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“Are they going to come in anytime soon?”
“Well…” Jinki stares down at his phone, trying to find an answer to Kibum’s question. “Manager-hyung texted us around ten minutes ago, so… soon? Hopefully?”
Kibum sighs, about to make another complaint before the little notification from the door system comes through. They usually don’t stay in the dorm, but it’s a regrouping, so obviously they’re all there together.
It isn’t too long before the main door is opening, and Taemin steps through. He looks a bit tired, but isn’t tense like he was when he left. If anything, he seems more relaxed. His hair is still short, but it hasn’t been consistently cut. The manager is behind him, though the members of SHINee could probably care less.
“Welcome home, Taemin!” The group cheers, smiles on their faces. They wave the banner that they (i.e. Minho) worked hard on, awaiting a reaction.
Taemin’s solemn face finally breaks into a smile, tilting his head as he looks at the painted letters on the banner. It says “Welcome home, Taeminie,” but the paint is dripping down and clearly hadn’t dried properly before the paper was picked up. “Did Minho do this?”
“Yes.” Minho shakes his head. “That’s not the point.” He drops his section of the poster, stepping around it to encase Taemin into a hug.
Kibum and Jinki look at each other before shrugging and dropping their sections as well, wrapping around Minho and Taemin.
“Well then.” Their manager’s voice cut through the silence, but the group didn’t stop hugging. “I guess SHINee’s back.”
“Not yet.” Taemin’s voice is small. “For now… I just need to rest.”
“Oh, of course.” Kibum moves back, and the rest of the group step out of the hug as well.
Jinki’s already making a beeline for the kitchen. “Need a drink? Water?”
Taemin nods, a tiny smile on his face. “Water would be nice.” He walks towards the coach, taking a seat and leaning back. “Wow, I really missed it here.”
“We missed you. Like, a lot.” Kibum presses a small kiss to the maknae’s cheek, sliding his arm around him.
Jinki arrives back from the kitchen, placing the glass of water in front of Taemin. He kisses the younger on the forehead before sitting in the armchair in the corner. “How was it?”
“How was it?” Taemin repeats. His face practically falls. “Welll… it wasn’t very easy. I wanted to transfer to public service really badly, but I wanted to be able to see you guys faster.”
He doesn’t even mention Shawols, instead just staring at the forgotten banner on the ground. Their manager is long gone, which makes him more comfortable, but… it’s hard to say what he wants to say.
Minho’s the next to speak. “Are you sure you want to talk about it…?”
“No. I don’t know.” The maknae’s eyes snap up from the poster, now looking at Minho. “It’s just… now everything feels so surreal. I don’t really feel like I’m with you guys. Like… it’s like I’m going to wake up and be back where I was yesterday. And I…” Taemin’s cut off by a sniffle, which makes him realize that he’s on the verge of tears, “hated every second of it.”
“Aw, Taem.” Kibum rubs his shoulder soothingly, already feeling the younger lean in to rest his head on the older’s shoulder.
Jinki adds to the small bit of conversation. “You really don’t have to–”
Taemin shakes his head, despite the tears that he can already feel rolling down his cheeks. “No. I want you guys to understand.”
“We do, though.” Minho raises his hand to play with the short hair at Taemin’s nape. “If it’s so bad, you shouldn’t be trying to remember how you felt then. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
The words seem to work, and Taemin does shut his mouth. Still, he looks as if he wants to cry, say more, or both. He picks up the water that Jinki had set out in front of him and takes a long sip.
It’s quiet in the dorm now, not including the regular sounds of things like the clock ticking and the heater humming softly. Taemin eventually finishes his water, standing up to put away the glass.
“It’s late,” is what he says next, getting the attention of the rest of SHINee. “We should probably go to sleep.”
“You should take a bath, actually.” Jinki stands up from his chair. “Minho and I are going to set up the mattresses. We’ll be sleeping out here.”
“Sure.”
Taemin actually enjoys baths. They’re relaxing and give him time to think. He wants to be able to put his thoughts into words for the rest of the group, mainly because he wants to be able to talk to someone about it. Being in the military really hadn’t been beneficial to his health in any way, and stepping away from it is very, very relieving.
But it’s still a little scary.
Taemin thinks about this not only when he’s in the bathtub, but also when he’s changed into his pyjamas. Minho is on the mattress, Jinki is pressed into the corner of the couch, and Kibum is dragging a blanket across the floor to lay over the mattress.
“How was the bath?” He asks, turning his body towards Taemin as he completely disregards Minho on the mattress and covers him with the blanket.
Taemin sighs. “It was… alright, I guess. I have a lot on my mind right now.”
Minho pushes the blanket off of his head. “Is this about… what we talked about earlier?” There’s concern in his expression, his eyebrows knitted together like he’s trying to read the younger’s mind.
“Yes… and no. I don’t really know,” is the beginning of Taemin’s response. “I… I’m trying to figure out what I want to say.”
Jinki suddenly shuffles down from the couch to the mattress, eyes locked on the maknae. “You can figure it out later. For now, we should rest. We don’t want you to be worried, Taem.”
Taemin nods, feet dragging against the floor as he sits on the mattress between Jinki and Minho.
“And remember, we love you,” the latter adds, grabbing Taemin’s hand and pressing a kiss to the backside.
“Ahem.” Kibum’s voice comes from Minho’s other side. “I’m turning off the lamp soon. And Taeminie, I promise you that we’ll wait for you to be ready. Seriously, we’re not going anywhere.”
He turns off the lamp with a soft click and the group shuffle underneath the blanket.
And Taemin rests, knowing full well that when he wakes up, he’ll be right next to the boys he loves most.