understanding grin, and she chose to ignore the pointed look of cheek that Sodam was directing at her. “Oh, that’s quite alright, dear. I just assumed you were in college, but now that I look closely, you do seem quite young.”

Sodam seemingly couldn’t remain quiet any longer, her current knowledge of Jonghyun’s crush preventing her from ignoring the situation before her eyes. She rolled her eyes playfully, cocking a dubious eyebrow in their mother’s direction.  “C’mon mum, just look at how young Taemin looks! There’s no way they’re in uni,”

Taemin’s eyes lifted in surprise at the mention of his own name, however it wasn’t that part of Sodam’s comment which caught his attention. The young woman continued, despite the amusing effort made by Jonghyun’s mother to defend her assumptions.

“—and don’t worry Hyun-ah. I think you dating a high schooler makes it extra adorable!”

Everyone bar Sodam’s eyes bugged at her remark, Jonghyun in particular glaring in disbelief at her careless tongue. Kibum rose an astonished yet curious eyebrow, blushing profusely at the knowing looks he was receiving from Taemin.

‘I’m not even dating Jonghyun! What is everyone on about? I swear I’m the only sane one remaining…’

Jonghyun coughed awkwardly, shyly shooting Kibum an apologetic glance from the corner of his eye.

“Sodam…Could you please shut your mouth for at least a second? Kibum and I are just friends, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t embarrass us any further.” Jonghyun spoke firmly, ignoring the clench of his heart at his scathing, yet truthful words.

Kibum didn’t understand why it pained him so much to hear those words spilling from Jonghyun’s mouth, but it did. It wasn’t even as though the two were actually dating, let alone Jonghyun liking Kibum in that way at all, so he should have expected such a defensive remark from the singer, yet he could still feel his mood damper considerably at Jonghyun’s exclamation.

“Geez, sorry guys…it was just a joke.” apologized Sodam softly, not missing the crestfallen expression on Kibum’s face.

She smiled inwardly despite the circumstances.

‘Perhaps Jonghyun does have a chance with Kibum after all…”

Taemin’s mind at this point was confused beyond comprehension. This whole time he had thought that Kibum really was dating Jonghyun…but for the singer to deny it so defensively? It really didn’t make sense to Taemin. Had they really not been dating this whole time? Or were the two just keeping their relationship a secret from everyone? Judging by the look upon Kibum’s face at that moment however, he knew there was a deeper meaning behind it all. Taemin shook his head to rid himself of his puzzling thoughts, assuring himself that he’d figure it out later on.

An awkward, uncomfortable chill had engulfed the room, so quiet that you could hear the clatter of cutlery against plates. Jonghyun chewed on his chicken half-heartedly, regret filling his stomach at his previous words instead of the delicious, white meat. Jonghyun’s mother attempted to ignore the stifling silence, starting a new conversation when that proved to be fruitless.

“So Minho, how are Luna and Jinki? Still on a romantic high, I’m guessing.”

Everyone seemed to sigh in relief at the change of topic, Minho allowing a slight chuckle to escape his lips. “Most definitely. It’s suffocating sometimes, really. But they’re in love, so who am I to rain on their parade?”

Taemin grinned, and the women seemed to be fangirling over Minho’s response. “That’s so adorable! You might be an uncle soon, Minho…watch out!”

The tall boy spluttered, waving his hands in front of him defensively. “Oh please, I’d rather not think about that.” he spoke, eliciting a wave of laughter from the table’s occupants.

“To be honest, I haven’t seen Jinki in a while! Tell him I want to catch up, won’t you?” added Jonghyun as an afterthought, a tone of amusement still lacing his voice.

Minho nodded in agreement, a rare, joyous smile etched onto his handsome face.

For the next half hour or so, the conversation ran smoothly, an abundance of different topics being brought up despite the small amount of time. They talked about Sodam’s time in medical school, Minho’s dreams to play soccer in England, Key and Taemin’s previous ‘rivalry’ and even how Jonghyun came to start singing at the bar. Light chuckles and loud voices cascaded throughout the room, rebounding off the warm furniture and enveloping everyone in a snug, comfortable glow. It was a welcome contrast to the previous atmosphere, however the time ticked by quickly and Taemin soon received a text from his parents requesting he return home.

Minho and Taemin left for the soccer player’s car with a friendly wave, but not before Taemin bowed deeply in gratitude at the two women for their hospitality and thanked them for their services.

“Any time, dear.” Jonghyun’s mother had replied, bidding the two farewell with a final reminder to take care of themselves.

After the two younger boys had made their way home, Jonghyun’s mother and Sodam had left the dining room with plates in hand, off to wash the dirty dishes. Jonghyun and Kibum were left alone, the awkward silence returning once more at the lack of people. Jonghyun licked his lips and wrung his hands in his lap, looking at Kibum shyly through his short lashes.

“I’m sorry for what I said before.” he apologized suddenly.

Kibum blinked in astonishment, lifting his own gaze to lock eyes with Jonghyun. “Why are you apolo—“

“I know it was really harsh and came off as a bit rude…but I swear I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just, Sodam always assumes things and embarrasses me, and I didn’t want her to scare you off by saying all that stuff.” Jonghyun interrupted, speaking quickly so as to say everything he wanted to without Kibum cutting him off.

Kibum remained silent as Jonghyun spoke, seemingly stoic yet inwardly melting at the older male’s mini speech and puppy dog eyes. How did he ever believe he could stay angry at this beautiful man?

“Jjong…don’t worry.” Kibum reassured, smiling softly and grabbing Jonghyun’s hand to interlace with his own. “I really don’t mind, alright? Unlike popular belief, I do in fact have a sense of humour.”

Jonghyun snorted, and ran his thumb over Kibum’s hand in relief. “You do, and it’s quite funny.”

Kibum poked his tongue out teasingly. “Why, thank you kind sir.”

“It’s an honour, my prince.”

The two laughed heartily at their own stupid antics and joked around some more, before Jonghyun eventually stood up and offered Kibum a beer from the fridge. Kibum nodded in agreement, and checked the time on his phone nervously with a sigh as Jonghyun sat back down.

“Something wrong?” he questioned.

Kibum looked up from his phone screen with furrowed brows, taking the beer can tentatively out of Jonghyun’s hand and pulling it open with a light fizz. “It’s pretty late…I have school tomorrow but I really don’t want to go home. My parents are going to kill me.”

Jonghyun took a glance at the clock, and hummed in agreement. “What time do your parents leave for work in the morning?”

Kibum looked in thought for a few seconds, before replying, “Around five.”

Jonghyun nodded, and small smile flittered onto his face as though he had just thought of something pleasant. “Perfect. You could sleep here tonight, and then tomorrow morning I’ll drive you to your house so you can get changed and stuff.”

Kibum gaped at Jonghyun’s generosity, abandoning his beer on the wooden table before moving forward to wrap the singer in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered, unknowingly causing chills to run down the older boy’s spine.

“N-no worries.” replied Jonghyun, smiling widely into the hug and wrapping his own arms around Kibum’s waist.

The two lingered in the hug for what was probably deemed too long for just ‘friends’, however they chose to ignore that fact and pulled apart reluctantly after a minute or so. They made their way back over to the couch and practically fell onto its soft cushions unceremoniously, Jonghyun turning on the television and gesturing for Kibum to lean against his shoulder. ­­­Kibum, albeit hesitantly, shuffled over to do exactly that, leaning on Jonghyun’s arm stiffly with his can gripped awkwardly between his hands.

Jonghyun giggled at Kibum’s obvious discomfort before placing his own drink beside him and adjusting their position so Kibum’s head laid cosily across his thighs. Kibum rolled onto his side so he was facing the television, however it was obvious to see he was attempting to cover his embarrassed blush from the singer. Jonghyun smiled fondly down at the young boy, wondering how on earth he had managed to befriend such a beautiful, caring, and funny boy. He unconsciously began to run his hand through Kibum’s luscious locks, the younger boy closing his eyes in pleasure and purring softly at the calming gesture.

Jonghyun didn’t know how long he sat there, casually smoothing his fingers through the younger’s hair, but soon he could hear the deep, even breaths coming from Kibum’s form and grinned in affection. The rising and falling of Kibum’s chest and the ticking of the clock eventually lolled Jonghyun himself to sleep, head falling back in exhaustion with the sight of Kibum’s beautiful, sleeping face etched into his mind seeming more at peace than ever.

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 7 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 3,537 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine

Kibum arrived at school the next morning sporting a happy conscience, a wide grin donning his face rather than the usual frown. Despite the fact that he had gotten into trouble when he arrived home last night, nothing could ruin his mood after his wonderful ‘date’ with Jonghyun – not even another gruelling day of school.

His scolding the prior evening had been bearable, thanks to Kibum’s superior lying skills, and he had gotten off with little to no punishment. Did he feel guilty for blatantly deceiving his parents? Not really. After all, it had all been worth it in the end.

Kibum strolled his way across the court yard towards the third year classrooms, when all of a sudden he heard an unnaturally high pitched squeal from his right and saw a blur rushing towards his blazer-clad form.

“Wow, Taemin! Hey!” he greeted in shock, cocking his brow in confusion at the younger’s excitement.

The young student was practically dancing where he stood, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he smiled at Kibum almost mischievously. “Hey, Kibum! How are you?”

“Tired.” laughed Kibum. “You?“

“Why are you tired? What’d you get up to last night?” chirped Taemin casually, dismissing Kibum’s question as a strange glint in his eyes gleamed slyly whilst addressing the third year.

Kibum blinked, tilting his head to the side in slight befuddlement. “Um…I just went out for a coffee and went home. What about you?”

Taemin smirked in a knowing manner, fiddling with his hands offhandedly. “Oh you know, homework and stuff - the usual. Who did you go with?”

Kibum’s jaw twitched sceptically. “Nobody…why?” he retorted defensively, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the younger dancer whom looked on innocently.

“I was just wondering…don’t worry about it!” shrugged Taemin, shooting Kibum a cheek splitting smile before he began to bounce his way back towards the first year building.

“See ya, Kibum! I have to get to class!” he yelled over his shoulder cheerfully, waving his hand in farewell with the same, cunning look still glinting in his eyes.

Kibum stood still in the same spot, watching curiously as Taemin made his way over to the other side of the school. “What the heck?” he muttered to himself under his breath, scratching the back of his neck in pure befuddlement before his eyes caught sight of Amber’s short hair walking towards the third year classrooms.

“Hey, Amber!” he yelled, waving enthusiastically as the said girl’s head turned to face Kibum in surprise.

Amber’s face broke out into a smile upon noticing Kibum, before she said something inaudible to her friends and ran over towards where the dancer was standing with a bounce in her step. “Yo yo yo, Kibum! How’s it going?” she greeted cheerfully, enveloping Kibum in a friendly embrace.

“Pretty great.” smiled Kibum into her shoulder, biting his lip in mere thought of the last few days spent with Jonghyun.

Amber pulled away gently from the hug but left her hands resting on the older male’s shoulders, staring into his eyes with an intent, suspicious gaze. “What’s got you in such a good mood, ‘Bum?” she smirked.

Kibum immediately flushed crimson, diverting his eyes to face the ground between them. “Nothing.” he defended, looking up at Amber through his long lashes as his lips struggled not to tilt up at the edges.

Amber laughed, shaking her head softly. “You can’t lie to me, Kibum. Come on, we’ll ditch homeroom so you can tell me all about it.”

Kibum gaped in shock, looking over his shoulder worriedly at the building in which his classroom was situated. “If my parents found out…” he began dubiously.

Amber sighed in exasperation, before grabbing Kibum’s hand and dragging him off towards the abandoned tennis courts.

“Ambe-!” exclaimed Kibum in protest, only to be cut off by the tomboy with a pointed glare.

“No complaints! Spill or I’ll force it out of you.”

Kibum screwed up his nose and bit his lip nervously, contemplating mentally whether he should tell Amber about Jonghyun or not. He decided with the latter. “I just went out last night after school…I was thinking about that.”

“Kibum! I want full details, so stop beating around the bush.” she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an incredulous eyebrow at Kibum’s stalling.

A small silence drifted through the air, the tension around them seemingly getting thicker and thicker as Kibum looked in contemplation. After around a minute or so, his voice finally broke through the stillness in a timorous, tense tone.

“Y-you…You won’t tell right? And you won’t judge?” stuttered Kibum quietly, rocking on his heels apprehensively which induced a worrying look from the younger.

“You can tell me anything ‘Bum…You know that. What’s wrong?” she questioned softly, moving forward to wrap the dancer in a comforting hug.

Kibum inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and sinking into his best friend’s warm embrace. “There’s someone who I really like…” he whispered, voice shaking slightly as he gripped on tighter.

“Hey, why are you acting like it’s a bad thing? Don’t cry…” frowned Amber, rubbing her hands up and down Kibum’s back in a soothing, relaxing manner.

Kibum said nothing, merely burying his face further into Amber’s shoulder. “They won’t ever like me back,” he whispered.

Amber tutted, rocking the two of them side to side rhythmically in an attempt to calm Kibum down. “How do you know? You’re pretty awesome Kibum; she would be mad to not like you back.”

Silence.

The tomboy slowly stopped swaying in concern, feeling the light drop of tears patter upon her uniformed shoulder. “Ki—?”

“—It’s a guy.” choked out Kibum incoherently, and Amber had to scrunch her face up in confusion for a few seconds before she finally made out Kibum’s muffled words and put the pieces together.

She sighed in relief, a soft, knowing smile etching onto her face at the newly received information. “Kibummie, do you think I care about that? Were you really so afraid to tell me?” she spoke gently, pulling back gently to stare into Kibum’s teary eyes.

Kibum sniffled slightly, wiping sleeve across his face in a rough motion. “You’re the first person I’ve told, you know. Do you really not care?”

Amber chuckled slightly, ruffling Kibum’s perfectly styled hair in affection and snorting in amusement as his hands immediately lifted to fix the dishevelled strands. “I’m seriously honoured ‘Bum. And of course I don’t care, you idiot. Besides, I would be lying if I told you I’d never suspected it.”

Kibum exhaled deeply at ease, a wide grin spontaneously replacing the prior frown and erasing all of his worry lines. “Did I ever tell you you’re the best?” he grinned.

“Not often enough.” responded Amber amusedly, before linking her arm with Kibum’s to march back towards their homeroom class tardily.

The dimples on Kibum’s smooth face were displayed evidently, and he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. As he strolled leisurely back to homeroom, arm linked with Amber’s, he couldn’t bring it within himself to worry about being late or the homework that was due next period. All he could focus on was the contentment speaking to Amber had brought him, and the fact that he now had someone to talk to about Jonghyun – someone he could trust.

“Minho, Minho, Minho! Hurry!” chanted Taemin deviously, pulling the older male along the corridor hurriedly so they could make it to the dance studio before Kibum arrived.

Minho kept in pace easily with the young dancer, his long legs not having to move quickly to match Taemin’s quick steps. “Are you going to tell me why we’re rushing so much, Minnie?”

“Be patient! Besides, no one is allowed to hear.” scolded Taemin, reaching out for the door handle to his usual eating place hurriedly and shoving both himself and Minho inside with haste.

“What the heck?!” exclaimed Minho, looking at Taemin confusedly because of the younger’s strange behaviour.

Taemin shushed him nonchalantly, biting his lip in excitement and bouncing on the balls of his feet like a water balloon about to burst. “We don’t have much time…but guess what I saw yesterday after school?!”

Minho exhaled deeply, running hand through his hair in exasperation. “Taemin, what did I tell you about gossiping?”

“No, you don’t understand! I promise you’re the only person I’m telling, it’s just too exciting to keep to myself.”

Minho looked sternly at Taemin, before the first year’s puppy dog eyes inevitably softened his gaze and he decided to just let the younger boy say whatever it was he was so anxious about. “Fine. What did you see yesterday after school?”

Taemin smirked, clasping his hands together in mere thought of what he had witnessed the night prior. “I saw Kibum…” he began, not impressing Minho in the slightest whom remained expressionless.

“…”

“…And his boyfriend.” finished Taemin, grinning smugly at the gobsmacked look that passed over Minho’s face.

“You’re legit?” questioned Minho after a few seconds, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

Taemin rolled his eyes, fishing his phone out of his pocket. “You seriously have so little faith in me. All I know is that I saw Kibum hugging an older guy with a car yesterday, and the dude was calling Kibum adorable and stuff. It sounds pretty boyfriend-ish to me.”

Minho frowned slightly, shaking his head in disbelief. “You saw them hugging? Taemin, they could be just friends. Kibum wouldn’t like you making up rumours about him.”

Taemin growled in aggravation, scrolling through something on his phone hastily. “Stop doubting me! I’m not making up rumours…I have photos to prove it!”

Minho’s jaw dropped, and he buried his head into his hands out of pure astonishment. “The fact that you took photos is the worst of all! Imagine if Kibum knew—“

The soccer player was cut off from his scolding all of a sudden however, as a phone screen was shoved into his face and he was left staring at a picture of Kibum’s arms wrapped around an older male who looked all too familiar.

“Jonghyun-hyung?!” he exclaimed loudly, snatching the phone out of Taemin’s hand and zooming up on the other guy in the picture in pure incredulity.

“You know Kibum’s boyfriend?!”

“That’s my brother’s best friend! I didn’t think he was into guys though…” trailed Minho, zooming back out and running his eyes over the embrace between Jonghyun and Kibum. “You’re right though…it does look pretty gay.”

“Oi! Don’t say it like that, you’ll hurt Kibum’s feelings.” scolded Taemin, picking his phone out of Minho’s grasp and looking at the photo once again himself.

Minho rolled his eyes, digging his own phone out of his pocket and tapping on a soccer app out of boredom. “I was merely stating it as a fact. Don’t get iffy with me.”

“Ugh, whatever. At least you believe me now. That Jonghyun guy though…is he nice?” questioned Taemin, studying the face of the man in question via his phone.

“Yeah, really nice. He and Onew-hyung used to sing together I think…that’s how they met.” replied Minho casually, eyes not drifting from his screen as they stayed glued to the sweaty players running amidst the field.

Taemin giggled, turning his phone off as he began to eat his sandwich in hunger. “A dancer and a singer…cute.”

Minho snorted in amusement and went to reply, before all of a sudden they heard the creaking of the handle twist and saw the door opening slightly.

“Kibum, hey!” exclaimed Taemin excitedly as the former poked his head around the dance studio’s door.

“Hey guys,” replied Kibum cheerfully, nodding to Minho who seemed to be wrapped up in soccer livestream on his phone.

“What’s up?” greeted Minho gruffly, flickering his eyes to Kibum for a split second before returning back to his screen.

Kibum smiled, sitting himself next to Taemin and pulling out his lunch. “Nothing much, I just have a lot of homework to do. You?”

“Mmm…same.” agreed the taller male uninterestingly, shooting Taemin a quick glance that went unnoticed by Kibum.

Taemin bit his lip to prevent himself from bursting out into giggles, shoving his sandwich into his mouth urgently. Kibum raised an eyebrow at the odd behaviour, taking a more reserved bite of his own lunch with amusement.

“Hungry?” he laughed in question, eliciting a vigorous nod from the younger boy.

Taemin swallowed his large mouthful before flashing Kibum a bashful grin. “Very.”

Minho rolled his eyes at Taemin’s antics, knowing quite well why the first year was acting so strange. The younger boy really needed to learn how to control himself. At the moment however, it really was quite amusing, so Minho opted to stay quiet and observe the awkward interactions between the two dancers.

‘Taemin…you’re seriously going to be the death of me.’

Kibum let out a long breath, running his hands through his hair in relief. Lifting his gaze up to meet the classroom clock, he grinned, realising he had finished the assigned questions with five minutes to spare. Resting his head on folded arms, Kibum closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift back to lunch. Taemin really had been acting strange…Normally the younger boy would be really talkative during lunch but all he had done that day was stuff his face and look on the verge of laughter. Minho had been pretty quiet as well, but that wasn’t really a surprise considering it was Minho.

He shook his head to stop his mind overflowing with questions, and decided to just let his eyes rest before the bell went and dismissed him back into his lonely home life. They didn’t stay closed for long however, because all of a second the loud ring was blasting through the speakers and the screeching sound of chairs being pushed backwards was echoing throughout the room. Kibum exhaled, gathering his books together grudgingly before making his way to the front of the class to hand the teacher his work.

“Thank you, Kibum.” she spoke kindly, Kibum nodding his head politely in response.

He took his time making his way out of the door, not wanting to be trampled by the students who were extra eager to make their way back home or hang out with their friends. Packing his books back into his locker and taking out what needed to be done for homework, Kibum then leisurely walked to the bathroom to waste a bit of time before having to make his way back home. After all, it wasn’t as if anything exciting was waiting for him there.

Finishing up in the bathroom, Kibum checked the time on his watch and nodded to himself. If he took the long way out of the school and walked slowly back to his house he would be home right before his parents arrived with enough time to grab a snack and make his way up to his room. His footsteps echoed loudly against the linoleum flooring, the relaxing yet slightly eerie silence comforting Kibum as he walked.

However just as Kibum began to think that he was completely alone, he heard a thump from around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks.

‘What on earth? –‘

The thump sounded again, and Kibum’s ears vaguely picked up on a group of various voices speaking roughly about something. He picked up his pace, not really sure what he was going to see around the corner but curiosity picking at his mind nonetheless.  Turning the bend, Kibum’s mind could not have prepared him for what he was met with, jaw dropping in horror as his eyes landed on the scene before him.

A group of first years surrounded something on the floor, Kibum not being able to see whatever it was they were surrounding but understanding the situation immediately. The group of boys all had smirks plastered onto their faces, and a lone school bag lay by them with a large pile of books and ripped papers spilling out the top. They hadn’t noticed him yet, so Kibum kept studying the situation in shock, eyes running over each boy hastily in assessment. One of the bigger guys seemed to have a bruised fist, but it definitely wasn’t him Kibum was worried about. It was the form on the ground which was shielded from Kibum’s view that concerned him, unable to see the full damage but knowing that it wouldn’t be pretty.

‘I could turn the corner, pretend I didn’t see and leave that kid for dead…Or I could confront the boys, help the kid out and cop some myself.’

Kibum’s decision was made easy when one of the shorter guys aimed a reckless kick at the student on the floor, emitting a whimper of pain from the kid that tugged at Kibum’s heartstrings. He began to move forward, his loud footsteps gaining the attention of the group who whipped around to face him immediately.

“What are you doing?” spoke the bigger boy, most likely the leader of the pack.

Kibum scoffed, pointing to himself disbelievingly. “Me? I think the real question is what the fuck are you doing?”

‘Shit.’

A look of pure anger crossed the guy’s face, and he took a threatening step forward. “None of your fucking business. I recommend you get out of here now, or else I’ll smash your head into the locker.”

“I’ll get of here if you leave the kid alone. I bet he didn’t deserve any of this. It’s just dicks like you that put their problems on other people because their lives suck so much.” jeered Kibum, crossing his arms over his chest sassily and smirking as the big guy’s rage increased even more.

“Shut up, faggot. I can assure you this fucking sissy deserved all he got. He looks like a girl, dances like a girl…yet he still thinks he can go in the male bathroom like a normal guy? You’re both as gay as each other.”

‘Oh he didn’t.’

Kibum’s smirk was immediately replaced by a frown, fury boiling inside of him slowly at the bully’s cruel words. One look through the gap and his fears were confirmed…Taemin lay upon the ground bruised and beaten, eyes barely open as he struggled to get a word out. Kibum shook his head in means of getting him to stay quiet, before his gaze drifted back up to stare the group leader directly in the eyes.

“Okay first, faggot? What, because I can actually afford nice clothes and don’t like getting sweaty? Bitch, I could eat a can of alphabet soup and shit out a better argument than that. And you’ve got to be kidding me. Here you are, beating up an innocent kid because he’s prettier than you’re non-existent girlfriend? I know he probably turns you on but you have to learn to control your urges better than that, bud. I suggest you take you and your little puny ass gang away from here and actually go get yourself some real shit, because clearly you don’t know what a female body looks like.”

The whole group stood there stunned, and Kibum smirked smugly in accomplishment. “Did you here that? Shoo.”

The biggest boy grunted, and looked back at the group that hovered around him. “Come on boys, we don’t want to associate ourselves with these poofs.”

Kibum’s eye twitched, yet he remained silent. The huddle of boys began to make their way to where Kibum came from, the leader muttering something quietly to Kibum as he walked past.

“Don’t think you’re safe, fag. If you piss me off one more time, you’re dead.”

They finally turned the corner, and as soon as they did so Kibum let his tough façade go and rushed over to check on Taemin. “Taemin…we need to get you some help!”

Looking over the younger boy’s body, he inwardly winced at all the bruises that adorned his body and the blood that seeped from his lip and nose.

“Kibum-hyung,” he whispered hoarsely, voice rough as he struggled to form words. “You’re seriously the best.”

“Don’t talk, Taemin-ah. Who should I ring?” questioned Kibum frantically, receiving no response as Taemin closed his eyes and lulled off into a peaceful sleep.

“Shit. I don’t even have Minho’s number…” muttered Kibum, scrolling through the contacts on his phone quickly and groaning in impatience.

His fingers stopped at Jonghyun’s name, and he bit his lip worriedly. He could ring Jonghyun and get Taemin to safety quickly in the older boy’s car, but on the downside Taemin would notice Jonghyun and ask questions. Kibum shook his head. Taemin was more important. Besides, it wasn’t as if Jonghyun and he were dating. He could just tell Taemin they were friends.

Making up his mind, Kibum tapped on Jonghyun’s name and rang his number, drumming his fingers on his leg impatiently as he prayed that the singer would pick up quickly.

“Kibum, hey! How are you?” greeted the older boy cheerily.

“Jjong…I need your help. I’m at school, it’s urgent.”

A slight pause was heard on the other side of the line. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just please, come as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll be right there.”

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 26 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 2,922 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: this chapter is awfully short, i know, but i needed to get all the necessary filler out the way before the dramatic stuff begins ;;)) next chapters gonna be a packed one i swear! oh and enjoy the 2min <3 

chapters 6-25 posted on @ourshineeshrine for now

The sun was shining brightly when Minho decided to go for a serene walk that Saturday afternoon, hands positioned lazily in his pockets as he scuffed his feet along the gravelled ground. Often, when too caught up in his thoughts or simply tired of sitting around, Minho would escape his house for just a little while and head to the local park, revelling in the soothing environment it provided him with. The large oak trees lining the green terrain swayed softly in the wind, leaves rustling and cascading down onto the blanket of grass below.

It was true that they lived in the same neighbourhood. And Minho supposed that the chances weren’t completely unlikely. However it still came as quite the shock when, as he made his way around the forged dirt track, Minho’s eyes fell upon Taemin seated on a nearby bench. The younger boy was simply staring at his shoes, occasionally kicking at the rocks beneath his feet and watching as they rolled forward before coming to an abrupt halt against the grass.

Minho smiled fondly. From his slightly elevated position, sunlight flittered in at exactly the right angle to land gracefully on Taemin’s skin, highlighting all of his beautiful features. His slighty mussed hair was swept back with the wind, and as light was further shed upon Minho’s feelings, he found himself not really caring in the slightest. Perhaps at first it had been slightly alarming that he had begun to gather feelings for his friends but now, after some careful consideration, Minho figured that he was actually rather lucky. Not only did he get to spend practically every waking moment with Taemin, but the two already knew each other in and out – there’d be no need to hide his true self in fear of judgement.

Taking one last, deep breath, Minho slowly began to make his way towards Taemin, at this closer distance suddenly being very aware of how torn his facial expression seemed to be. Minho frowned in alarm and quickened his pace. The younger boy’s gaze didn’t at all divert from their position on the ground even when Minho stood a mere two metres away, and he coughed slightly to break the silence, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Taemin. Hey.”

Taemin looked up in astonishment, an obvious red hue immediately flushing against his cheeks. His shoulders had tensed unconsciously, but despite his noticeable discomfort, Taemin replied with a slightly awkward, “Hey, Minho. What’s up?”

“Nothing much.” Minho grinned brightly, taking a seat next to Taemin and crossing his legs. “Just wanted some fresh air. You?”

Albeit slightly forced, Taemin smiled back. “Me too. Just needed to think about some things I guess.”

Minho nodded. “School’s been super busy lately. Kibum and I have got our end of year exams in like, a week, and to be honest…I think I’m gonna flunk. But don’t tell Jinki I said that.”

“You’re probably gonna get a sport scholarship though so I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about.” Taemin nudged Minho’s ribs playfully in reassurance, immediately regretting his actions as Minho’s body stiffened.

Minho opened his mouth as though he was about to say something before suddenly halting in his tracks, settling for a simple, “Taemin...”

The first year held his breath. Was this finally the moment? Was Minho finally going to confront what had happened nearly a week from now? He looked up at the older boy with hope swimming in his eyes and offered a smile. “Yeah?”

“Well um…just…thanks for being a good friend.”

As the words fell upon Taemin’s ears, his hopes were diminished like a fire during winter, simply nodding softly in response. It was stupid, really. But nonetheless, Taemin could feel his anger slowly rising at Minho’s ignorance on the matter and clenched his fists.

“Also, Taem. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow. Just you and I? Maybe go to the movies or the arcade…I don’t know.”

Taemin remained silent and simply glared at the ground, shaking his head marginally at Minho’s audacity. First he plays with Taemin’s feelings by kissing him, but then never brings it up again and instead thinks that they can just resume their friendship like nothing ever happened. He bit his lip, fighting down the insults which threatened to spill from his mouth, and refused to meet Minho’s curious stare.

Minho frowned at Taemin’s silence. “Uh…Taemin? Everything alright buddy?”

“Y’know what, Minho? Everything isn’t alright!” Taemin fumed, standing up and pacing on the spot. “You have been practically ignoring me for the whole week, haven’t mentioned anything about last Sunday, and now you wanna hang out? Look Minho…I know you hated what happened the other day, okay? I get it! Either let’s talk about it, or you stop acting so awkward! It’s in the past…so just tell me how much you hated the kiss and let’s move o—“

“I never said I didn’t like it, you idiot!” exclaimed Minho, up on his feet and staring Taemin directly in the eyes.

Breath coming to a sudden halt, Taemin’s jaw dropped and he stared at Minho with wide eyes, not quite positive if he’d heard correctly or not.

Minho took a tentative step forward and spoke again softly. “I never said that I didn’t like it, Taem.”

And then, gently and cautiously, so unlike the times before, Minho’s lips were pressed flush against Taemin’s, lifting a hand to rest precariously against the younger boy’s cheek.

“So wait…” spoke Amber, draped over Kibum’s bed like a duvet. “You’re saying that your parents think that Jonghyun is making you gay, and now you’re grounded from going out?”

Kibum sighed and spun around aimlessly on his desk chair. “That’s literally what I just said, yes.”

“Don’t get snappy with me, Kibum. We have to work our way around this. Can’t he just come over like I am now?”

Sighing loudly, Kibum shook his head. “Technically, he could. But…If he came over it would only make things worse, ‘Ber. My father practically hates him, and Jonghyun’s really touchy anyway. To be honest, he’d probably go home more upset than if he didn’t come at all. Let’s just leave it, m’kay?”

Amber sat up and studied Kibum closely before collapsing back onto the bed. “For now. We’re gonna talk about this again later. But for now…” the tomboy snorted loudly. “Can you believe Minho rejected me, yesterday?”

Kibum choked, practically falling from his seat in surprise. “H-He what? Rejected you? You fuckin’ made a move?”

“I just asked if he wanted to chill tomorrow, calm your farm. Y’know…I could’ve sworn he liked me, but oh well.”

Utterly confused, Kibum sat in silence, the gears in his head turning at a million miles per second. His thoughts ran back to the day before, when Taemin had spoken of Minho’s strange attitude towards their kiss. Supposedly, he’d practically ignored Taemin entirely after it had happened, yet he had been the one who had asked to kiss Taemin in the first place. Kibum paused for a second, eyes widening in joyous realization that in Amber’s perspective, seemed to border insanity.

She rose an eyebrow and punched Kibum’s leg, taking satisfaction in the way her best friend yelped in pain. “Get that serial killer smug grin off your face and tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Oh my God,” Kibum muttered, laughing softly under his breath. “Oh my fucking God.”

“What?! Tell me, you dick shit!”

Kibum chuckled loudly and fell onto the bed besides Amber. “Who would’ve known, huh?”

Fists clenched, Amber grabbed Kibum’s wrists and in a fluid motion and twisted them around his back, digging her elbow harshly in between his shoulder blades. Kibum yelped in pain and attempted to escape the tom boy’s strong grasp, body flailing pathetically before falling into a slump.

“Now, are you gonna stop acting like an asshole and tell me what’s got your knickers in a knot?”

“My what in a what now?”

Amber tutted and applied more pressure. “Stop stalling and answer the god damn question, Kibum.”

Groaning loudly, Kibum stuffed his face into the duvet. “Rradgi b’sekshal Min’o ‘ikez Ta’mmn”

Amber screwed her face into a frown. “What the heck?”

“I said…” Kibum sighed, roughly tugging his wrists out of the younger girl’s grasp. “Raging bisexual Minho likes Taemin.”

Silence. Thick, drop dead silence. Amber simply stared at the polaroid pictures upon Kibum’s wall, and in concern, the latter worried that she liked Minho a lot more than he’d previously expected. He leaned forward slightly to gauge her reaction, however immediately retreated in surprise upon realising that she was laughing. “Honestly,” she giggled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“At first glance Minho seems as straight as a stick but like…the thought of him having a crush on a guy is just so natural. I literally can’t believe that my whole friendship group is fucking gay.” snorted Kibum, shaking his head at the odds.

Amber looked at Kibum. “Wait, so Taemin is gay too?”

He paused. “Well no…But he definitely has a crush on Minho though, so my statement still stands.”

Squealing uncharacteristically in both a mixture of excitement and disbelief, the tomboy grabbed a packet of Cheetos strewn on Kibum’s bed and shoved a handful in her mouth. “If they get together, and you start talking to Jonghyun again, then you guys can double date!”

Kibum hummed, a forlorn glint lingering in his chocolate eyes. “I don’t know if I should even talk to Jonghyun, to be honest… It’s just gonna make things worse.”

With a sad sigh, Amber sat up straight and addressed Kibum sympathetically. She seemed cautious, as though tip toeing around a rose bush, and bit her bottom lip. “There’s nothing wrong with liking a guy, Kibum.” she spoke softly.

Anger sparked in Kibum’s chest, and he glared harshly at his best friend. “I know that, Amber! But I’m just sick of it being so hard… Loving someone isn’t meant to be this hard.” His voice had managed to drop to a whisper within mere milliseconds, and he ignored Amber’s loud gasp of surprise.

“It wouldn’t be this bad if it wasn’t for your parents. You just said it, Kibum – you love Jonghyun! You guys have something really special, and you can’t just give up on something like that. You have to work around this, Kibum. Please. I just…I hate seeing you like this, alright?”

Kibum nodded, but it was safe to say that he wasn’t quite convinced by Amber’s words. She knew his parents pretty well, certainly. But no one knew Kibum’s parents quite like Kibum himself, and deep down, he understood that getting around them would be a lot harder than it seemed. He thought about his father, and his mother who was finally beginning to recognize that he had his own beliefs and feelings. He thought about the slap – the stinging in his cheek which psychologically, had never gone away. He didn’t want to drag Jonghyun down that hell hole. Why would Jonghyun even want to be a part of something like this when he had a perfect family back at home? Where his mother and sister joked around joyously, accepted him for who he was, and gave Jonghyun all the love he deserved. His lifestyle could never match up to that standard, and it was with this mindset that Kibum decided that yes, keeping his distance from Jonghyun certainly was better for the both of them.

Standing outside Kibum’s bedroom door, Kibum’s mother could feel her own heartbeat picking up considerably as she heard her son and his best friend speaking within the room. She should’ve just kept on walking. Gone to her bedroom like she’d originally planned on doing. And she was going to keep on walking after a few minutes, she really was. But as those eight words fell from her son’s mouth so casually and so genuinely, she found herself pausing in disbelief, not quite sure if she’d heard him correctly.

‘Loving someone isn’t meant to be this hard.’

‘You love Jonghyun!’

The woman’s breath caught in her throat, and if it wasn’t for the wall that she was currently leaning against, Kibum’s mother was certain her legs would have gave way by now. She’d had her suspicions, of course. About their relationship being something less than…pure. But an emotion as deep as love had never been on the agenda, and she found her heart slowly tearing apart at the connotations of those short phrases. Her mind went back to just the other day, where Jonghyun had helped her with her groceries. His eyes had been red, bloodshot and puffy, clear signs of crying and sleep deprivation. Had their treatment towards Kibum and Jonghyun inevitably lead to his? Two depressed boys who couldn’t even bring it within themselves to see the other because of what people around them thought?

The guilt was overbearing. Kibum’s mother knew that, along with her husband, she was a key catalyst in this behaviour and caution. Yet before she could even ponder on what this truly meant to her and her family, a sound within the room knocked the woman out of her senses and pushed her on her way, trudging towards the marginally opened hallway door with a fatigued frown lining her features.

Jonghyun stood before the bathroom mirror, staring at his slick hair in nervous anticipation. A bottle of opened dark hair dye lay on the countertop, and if Jonghyun had never done this before, he was sure that at that moment his hands would certainly be shaking. He spun around one last time to make sure that every inch of his previously blonde locks were covered before grabbing a plastic cap and slipping it over his hair. A loud exhale escaped his lips, and Jonghyun slumped onto the edge of the bathtub with clenched fists. Potential song lyrics played within in his mind on repeat, but the only thing which kept Jonghyun from writing them down was the fact that he knew Kibum wouldn’t be joining him at the bar tomorrow. Honestly, he didn’t really know why he’d decided to finally change his hair colour. It had been blonde since he’d left school, and before now, he’d never even considered changing it back to brown. But now it was done – there was no turning back.

He stood below the shower head and allowed the water to run down his face as it washed the excess dye away, thoughts drifting back to his conversation with Kibum’s mother at the supermarket just days ago. While it was indeed a nice offer, Jonghyun still racked his mind for ideas to somehow see Kibum before two weeks’ time, mind coming to a cruel halt at every turn. Whether it be too risky, too public, or just too downright impossible, it seemed that there was no way whatsoever that Jonghyun could meet up with Kibum before the latter’s parent teacher interviews.

The songwriter stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, watching in the mirror as his hair gradually dried to dark, mousy brown. Jonghyun smiled despite his prior melancholy, and could only hope with all his heart that Kibum’s parents worked on Tuesday afternoons.

Minho pulled away softly, hand still softly cradling Taemin’s cheek. A wide, ecstatic smile rested on his face and he watched Taemin’s expression carefully to gauge any sort of reaction.

It was safe to say that Taemin was in a stupor. Unblinkingly, he stared at Minho’s grinning face, not quite positive if he’d imagined that kiss or not. His heart raced at a million beats per second, and although there were no mirrors around, Taemin was fairly certain that at that moment his cheeks were glowing a dazzling red. Awkwardly, he licked his lips, diverting his gaze to instead stare at the ground. “W-What was that for?” he mumbled softly.

Chuckling melodiously, Minho shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I like you, and I liked that kiss the other day, so why not?”

Taemin froze, head slowly lifting to look at Minho once more. He studied Minho’s carefree smile, he’s relaxed shoulders and his twinkling eyes, feeling his own face distort into a frown as he did so. “You’re lying.” he muttered. “Stop fucking with me, Minho.”

And immediately, just like that, Minho’s carefree expression faded away, transforming into something more alike to worry and fear. “I’m not, Taemin…I swear. I like you.”

“Then why did you ignore me for the whole week, then? Last time I checked, you had a crush on Amber!”

Minho gnawed gently on his bottom lip. “I know, I was just scared, okay? Not of liking a boy because I honestly don’t give a shit about that. But… you’re my best friend, Taem. I didn’t want to ruin things between us.”

With a scoff, Taemin crossed his arms over his chest. “Well…Well how do you know you haven’t ruined things? Why’d you just assume that I like you back, huh? ‘Cause I’m going through my gay ‘phase’ right? I must be jumping at the chance to date a guy like you.” Sarcasm had begun to lace with Taemin’s tone of voice, and Minho felt his oxygen clot with anxiety.

“N-No…Taemin. Why are you getting so angry? I already told you that I didn’t mean it like that when I said ‘phase’. I just thought that maybe—“ His voice cracked, and in fear of shedding tears, snapped his mouth shut. Minho swallowed thickly. “Do you…like me at all? Even just a little?”

Taemin flushed red, immediately turning away. “No, I—“

“Taemin. Please. ” interrupted Minho firmly, raising a brow. “Do you like me?”

The first year’s hands shook, but nonetheless, he responded quietly under his breath. “M-Maybe…just a little.”

That elicited a small smile to flutter onto Minho’s face, and hesitantly, he reached forward to entwine his fingers with Taemin’s. “Then why are you being so…I don’t know…”

“Cautious? Disbelieving? Maybe because…I’ve liked you for a lot longer than you’ve liked me, and this all seems so sudden, Minho. How am I supposed to know that you’re actually serious about this? A week might pass, and next thing you know, you’ll be crushing on Sooyoung or Sulli. I,” Taemin flushed. “I really like you, okay? I just don’t want to be your little experiment.”

Minho gave Taemin’s hand a gentle squeeze, softly lifting Taemin’s chin with the other. “This is new to me, I know. But you’re my best friend above anything else, Taem. And I wouldn’t have acted on my feelings if I thought they were anything but genuine. Just trust me, okay? As your best friend, if anything.”

Taemin’s eyes searched Minho’s frantically, as though they in themselves held the truth to his words. A second past, then two, and then another. And then before Minho could even voice another syllable, Taemin dived forward, wrapping his arms around Minho’s neck and kissing him square on the mouth.

“I trust you.” he whispered after only a short moment, leaning forward once more to instead wrap the older boy in a tight, affectionate hug. Minho’s arms reciprocated the embrace immediately, tightening his arms around Taemin’s waist and resting his chin atop of his head.

He smiled brightly and breathed a sigh of relief. “So…does this mean we’re like, a couple now?”

“Nah,” droned Taemin sarcastically. “We’re friends with benefits.”

It was safe to say that Taemin took great pride in Minho’s flushed face at that comment, and found himself laughing pleasantly.

“T-Taemin!”

“No need to hold your breath, frog boy. You can just call me boyfriend for now.” winked Taemin, grabbing Minho’s hands and pecking his startled look away. “Now c’mon…Let’s go play video games at your house.”

Minho beamed, and together, they set back off down the path with their hands clasped tightly. “Wah, my boyfriend is so cool.” he commented, bumping Taemin’s side playfully.

Smiling mischievously, Taemin bumped Minho back.

“And my boyfriend...resembles a frog.”

It was safe to say Taemin ignored Minho’s complaints the rest of the way back to his house, yet despite their bickering, both boys were simply on cloud nine that afternoon, their lingering smiles never quite fading until the sun had set.

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 8

Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 3,636 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine

Kibum sat on the floor by Taemin, holding the younger’s hand protectively as he gnawed on his lip in worry. Glancing at the time on his phone for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes, Kibum sighed in concern as his eyes ran over the bruises adorning Taemin’s pale skin.

“Those fucking assholes.” he whispered to himself, smoothing his hand through Taemin’s hair fondly as the boy’s eyes twitched in his sleep.

He sat there in silence for a little while longer, before all of a sudden he felt his phone vibrating in his hand as Jonghyun’s name flashed on the screen.

“Jjong, are you here?” he spoke urgently through the receiver.

“I’m at your school…where are you?”

Kibum glanced around at his surroundings hurriedly, taking note of the locker colours and classrooms nearby. “I’m in the first year block. If you go to the courtyard, there are a few tables outside a brown brick building. I’m in there.”

Jonghyun said nothing, but Kibum assumed he was nodding in understanding. “I’m running over now. Be right there, ‘Bummie.”

The phone call ended with a click, and Kibum let out a long exhale of relief. True to his word, around a minute later Jonghyun’s footsteps could be heard making their way down the corridor, the short male appearing hurriedly with a red tint shading his cheeks.

His pace slowed as his eyes landed upon Kibum, shooting him a small smile before they drifted to land on Taemin, eyes widening in horror.

“Shit. What happened to him?!” exclaimed Jonghyun in panic, jogging over to the two dancers and kneeling down by Taemin.

“A bunch of fucking losers thought it would be nice to pick on Taemin just because he’s ‘pretty’. How pathetic.” spoke Kibum angrily, running his hand through his blonde locks aggressively.

Jonghyun scoffed in disbelief before scooping the fragile boy into his arms, pouting at Kibum sadly. “Poor kid. We have to go get him some medical help…will my house do?”

Kibum’s stomach jolted at the thought of visiting Jonghyun’s house, but he supressed his feelings in consideration of Taemin’s wellbeing. “Definitely. I-I’m sorry I bothered you today, by the way. I didn’t know who else to call.”

The two walked side by side back down the corridor, Jonghyun flashing Kibum as reassuring smile. “You’re not bothering me, ‘Bum. This is serious. Don’t forget I’m always happy to help. Besides, I’m not complaining; I get to spend more time with you.”

Kibum had trouble concealing his grin at the older boy’s cheesy yet meaningful words, heart fluttering wildly at Jonghyun’s kind heart and beautiful smile. “Thank you, Jjong. Seriously.”

Jonghyun’s mouth widened in a toothy smile, watching the way in which Kibum’s dimples began to protrude slightly against the contours of his smooth skin. His hand was practically twitching in the urge to hold Kibum’s, however both of his arms were currently preoccupied with carrying the fragile first year and so regrettably he would just have to wait to feel the younger boy’s warm hand entwined with his once again.

They reached Jonghyun’s car within minutes, the older male gently sliding Taemin into the back seat before joining Kibum in the front. A mumbled hum began to ooze its way through his lips, and the chill that prickled down Kibum’s spine was inevitable.

“Is he your friend?” questioned Jonghyun quietly after they had backed out and pulled onto the main road.

Kibum laughed humorously to himself, thoughts drifting back to his previous attitude towards the younger boy. “Kinda, yeah. We never used to like each other too much, but the little shit is growing on me.”

Jonghyun quirked an eyebrow. “Little shit? He looks so innocent though.”

Kibum scoffed, shaking his head violently with an amused grin playing at his lips. Taemin, innocent? “Looks being the key word in that sentence.”

Jonghyun chuckled heartily, Kibum discretely admiring the way his eyes crinkled in laughter and the pearly white teeth that reminded him all too entirely of a dinosaur.

‘Seriously adorable.’

“Second day in a row Kibum…that desperate to see me?” teased Jonghyun, casually changing the subject with a sly smirk etching onto his face.

Kibum rolled his eyes playfully. “Get over yourself; you’re the only person I know with a car.”

Jonghyun gasped in mock hurt, flicking away fake tears dramatically. “I thought I meant something to you, Kibum! I thought we had a connection!”

Kibum looked out the window into the distance, placing his soft hands delicately against the cool glass. “So goodbye, don’t cry and smile,” he began to sing melancholically, causing Jonghyun’s head to whip towards him before bursting out into laughter.

“What the heck are we doing, Kibum?” he questioned amusedly, focusing his gaze back on the road with a grin twitching at his lips.

Kibum shook his head. “I don’t know; you started it.”

“Touché, my friend. Touché.”

The comfortable silence returned, Kibum yearningly breathing in the scent of the car which smelled exactly like Jonghyun. Cinnamon, old books and mint.

“My sister and mum are a little crazy. Just a warning.” spoke Jonghyun with a snicker as they turned onto his street, the singer mentally praying that the two women wouldn’t say anything stupid in front of Kibum.

Kibum grinned mischievously. “So that’s where you get it from!”

The car finally pulled into the driveway of an average sized house, Kibum immediately noting the welcoming and warm aura the home seemed to behold.

“You are so rude, Kibum.” scoffed Jonghyun, smiling nonetheless at the younger boy’s cheek.

Kibum poked his tongue out before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. “It’s my specialty.”

The two males stepped out of the car before carefully lifting Taemin off the back seat, Kibum allowing Jonghyun to take the boy in his stronger arms whilst he closed the door and locked it shut.

“Maybe we should’ve taken him to the hospital…” spoke the feline boy hesitantly, biting his bottom lip as his eyes once again landed on Taemin’s frail, feeble form.

Jonghyun glanced at Kibum reassuringly over his shoulder, grinning crookedly as he hit the doorbell with his elbow. “It’ll be alright, ‘Bummie; my sister’s in medical school.”

Kibum sighed a breath of relief he didn’t even realise he’d been holding, coming to stand by Jonghyun with his arms crossed casually over his chest. “Why are you ringing the doorbell to your own house?”

Jonghyun chuckled quietly. “I wouldn’t normally, but I left my house key inside and my sister usually locks the door behind me.”

Kibum nodded in understanding and went to reply, however was interrupted as the door pulled open and a young woman’s face peered at them through the entryway.

“Hyun-ah, back alrea—“she began to question, only for her words to be caught in her throat as her gaze dropped to the fragile body in Jonghyun’s arms.

Sodam let out a squeal of horror, opening the door wide and ushering Jonghyun and Kibum inside frantically. “What on earth happened to him?!” she exclaimed, gesturing for Jonghyun to place him on the couch before rushing into the kitchen to grab supplies.

“He got beaten up by some kids at Kibum’s school.” frowned Jonghyun, leaving Kibum to watch over Taemin as he went to assist Sodam gather medical supplies.

Kibum gently brushed Taemin’s hair off of his soft face, sighing in sympathy for the young dancer. “Where is Minho when you need him?” he questioned to himself silently, thoughts drifting back to when Taemin had told him of Minho’s protectiveness.

Jonghyun looked through the archway to the lounge from where he stood, heart clenching in jealousy at the affection Kibum showed the younger male. He knew that the two students were merely close friends, however he couldn’t prevent the surge of annoyance that drifted through his veins at their display of affection – He couldn’t help but wish he was the battered one lying upon the couch, despite the awfulness of the situation.

Jonghyun shook his head to rid himself of those negative thoughts.

‘I’m awful.’

“Hyun-ah, hurry up! Give me that wet towel and go back to the lounge room. I won’t be a second.” scolded Sodam, taking the now drenched towel out of Jonghyun’s hands and shoving him gently towards the lounge.

Jonghyun sat down softly besides Kibum, working up his courage and inching his hand towards Kibum’s. He cautiously placed his warm, masculine hands over Kibum’s feminine ones in tenderness and support, shooting the younger a sympathetic smile. Kibum’s heart leapt within in his chest, holding his breath at the tingles which ran over his skin as Jonghyun’s hand made contact.

“Are you sure it’s okay I come over to your house on Saturday?” queried Jonghyun delicately in attempt to divert Kibum’s mind from concern.

Kibum’s lips tilted gently at the ends, dimples appearing softly against the crimson rouge that graced his face. “Yeah, it’ll be fine Jjong. Besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do. You’re doing me a favour, trust me.”

Jonghyun beamed, eyes crinkling at the ends in contentment. “As long as you come watch me sing on Sunday.”

“No need to persuade me; I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” scoffed Kibum in a discretely flirtatious manner, a wave of delight crashing over Jonghyun’s body in a pool of butterflies.

Sodam stood in the doorway watching on amusedly.

‘This must be Kibum! At least ‘Hyun’s got good taste.’

Despite the adorableness of the situation before her, Sodam knew there was more important matters at hand and briskly strolled into the lounge with an armful of supplies.

“Sit back a little guys, give the poor boy some room.” she ordered gently, and then knelt before the couch as Jonghyun and Key jumped off to begin working on healing Taemin’s cuts and bruises.

The two older males stood by idly and watched on in concern, Kibum observing Sodam’s professionalism with awe. “She’s really good,” he commented offhandedly.

Jonghyun nodded with a fond smile. “Yeah…I have memories of when we were younger; if anyone hurt themselves she would be the first to comfort them or get help. I remember this one time when I’d fallen over, there were no adults around.  Instead of panicking or crying or looking for someone else, the first thing she did was rip a bit of her t-shirt off and hold it against the cut on my knee. It wasn’t even serious, but she was so mature about it…I just know when she graduates she’s gonna be a great nurse.”

Kibum’s lips quirked as Jonghyun spoke about his sister, enjoying the way the singer’s eyes lit up in tenderness and affection as he spoke about the young woman. It was times like these in which Kibum wished he had a sibling – someone to keep him company during his childhood and take care of him when his parents were away working. Sighing the thoughts away, Kibum focused his gaze back on Taemin, heart clenching in hurt for the scrawny boy.

“Kibum?” Jonghyun nudged, gaining the third year’s attention immediately.

“Mm?”

Jonghyun gestured to the kitchen, a lopsided grin plastering itself onto his handsome face. “Would you like something to drink? Noona may be a while…”

Kibum nodded eagerly, glad to finally have something take his mind off the bedridden boy. Jonghyun gently tugged at Kibum’s hand eliciting a blush from the younger, and led him into the kitchen before opening the fridge. After the two decided on a can of soda each, they took a seat on the kitchen stools and sipped at them leisurely.

“Is your mum home at the moment?” asked Kibum curiously, earning a chuckle out of Jonghyun.

“Nah, she went grocery shopping right before you rang. She should be home soon though.”

Kibum nodded, running his finger around the rim of his can casually. “Your family is so cute.” he commented before taking another gulp of soda.

Jonghyun shot Kibum a look of incredulity. “You haven’t even talked to them.” he laughed.

Kibum giggled. “I know, they just seem so cute.”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes playfully. “Sure, sure. Do you want to come see my bedroom?”

Kibum blanched, eyes widening in surprise. The mere thought of going into the older boy’s room with just the two of them gave him a pleasant, warm feeling in the pit of his stomach; however an abundance of butterflies also flew maniacally, evoking a feeling of nervousness to engulf his mind.

“A-ah yeah…if that’s okay with you?”

Jonghyun poked his tongue out between his teeth teasingly, standing up from his seat and pulling Kibum with him. “I asked, you idiot. C’mon!”

Kibum bit his lip excitingly and scurried along with Jonghyun, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he walked. As they strolled, his eyes glanced over the photos upon the wall, a light giggle spilling out of his lips as they landed on a photo taken when Jonghyun was a child.

“You were so cute!” he exclaimed in a squeal, causing Jonghyun’s eyes to widen and his face flush bright rouge.

“Were?” the singer questioned mischievously, raising his eyebrows suggestively at the younger boy.

Kibum scoffed. “Yes, were. Now you’re leaning more on the handsome side.”

Jonghyun felt his heart leap at the compliment, biting his lip in contentment as they reached his bedroom door. “Why thank you Kibum…I’ll let you be the cute one between the two of us.”

Kibum’s cheeks reddened considerably, however their distinctive pink shade thankfully went unnoticed as Jonghyun pushed his door open and stood back to let Kibum inside first.

“Welcome to my shrine.” he exclaimed extravagantly, presenting the average sized bedroom with his toned arm.

Kibum took a cautious step in and looked around with interest. A large, double bed covered by an abstract, blue duvet lay in the corner (not that Kibum was getting any thoughts), and a dresser sat beside it; the other side of the room decked with novels and cd’s within a bookcase and a lone guitar lying to the right.

Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I mean…it’s not that great. But it serves its purpose, and that’s all that really matters.”

The dancer shook his head in denial, eyes shining at the simplistic yet comforting aura the room expelled. Kibum took slow steps towards the bookcase and laid his eyes upon the extensive collection of cd’s lying within. His eyes widened at the sheer amount of English artists, shooting the older male a sceptical look.

“Can you even understand these? You don’t take me for a linguistic person.”

Jonghyun gasped in mock hurt.

“Again with your rudeness Kibum! I may not be able to understand the words, but the music speaks to me.” he spoke passionately, joining Kibum by the bookcase and reaching out to stroke an album’s spine dramatically.

Kibum threw his head back and chuckled loudly. “You are so cheesy, stop!” he choked out in laughter, holding onto Jonghyun’s arm for support and unknowingly causing a large flutter of chills to run down the elder’s spine.

“And why the heck are you stroking the album?! I know you love music, but damn Jjong!”

Jonghyun adopted a fake look of anger, crossing his arms over his chest and aiming a glare at Kibum. “You dare kink shame me in my own home?”

This sent Kibum over the edge, barking out a boisterous cackle that unwillingly tugged at Jonghyun’s lips and lightened his heart. At that moment, Jonghyun found that Kibum’s beautiful laugh was contagious, following the younger boy’s lead and laughing loudly at his own immature stupidity and god-awful acting. They laughed and laughed until their stomach’s ached and their breaths came in short, audible puffs; and as it seemed, their booming chuckles had been distinguishable throughout the entirety of the house, a small knock rapping at the door soon after their laughter had died down.

“Jonghyun-ah?” came the voice of said boy’s mother, causing the two males to immediately straighten up and divert their heads to the chipped, wooden door.

“Come in!” granted Jonghyun, his voice inducing the door to open and a middle aged woman’s head to poke through the gap.

“’Hyun-ah, your friend will wake up soon. Do you and…” she spoke, trailing off towards the end and shooting Kibum a curious look.

“Kibum.” assisted the said boy with a bright smile, Jonghyun’s mother nodding in gratitude as a questionably sly and knowing gleam glinted in her gaze.

“Do you and Kibum want to sit in the lounge until he awakens? The poor boy probably has no idea where he is.”

Jonghyun nodded, gesturing at Kibum to follow behind him as he strolled out the room. “He doesn’t even know who I am, so you better explain Kibum.”

Kibum trailed behind Jonghyun, taking one last glance at the cozy room before exiting with the hopes of seeing it again soon. Upon entering the lounge, Kibum and Jonghyun immediately took notice of the change in aura, a more light-hearted feel adorning the room instead of the previous gloomy, urgent one. The afternoon sun shone in through the open curtains and brightened the room considerably, the light rays peeking through the window landing on Taemin and giving him the appearance of an angel.

Jonghyun and Key sat down on the sofa nearby, Jonghyun turning on the television to fill the silence that lingered throughout the room. It was a comfortable silence, but that didn’t stop Kibum from worrying about the fragile boy beside them.

“Next time I see those guys…I assure you I’m going to slit their throats.” muttered Kibum angrily, emitting a hum of agreement from Jonghyun.

“Text me when you do, I’ll come help.”

Kibum laughed and Jonghyun followed promptly, finding that the younger boy’s laugh was quite infectious.

“How did you manage to get rid of them today, anyhow? I won’t be bailing you out of jail anytime soon, right?” chuckled the singer in question, nudging Kibum gently with a slight smirk.

Kibum scoffed. “If you can get arrested for verbally slaying someone, then maybe. I gave those assholes a piece of my mind and their puny brains just couldn’t handle it.”

Jonghyun rose an incredulous eyebrow at Kibum’s blunt words, however the smirk on his face didn’t fade in the slightest. “I quite like this diva side of you.” he commented, lying his arm next to Kibum’s so that he could relish in the warmth and comfort that the other boy’s presence gave him.

Kibum’s eyes widened with a blush, not expecting the older male’s reply. “Thanks, I guess. You’re one of few.” he mumbled, down casting his eyes cutely in embarrassment.

“Well then aren’t I lucky?” grinned Jonghyun, inching his hand over slightly to rest on top of Kibum’s.

Kibum lifted his gaze slowly with his lower lip trapped between his teeth, Jonghyun internally cheering as their eyes met. “Besides, who could dislike someone as adorable as you?”

Although Jonghyun was mentally slapping himself at his straight forwardness and cheesy comments, he couldn’t will himself to stop. The different facial expressions that flashed across Kibum’s face were all too fascinating to Jonghyun, and he just wished at that moment he had a paper and pen to capture the pure adorableness of the beautiful, feline boy.

Unfortunately he didn’t however, so he opted for merely looking at Kibum; studying the way his lips tilted gently when amused, the slight crease that appeared between his brows when confused or surprised, and especially the enticing pink hue that glazed across Kibum’s cheeks all too often when embarrassed.

Kibum’s blush only continued to intensify after he noticed the older boy’s staring, awkwardly diverting his gaze back to Taemin upon the couch. He stole secret glances out the corner of his eye every once and a while, only to see that Jonghyun was still looking at him with that stupidly adorable smile etched upon his chiselled face. It was just a few minutes later however, when he looked back towards the youngest male in the room, where his jaw dropped in surprise, noticing Taemin’s fluttering eyelashes and stirring body.

“Jjong…I think he’s waking up!” he exclaimed, jumping off the couch hurriedly (much to Jonghyun’s chagrin) and rushing over to Taemin’s side.

Jonghyun stayed seated, not wanting to scare the boy with his presence once he had awakened. After all, the two had never even met. He watched while Kibum’s grin began to widen as Taemin’s eyes squinted at the light, the frail boy groaning in discomfort as he tried to shift up into a sitting position.

“Stay lying, Taemin-ah. You have to rest.” coddled Kibum in a soothing tone, running his hand through the young dancer’s luscious, brown locks.

Taemin’s brows furrowed, and he looked in struggle for something to say. “K-Kibum…Where’s Minho?” he stuttered, tilting his head to the side frantically in search for the other boy.

“Calm down, Taem…I don’t have his number. Tell me his number and I’ll ring him now.” spoke Kibum gently, fishing his phone out and preparing to tap in the frog-like male’s contact details.

Taemin hoarsely told Kibum the digits to Minho’s phone, Kibum tapping them in hastily and pressing call. The phone rang a few times, but Minho answered almost immediately, voice sounding frantic from the other end.

“Hello?!” it came gruffly, although Kibum didn’t miss the slight amount of concern that laced the soccer player’s voice.

“Minho…It’s me, Kibum. I’ve got Taemin right now, he’s safe.”

Kibum heard a huge exhale from the other side of the line. “Thank God…where are you? I’ll be there soon.”

“I’ll text you the address, okay?” replied Kibum, smiling at the care and worry Minho held for Taemin. It really was quite adorable.

“Okay…Tell Taemin I’m coming now.”

“Will do. See you soon, Minho.”

“See ya, Kibum.”