[fic]2min - Cancer 2/2
Taemin waved at the tall figure dressed in casual clothes, whom he recognized at first glance. Putting on his best smile, he straightened his arms above his head and swung them around in the air. Not only did this catch the attention of the boy standing across the street, but also the curious glances of strangers.
Minho adjusted his cap with his eyes locked onto Taemin's. With ample steps, he jogged to the spot where his peer was waiting. Pulling at the hem of his T-shirt, he greeted Taemin with a hearty smile and a soft hello.
Taemin nodded in return and walked off to the cinema's front door. He pushed the door open and smiled at the lady behind the counter. He fished his wallet out and dug out a bill and handed it to the lady. He received a stamped ticket and moved along to the doors of the third theater, stopping for a moment to check on Minho who just received his ticket.
He smiled at Taemin who was waving him over and mouthing the words “hurry up”. He caught up to Taemin in seconds and nudged the doors to the theater open, letting the younger one in first.
Glancing at the rows of seats, he asked, “So where do you want to sit?”
Taemin ducked pass Minho's outstretched arm and pointed behind him.
“How about here? Just in the middle,” he suggested.
“Yeah, okay.”
The two of them shuffled along seats and sat at the center of the row. Minho slumped in his seat and relaxed but Taemin jumped upright when his bum was about to sit down.
He shouted, “We forgot to buy food!”
Minho gasped, “Right! You save our spots, I'll get it.”
Taemin stretched his body across Minho's seat and nodded.
“I'll be right here,” he assured.
Minho hummed in reply and took off to the food counter outside. He stood in line and scanned the wooden board on the side, deciding what to buy. Popcorn and two pop should be enough.
He made it to the front of the line faster than he had expected. He whipped out his wallet and pulled out some change.
“A large popcorn and two pops,” he ordered and handed the cashier the change.
“Thank you,” he mumbled as he took the money.
Minho leaned against the counter and watched as the guy scooped salted popcorn into a big red carton with a long face. Scoop after scoop, the carton filled up to the brim and before Minho even realized it, the guy was already preparing his drinks.
That was quick.
Minho had wanted some time to himself to think about how to act around Taemin. He still had the weird feeling from confessing to Taemin the other day. It felt so...surreal. It all just happened so fast.
He confessed. He got rejected. He's in the cinema about to watch the newest movie with the person that rejected him right now.
Taemin acted like nothing was wrong, but who knows what he could be thinking. He could very likely be just as uncomfortable and distracted as Minho. And truthfully, he was a little nervous inside. There was a stir inside of him every time their eyes played stubborn and stared for too a bit too long. Taemin knew that was not normal, so he avoided eye contact as much as possible while making sure it didn't seem obvious. It worked.
With his elbows on the armrest, he propped his head up on his fists and sighed. He looked over at the entrance and waited.
When will he be back...?
Sighing again, he dropped his head off his fists and lay still on the armrest. With a hushed voice, he sang randomly to himself. He hummed a melody he often heard on the radio and whispered the lyrics in a mellow tone, “What are words, if you really don't mean them when you say them?”
There was a short pause before he started humming again, trying to remember the next lines.
“And what are words, if they're only for good times, then they don't?” This line was sung with a deep husky voice-a voice Taemin was not capable of.
He lifted his head in surprise and his eyes met with Minho's. Unwillingly, there was that strange stir in his chest again. Taemin gasped and quickly averted his gaze. He straightened his back and sat neatly into his own seat.
Promptly, he started a conversation to distract himself and Minho. He stuttered, “Y-You like that song too?”
“Yeah, I guess. It's pretty emotional,” Minho commented. He placed his drink into his cup holder and passed the other pop to Taemin who did the same. Popping a piece into his mouth, he handed the carton of popcorn to Taemin too.
“I didn't think you'd actually say that,” Taemin admitted after a chuckle.
Minho frowned and looked over at Taemin. “Why?”
“Well...” Taemin picked up his drink and hid half of his face behind his cup as he look over timidly. “You just don't look like the type to be moved by songs and such...you know?”
Placing a hand on his chin, Minho thought of how he actually looked like to Taemin. He wasn't being self-conscious, no. He was merely curious.
He asked, “Then what do I look like?”
“Umm,” Taemin paused for a moment to think. Whatever his impression of Minho was, it was hard to put in words exactly.
He bit his lip and tapped his finger. “You give the impression of a manly guy who doesn't get get moved by things easily. You also look like the Frog Prince, not that it makes a difference."
“Oh.” Minho uttered. He turned to face the front.
“Is that good or bad?”
“That's probably good.”
Minho nodded a couple times and took a sip from his pop. Probably.
The lights dimmed and the silver screen came to life.
Taemin stuffed his mouth with a couple pieces of popcorn, getting ready for the horror that was to come. He grabbed a handful more and then passed the carton to Minho. When Minho's hands received the carton, his fingertips accidentally grazed across the side of Taemin's hand. The latter retreated his hand with a jerk. The place Minho's fingertips touched tickled with a persistent itch. He slid his hands under his legs and sat protectively on top of them, but the tingling feeling was still there.
Minho coughed softly into his fist then crossed his arms and leaned back. He acted as if he was just fine, but his head was reeling and eyes turned blank for the moment. Even though his sight was hazy, he looked nowhere but ahead and acted as if he could see perfectly. If it was his pride that was keeping him acting, it was all unnecessary because Taemin couldn't actually see him in the dimmed lighting either. Not to mention he was experiencing the mysterious stir in his chest once again.
And throughout the whole movie, they couldn't really enjoy it as much as they planned. They worried more about the awkward air that was building up between them, for they both knew how uncomfortable they were. Though they both chose to pretend.
When the two hours ended, they were more than glad to get out of the theater and leave.
Minho got up first and looked down at Taemin who got up also. He stretched his arms and and took a deep breath in.
“Let's go!” he exclaimed.
“Right after you,” Taemin filed out behind Minho, throwing his pop bottle in the recycle as he left. He reached for the other boy's bottle and threw it in too. As for the popcorn carton, Minho had already thrown that into the trash bin.
“Thanks,” Minho said politely. Taemin nodded and led the way out of the crowded cinema.
They stopped at the corner of the street and turned their head to look each other in the eye. Carefully, Taemin kept eye contact and waited for a conversation to naturally start.
Minho scratched his neck and looked down at the little bee hover about the curb. He brought his gaze back to the one in front of him and asked, “Should I walk you to the bus stop or something?”
Taemin shook his head and explained, “A hyung is gonna come pick me up, he's nearby.”
Minho's head tilt to a side and he asked, “A hyung?”
“Yeah, the one I was with last time. I can ask him to bring you home too,” Taemin said as he pulled his phone out.
Minho quickly raised a hand and stopped him. “No, it's fine! I live the other way,” he pointed to the left.
Taemin mouthed “oh” and he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“Well, bye.” Minho pushed Taemin's shoulder gently and pointed to the car that just parked behind him.
Taemin pivoted around and indeed saw a familiar looking hyung behind the windshield. He took a few step away and turned back to way at his other hyung. He yelled out, “Bye!”
After Taemin got into the car and it sped away, Minho walked to the bus stop and waited for his bus to arrive. He sat on the bench and sighed. He scratched the nonexistent itch on the back of his neck and groaned.
Whipping his long fringe to the side, he mumbled to himself, “I like him more than I thought.”
:
Briiiiiing, the alarm went off at 10:30 AM sharp.
The little blond head's eyes fluttered open in a start. His head darted both ways by instinct and was greeted by a merciless, ringing cellphone. A sigh of relief and the blond mess of a head sank harshly back into the fluffy striped pillow.
God, that scared me. The blond head made a mental note to never put the alarm on loud again.
After a minute of staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, the boy finally decided to get out of bed and get ready for the morning out.
He climbed out of bed and slipping on his Yoshi slippers. He picked out some clothes and dragged his feet to the washroom. Taking up his toothbrush, he uncapped his toothpaste and lined the bristles of his toothbrush with the white paste. Rinsing his mouth once, he started brushing the front teeth, the right, left and upper and lower. When that was done, he rinsed the foam out with water a few times. He reached for his towel and soaked it in water and began scrubbing his face clean.
Now, the hard part, brushing our his hair. Going through the drawer, he grabbed the biggest brush and dug it through his hair. When the vigorous part of untangling his was cleared, the last part of his morning routine was breakfast.
Running into the kitchen, the first thing he did was pull open the refrigerator door and pour himself a glass of cold milk. This will be enough for today, since Onew-hyung said he'll treat me out for lunch.
Picking his cellphone up from the counter, he noticed he had one unread text message. Before he even unlocked his phone he knew, it's Minho-hyung. The text was mostly about how he stayed up most of last night playing a game and being a sore loser.
Typing a quick reply, he told Minho to take a nap now.
He pulled his shoes on and left the house at around 11:00 AM. He walked down to the cafe a few blocks down the street waited outside for his friend. Leaning against the store's wall, he watched as people passed by. Ten minutes later, he finally arrived.
Smiling, Taemin waved to the brown haired boy walking towards him. “You sure took your time, hyung.”
“No, you're just early.” Onew laughed and entered the cafe. He turned around and looked at Taemin. “Why didn't you go in first?”
Taemin made a long face and laughed. “Why didn't I do that?!”
Onew shook his head and waited for the waitress to show them to their seats, smile never leaving his lips. “Stupid,” he said.
But Taemin laughed and pointed a finger to Onew. He joked, “I'm becoming you.”
Onew gave him a disapproving face and narrowed his eyes at Taemin who just giggled and sat himself the seat opposite him. He sighed and simply began smiling again, it was what he was best at. Besides, whatever Taemin did, you just can't hold a grudge against him. He was just too cute for his own good.
“So did he like the gift?” Taemin asked excitedly as he looked through the menus.
“Oh god, Taemin, he loved it!” the brown haired boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air to emphasize. With a proud chuckle, he slammed his hands down on the table as quietly as possible and said, “I knew bringing you along was a good idea! Thanks, Taemin-ah.”
Taemin smiled knowingly and stated, “And that's why you decided to treat me out for once, right?”
The older boy's mouth opened wide, about to object to what the younger one had just said, but figured he was true. “Yes, and for today you can order whatever you want.”
Taemin clapped his hands and started checking out the expensive, but delicious deserts the cafe offered. Proudly, he said, “I eat a lot, hyung.”
“Thank god you know. I hope that you also know that hyung here is kind of broke.”
Taemin waved Onew off and laughed. “It's just for today, hyung. You'll survive.”
Onew didn't reply. He only hoped that the younger boy was willing to share some of his food with him. Even without having him saying it out loud, Taemin already knew.
He assured him, “Don't worry, I'll give you some.”
Onew sighed in relief and crossed his arms on top of the table as he watched Taemin flipped through the menu and ordered his food carefully. Once he was done and the waitress left, he was about to tell him he really did eat a lot, but something else caught Taemin's attention before the words came out.
Behind the window stood a person very familiar to Taemin, a guy you can never miss. A tall guy with medium length wavy hair and a small face with big eyes, who doesn't turn around and does a double take when this guy looked like he could be someone famous. And this guy was tapping on the window where Taemin sat directly beside. Taemin turned his head and displayed a surprised face when he saw him.
“It's Minho-hyung!” Taemin pointed out. Minho waved with a friendly grin on his face. Taemin looked over to the confused looking Onew and excused himself. “I'll be right back, so don't eat anything yet.”
Onew watched Taemin's retreating back with a shocked expression. He gaped and choked out the words, “You're so mean to me, Taemin!”
But Taemin had already went outside and walked to where Minho was still standing. Taemin smiled and asked, “Why are you here, hyung?”
“I was walking to the market to buy groceries, then I saw you here and stopped to wave. Are you having lunch?” He took a peek to where Onew sat quietly waiting. He looked back to Taemin and asked, “Is he your friend?”
Taemin nodded and waved to Onew and did an introduction between glass. “Minho-hyung, that's Onew-hyung. Onew-hyung, this is Minho-hyung, you hear?”
Onew nodded and did a little bow to Minho who returned the bow with a force smile.
Taemin continued to smile and invited Minho to join them. “You want to join us?”
Minho shook his head and declined. He said, “No, it's fine. You go back inside, I'm going to go now.”
“Oh, well, okay. Too bad then, Onew-hyung is treating me, so if you wanted anything I could have just asked him.” Taemin shrugged and pouted.
Minho laughed and hit Taemin so ever gently on the forehead, you couldn't really even call it a hit. Nonetheless, Taemin's hand went up to cover his forehead in reflex. Minho said, “You wouldn't really do that to your hyung, right?”
But Taemin only giggled mischievously in reply.
Minho shooed Taemin back inside and left to buy his groceries after he waved to Taemin's Onew-hyung. Onew also smiled and sent a awkward little wave his way.
When Taemin took his seat again, Onew began questioning, “So who was that?”
Taemin stared at Onew for a moment to see if he was serious, and he was. Taemin sighed and guessed, “So you didn't hear a thing I said but pretended like you did anyway.”
“Did you really expect me to hear through the window when everyone is so loud?”
Another sigh, and Taemin repeated what he had said earlier. “Onew-hyung, that was Minho-hyung. He was the one I was with at the movies a few days ago.”
Onew clapped his hands together and shouted, “Oh, yeah!”
Taemin gave him a long “mmhmmm” and took a sip of water.
Onew continued with his questions. “And how long have you guys been friends?”
Taemin shrugged, “Three weeks, maybe?”
“Only? How did you guys meet?”
“In the swim-in the art room, actually. He made this really weird shoe, like it was a clump of paper, really. I made a comment about it but he was pretty okay with it. Next thing you know, I was in the pool and he was the one who taught me how to swim. Then things picked up form there,” Taemin said while he played with an ice-cube in his mouth.
Onew coughed in his water and laughed. “That's the weirdest meeting ever! And what year is he?”
“Second,” he answered. “He's really nice though. He taught me how to swim and bought me food.”
“Anyone who buys you food is nice to you. You're like kidnappers' ideal target.” Onew clicked his tongue and gave Taemin the “not good” look.
“That's not true!” Taemin defended himself with a frown on his lips.
Onew played with his napkin as he said, “So is he who you hang out with now that I'm always with Jonghyun?”
“Yeah...and he likes me,” Taemin added the last part in quietly.
Onew nodded and said, “That's good.”
But Taemin shook his head. Onew didn't understand. “He like likes me, hyung. As in how you like Jonghyun, but not as extreme.”
Onew froze at the further explanation. His mouth dropped and his eyes were unblinking. His shaking hands slapped himself and his lips finally spoke what he had been thinking, “It's a trap, Taemin! Don't fall for it!”
Taemin stuck his hand in front of Onew's face, stopping whatever more he had to say and spoke first, “Calm down. I rejected him. We're just friends.” Pulling his hand away, he scratched his head and added, “But he texts me a lot. He even calls once a day. Do you think he's obsessed or is it just me?”
“He's definitely obsessed, Taemin-ah! No matter what, you mustn’t fall for the trap!” Onew started shouting and flailing and warning all over again. His hands didn't get a break from flailing and slamming the table. His face didn't appear to lighten up from the scrunched up expression it contained either.
“Hyung, please, be quiet!” Taemin pleaded with clasped hands and puppy eyes. He insisted, “We're only friends. It's just...he likes me more than a friend.”
The older boy took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He nodded understandingly and spoke again with a more composure, “So do you like like him...?”
“No. Why else do you think I rejected him, hyung?” Taemin sighed for the nth time of the day.
Onew brought his finger up and shook his head exasperatedly. This time, Taemin was the one that wasn't getting it. He coughed. “I mean, now. Has your feelings changed?”
Taemin went silent.
“N-No...?” came his late reply.
Onew cursed in his mind. He had a bad feeling about this and he could only be right with such an irresolute answer. He swore, “If he hurts you in any way, I'll execute him on the spot.”
:
Minho turned off the lights in his room and got into his bed. Turning the lamp by his bedside on, he pulled out his cellphone and sent Taemin the last text of the night.
His thumb dashed across his screen and typed up a goodnight message like every other night. He wrote: I'm going to bed now, talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight~ ;)
He stared at the screen for a while, waiting for Taemin's reply. When his screen faded out and still, no reply came, he placed his phone on the side and lay on his side.
It was still too early for his to fall asleep, but he had nothing better to do. Especially today, since he was in a bad mood after he bumped into Taemin on his way to the market. Onew, he didn't like him. There were two main reasons why he didn't like him.
One was the way Onew looked at him the split second Taemin was looking elsewhere. The way his eyes narrowed at the corners and stared cautiously into Minho's eyes like he was scanning Minho's soul, looking for flaws. But once Taemin's gaze wandered back upon his, his eyes smiled and laughed.
Two, he just didn't like him simply because Taemin seemed to be really attached to him. He was only human, and it was only normal for him to feel jealousy. The dark feeling twirled and danced deep in his chest, lingering on the events of this morning.
Tomorrow, there's lots I want t talk to you about, Taemin.
:
Taemin bent down to tie his shoe laces as he was waiting at the main entrance of the school for Minho. They had planned to walk home together today, but Minho was taking a while to come out. Did he get detention?
Taemin was just about to give Minho a call when he heard someone shout his name. He turned around and is met with a panting Minho. Taemin ran down the front steps to where Minho was panting with his hands on his knees.
“What were you doing, hyung?” Taemin called to Minho with a waving hand.
“Sorry, I was running laps,” Minho said through pants.
Taemin nodded and smiled. He looked down at Minho who was still breathing heavily and giggled behind gritted teeth.
“I'm looking down on you, Minho.” Taemin ruffled Minho's hair like Minho always did to his own, messing up his already wavy hair.
Minho stood straight up and looked down on Taemin now, with the advantage of his height. He gave Taemin an eyebrow lift and smirked. “And now I'm looking down on you.”
Taemin pouted and placed his hands on his hip. He was about to talk back but Minho cut him off before he could even open his mouth.
“Anyway, let's go. I have something I have to tell you,” Minho said with not so much smile in his words. He started walking and turned back to look at Taemin, who was following quietly behind him.
“Oh,” Taemin said with a gulp. There was a prickly feeling in his palms as they start to sweat and he just knew what Minho was going to say say. It was bad news. And it was about him.
They walked down a street silently, not even a glance at each other. It was about two streets before Minho's bus stop when he started talking.
He started off with, “You know that I like you a lot, right?”
Taemin licked his lips that had dried in the sun. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“I know,” he confirmed.
Minho straightened his backpack and continued, “I also care about you a lot, too.”
“Yeah,” Taemin said with a hoarse voice. His fingers fiddled with the strap of his messenger bag as the atmosphere got more serious. He cleared his throat again and he blinked a couple times too, as they also felt dry.
They arrived at the bus stop and Minho stopped and turned around. He looked straight at Taemin with honest eyes. But Taemin only looked straight past Minho, at the bird flying high in the sky. He couldn't possibly look into Minho's eyes now, he'd die from the intensity of it.
But Minho didn't give up. He scooted over and blocked Taemin's view of the bird, forcing him to look only at him. The second Taemin's gaze landed on Minho's he continued talking.
He said, “So I want you to always be by my side, and-”
Taemin panicked. He broke eye contact, in fact he completely turned around, back towards Minho. He blinked again and again but the feeling of worry and discomfort just didn't go away. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes all together.
He tried to block out Minho's needy voice but it was just too persistent. He turned Taemin around by the shoulders and called for his attention. He yelled Taemin's name and begged, “Listen to me Taemin, please!”
Taemin's eyes looked up at Minho's. He said, “Your bus is coming. You should get ready.”
Minho sneaked a peak behind Taemin and indeed, his bus was coming. It didn't matter though. He would miss however many buses it took for Taemin to listen.
“It doesn't matter. If I can't always be with you, then like me! Just like me a tenth of how much I like you and I'll be happy.” His brows pushed upwards in desperation to get Taemin to understand and to compromise. Exactly when did Minho become so...obsessed with Taemin?
Taemin hawed and clenched the hem of his jacket. He searched for words that seemed to be leaving him faster than he could spit them out. He whimpered and settled with, “Why does it have to be like that? Can't we just be friends?”
Minho's grip on Taemin's shoulder tightened and his heartbeat picked up pace. His head lowered dangerously close to Taemin face, only centimeters between his lips and Taemin's cheek. He whispered into Taemin's ear, “Because my little crush has already grown into love. And uncontrollably, it'll only continue to grow.”
Taemin shuddered from Minho's breath against his skin and tried to back away, but he can't pull away from Minho's hold. It was too strong. He was scared, he didn't know what to do. He had never experienced something this strong and bold. Heck, he hasn't even had his first crush yet. When something as big and suppressing as love is pushed down upon him, he'll only suffocate.
He tried to speak, and his voice started to crack. But he has to say something, to voice his thoughts. So with a cracked voice, he cried, “Your love is too strong, I'm suffocating. If it continues to grow I'll die from suffocation, hyung. Your love-”
Taemin stopped to think of a word he could use to describe Minho's feelings accurately. And for the first time today, he had something under control.
“-its like cancer. It'll continue to grow and grow and grow until-until I explode from it.”
Taemin steadied his breath and gulped. His heart was pounding madly against his ribcage when he realized that he said something he never thought he could pull off.
He stared into Minho's eyes for the first time during this whole dilemma voluntarily. And the second he did, he regretted it with his life. The look in Minho's eyes was indescribable. There was hurt, desire, regret, anger, desperation, stubbornness, selfishness and sadness all blended together with love into the intangible feeling his eyes gave off. The strange stir in his chest resurfaced from the time they were at the movies and caused Taemin a head rush. His eyes flashed white lights and it took a while to die down. And when it did, Taemin was in a difficult situation.
Minho had his arms wrapped around Taemin's shoulders and his chin was nuzzled right into the nook of his neck. He squeezed Taemin's small shoulders and groaned. With his eyes closed he mumbled, “You're wrong. It's not me, it's you. You're the cancer eating all my self-control and rendering me hopeless. Every look I take of you, a little bit inside of me blooms into a bud of love for you.”
Taemin gasped as the stir began to grow in his chest. Too much. He clenched his chest and whimpered. He cried in defeat as the tears threatened to flood his eyes. He surrendered. There was nothing he could do. Against something as foreign as love, it was like putting a newborn baby to war.
“Just kill me then, take me.” Taemin shut his eyes and let his tears soak his skin. He lets it all out.
Minho withdrew from his embrace and stared speechlessly at Taemin's crying face. His hand attempted to brush the tears that stained Taemin's face away, but the better part of him stopped it. It pondered what Taemin had just said, broken the words down and tried to read between the lines. But it was still confused. It muttered, “What?”
Taemin's eyes fluttered open and twinkled with the glossy effect of his tears. His finger pointed to his chest and quivered. He calculated, “It feel a strange stir here. And the feeling is spreading. I'm probably already infected with your love.”
Everything went silent. There was no noise. Only the sound of Taemin's breathing was heard through Minho's ears. His wavering eyes examined Taemin's glossy ones with prolonged carefulness. The meaning of what Taemin had just said slowly digested in Minho and he was finally enlightened.
“So you mean you-”
“Yes. Yes, I caught your disease.” Taemin gazed into Minho's orbs one last time before he removed them and plunged himself into Minho's chest. He clipped his hands onto Minho's back and pulled him as close as he could get. “Because I also want to do this.”
Words, really, what are words when love is place right in front of you with a ribbon tied on top? Minho dipped his head once again, into Taemin's neck and embraced him there for as long as time would offer him. He let his scent mingle and mesh together with the younger one's. He fondled the boy he loved with all his heart till the dusk dawned upon them.
Silently, he whispered, “Thank you.”
:
Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Onew's phone rang as he was in the middle of his sleep.
Lazily, he got out of his cozy bed to pick it up. He answered, “Hello?”
“Ah, hyung. I wanted to apologize.”
Onew sneezed from the chilly air of the night. He rubbed his nose and moaned, “What?”
“Sorry, I fell for his trap.”