SSS 2010: for taem_taem
For: taem_taem
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Time, Please Stop
Pairing: Taemin/Minho
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 2851
Summary: Kibum thinks that Minho’s life is merely pathetic, because all he ever does in his life that’s worth calling ‘life’ is soccer.
Kibum thinks that Minho’s life is merely pathetic, because all he ever does in his life that’s worth calling ‘life’ is soccer. Kibum heaves a heavy sigh as he watches Minho kick the round soccer ball across the wide field, crosses his arms and mutters, “Just what is so fun about running around with socks that reaches your knees and sweating like a pink pig?”. Jonghyun only pats him on the shoulders as he continues watching the game.
Kibum sighs in frustration once more as the heat radiates in the air in the midst of the loud cheering.
Minho wins the game, of course, he never loses. Kibum finds it kind-of-useless to actually support Minho, because he’d win anyway or you’d see a Minho with a visible steam coming from his ears across the vast football field trying to strip down everyone into pieces. He finds it irritating to sit in the sun and cheer for a friend when he knows Minho will win. But he keeps quiet for once, because Minho promises to buy him dinner.
It’s a good way to buy Kibum over.
“What do you want to eat?” Minho asks, after going around the entire field receiving congratulatory words from almost everyone. Kibum crosses his arms, massages his temples and then sinking into the chair, “I’d like to cook”. Minho gives him a look, “You’re not coming over to my house”. Kibum glares at him, “Your house is practically a rubbish dump. We’re going over to Jinki’s”
Minho finds it amazing that Jinki never seems to get surprised at Kibum’s unannounced visits, and that Jonghyun is already on the couch of the living room, immersing himself with a box of popcorn and a movie playing on the LCD screen. “Jjong came over a while ago” Jinki says as he observes Minho’s huge eyes that looks like it’s about to pop out of their sockets.
“I’m going to use the kitchen, Jinki” Kibum says as he drops his bag by the couch and folds up his sleeves. “I’ll cook an extra share for Taemin too”. Minho raises an eyebrow, Taemin? Now that’s a name he’s never heard in his life before. “Who’s Taemin?” Minho finds his voice coming out before his brain processes it. Jonghyun looks up from his popcorn, tearing his eyes from the screen and looking at Minho as if he just asked a question in some kind of alien language.
“He’s my brother. My younger brother” Jinki says in a choked voice.
Minho flops himself onto the couch, “I never knew you had siblings”. Jinki only smiles and approaches the wide kitchen with a Kibum with a pink apron around his waist. “Kimchi stew please, Chef Kibum!” Jonghyun says in a muffled voice as he stuffs a fist of popcorn into his mouth. Minho excuses himself for the washroom.
He takes note that it’s not a good thing to walk around a friends’ house because he runs into a man, causing the younger person to fall. Minho is taken aback, not expecting a person to be in Jinki’s house. “Are you okay?” Minho reaches a hand out, but before he is able to get a good look at the person, she runs away. “It can’t be Taemin. Jinki says it’s a boy” Minho mutters as he scratches his head.
Minho’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets due to curiosity when he follows Kibum to bring Taemin’s tray of dinner to his room. (Jonghyun’s happily eating away on the couch of the living room) “You seem pretty happy to be like a bitch, cooking dinner for someone” he says casually. Kibum only shrugs, “Because Taemin’s my son”. They stop at a door, Jinki knocks gently, “Taemin-ah? It’s me, hyung! Kibummie cooked dinner for you”.
There is a silence over the other side of the door. It is about two minutes later when the door creaks open slowly, Minho realizes that the person he bumped into a few ten minutes ago was Taemin, he who looks like a girl. “Hello, Taemin” Kibum greets him with a hushed whisper and bends down to meet Taemin on eye-level. “Kibum...hyung...?” Taemin whispers out from the little creak of the door.
“Yeah, it’s me” Kibum smiles.
And Minho has never seen someone so fragile in his life.
“He’s not allowed out of the house” Jinki explains when Minho asks. Kibum sinks deeper into his chair muttering something about the poor boy or something about the sunlight or something about the environment, Minho’s ears are completely blocked out when he immerses himself deep in thought about Jinki’s fragile and frail younger brother.
“It’s a long story” Jonghyun looks at him. Minho lets out an exhausted sigh, “Am I the only one who doesn’t know about Taemin?”. The three nods, Minho shrugs, “I have all day”.
“Taemin-ah, listen to noona closely” Taeyeon says as she cups a six year old Taemin’s face in her hands. Taemin looks up at his older cousin and smiles widely, “I will always listen to noona!”. Taeyeon pulls him into a tight hug, “Listen Taemin. Noona will be going someone far, far away. I want you to do noona a favor”. Taemin pouts and his eyes are moist, “Noona! Where will you be going! You’re supposed to stay by Taeminnie’s side forever!”
Taeyeon shakes her head, “Noona will be going up. When noona leaves, I want you to listen to father’s words. Save him, help him”
Taemin starts crying along because he sees Taeyeon’s cheeks stained with salty tears. Taeyeon lets go of the young boy in her hands, “Promise noona?”. Taemin hiccups as he takes his small pinky and links it with Taeyeon’s long and slender ones. “Taemin-ah, noona will always love you” She plants a soft kiss on Taemin’s forehead.
Minho walks down the streets, scratching and brushing through his newly-dyed brown hair, untangling them along. He heaves a deep sigh and then feels a sharp jolt of impact on his back, “Kibum-hyung! What was that for?!”. Kibum slings an arm over his shoulder, “I’ll bet ten thousand won that you’re thinking about what Jinki told you. Don’t bother lying, because that’s the exact same reaction I had when Jinki told Jjong and I about Taemin”.
Minho doesn’t reply, because it’s not a good thing to argue against the Kim Kibum.
“Where are you heading?” Minho finds himself asking, seemingly missing the street he was supposed to turn to. “Jinki’s house” Minho is satisfied with Kibum’s answer, not because of Kibum’s cooking and Kibum knows that. It’s pretty obvious as to why Minho decides to follow Kibum without a single world, a playful smile lingers on Kibum’s face as they approach Jinki’s house.
Kibum presses the bell and sneaks a glance at the tall boy next to him, he chuckles silently at his eager face.
It doesn’t help Minho’s so-called-nervousness when Kibum announces that he will be out grocery shopping with Jinki because they just can’t eat out of an empty fridge. Jinki refuses at first, but doesn’t the second time because Kibum sends an all-too-chilling glare at Jinki’s back and the older man knows better than to refuse the forever-nagging younger friend. Jinki sometimes wonder how old Kibum really is, because he doesn’t seem to care about the hierarchy.
Jinki doesn’t really care about hierarchy either, for once, he’d like Kibum to.
That leaves Minho alone in Jinki’s house (and everything will go according to how Kibum wants it to, maybe). Minho hears his stomach growling, he approaches the kitchen and only to remember that Kibum and Jinki are out grocery shopping because the fridge was empty.
Taemin doesn’t know what to do when he realizes that the person in the living isn’t his brother, or Kibum, or Jonghyun for the matter. He doesn’t know what to do exactly, maybe a little smile and say hi - not a good idea to say that to a stranger, or maybe to just turn around and run back into his room - not a good idea too because that seemed rude. Minho swallows down a little laugh at Taemin’s unsure face.
“I’m Minho, a friend of Jinki’s”
Taemin nods and smiles back, his voice is soft, warm and gentle, it’s soothing to the ears, “I’m Taemin”
Kibum is amused when he returns to see a cozy sleeping Minho on Taemin’s lap and when he notices that Jinki starts mumbling something about I’m the only brother he has or something about opening up to a complete stranger. Whichever it is, Kibum decides that Jinki has a brother complex, and that Taemin thinks Minho is simply dazzling, to which Kibum strongly disagrees (because he thinks that he should be labelled dazzling, not Minho)
Whichever it is, he nudges Minho awake and Taemin gives him an unsure face but Minho stirs in Taemin’s lap. “Wake up, you ass” Kibum pinches Minho’s ear and he shoots up almost immediately, “Ow, what was that for, hyung?!”. Kibum gives Minho a look and jabs a finger at him, “You dare sleep on my son’s lap when I haven’t done so?”. Taemin chuckles, “Calm down, hyung. He wa-”
“What the hell?”
Taemin’s eyes widen in shock as he snaps his head around, “F-Father”. His father has a frown across his temples, “Who granted you the permission to leave the room? Get back into your room, now”. Taemin stands up almost immediately and gives an apologetic expression to Minho, he struts back into his room quickly. “And Jinki, I don’t recall granting permission to you for your friends to come over”
Jinki looks down, “I-I’m sorry”
Kibum frowns and bites back a nudging urge to retaliate. Instead he pulls Minho’s arm, “We should get going”. Minho glances at Jinki’s father before leaving, he had never seen such a possessive look in anyone’s eyes before. Jinki whispers a small, “I’m sorry” before letting Kibum and Minho leave the house.
Jinki turns on the volume into full blast as crystal tears continue spilling down from his eyes. He hugs his own knees and murmurs, “I’m so sorry, Taemin-ah” over and over. No matter what, he cannot erase the screams he hears from Taemin’s room, the cries of his own brother and it kills him to know that he’s a useless fool who can’t save his own brother.
“Father, please stop” He whispers as sleep claims him over the loud volume of the music.
Minho jumps over the fence of Jinki’s house and tip-toes towards the window of Taemin’s room. He knocks on it and he doesn’t get a reply. He knocks again, and he is about to knock once more when the window opens, “...Minho?”. Minho looks up, he is about to smile when he sees Taemin with bandages across his face and a plaster on his cheek. “...Taemin? What happened to you?”. Taemin gives a smile, that smile that Minho so loves, “Oh, I fell down the stairs and bumped into a vase on the way”
Taemin looks around worriedly, “You should leave, my father is still around the house”
Minho chuckles and brushes a leaf that fell on Taemin’s head, “It’s alright, I saw him leave the house a moment ago”
Taemin sighs and smiles.
“Hey, have you been out of the house before?”
The younger boy freezes and then answers softly, “I haven’t, since I was six”. Minho keeps quiet for a moment, “Do you want to leave?”. Taemin only smiles, Minho holds out a hand, “Let’s go. I’ll get you back before your dad comes home”. He hesitates, but it’s worth a shot. Taemin takes Minho’s large and warm hand.
“It’s amazing” Taemin exclaims with a big smile across his face. The voices of little children running around, the music of the parade playing and the feeling of Minho’s warm hands entangled in his. “Here” Minho hands him a cup of ice cream, Taemin takes it. “It’s cold” He comments at the first bite, “But it’s warm too”. Minho smiles as he brings the younger boy around. He takes note that Taemin loves the ferris wheel, the way his eyes sparkle when they reach the top.
Minho wants to wrap Taemin up in a box and send him to every amusement park there is in the world.
As promised, Minho sends Taemin home before his father returns and Minho curses himself for not being able to ask about his father. However, there is hope when Taemin asks, “Can we try this again, once more?”. Minho smiles, caresses the boy’s soft cheek and trails a finger on his plaster.
“Of course”
Jinki realizes that Taemin is not in his room when their father is out, he’s somehow not worried because he knows that Minho has been sneaking in. But he is worried when their father suddenly comes home in the middle of the day, unannounced. It was only a matter of time when he notices that the younger one is missing. “Jinki, where is Taemin?” He asks once. Jinki doesn’t know what to answer.
His father doesn’t pursue the topic, but Jinki knows that he’ll have to hear Taemin’s cries of agony once more. He prays silently, “Please stop this, I beg of you. Please”
Taemin watches Minho’s climb across the fence, he closes the window when his door suddenly opens. “Where have you been, Taemin?” The voice of his father booms. Taemin whips around, “F-Father”. His hands start trembling at the sight of the belt in his father’s hands. It takes a moment to feel the flash of pain across his body. “I’m sorry, father. Please stop” He cries over again and again as his father continues whipping.
His father finally stops, he drops on his knees and holds on to Taemin, “Please don’t leave me like how your mother did, Taemin”
Taemin embraces his shivering, trembling father. He doesn’t know what to do, “I’m sorry, father”
Taemin no longer opens the windows whenever Minho knocks.
Minho doesn’t stop coming either, but he doesn’t give up. He knocks everyday, and one day he notices it. He notices that Taemin’s window isn’t locked, he swings it open with less difficulty. He sees Taemin sound asleep and approaches the sleeping beautiful figure. He touches him softly, “Taemin”. The younger one stirs softly because cracking open his eyes. He doesn’t seem shocked, “...Minho”.
He whispers his name lovingly, Minho smiles. “Come with me” and Taemin does go with him, even though he knows what awaits for him when he returns. He scoops the younger boy up in his arms and swings him over his back, “You’re not going to walk today”. Taemin only buries his face in the crook of his neck and hooks his legs around Minho’s slim waist. He falls asleep to the sound of Minho’s pulse and his warm scent.
He awakes to the sound of Minho’s breath, “Minho..? Where are we?”. Minho smiles, “We’re almost there”. Taemin rubs his eyes and stays awake, he notices that they’re surrounded by rocks, trees and everything else but the city. “Are we at a hill, Minho?” Taemin finds himself asking. Minho cracks a smile, “We’re here”
Taemin gets off Minho’s back, his cold barefeet touching the cold ground. Minho gestures him to sit beside him, in which Taemin does. “What are we doing here?”. Minho smiles, “Just wait” and Taemin does. “Jinki told me about your father” He says suddenly, Taemin freezes up. “Why don’t you fight back?” Minho asks and Taemin only smiles. “My mother ran away when I was six, I guess you could say my father got traumatized and I think you’ll understand better if I said I resemble my mother more?”
Minho sighs and brushes his face, “And you’re alright with it?”
“I love my father, Minho, even though he’s twisted outside, I’m sure he’s still waiting for my mother”
Minho doesn’t reply and only looks forward. There is a comfortable silence and Minho finally speaks, “Look at it, Taemin”. Taemin looks up and it’s the most beautiful thing he had seen in his life. The orange beams that slowly emerges from the clouds, and the dark sky slowly turning to a shade lighter. It’s beautiful, and simply amazing. Taemin closes his eyes and he prays.
Time, please stop.
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Time, Please Stop
Pairing: Taemin/Minho
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 2851
Summary: Kibum thinks that Minho’s life is merely pathetic, because all he ever does in his life that’s worth calling ‘life’ is soccer.
Kibum thinks that Minho’s life is merely pathetic, because all he ever does in his life that’s worth calling ‘life’ is soccer. Kibum heaves a heavy sigh as he watches Minho kick the round soccer ball across the wide field, crosses his arms and mutters, “Just what is so fun about running around with socks that reaches your knees and sweating like a pink pig?”. Jonghyun only pats him on the shoulders as he continues watching the game.
Kibum sighs in frustration once more as the heat radiates in the air in the midst of the loud cheering.
Minho wins the game, of course, he never loses. Kibum finds it kind-of-useless to actually support Minho, because he’d win anyway or you’d see a Minho with a visible steam coming from his ears across the vast football field trying to strip down everyone into pieces. He finds it irritating to sit in the sun and cheer for a friend when he knows Minho will win. But he keeps quiet for once, because Minho promises to buy him dinner.
It’s a good way to buy Kibum over.
“What do you want to eat?” Minho asks, after going around the entire field receiving congratulatory words from almost everyone. Kibum crosses his arms, massages his temples and then sinking into the chair, “I’d like to cook”. Minho gives him a look, “You’re not coming over to my house”. Kibum glares at him, “Your house is practically a rubbish dump. We’re going over to Jinki’s”
Minho finds it amazing that Jinki never seems to get surprised at Kibum’s unannounced visits, and that Jonghyun is already on the couch of the living room, immersing himself with a box of popcorn and a movie playing on the LCD screen. “Jjong came over a while ago” Jinki says as he observes Minho’s huge eyes that looks like it’s about to pop out of their sockets.
“I’m going to use the kitchen, Jinki” Kibum says as he drops his bag by the couch and folds up his sleeves. “I’ll cook an extra share for Taemin too”. Minho raises an eyebrow, Taemin? Now that’s a name he’s never heard in his life before. “Who’s Taemin?” Minho finds his voice coming out before his brain processes it. Jonghyun looks up from his popcorn, tearing his eyes from the screen and looking at Minho as if he just asked a question in some kind of alien language.
“He’s my brother. My younger brother” Jinki says in a choked voice.
Minho flops himself onto the couch, “I never knew you had siblings”. Jinki only smiles and approaches the wide kitchen with a Kibum with a pink apron around his waist. “Kimchi stew please, Chef Kibum!” Jonghyun says in a muffled voice as he stuffs a fist of popcorn into his mouth. Minho excuses himself for the washroom.
He takes note that it’s not a good thing to walk around a friends’ house because he runs into a man, causing the younger person to fall. Minho is taken aback, not expecting a person to be in Jinki’s house. “Are you okay?” Minho reaches a hand out, but before he is able to get a good look at the person, she runs away. “It can’t be Taemin. Jinki says it’s a boy” Minho mutters as he scratches his head.
Minho’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets due to curiosity when he follows Kibum to bring Taemin’s tray of dinner to his room. (Jonghyun’s happily eating away on the couch of the living room) “You seem pretty happy to be like a bitch, cooking dinner for someone” he says casually. Kibum only shrugs, “Because Taemin’s my son”. They stop at a door, Jinki knocks gently, “Taemin-ah? It’s me, hyung! Kibummie cooked dinner for you”.
There is a silence over the other side of the door. It is about two minutes later when the door creaks open slowly, Minho realizes that the person he bumped into a few ten minutes ago was Taemin, he who looks like a girl. “Hello, Taemin” Kibum greets him with a hushed whisper and bends down to meet Taemin on eye-level. “Kibum...hyung...?” Taemin whispers out from the little creak of the door.
“Yeah, it’s me” Kibum smiles.
And Minho has never seen someone so fragile in his life.
“He’s not allowed out of the house” Jinki explains when Minho asks. Kibum sinks deeper into his chair muttering something about the poor boy or something about the sunlight or something about the environment, Minho’s ears are completely blocked out when he immerses himself deep in thought about Jinki’s fragile and frail younger brother.
“It’s a long story” Jonghyun looks at him. Minho lets out an exhausted sigh, “Am I the only one who doesn’t know about Taemin?”. The three nods, Minho shrugs, “I have all day”.
“Taemin-ah, listen to noona closely” Taeyeon says as she cups a six year old Taemin’s face in her hands. Taemin looks up at his older cousin and smiles widely, “I will always listen to noona!”. Taeyeon pulls him into a tight hug, “Listen Taemin. Noona will be going someone far, far away. I want you to do noona a favor”. Taemin pouts and his eyes are moist, “Noona! Where will you be going! You’re supposed to stay by Taeminnie’s side forever!”
Taeyeon shakes her head, “Noona will be going up. When noona leaves, I want you to listen to father’s words. Save him, help him”
Taemin starts crying along because he sees Taeyeon’s cheeks stained with salty tears. Taeyeon lets go of the young boy in her hands, “Promise noona?”. Taemin hiccups as he takes his small pinky and links it with Taeyeon’s long and slender ones. “Taemin-ah, noona will always love you” She plants a soft kiss on Taemin’s forehead.
Minho walks down the streets, scratching and brushing through his newly-dyed brown hair, untangling them along. He heaves a deep sigh and then feels a sharp jolt of impact on his back, “Kibum-hyung! What was that for?!”. Kibum slings an arm over his shoulder, “I’ll bet ten thousand won that you’re thinking about what Jinki told you. Don’t bother lying, because that’s the exact same reaction I had when Jinki told Jjong and I about Taemin”.
Minho doesn’t reply, because it’s not a good thing to argue against the Kim Kibum.
“Where are you heading?” Minho finds himself asking, seemingly missing the street he was supposed to turn to. “Jinki’s house” Minho is satisfied with Kibum’s answer, not because of Kibum’s cooking and Kibum knows that. It’s pretty obvious as to why Minho decides to follow Kibum without a single world, a playful smile lingers on Kibum’s face as they approach Jinki’s house.
Kibum presses the bell and sneaks a glance at the tall boy next to him, he chuckles silently at his eager face.
It doesn’t help Minho’s so-called-nervousness when Kibum announces that he will be out grocery shopping with Jinki because they just can’t eat out of an empty fridge. Jinki refuses at first, but doesn’t the second time because Kibum sends an all-too-chilling glare at Jinki’s back and the older man knows better than to refuse the forever-nagging younger friend. Jinki sometimes wonder how old Kibum really is, because he doesn’t seem to care about the hierarchy.
Jinki doesn’t really care about hierarchy either, for once, he’d like Kibum to.
That leaves Minho alone in Jinki’s house (and everything will go according to how Kibum wants it to, maybe). Minho hears his stomach growling, he approaches the kitchen and only to remember that Kibum and Jinki are out grocery shopping because the fridge was empty.
Taemin doesn’t know what to do when he realizes that the person in the living isn’t his brother, or Kibum, or Jonghyun for the matter. He doesn’t know what to do exactly, maybe a little smile and say hi - not a good idea to say that to a stranger, or maybe to just turn around and run back into his room - not a good idea too because that seemed rude. Minho swallows down a little laugh at Taemin’s unsure face.
“I’m Minho, a friend of Jinki’s”
Taemin nods and smiles back, his voice is soft, warm and gentle, it’s soothing to the ears, “I’m Taemin”
Kibum is amused when he returns to see a cozy sleeping Minho on Taemin’s lap and when he notices that Jinki starts mumbling something about I’m the only brother he has or something about opening up to a complete stranger. Whichever it is, Kibum decides that Jinki has a brother complex, and that Taemin thinks Minho is simply dazzling, to which Kibum strongly disagrees (because he thinks that he should be labelled dazzling, not Minho)
Whichever it is, he nudges Minho awake and Taemin gives him an unsure face but Minho stirs in Taemin’s lap. “Wake up, you ass” Kibum pinches Minho’s ear and he shoots up almost immediately, “Ow, what was that for, hyung?!”. Kibum gives Minho a look and jabs a finger at him, “You dare sleep on my son’s lap when I haven’t done so?”. Taemin chuckles, “Calm down, hyung. He wa-”
“What the hell?”
Taemin’s eyes widen in shock as he snaps his head around, “F-Father”. His father has a frown across his temples, “Who granted you the permission to leave the room? Get back into your room, now”. Taemin stands up almost immediately and gives an apologetic expression to Minho, he struts back into his room quickly. “And Jinki, I don’t recall granting permission to you for your friends to come over”
Jinki looks down, “I-I’m sorry”
Kibum frowns and bites back a nudging urge to retaliate. Instead he pulls Minho’s arm, “We should get going”. Minho glances at Jinki’s father before leaving, he had never seen such a possessive look in anyone’s eyes before. Jinki whispers a small, “I’m sorry” before letting Kibum and Minho leave the house.
Jinki turns on the volume into full blast as crystal tears continue spilling down from his eyes. He hugs his own knees and murmurs, “I’m so sorry, Taemin-ah” over and over. No matter what, he cannot erase the screams he hears from Taemin’s room, the cries of his own brother and it kills him to know that he’s a useless fool who can’t save his own brother.
“Father, please stop” He whispers as sleep claims him over the loud volume of the music.
Minho jumps over the fence of Jinki’s house and tip-toes towards the window of Taemin’s room. He knocks on it and he doesn’t get a reply. He knocks again, and he is about to knock once more when the window opens, “...Minho?”. Minho looks up, he is about to smile when he sees Taemin with bandages across his face and a plaster on his cheek. “...Taemin? What happened to you?”. Taemin gives a smile, that smile that Minho so loves, “Oh, I fell down the stairs and bumped into a vase on the way”
Taemin looks around worriedly, “You should leave, my father is still around the house”
Minho chuckles and brushes a leaf that fell on Taemin’s head, “It’s alright, I saw him leave the house a moment ago”
Taemin sighs and smiles.
“Hey, have you been out of the house before?”
The younger boy freezes and then answers softly, “I haven’t, since I was six”. Minho keeps quiet for a moment, “Do you want to leave?”. Taemin only smiles, Minho holds out a hand, “Let’s go. I’ll get you back before your dad comes home”. He hesitates, but it’s worth a shot. Taemin takes Minho’s large and warm hand.
“It’s amazing” Taemin exclaims with a big smile across his face. The voices of little children running around, the music of the parade playing and the feeling of Minho’s warm hands entangled in his. “Here” Minho hands him a cup of ice cream, Taemin takes it. “It’s cold” He comments at the first bite, “But it’s warm too”. Minho smiles as he brings the younger boy around. He takes note that Taemin loves the ferris wheel, the way his eyes sparkle when they reach the top.
Minho wants to wrap Taemin up in a box and send him to every amusement park there is in the world.
As promised, Minho sends Taemin home before his father returns and Minho curses himself for not being able to ask about his father. However, there is hope when Taemin asks, “Can we try this again, once more?”. Minho smiles, caresses the boy’s soft cheek and trails a finger on his plaster.
“Of course”
Jinki realizes that Taemin is not in his room when their father is out, he’s somehow not worried because he knows that Minho has been sneaking in. But he is worried when their father suddenly comes home in the middle of the day, unannounced. It was only a matter of time when he notices that the younger one is missing. “Jinki, where is Taemin?” He asks once. Jinki doesn’t know what to answer.
His father doesn’t pursue the topic, but Jinki knows that he’ll have to hear Taemin’s cries of agony once more. He prays silently, “Please stop this, I beg of you. Please”
Taemin watches Minho’s climb across the fence, he closes the window when his door suddenly opens. “Where have you been, Taemin?” The voice of his father booms. Taemin whips around, “F-Father”. His hands start trembling at the sight of the belt in his father’s hands. It takes a moment to feel the flash of pain across his body. “I’m sorry, father. Please stop” He cries over again and again as his father continues whipping.
His father finally stops, he drops on his knees and holds on to Taemin, “Please don’t leave me like how your mother did, Taemin”
Taemin embraces his shivering, trembling father. He doesn’t know what to do, “I’m sorry, father”
Taemin no longer opens the windows whenever Minho knocks.
Minho doesn’t stop coming either, but he doesn’t give up. He knocks everyday, and one day he notices it. He notices that Taemin’s window isn’t locked, he swings it open with less difficulty. He sees Taemin sound asleep and approaches the sleeping beautiful figure. He touches him softly, “Taemin”. The younger one stirs softly because cracking open his eyes. He doesn’t seem shocked, “...Minho”.
He whispers his name lovingly, Minho smiles. “Come with me” and Taemin does go with him, even though he knows what awaits for him when he returns. He scoops the younger boy up in his arms and swings him over his back, “You’re not going to walk today”. Taemin only buries his face in the crook of his neck and hooks his legs around Minho’s slim waist. He falls asleep to the sound of Minho’s pulse and his warm scent.
He awakes to the sound of Minho’s breath, “Minho..? Where are we?”. Minho smiles, “We’re almost there”. Taemin rubs his eyes and stays awake, he notices that they’re surrounded by rocks, trees and everything else but the city. “Are we at a hill, Minho?” Taemin finds himself asking. Minho cracks a smile, “We’re here”
Taemin gets off Minho’s back, his cold barefeet touching the cold ground. Minho gestures him to sit beside him, in which Taemin does. “What are we doing here?”. Minho smiles, “Just wait” and Taemin does. “Jinki told me about your father” He says suddenly, Taemin freezes up. “Why don’t you fight back?” Minho asks and Taemin only smiles. “My mother ran away when I was six, I guess you could say my father got traumatized and I think you’ll understand better if I said I resemble my mother more?”
Minho sighs and brushes his face, “And you’re alright with it?”
“I love my father, Minho, even though he’s twisted outside, I’m sure he’s still waiting for my mother”
Minho doesn’t reply and only looks forward. There is a comfortable silence and Minho finally speaks, “Look at it, Taemin”. Taemin looks up and it’s the most beautiful thing he had seen in his life. The orange beams that slowly emerges from the clouds, and the dark sky slowly turning to a shade lighter. It’s beautiful, and simply amazing. Taemin closes his eyes and he prays.
Time, please stop.