"Jonghyun, you look terrible." Jonghyun blinked his burning eyes several times, squinting up painfully at Minho. Key was currently eating lunch with Taemin, leaving Jonghyun to eat with his best friend.

"Do I?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes and trying to somehow reduce the pain. "I was up all night talking online with Key…" Jonghyun immediately regretted admitting this to Minho not even a second after having said it. Minho raised his eyebrows several times suggestively. "Minho I swear if you don't stop making that stupid face…"

Minho chuckled as he always did, completely ignoring Jonghyun's empty threats. "I can't help it!" He said. Now that was a complete and total lie if Jonghyun had ever heard one. Minho could certainly control himself, he just wouldn't. "I'm just happy you two are finally together. Really!"

Jonghyun sighed, too tired to put up a decent fight with Minho. Besides, he was happy too.

After all the panic, after all the drama, and after fighting with himself for so long, he could finally say with pride that he was happy. Key was right. It wasn't complicated. It didn't need to be complicated.

They wasted the rest of lunch talking about nothing as Jonghyun did his best to stay awake. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to Minho, in fact, he was incredibly happy to have a few short moments to catch up with his best friend. He was simply drained from the night before. He had spent hours just talking with Key, and even though he had been pushed past the brink of exhaustion, he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. He only managed to do so after accidentally falling asleep at his computer, something Key was not happy with and made sure to chew him out for first thing in the morning with an angry text. Key's anger didn't really register due to Jonghyun's inability to focus on anything but how cute Key was when he was mad, but the idea was there.

He went home that day to an empty house, the lonely feeling something he wasn't quite used to. He decided to finally admit to his parents that soccer season was, indeed, over, knowing full well that if he continued to keep the information to himself they'd find out sooner or later, and he'd be in massive amounts of trouble.

He opted to simply waste time at home, finding all things dull and meaningless without Key. Finishing his homework in record time he rolled over on his back, thinking of anything to do to pass the time before Key closed up and he could finally go visit him.

Jonghyun exhaled loudly. He hated when Key had work.

He wanted to call Minho, but basketball season had started almost immediately after soccer season ended, and of course sports-freak Minho was the captain of that too. Minho's athleticism was unparalleled. He'd probably end up going pro in some sport. His sister would be the next big star, dancing her way across the country. And Key would probably be a professional artist, his work hanging in some goddamn museum somewhere.

But what about Jonghyun?

Jonghyun sighed, gripping tensely at his hair.

What the hell am I doing?

He heard the door slam downstairs, interrupting his train of self-hating thoughts.

"I'm home!"

Jonghyun smiled in relief at the sound of Victoria's voice. "Vic! I'm upstairs!" He called. He rolled on his stomach and hung his arms over the side of his bed in anticipation. Victoria barged into his room as she always did, grinning ear to ear. "You're home early." He said.

"We ended rehearsal a little early today." She said. Jonghyun suddenly noticed her hands were hidden behind her back.

"…What are you holding?" He asked slowly, mildly afraid to hear her answer. Knowing his sister, it could have been anything.

Close your eyes." She giggled. Jonghyun reluctantly obliged. "Hold your hands out." Jonghyun sighed exaggeratedly, but did as she said. Victoria placed something thin and rectangular in his hands. He ran his fingers along it. It felt like paper. "Okay! Open your eyes!"

He did as he was told and stared at the object, or rather two objects in his hand. "Tickets?" He asked in confusion.

Victoria nodded. "I'm performing tomorrow. I got tickets for you!" Jonghyun held his mouth open in shock.

"Are you serious? Vic, you're the BEST!" He leapt up and pulled her into a bear hug, spinning her around as he always did. He had been looking forward to this forever, he couldn't believe he had forgotten. His sister could be so nice sometimes. "Wait…" He said, stopping suddenly and staring Victoria in the eyes. "…Why are there two?"

"One is for Key!" She said. Jonghyun released his hold on her and dropped her to the floor. "Ow! Jonghyun!"

"I should have known you had ulterior motives!" He yelled. He slammed the tickets on his nightstand before folding his arms and turning away from his sister.

"Jjong! Come on! It'll be fun, I swear!"

"Liar! You just want to meet him!" He said. Victoria puffed her cheeks out.

"That's not true…" She said after a long pause. Jonghyun glared at her skeptically. She was a worse liar than he was. "Okay, fine! I want to meet him! But it really will be fun!"

"Not happening."

"Jjong!" She whined. Jonghyun remained resolute in his decision, ignoring her pleas for him to change his mind. "Look. All the dancers go out to eat afterward anyway." Jonghyun continued to glare.

"So?"

"So, I'll only be able to talk to you guys for like five minutes, tops." Jonghyun pursed his lips together in thought. When it came to his sister, five minutes seemed about four minutes too much. Victoria picked up the tickets from the nightstand, placing them hopefully in front of her face. "Just think about it, okay?" She said, extending them out towards him.

Jonghyun sighed. He couldn't say no to her. No matter what happened, she always seemed to get her way. He reached out, tentatively accepting the tickets with shaky hands. "I'll… I'll think about it." He said, much to the delight of his sister, who almost broke his spine in a bone-crunching hug. "Don't get your hopes up!"

"Thank you Jjong! Thank you thank you!" She said before kissing his cheek and skipping back to her room. Where she got the energy was a mystery to Jonghyun. He flipped the tickets back and forth between his hands. There really was no harm in having her meet him, but he was still hesitant.

There was something about introducing Key to his sister that didn't sit right with him. He had always intentionally kept Key as far from his family as possible. In fact, now that he had thought about it, Key had never even seen Jonghyun's house. Jonghyun's family was judgmental, cruel, and at times even abusive. Then there was Key. Key was innocent, Key was pure. Jonghyun wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed him to be tainted by his family. He knew his sister was different. He loved his sister to death. But the idea of Key coming anywhere near his family just terrified him.

After a couple of hours of wandering mindlessly, eating random things in his kitchen cabinets, and glancing up at the clock at the passing of every painfully slow minute, it was finally time to go and see Key.

"I'm going out! Be back later!" He called to no one in particular. Victoria was most likely not paying attention, probably listening to music in her room. He pulled out his phone and sent her a quick text message.

To: Victoria

if mom and dad come home, tell them im doing a project at minho's, okay?

He knew Victoria saw through his blatant lie, the fact that he was seeing Key was glaringly obvious, but if his parents thought he was doing work they'd be much happier. The response came faster than anticipated.

From: Victoria

loud and clear. go get your freak on, bro ;)

Jonghyun once again found himself wishing he could inflict physical harm on someone through a telephone.

I swear to god I will kill her one of these days.

Rather than send a forcefully worded text message in response, he chose to just ignore her and calm his rage through deep breaths.

Although his sister was aggravating at her worst and annoying at her best, he would much rather deal with her over-enthusiastic response than a response of pure hatred and disgust from his parents.

His parents.

He hadn't even thought about it until now. If his parents knew about him, if they somehow found out, they would detest him. And that thought was terrifying.

To say that Jonghyun didn't get along with his parents would be an incredible understatement. But they were his parents. To be hated by them was something he couldn't even fathom. The very thought sent his stomach churning with fear.

That's why, despite the soul-crushing guilt he felt every time he so much as looked at his mom and dad, he had to keep it a secret. He wanted to tell them so badly. But he just couldn't.

The blush that spread onto Key's face when Jonghyun walked through the door was one of the most precious things he had ever seen. Although Key was stubborn and arrogant, he was still just a nervous boy in his first ever relationship.

And that was impossibly cute.

Jonghyun smiled ear to ear as he stood in the doorway, just taking a few minutes to admire his boyfriend from far away. He watched him carefully, remembering the boy's natural elegance that had attracted him so much from their very first meeting. He still couldn't believe it. That he and Key were really…

"Hey! Stop looking at me!" Key yelled, throwing a wet washcloth at him from across the room.

"Sorry, I can't help it." Jonghyun said, Key's violent reaction unable to take the smile off of his face.

"Give me that back." Key demanded, holding his hand out.

"You threw it at me. Why should I give it back to you?"

"Because I said so!" Key said stubbornly. Jonghyun gave in, picking the rag off the floor and handing it to Key.

"I missed you." Jonghyun said. He remembered the last time he said that. How he had blurted it out accidentally and felt horrible for it not a moment afterward. He loved the fact that he could say it so easily now. He leaned over the counter and closed his eyes, waiting patiently for a kiss from Key. His eyes jolted open when he felt something cold and wet plaster itself to his entire face, realizing that Key had smacked the washcloth against him for no particular reason at all.

"I need to finish closing up. Stop distracting me." Key said. Jonghyun peeled the wet rag off of his face and pouted. He had been longing for a kiss from Key all day. He did not appreciate being cockblocked by a damned dishrag.

Jonghyun leaned on his hands, resting his elbows against the counter and singing a tune that had been stuck in his head. After Key's encouragement, he found himself singing more and more often.

Key rolled his head back, letting out a satisfied hum. Jonghyun went silent, expecting him to say something. "Don't stop." Key said. "I love your voice."

Jonghyun grinned and continued to sing as he watched Key clean the cups behind the counter, his movements swift and graceful and utterly beautiful. Even Key's back was completely mesmerizing. His neck looked so soft, Jonghyun couldn't control himself any further.

He moved quickly and silently behind the counter before grabbing Key from behind and wrapping his arms across his stomach. Key jolted in surprise as Jonghyun gripped him tightly, just slightly arching his back as Jonghyun pressed a delicate kiss to his smooth neck.

"Jonghyun…" Key groaned, craning his neck against him.

"Hm?"

"I said… stop distracting me." Key said, removing Jonghyun's hands and detaching himself from his grip. Jonghyun let out a slight whine as Key whirled away and focused his attention on the counters. "Jjongie, it'll be five minutes! Just wait!"

Jonghyun groaned loudly before slumping in a heap on one of the tables. "My boyfriend is so mean…" He muttered, only to hear a scoff in return from the younger boy. He tapped his fingers against the table dramatically to show just how painful the wait was on him. Jonghyun had showed up a little early because he was sick of waiting at home, yet here he was, once again waiting for Key. His incredible impatience made this task almost impossible.

"Say that again." Key said after several minutes of silence.

"What?"

"Say what you just said. Exactly how you said it before."

"My boyfriend is so mean." He repeated. To his surprise, Key let out a laugh at his insult. Key removed his nametag and his apron, tossing them in the closet and the bin under the counter.

"Boyfriend…" Key repeated. His voice was soft and gentle, almost barely there. Jonghyun's heart skipped a beat. Was that the first time they had said it out loud?

Jonghyun nodded his head, smiling enthusiastically. "Are you finally done?"

"Yes, I'm done. Sorry for making you wait two whole minutes."

Jonghyun ignored Key's sarcastic comment as he sat patiently, not even bothering to try and remove the lovesick grin from his face. Key walked over to him, standing between Jonghyun's legs and placing his hands on Jonghyun's shoulders.

"Wow…" Jonghyun whispered, the close distance between them leaving him staring in awe. "My boyfriend is also impossibly cute." He said, gently touching Key's cheek, enjoying the way he shivered under his touch and closed his eyes as Jonghyun ran his thumb gently across his face.

"And my boyfriend is impossibly impatient." Key muttered in response.

Jonghyun went to protest, but was silenced when Key forcefully crashed his lips against his in a powerful yet short-lived kiss.

"Let's go home." He said after breaking away and resting his chin on Jonghyun's head.

Jonghyun managed to nod in his dazed state, his eyes completely glazed over as Key continued to rub his back gently.

Every kiss leaves me breathless…

How do you do this to me?

Key swiftly placed his hand into Jonghyun's as he pulled him to his side and guided him out the door, the help much appreciated as Jonghyun could barely stand, let along walk.

The cold December air helped him regain his senses. "Hey, Key. You remember I have a sister, right?" Key nodded. "Well… she dances. She has a recital tomorrow. Do you… do you want to come? She bought us both tickets. She kind of wants to meet you, but you don't have to go, you know…" Key's face lit up.

"I'd love to go! I really want to meet her, too!" Key said, grinning ear to ear. Jonghyun sighed. This was not ideal. He shouldn't have even mentioned it. "It's tomorrow, right? Want to sleepover, then?" Jonghyun's ears immediately perked up. On second thought, maybe mentioning it was a great idea.

"Yeah, sure." He said, as casually as he could manage while his heart was turning cartwheels in his chest. He pulled his phone out, dialing with one hand taking longer than he would have liked, though holding hands with Key made it worth it and then some.

To: Victoria

tell mom and dad I'm sleeping over at minho's.

He turned his phone off and crammed it back into his pocket, not even wanting to hear what perverted response Victoria would have to that particular text message, knowing full well she'd jump to some rather absurd conclusion.

He obviously wasn't going to try anything. It was only their second day of dating, after all. (Not to mention how the mere thought completely terrified him.) He was just happy to be near Key, no matter what they were doing.

Utterly enthralled by the way Key's skin glowed in the dull lamplight he placed a kiss on his cheek, meeting his eyes with a smile more heartfelt than he had ever seen. The warmth of Key's hand made him completely forget about the freezing cold air around him.

He held onto Key firmly as he wondered if there was anyone in the entire world who was more lucky than he was right now.