Punch Drunk Love (Jongkey/2MIN)

Sixteen

JUST ONEW

"Welcome back!" Onew called as he heard the front door click open and the shuffling of footsteps on the doormat. It was either Key back with Jonghyun from his mother's house, or Minho and Taemin. He still couldn't believe that they had trusted him to stay alone in the house, though they had made him promise not to turn the oven on in case he accidentally started a fire - which, he agreed, was such an Onew thing to do.

"Onew, hyung!" Taemin replied from the front door. "How are you?" he said as he came bounding into the room.

"You haven't done anything stupid, have you?" Minho asked, following close behind with an anxious look as he searched the room for anything unusual. Everything seemed to be in place, though.

"You worry to much," Onew laughed. Minho blushed, realising that actually, he hadn't so much as though about Onew once during their outing. Except for when he met Ji-min. Which reminded him: "Oh, yeah. Onew, that cafe can cook up some really nice chicken, huh?" he teased. Taemin whacked him on the arm playfully, trying to hold back a giggle.

"Uh, chicken?" Onew echoed, pretending he didn't know what they were talking about. "What cafe?"

So Taemin and Minho proceeded to tell Onew abou the events of that afternoon, leaving out no detail.

"She asked us to say hi to you!" Taemin finished, with a smug grin on his face. Onew had slowly become redder and redder in the face, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

"Is that all she said about me?" Onew asked, looking at his shoes. He was sort of hoping she had said something other than just a 'hi.' Minho glanced at Taemin, as if to confirm his thoughts. Taemin nodded back, a smile playing on his lips.

"Onew!" Taemin squealed, as if all his greatest dreams had come true. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend!"

"You're over-reacting," he glared, but his eyes were shining. "We've only known each other for a few weeks. Besides, she's..." He trailed off, frowning to himself.

"She's what?" Taemin and Minho said together.

"Never mind," Onew muttered, shaking his head. Minho shrugged at Taemin.

"Then you should go and talk to her again," Taemin declared, already pushing Onew towards the front door.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow!" Onew protested, trying to break free from Minho's grip. "I don't want to go outside today," he whined.

"Tomorrow?" Taemin said with wide eyes, smiling cheekily.

"Tomorrow," Onew promised, though inside he was already conjuring up a plan as to how he was going to get himself out of talking to her. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Ji-Min again, but he knew things wouldn't turn out well if he did. Not for him, anyway.

JONGKEY

"We're home!" Jonghyun called out to no one in particular as they entered their home. Key was holding tightly onto Jonghyun's hand, glad that his funny behaviour had disappeared once they had left his mother's house. He decided not to question him about it - not just yet, anyway.

Key could hear Taemin's muffled giggling from down the hallway, and soon after he appeared from Onew's room, carrying Minho's bedsheets. Jonghyun quickly released Key's hand, blushing furiously, earning him an odd glance back from his boyfriend for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"He's moving back in with me!" Taemin laughed, glancing over his shoulder where Minho was rolling his eyes.

"You finally sorted out your problems, then?" Jonghyun asked, laughing at how happy Taemin looked. "Poor Onew's going to be all alone again," he added.

"Oh, please," Key retorted. "I'm pretty sure he had a secret stash of chicken in there to keep him company."

"Yah! I heard that!" Onew yelled from the kitchen, laughing.

Minho shook his head, laughing along with him as he followed Taemin back into their shared room.

"Shall we?" Jonghyun asked, grabbing Key's hand again once no one else was in the hallway, leading him into their own bedroom.

Now that they were alone, Key finally built up the courage to ask Jonghyun the one question that had been on his mind since that morning.

"What happened with you and my mum?" Key sat on the floor and crossed his legs. Jonghyun took a seat in front of him, hugging his knees and looking uncomfortable, as if contemplating what was safe to tell him.

"It's nothing..."

"That's a lie," Key retaliated, raising an eyebrow. "Don't lie to me, hyung."

"She asked about... us," Jonghyun said cautiously, choosing his words carefully.

"What do you mean?" Key said, but as soon as he did, his eyes widened. "She figured it out?"

"She knows," Jonghyun confirmed. "Apparently it was quite obvious."

Key sat in silence for a moment, thinking things through. Worst case scenario: his mother had rejected them as a couple. Key had never told his mother that he was gay - not directly. But had dropped, what he assumed where, subtle hints.

"How did she take it?" Key whispered, scared of the answer. Key was growing nervous, which was something that rarely happened. He tried to imagine how his life would be if he didn't have Jonghyun there at all times. The thought alone terrified him.

"She wants you to be happy," Jonghyun replied slowly.

"So?"

"So I'm not going to hurt you. Not ever."

"I didn't think you would," Key stated. "Does that mean...?"

"I guess so," Jonghyun finished for him, finally able to smile. Key grinned at the floor, his heart thudding.

"Am I still going to have to do that whole exaggerated, over-the-top coming out drama play? Because I'd rather just keep it as it is for now," Key asked jokingly and Jonghyun chuckled.

"I'm sure you won't have to, your mum knows now anyway, and at least she's okay with it," Jonghyun added and Key smiled in agreement and appreciation - glad that his mother had accepted his sexuality.

"Your dad would be extremely proud of you, you know?" Jonghyun said calmly, resting a tentative hand on Key's thigh.

"You don't think he'd be disappointed?" Key asked inquisitively.

"Not at all. He loved you with all his heart. You'll always be his little Kibum," Jonghyun said, kissing his cheek. Kibum nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, Jjong," Key said, smiling at the boy he loved. And he did love him. 

He was already thinking of a way to show him.