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Lee Minho is anything but a coward. Any challenge life has ever thrown at him, no matter how hard, he’s always faced them head-on. From moving away from home really young, to the career path he’s chosen, he can proudly say he’s lived a courageous life.
He’s anything but a coward, but when it comes to Kim Seungmin, he’s the most chicken of them all.
There’s just something about the sharp-tongued, puppy-looking, brown-haired boy that knocks all that bravery out of him, and, in the process, takes his breath away too.
It’s actually pretty pathetic, Minho thinks, how he could throw himself into danger without blinking an eye, but one chocolate-coloured look from Seungmin will turn the tips of his ears pink and let the words he has carefully rehearsed a million times over die in his throat.
The same ears that are currently burning as he feels Seungmin’s body pressed against his side in the cramped photo booth they have been shoved in. If his brain hadn’t started a forced shut-down the second the smell of Seungmin’s shampoo had reached his nostrils, he would have already been planning the murder of Hyunjin and Changbin, who had been the masterminds behind the pickle he finds himself in right now.
“You okay, Hyung?”
Seungmin’s voice lacks the usual edge that usually pokes at Minho in search of a bickering exchange that secretly makes his heart pick up slightly faster than normal, but Minho is too lost in his own thoughts to notice.
“Just start the countdown.”
Seungmin would usually quip back with something witty, or outright refuse to press the button just because it was an instruction that came from him, but for some reason, he quiets down and does as he’s told. There’s a small wrinkle in the middle of his forehead, a sign that an insistent thought is stuck between his eyebrows, and Minho is about to ask what is wrong with him, but the countdown on the screen stops him in his tracks.
He feels the press of Seungmin’s shoulder against his and his heart threatens to leap out of his chest. His brain to body connection glitches and he barely registers what pose he’s making when the number 1 shows on the screen, the flash catching him by surprise like a deer in the headlights.
The press of Seungmin’s weight disappears, and it’s like a hand has been removed from Minho’s throat, allowing him to breathe again.
“You look like a fool.”
The edge in Seungmin’s voice resembles the tone he knows by heart, but there’s something different in it this time. If Minho’s brain had been properly oxygenated, he would have concluded it was more of a plea than a jab. A hidden request to be at the center of Minho’s attention, as if that wasn’t exactly where he was every single day.
But he didn’t know that, cause Minho was a coward. A foolishly-in-love one, but still a coward.
“Speak for yourself.”
It’s the weakest comeback in history, but it brings a tickle of a smile to Seungmin’s lips. It makes Minho’s chest feel warmer, knowing he was the reason behind it.
The lack of contact between them makes it easier for Minho to focus on the numbers counting down on the screen. That is, until his gaze shifts to Seungmin’s figure he can see through the screen. He can’t be sure, or maybe doesn’t want to be, as the implications would send his brain into another spiral, but he thinks Seungmin’s eyes are locked on him.
Another flash, another pose Minho forgets in favour of his brain turning to mud while thoughts of Seungmin wrestle each other for prominence. How good he looks today, how much he would like to kiss him, how much he wishes he could give him a sign that maybe he would like to kiss him too.
Seungmin’s gaze doesn’t move for a few seconds, even when the new countdown starts, the tips of Minho’s ears burning so hot that he’s worried they might cause a fire to start.
He’s only allowed a second to recover some sanity, only enough time for Seungmin’s gaze to move from the screen and meet his eyes directly.
“Fool.”
Another jab, the equivalent of him grabbing his shoulders and shaking him into doing something, anything.
Only Minho has no idea what he wants him to do.
His gaze flickers again, and Minho doesn’t miss it when it focuses on his lips. His heart threatens to burst, his own eyes betraying him as they settle on Seungmin’s heart shaped upper lip.
When the flash clicks this time, it startles Minho so much he almost hits his head against the wall as he tries to escape Seungmin’s piercing look. His skin burns where his eyes had lingered for too long, causing Minho - the coward - to retreat back to safety.
“Why are you being weird…”
He mumbles, making sure his gaze is looking at the camera in front of him, instead of the face that is threatening to give him a heart attack.
8, 7, 6…
It’s only 5 more seconds separating him from the safety distance he needs to keep from Kim Seungmin if he wants to survive.
5, 4, 3…
His shipwrecked thoughts can finally see the outline of shore approaching.
2,1…
Soft lips press against his, as safety slips through his fingers and is replaced by a crashing wave that swallows him whole.
He doesn’t register the flash of the camera this time, the feeling of Seungmin’s hand pressing against his cheek fills his brain entirely, as he learns the taste he’s so desperately longed for.
Just like that, all the cowardice that had held him back until now is washed away with the waves of his feelings spilling out of him, and he finds the courage to reach his hand up and press it at the back of Seungmin’s nape.
Seungmin melts into him as if he had been holding his own breath, waiting for the confirmation that he wanted him back.
The kiss is gentle despite the storm of feelings that are happening in Minho’s mind, two lovers finding out the taste of each other’s lips for the first time. Minho learns Seungmin tastes sweet like his peach lip balm that Minho’s always wanted to discover, and now that he knows how it feels against his own mouth, he’s worried he may never stop wanting to know that taste.
Time stretches as Minho’s focus is solely on the feeling of Seungmin’s slim fingers gently caressing his cheek, thoughts of where they are and how long they’ve been there not even threatening to cross his mind.
The distant whirling sound of the photo strips printing registers in Minho’s mind, even though he’s not quite ready to break the kiss yet. Much to his dismay, Seungmin - the traitor - pulls away and cuts his lifeline.
Seungmin doesn’t hide the smirk that forms on his face when he notices the annoyed look on Minho’s face. It actually hurts his pride a little bit.
“If you wanted to kiss me so bad, you should have done it sooner, Hyung.”
Minho scoffs, visibly flustered by the accusation which, albeit true, still does some damage to his reputation.
“Shut up, Kim Seungmin.”
The smile stretches further on Seungmin’s lips, a devastating mix between a shit-eating grin and the most breathtaking smile Minho has ever seen.
“You shut me up.”
His voice is cocky, but it still betrays a small tremor as he explores something new for the both of them. He doesn’t hide his feelings behind snarky remarks and bickering attempts, instead, he wears them on his sleeve for Minho to finally see.
Minho flashes him a smile of his own, not at all unhappy to have found a new way to shut him up. His hand immediately reaches for Seungmin’s nape as he pulls him in to rediscover the new taste he’s already obsessed with. Seungmin slots back into place, a place he’s claimed a long time ago unknowingly, lips pressed shut as he lets Minho kiss him silent.