Paint me happy. [1/?]
Title: Paint me happy
Author: Pixziestikxz
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, angst, drama
Warning: Swearing, underage drinking and smoking, character death
Pairing: TaeKey, JongHo, OnKey, slight JongKey, !ninja 2Min
A/N: Wanted to write TaeKey. :3 I find this couple really cute now. >.> keke. and I know I have to update coffee prince still, I'll get to that. XD
--
Taemin moved across the street from Kibum when he was seven, and ever since Kibum laid eyes on the timid boy, he had decided that they were going to be best friends.
“Hi. My name is Kibum.” Kibum boldly came up to the boy, who merely stared at him.
“My name is Taemin.” The boy replied, sticking out a stubby hand.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” Kibum asked, eyeing his hand.
“Shake. Mommy said you do that to new people you meet.” Taemin smiled. It reminded Kibum of flowers, and sunshine, and ponies, and pixie dust. It was magical. Kibum hastily took his hand and shook it. It was the first time he’d ever held hands with a boy.
Oddly enough, he liked it.
--
“Taeminnie~” Key yelled, a nickname he had concocted for the younger boy, “I have to show you something!” he beamed, his forehead glistening from sweat. Taemin had been sitting under the shade of a tree, napping. He opened an eye and peered up at Kibum.
“What is it, hyung?” he sat up, and Kibum took his hand. The two of them started running, going into the twists and turns of the endless dirt roads, until Kibum finally stopped.
“This.” He said breathlessly. There was an endless field of flowers in front of them, and a sense of pride washed over Key. Taemin gaped at the sight, mesmerized by the beauty of it.
“Hyung, this is amazing~” Taemin laughed, unlatching their fingers, as he ran through the field. Key stood in place for a while and watched him, glad that he appreciated it. He sat on the ground, picking some flowers to make a crown for Taemin. The younger one got tired and sat down beside him. That was when Kibum placed it on top of his head.
“What’s this for, hyung?” Taemin questioned, smiling at him.
“It’s for nothing in particular, really. You look cute.” Kibum smiled at him, and he couldn’t tell whether Taemin’s cheeks were reddening because of the sweltering heat, or from his compliment. He took it as both.
“Taemin, when we grow up, will you marry me?” Kibum beamed at the younger one, whose eyes widened with shock. Kibum watched his reaction, and Taemin’s lip began to quiver. The younger one then burst out into tears and ran home, leaving behind a trail of dust.
Kibum had to apologize the day after, and explain that it was only a joke. It took Taemin three months before he talked to Kibum again.
--
“Kibum hyung, I don’t want to-“
“I told you to call me Key~”
Taemin, who was twelve at the time, gaped at the store in front of them. Key grinned widely and shoved Taemin playfully, telling him to move on.
“K-key-hyung~ I don’t want to go in there. It looks too scary.” He whimpered.
Key, who was fourteen at the time, rolled his eyes and sighed. He was getting into his “emo” phase, which required a lot of dark clothing and such. There they were, standing in front of his favourite store: Hot Topic. “Taemin, don’t be a wuss. It’s not that scary.” Key shrugged nonchalantly and proceeded to go inside.
Taemin tugged at his sleeve and motioned for him to stop. Key turned, only to face Taemin’s irresistible puppy dog look. “Hyung, please…”
“But I really want to go in there!” Key huffed impatiently, tapping his foot.
“T-then, hyung, will you hold my hand?” Taemin asked shyly. Key’s features softened as he nodded and held out his hand for Taemin to take.
Taemin gladly took his hand and closed his eyes as they entered. As far as he could see, everything in there was black. The people were clad with tattoos, piercings, and odd hairstyles. He didn’t get why Key was fascinated by all of this so much. It was beginning to scare him.
“Hyung, you won’t let go, right?”
Key nodded in response and grasped Taemin’s hand firmly in his. Taemin felt a sense of relief wash over him. With Key there, he was sure nothing could harm him. Not the bullies in school, the scary people inside Hot Topic, or even his insecurities. He was safe.
--
The next few years passed by slowly. They entered high school and separated into different cliques. Nevertheless, Taemin and Key were still the best of friends. Key was with the popular people, and Taemin, well, Taemin was a wallflower.
Taemin watched as Key hung out with all his popular friends. He watched how much fun they seemed to have, how everyone knew Key but no one knew him, how Key got invited to all the parties while he didn’t. Taemin didn’t mind any of it. He knew that in the end, Key always turned back to him. He would be the one listening to the latest dramas and bitch fights Key had gotten into. Key would crash with him whenever he got wasted from parties. He would cry on Taemin’s shoulder whenever he broke up with someone. And Taemin would always be there for him.
But Key never saw Taemin. He never minded him as much as Taemin wanted him to. Taemin knew that they were just friends; but somewhere along the way, he’d slowly started wishing that they weren’t. But life was complicated. Maybe it was just his teenage hormones, but he decided that he couldn’t take it anymore.
“And then she said yes, but I said “oh no you didn’t!” and can you believe it?!” Key questioned Taemin frantically, but the younger boy had other things in his mind.
“Yeah, that’s great, hyung…” Taemin sighed. Key frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Key placed a hand on his shoulder, and Taemin flinched slightly.
“Hyung, I don’t know how to say this, really…” Taemin trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.
“Taeminnie, you know you can tell me anything.” Key spread a smile on his face. Taemin turned to look at him and sighed once more.
“Well, I like you and all, hyung,” Taemin gulped, trying to make sure he didn’t give too much away. “But we kind of...changed. I don’t know. We’re not those kids running around in fields of flowers just playing anymore. You’re pretty much the king of the school, and I’m just this nobody. I don’t get why you still even talk to me.” He sighed.
Key laughed heartily. “Taeminnie, I’m sorry but I don’t really get what you’re trying to say.” Key tilted his head to the side, watching Taemin.
“Hyung, I like you.” Taemin stated bluntly. Taemin bit his tongue after that, disappointed at Key’s lack of expression. Key, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised at all. He’s had his eye at Taemin since the moment he laid his sight on him.
“That’s great.” Key beamed. Taemin shot him a piercing glare, a glare that Key could not comprehend. “W-what’s wrong, Taeminnie?”
“What’s wrong is this. Us, we should never be together. I don’t know hyung. We’ve…grown apart. You’re not the same Kibum-hyung I used to know.”
“What are you talking about, I’m still the same!” Kibum added a small but nervous laugh after, and Taemin just shook his head.
“No, hyung, you’ve changed! Don’t you get it?!” Taemin stood up in frustration. “The Kibum hyung I knew wouldn’t have had to ask me what was wrong. He would just know. The Kibum hyung I knew asked me to marry him. He wouldn’t have just sat there and acted like it was nothing when I confessed to him. The Kibum hyung I knew was by my side all the time. But you’ve left me. You’re with your posse, and your parties, and your bitch fights, and your girlfriends now! You’re not Kibum anymore, you’ve become Key…” Taemin’s face was streaked with tears when he finished, and Kibum stood up to comfort him. Taemin shook Kibum’s hand off his shoulder and stared at him with teary eyes. “Hyung, I can’t take this anymore. No, I won’t take this anymore.”
“T-Taemin I’m sorry. I didn’t know I hurt you that much--” Suddenly, Taemin’s words came crashing down on Key. Taemin was right; he changed. He’d changed so much that he left Taemin in the dark. He felt like crying too, but somehow, he just couldn’t.
“Exactly” Taemin turned. “You can go back to them now though. You can go back to them and just forget about me completely. I won’t let myself burden your mind anymore. Goodbye, hyung…” Taemin ran away before Kibum could say anything else. Not that he had much to say, really.
--
“Hey, I fucked up bad, you know.” Kibum said groggily, bringing the can of beer to his mouth.
“Who cares? So some chick dumped you, there are tons of other ones out there!” a blonde grinned at him, smoke snaking out of his mouth as he did so. “I’ve never seen you this upset about someone. Don’t tell me you actually liked this person?” he laughed.
Kibum frowned and placed the can down. “Actually, I did. And I was so stupid to ignore him like that. Fuck. I’m the biggest idiot ever!” Kibum banged his fist on the table and chugged down the rest of the can.
The blonde one coughed and placed his cigarette back on the ash tray. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa wait! Did you just say “him”?! Dude, I didn’t know you rolled that way!” He stared at Kibum in disbelief.
“Yeah, so what if I do?” Kibum raised an eyebrow as he saw the blonde walking slowly towards him.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” the blonde grinned, as he sat on Kibum’s lap. “I probably could have satisfied you.” He whispered in Kibum’s ear and purred. Kibum shook his head and pushed the blonde one off.
“Jong Hyun, are you fucking insane? I think you’ve had too much weed today. Cut it out, man.” Kibum slapped Jong Hyun’s hand, which caused him to drop the cigarette.
“Dayum, you’re that into this guy, huh? Who is it, anyways?” Jong Hyun sat eagerly in front of Kibum, ready to listen.
“Lee Taemin.” Kibum said bluntly.
“Who in the fucking hell is that?”
“That kid you guys always used to push into the girls washroom back in middle school?”
Jong Hyun’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking blind or something?!” Jong Hyun laughed. Kibum only glared at him until he stopped, but it seemed like he wasn’t going to anytime soon. Jong Hyun was already rolling on the ground, holding his stomach. “Oh my god, seriously, that kid?!” Jong Hyun laughed even more. Key had threatened to kick him in the face if he didn’t stop, but he kept on going.
“Oh man, oh man, that was amazing. No, seriously, who is this person you’re crushing on?” Jong Hyun nudged Kibum and wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
“Okay, if you’re not gonna take me seriously, I’m leaving. I told you I needed to talk.” Key sighed impatiently and got up.
“All right, fine. I’ll believe you that it’s that kid.” Jong Hyun grimaced slightly. “But what happened, exactly?”
Kibum sighed, sat back down, and explained everything that happened.
“Well,” Jong Hyun started after Kibum had explained it all. “I still think that you should just come to me.” He grinned. Kibum smacked him hard, but he just laughed. “I was kidding. I think he should understand why you’re like this though. You’re trying to live life, and he’s just this party pooper. I really don’t think he’s worth it.” Jong Hyun took another puff from his cigarette.
“B-but, I don’t know. I really do like him. I don’t want to see him hurt like this. And it’s because of me, too. Do you know how bad I feel?”
“Just give it time, Keybummie~ he’ll come around.”
“For someone smoking weed, you’re making too much sense. It’s scary.” Kibum shuddered, and Jong Hyun merely laughed and shrugged.
“Wait, does he even know about…you know…” Jong Hyun trailed, letting smoke trail out of his mouth.
Kibum cast his gaze down and bit his lip. “No, no he doesn’t.”
--
Another few months passed by, filled with Key’s failed attempts to gain Taemin’s forgiveness. Taemin was always with someone else now, another wallflower. His name was Minho, and Key could swear that Taemin actually looked….happy with him. With a defeated sigh, he tore his gaze from them and pouted.
“Aw, come on. You’re still upset over that kid? I told you, just come to me, baby.” Jong Hyun plopped himself beside Key and grinned. But Key was too upset to even hit him or anything. “What? You’re not even going to hit me?” Jong Hyun teased, and Key only turned away uninterestedly.
“I’m terrible. But I can’t believe he moved on that fast!” Key clenched his fists together.
“It’s fine Key. Shit like this happens. You should probably move on too.”
“Shut the hell up.” Key glared at him, and Jong Hyun only smiled.
--
“So, I talked to that kid’s friend. You know the tall one? His name’s Minho. He told me that he and Taemin are just friends. He’s really nice, though.”
“What? You talked to him?!”
“Well, you seemed really upset about it. So I cleared things up for you. You’re welcome, though.” Jong Hyun scoffed. “Plus, he’s really hot. Don’t you think?” Jong Hyun grinned, and Key smacked him on the arm. “What? At least I’m not going for your widdle Taemin.” Jong Hyun cooed and made teasing kissy faces at Key.
Key sighed and crossed his arms. “Did he tell you anything else about Taemin?”
“No, he didn’t.” Jong Hyun shook his head, as the teacher blew his whistle.
They were in gym, playing soccer. Minho darted across the field with the ball, and everyone watched in awe. Jong Hyun ran after him and foolishly attempted to steal the ball. Taemin stood by the goalie net, looking bored. Key kept his distance from Taemin, but remained watching. Jong Hyun finally caught up to Minho and winked at him, causing Minho to lose focus. As a result, Minho kicked the ball towards and unknown direction, and accidentally hit Taemin on the face. The younger boy fell on the ground, unconscious.
Everyone gasped and gathered around him, panicking at who should bring him to the infirmary. Key’s jaw dropped and he felt like he was the one who got hit in the face instead. He quickly rushed towards Taemin and knelt down beside him.
“Who the hell kicked the ball in his face?!” Key questioned angrily. Everyone was surprised at how much concern Key was showing towards Taemin.
“I-it was me. I didn’t mean to, though. I’ll bring him to the infirmary.” Minho spoke, and everyone seemed to agree on it.
“No, I distracted Minho, it was my fault. I’ll bring the kid to the infirmary.” Jong Hyun rebutted, but Key shook his head.
“None of you are taking him there because I will, okay?” Key said firmly, and no one opposed. No one in their right mind would have. “Now help me put him on my back, pabo.” Key slapped Jong Hyun’s arm, and the blonde complied. Even though everyone was staring at him, Key proudly carried Taemin in the infirmary.
As soon as he left the gym, everyone was in a frenzy of whispers, conspiring stories on why Key was acting like that all of a sudden. The only two people, who knew the reason why Key was like that, were Minho and Jong Hyun. They stared at each other and sighed.
“Those two are hopeless, huh?” Jong Hyun crossed his arms across his chest.
“Tell me about it.” Minho trapped the ball under his feet, rolling it around for a bit.
--
Key panted as he burst through the door of the infirmary. He placed Taemin gently on the bed, and knelt beside him. He cupped his small face with his hand, and then ran his fingers through the younger one’s hair. He frowned in concern as he watched the still figure of Taemin on the bed. He laced his fingers with Taemin’s and squeezed his hand tightly. “Taemin, are you okay?” He whispered quietly, laying his head on Taemin’s chest. He felt the younger one’s chest rise up and down with each breath, and he could hear Taemin’s rhythmic heartbeats.
“Hey, look, it’s Taemin. What are you doing in the boy’s washroom?”
“I need to pee.”
“Then go to the girl’s washroom, you clearly belong there.”
“What are you guys talking about? I’m a boy! And I really, really need to go pee!”
“Go to the girl’s washroom, we said!”
Taemin was dragged off his feet, as he squirmed around, trying to get free of their grasp.
“Let me go, please!” Taemin cried, but the boys who were holding him were having too much fun. They shoved him inside the girl’s washroom and happily high fived each other before they walked away. Taemin sat in there by himself for a few minutes, crying. He decided to use the stalls in the girl’s washroom since he was already in there, and quietly slipped away.
He didn’t get why it was always him. He didn’t get why they thought it was so much fun to torment him. Last year, when Key was still in middle school with him, things were easier. No one dared to touch him because Key would beat them up. But Key was in high school now, and Taemin was alone.
Key staggered over to Taemin’s house one day, a black eye and a smile adorning his face. Taemin stared at him in shock.
“Hyung, what happened to you?!” Taemin fussed over him as he ushered Key inside, but the older one merely smiled.
“I beat up those thugs who were bullying you, Taemin. Why didn’t you tell me they were doing that to you?” Key frowned down at Taemin, who hung his head.
“I didn’t want to trouble you. You’re in high school now; you probably have more important friends. Besides, I need to learn how to fight my own battles.” Taemin said quietly.
“That’s nonsense. You’re never a bother to me, Taeminnie. Always remember that, okay?” Key grinned, and patted Taemin’s head. “I’ll protect you from the people who hurt you no matter what. So don’t be scared, okay?” Key engulfed Taemin in his embrace, and he felt the younger boy nod his head, before his shirt got soaked wet with Taemin’s tears.
Before, Taemin was so sure that Key would always be there for him. He believed in those words, he held onto them. But now, he wasn’t quite so sure anymore.
Taemin woke up, feeling something heavy against his chest. He lifted his head slightly and saw Key’s head resting on there. He also felt a hand with his, and was quick to assume that it was Key’s as well. The last thing he remembered was the fuzzy image of a soccer ball flying towards his face. Did Key bring him there? Why was Key making it so hard for Taemin to hate him?
With a sigh, Taemin laid his head back down and closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to let Key fool him again.
“Taemin, I’m sorry…” Taemin heard Key mumble quietly, and for a moment, he thought he saw a piece of the old Kibum.
--
**okay, should I write smut for this? o.o and if I do, WH'OS SEME(top) AND WHO'S UKE(bottom)?! XDD Also, yes, I'm terrible. -.- I make baby Taeminnie suffer too much in my fics. I don't know why it always has to be him. I just happen to write it that way. ;A; *bricks self***