SSS 2010: for intoxicatedbrat
For: intoxicatedbrat
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Will You Marry Me (Again)?
Pairing: Onew/Taemin
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 9,659
Summary: After falling out of the balcony of his apartment, Jinki was lucky to be alive. He spends a few weeks in the hospital in a coma, in which he gets visions of his past lives. He sees himself married to the same person over again in each life, but the problem is, he doesn’t have a clue who it is.
“Hey, Jinki. What’s twenty-five years old and still a virgin?”
Jinki threw his takeout box at his roommate, Jonghyun, and rolled his eyes. “You ass. Just because I’m not up every night having sex like you and Minho doesn’t mean that I don’t get laid.” Key let out an indignant cry and picked up the noodles that spilled from the box and on his shirt with his chopsticks.
“Jinki. That is disgusting.” He dropped it onto a napkin and gave him a scandalized look. “But Jjong is right. When was the last time you brought a girl home? Or a guy?” Jinki scowled at Key before snatching his empty box and stalking off to the kitchen.
Minho rolled his eyes before picking a piece of chicken out of Jonghyun’s food. “Do you have to be so mean to him?” Jonghyun laughed. “I’m just messing with him. Jinki! You know I’m just joking right?”
Jinki fell back onto his position on the couch and sighed. “I guess you’re right. Things have been pretty busy at work lately. With the weather getting colder, everyone and their mother is coming in for medication.” Jinki worked at the local pharmacy as a technician, counting pills and filling out prescriptions for the sickly and mildly insane.
“Pick up one of your customers!” Jinki laughed, his eyes turning into crescent moons. “You’re kidding me right? Some of these people are insane. You should see the medications they’re taking.”
“Okay, okay. I was just making sure you weren’t taking me seriously and secretly planning to do something stupid like jump off of the balcony or something in an attempt to commit suicide.” The three of them gave Jonghyun a weird look. “What? He’s around crazy people all day! I don’t know what he’s thinking half the time he’s smiling at me!”
“I secretly plot your death behind each and every smile. You die at least three times every time I do.” And for good measure, Jinki gave him a bright smile.
--
Jinki had the following day off. Minho laid out on the couch watching TV while Jonghyun and Key were at their respective jobs. Key worked at a fashion designing firm somewhere down the street, and Jonghyun was a delivery boy for the restaurant that they always had takeout from. He always charmed the manager for some free food every time it was Jinki’s turn to cook, because quite frankly, no one wanted to give him another chance no one wanted to give him another chance after the food poisoning incident.
He slid the doors open to the balcony, shivering slightly as the cool autumn air hit his skin, raising goosebumps on his skin. Minho glanced over to him briefly before returning his gaze to the television. “Try not to die,” he called to him. Jinki chuckled before shaking his head.
He stepped out onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. Jonghyun, Minho, and Key were his best friends. They’d graduated high school together and kept in touch, and after all of them were done with experiencing life on their own, they decided to move in together in an apartment in the city.
Jinki’s thoughts briefly touched on his love life. Jonghyun and Minho had finally admitted they liked each other after arguing and beating each other up for a good two years of their friendship. Key, on the other hand, had people falling at his feet. He had his fair share to pick from, but Key was really picky, insisting on waiting for the one that “took his breath away” instead of the other way around.
Jinki dated around every now and then, but his relationships never felt right. He had a reputation for being a heart breaker because of that insecure feeling. He shifted his weight and sighed, staring out at the busy street to his left.
The morning dew left the balcony railing slick, something he failed to notice. He saw something flash in the street and leaned out over the railing, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see. Then his hand underneath him slipped, pitching head first down into the ally.
He didn’t register Minho’s yelling. He didn’t seem to realize how fast the ground was coming up at him. His body moved on its own in the air, flipping him over so he was right side up. There was a resounding crash as he hit the closed dumpster, then rolled off and hit the ground, broken and bloodied.
The phone couldn’t keep up with Minho’s fingers as he called 119.
--
“Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!” Key screeched in the hospital, earning him a few glares by passersby. Minho sat with his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. “No. I told you. He fell out of the balcony. I was on the couch watching TV, keeping an eye on him, just in case you know, something happened. I looked away for a moment to see the score, then suddenly he’s falling.”
Key sat down in a heap next to him. He left work right away after Minho had called him and told him what happened. He still had a pencil tucked behind his ear and a belt of fabric swatches around his waist. He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to fucking kill Jonghyun. He jinxed it. He jinxed it.”
“Oh god! Is he okay?!” Minho looked up to see Jonghyun running into the waiting room, pulling his hat off of his head. “He’s in intensive surgery right now. Broke a few ribs, his left arm, and cracked his heel. He got a nasty cut on his head and was bleeding pretty bad everywhere else. They’re checking to see nothing else is wrong.”
“But is he okay?”
“Jjong. Does he sound okay to you?” Jonghyun sat down weakly next to Minho. “It was just a joke. It was a joke!” He buried his face into his hands while Minho rubbed his back. The light for the operating room turned off as a doctor pushed open the doors, pulling his mask from his face. The three of them looked at him expectantly.
“You’re all friends of Lee Jinki?”
“His roommates. Best friends.”
“It seems he’ll be fine. He did suffer from a concussion when he landed, no major head injuries. It’s a miracle he’s still breathing after falling from five stories. We’ve done all we can. It’s only a matter of time before he wakes up. Could be hours, could be weeks, months. We don’t know.”
“But he will wake up right?” The doctor gave them a look that answered their question.
All they could do was wait.
--
Jinki’s eyes snapped open. White space filled his eyes as he looked around frantically. Everything was white. The ground, the sky. He scrambled to his feet and looked down at his clothes. Jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He picked at his t-shirt just to make sure he was actually wearing one and that his body hadn’t suddenly decided to blend in with the background.
“Hello?” He called out to the white space. His vision jumped for a second, causing his head to explode in pain. He gripped his head and grimaced. When he opened his eyes again, there was a black dot in the middle of the space. He stared at it cautiously before taking a few steps forward. It quivered slightly. Jinki stopped moving and darted his eyes around.
Suddenly, the dot burst into lines that began to twist and turn themselves all over the white space. Jinki fell back, completely startled, looking around at the lines that were drawing a picture. It didn’t take long for them to completely fill the white space. As soon as they stopped moving, color filled in the lines, a movie started to play. He was definitely the odd one out.
There were lots of men in togas and plenty of women with extremely pale faces and very large hair. He scrambled to his feet, moving out of people’s way as he apologized furiously. But they paid no attention to him. It was like he wasn’t even there. Who wore togas anymore? Only the Romans, Greeks, and frat boys did.
“Oh god. Only the Romans, Greeks, and frat boys did.” There were no cars, just roads that people walked. He saw wagons and the horses pulling them, and a group of people gathered around a fountain. Jinki wandered his way over to where a man was chiseling, yes chiseling, something onto a wall in words and letters he didn’t recognize. He did, however, recognize the numbers. “Roman numerals. Well. It’s not frat boys.”
Jinki turned, searching for someone to help him. “Excuse me...” He reached out to tap someone standing near the fountain on the shoulder, but his hand went straight through their body. “WHOA WHAT-” The person turned around and walked right through him.
Jinki stood there in shock for a moment. “Okay... Sure. Why not. I must’ve hit my head pretty hard. Maybe I’m hallucinating.” Hopefully, I’m not dead. He sat down on a wooden bench and took in his surroundings. But the looks of it, he was back in time. He time traveled? No. That was ridiculous.
Suddenly, a fanfare started playing, and the people hurried to the side of the main road. Jinki turned towards the crowd and got up, moving towards them, wanting to see what the fuss was about. A large procession made its way down the street.
“Make way for the Senator!” Now, Jinki was sure he said that in a language he couldn’t understand, but for some reason, it made perfect sense in his head. If only he could have the translate feature in his normal, everyday life.
People cheered and clapped. Jinki stood on his tippy toes to see until he realized no one could see him anyway. He walked through the crowd and stood near the middle of the street. He gasped when he saw the man sitting on the extravagant chair carried by four servants, a purple wrap with a gold outline adorned on his body.
It was him.
And just as soon as he saw himself, the color started to drain from everything, and the black lines retreated back into the large dot in the center, leaving him standing in blank space again. Jinki blinked a few times before sitting down in a huff. “Okay. That was weird.”
The dot swirled again before sending out more lines to create another scene.
--
It was dark. Jinki looked around apprehensively at the large bedroom he was sitting in. There wasn’t really a bed, more like something padded on top of a bed frame with strings supporting the mattress. It really brought a new meaning to ‘sleep tight.’
He saw a servant boy walk in, carrying a jar of something. He ran up to him and peered in as he poured wine into a glass. Jinki frowned, he didn’t even like wine. But apparently this him did. He watched himself smile as he laid down on the bed, taking the glass of wine from the slave and taking a sip, never taking his eyes off of him.
“Is everyone gone?” He heard himself ask. The small boy nodded as he grinned, beckoning him closer and pulling him onto the bed before sitting up.
“I missed you,” he murmured into his ear, sending chills down the other boy’s spine.
“I know, I missed you too,” he heard the other boy say softly before Jinki watched himself tilt boy’s face up and kiss him, a golden ring gleaming on his finger before the color drained again, lines retreating rapidly. He shielded his eyes from the blinding whiteness around him until they adjusted to its intensity.
“Okay. So. I used to be a senator. That’s cool. Can I go now?” He shouted into the white space. He froze as he heard something giggle. His eyes fell immediately to the quivering dot in the middle of the white space. “Are you laughing at me?” He got no reply this time, instead, the dot shrank, then exploded into more lines.
“Here we go again.”
--
The weather was dark and dreary, and the people gathered around the fire on the ground were speaking in a language he could vaguely understand. Maybe it was just the accent.
Jinki did notice that they were dressed in furs, carrying around heavy weapons and armor. “Who in the world- Oh.” He saw someone walk by with the infamous Viking hat with two horns protruding from each side. He glanced towards the shore and saw the longboats, complete with flags and oars.
Then he spotted a familiar boy. “Oh. This guy again.” He hurried over to the boy from the last vision huddling around the fire. He looked cold, but who wouldn’t be, dressed in so few furs? He didn’t know where they were, but he was sure it was cold. Jinki hated being cold, so he sympathized with the boy.
“Taemin. What are you doing here by yourself?” He turned to the voice to see himself again before turning his eyes back to the boy. So his name is Taemin... Jinki thought to himself. “Freezing to death. What does it look like?” Taemin smirked up at Jinki before he took off one of his furs and placed it around Taemin’s shoulders.
Jinki whistled when he got a good look at himself. He was very well built, carrying weapons of all assortments. People nodded their heads to him respectfully whenever they walked by him. Jinki stood next to his Viking self and held up his arms. He had a long way to go before looking anything like that.
Suddenly, the low bellow of a horn rang through the campsite. Taemin’s eyes darted towards the one who blew it, his expression suddenly going sad. Jinki watched his past self straighten up and turn towards him as well. “Taemin, it’s time for me to go.” Taemin stood up and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face into his chest.
“I don’t want you to go... What if you don’t come back?” Jinki chuckled before ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on his lips. “I’ll always come back to you.” He saw him slip something small and gold onto Taemin’s finger before leaving a kiss on his forehead and heading off to a ship.
Taemin watched as he left, unknowingly turning the small ring on his finger before the color drained again.
--
“Is this really necessary? My vision is starting to go out of whack,” Jinki said to the dot. As per usual, he got no reply. “Are you trying to tell me something?” The dot quivered. Jinki frowned at the dot. Was that a yes? “What are you showing me?” No reply.
“Okay. Um. Am I supposed to learn something from what you’re showing me?” The dot quivered. Maybe that was a yes. “Are you showing me my past lives?” The dot quivered again. Jinki nodded slowly, thinking back to all he saw in the past two visions. The only thing that was consistent was his apparent love for a boy named Taemin.
“I’m in love with Taemin?” The dot spun around excitedly before sending out another tangled mess of lines. Jinki sighed and got to his feet.
--
Another town formed around him this time, a little bit more modern, but not anything he’d ever seen in real life, just the movies perhaps. The accent of the people surrounding him was easier to recognize. “I was British in a past life? Okay. That’s pretty cool.” He heard the weird giggle echo again.
Jinki was standing on the side of the street, glancing up and down at the neatly packed buildings around him. A crowd of people walked through him from behind. He turned around to take a look at the buildings around him when he saw himself open a door and close it behind him, pulling a key ring from his belt and locking the door.
He hurried forward, looking around the dwelling. There was a split entrance. One that led to a courtyard, and one, he assumed, that led to the inside of the house. He saw himself replace the key ring on his belt, and with some papers tucked underneath his arm, looked both ways before walking across the street.
“Key is such a liar. I would totally look good with long hair.” His past British self kept long hair, tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a plain white shirt tucked into back pants that disappeared into boots. Jinki hurried after him, wondering where he was going at such a pace. Probably off to meet Taemin somewhere.
Jinki followed his past self through streets and allies, trying not to get lost. He saw himself trip slightly on a raised stone in the road and sighed. He was clumsy, even in his past lives. Luckily, he still had a firm grip on his papers as he made his way over to a house with a red door. He knocked on it three times before the door swung open, revealing none other than the boy Jinki recognized as Taemin.
He handed the papers over to him, sunlight glinting off something gold on his finger. Jinki hurried forward and tried to see what it was, vaguely remembering something like it in each of his visions.
A gold ring. He leaned over and glanced at Taemin’s hand while they had a conversation. Another gold ring. So did that mean... Taemin’s hand reached up to grab Jinki’s collar with a devious expression on his face before dragging him inside, shutting the door behind him.
Jinki blinked a few times at the closed red door before the colors drained again. The lines retreated back to the dot in the center of the white space. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said, approaching the dot and sitting down next to it, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Were Taemin and I... married each time?” The dot whirled around excitedly. “So what? Is he like my soul mate or something? We’re meant to be together or something?” The dot hopped up and down before exploding and turning the room from white to black.
Suddenly, Jinki was all too aware of the pain in his body. He groaned slightly before slowly opening his eyes. He blinked away the blurriness of his vision before something swirled into view.
There was a white wall across from him, a window with the shades pulled down. He saw some doctors and nurses walk past outside. He turned his eyes to the side, seeing Jonghyun asleep in Minho’s lap in a chair, while Key curled up in another chair.
He groaned again as he tried to move other parts of his body. That must have been one nasty fall, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, ignoring the aching in his chest. “Guys?” He croaked out. His voice didn’t even want to work correctly. How long had he been out?
Key’s eyes suddenly snapped open as he groaned, moving his body so he sat down in the chair properly. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and blinked a few times before meeting Jinki’s eyes. His open eyes. “Oh my god. Jinki? Jinki?! You’re awake?” Key whispered. It took all of his strength to muster up a smile. “Yeah. I hurt a little bit.”
Key jabbed Jonghyun and Minho in the ribs before standing up and grabbing gently at Jinki’s hand. The two of them woke up abruptly, Jonghyun almost falling to the floor. “What the hell Key...”
“He’s awake, you dimwit.” Their heads snapped over to Jinki in the bed, who had to suppress a laugh. It would be too painful to laugh right now. They all clamored over him until his nurse stepped in, asking them to step out for a moment so the doctor could examine him.
“How are you feeling?” He asked looking over his vitals and charts.
“Like... I fought the ground...and lost,” he wheezed.
“Difficulty breathing?” Jinki just nodded slightly, grimacing as his stiff neck protested. “Understandable. You broke five ribs. Deep breaths will be uncomfortable while you’re healing.” Jinki’s eyes traveled down to his chest. Wonderful.
“You left arm is broken too, and your heel is cracked. There’s an assortment of lacerations and bruises, but those have been stitched up, and the bruises will heal faster than anything else you may have sustained.” The doctor chuckled while writing something down on his chart. Jinki rolled his eyes. A doctor with a terrible sense of humor.
“How long...” He trailed off as his ribs protested.
“How long have you been here? About three weeks, almost a month.” The doctor closed his chart and smiled at him. “You might be here for rehab for a few weeks after you’re recovered enough to start moving again. But otherwise, I predict you’ll be back to normal in no time.” He signaled to the nurse to attend to him before leaving.
She injected something, and whatever it was, it numbing the pain in his body. “This should knock you out after a little bit.” She smiled at him. “If you need a nurse, just press this button over here.” She bowed to him quickly before leaving, as his friends rushed back in.
He listened to them gush for a moment before smiling and closing his eyes. “Tired.” He drifted back into sleep. There was no white space this time, just black. Taemin’s face flashed through his mind for a moment before he fell into a dreamless sleep.
--
If Jinki had a nickel for each time the physical therapist sighed or congratulated him for being able to walk two steps without collapsing, he’d be a rich man. Who knew that spending a few weeks in a coma would equal double that amount of time in physical therapy? Or at least, that’s what it felt like. Perhaps it was just Jinki, and the fact that he was an exceptionally slow healer. Combine that with his clumsiness, and he was a recipe for disaster.
Once he finished with physical therapy, he finally left the hospital to lick his wounds at home. There was a large cast over his leg, his toes wiggling against the cold air. His arm was in a sling, and his chest was completely bandaged up, scars from stitches still apparent on his body. But he was alive.
“Jinki! Thank goodness you’re okay. I hear you’ll be away from work for a bit.” He smiled gingerly as he dropped off his prescription with his boss. “Yeah. Currently half of my body is out of commission. You wouldn’t believe how much torture physical therapy is. I don’t know how babies learn to walk in the first place.” His boss laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a look at his prescription.
“This will be out in a couple minutes.”
“Thank you, sir.” He turned over his shoulder to see his friends scrambling around to grab snacks and candy. Jinki sighed as they dumped them all on the counter, smiling at him. Of course nothing had changed since his accident. Except now, he was terribly curious about the boy named Taemin. Maybe he’d ask them later if anyone knew one.
“Why do I have to buy all of you candy? Shouldn’t you guys be the one treating me to food and stuff?” He pulled out his keys and let the cashier scan his employee discount card before grabbing his credit card.
“Because. You didn’t spend any money while you were comatose.”
“I didn’t earn any money either.”
“Thanks, Jinki. I’ll pay you back for my and Jonghyun’s stuff. I left my wallet at home.”
“... You always leave your wallet at home.”
--
It would be his luck that the elevator at the apartment would be broken. The yellow caution tape and large ‘OUT OF ORDER’ sign mocked his very existence. His luck must have run out when he survived the fall from the balcony.
His friends were at least nice enough to help him up the stairs without making fun of him. At least, without making too much fun of him. He had to suffer through a few more of Jonghyun’s ‘What do you call’ jokes. He listened to Key complain nonstop about his choice of clothes. But for once, he didn’t mind.
Minho opened the door and threw his keys onto the bowl on the kitchen counter. Jinki dropped the white paper bag with his medicine onto the kitchen table and started to unwrap his scarf with one hand. “Hey, hey. I’ll help you with that. Wouldn’t want you to choke yoursel- OW. What Key?!”
Jonghyun inadvertently pulled on Jinki scarf, tightening it around his neck uncomfortably while he looked indignantly over at Key. “Stop saying stuff like that! You’re going to be the reason he dies someday!”
“Uh guys.” Jinki tugged at the scarf around his neck with his good hand and rolled his eyes. They were both going to be the death of him someday. He pulled the scarf out of Jonghyun’s hand abruptly and took in a deep breath, wincing from the ache in his ribs.
“Thanks for uh, you know, your good intentions, but please, for the love of god, stop trying to help me. You’re going to kill me faster.” He left his scarf hanging on the chair in the kitchen before settling on the couch next to Minho, who was reading through his care packet, cup of hot coffee in his hand.
“It says we’re going to have to change your bandages around your chest daily until your next checkup. The hospital gave us a kit with some instructions.” He put the cup of coffee down and held up the kit for the other two behind him to see.
Jonghyun and Key stopped arguing for a moment, glancing curiously over at Minho. “I’ll change your bandages for you, Jinki!” Jonghyun said enthusiastically with his hand raised. Key elbowed him in the ribs. “What? So you can break the rest of them? I’LL do it for you, Jinki.” The two started to fight behind them again.
“Minho, will you help me change my bandages?”
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry right?”
--
“Hey guys. Do either of you guys know anyone named Taemin?” Neither Jonghyun or Minho looked away from the screen as they mashed buttons on their controllers. “No. I don’t.”
“Neither do I. HEY! That was cheating! Your guy totally tripped my guy on purpose!”
“It’s a video game. I don’t think I can do that.” Jonghyun threw the controller down in disgust and anger. Jinki sighed. He’d gotten them the game system for Christmas one year, and the controllers for it cost about fifty dollars each.
“Be careful. Jeeze. This coffee table is expensive.” Oh. Right. The coffee table was expensive.
Jonghyun fumed for a moment before confusion hit his features. “Why did you wanna know if we knew a Taemin?”
“I don’t know. I was just curious,” he said quickly. Both of them would laugh if he told them it was because a big black dot in his coma showed him his past lives and the fact that he was married to Taemin in each life.
“What?” Jonghyun asked, giving him a weird look. Even Minho was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What?... Oh. I said that out loud didn’t I?” He sighed and ran his good hand through his hair.
“A big black dot showed you your past lives while you were in the coma. And you were married to some guy named Taemin?” Jonghyun shook his head and laughed. “So what? You’re gonna try to find him in this life too?”
Jinki shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.”
Jonghyun stopped laughing when he realized Jinki was actually being serious. “What? Really? Jinki. Be real here. He could be anywhere in the world right now, assuming he even exists.” Jinki sighed, staying silent for a moment. It did all sound a bit crazy.
The door to the apartment opened, revealing Key holding a brown bag of groceries before kicking the door closed behind him. “Hey. What’s going on?” He asked, dropping the bag onto the counter.
“Jinki’s looking for his soul mate. Someone named Taemin.” Key almost dropped the jar of peanut butter in his hands. “What? The dance instructor at my gym? You know him?” Key asked incredulously.
The three on the couch blinked at each other in amazement. “So he does exist! This is perfect Jinki!” He punched Jinki in the arm in his excitement, not noticing the sudden grimace on his friend’s face. “Just go with Key to the gym or something and make an excuse to meet him and- What? Oh god. Did I hit you in the wrong arm?! I’m sorry! I- Jeeze.” Minho shook his head while Key rolled his eyes from the kitchen.
“Would you just stay away from him, Jonghyun? Hasn’t he suffered enough already?” He said with exasperation, putting away the rest of the groceries. Minho gently grabbed Jonghyun and switched places with him on the couch.
After the pain faded, Jinki took a few deep calming breaths, just so he wouldn’t pick up a controller and bash Jonghyun over the head with it.
“So, are any of you going to tell me what’s going on?” Key asked, sitting down on the loveseat and stretching his legs. Jonghyun briefly, and with much more excitement than needed, explained the situation to Key.
“Because that makes sense,” he said slowly, giving the exact same look Minho was giving him earlier. Jinki sighed. “I don’t know! Who knows? Maybe he really is the one.” Key blinked a few times, leaning his head onto his fingers.
“I don’t know, Jinki. You guys don’t really seem that... compatible. He has grace and poise, and you have casts and two left feet.” Jinki closed his eyes and leaned his head on the back of the couch. Why did his mouth have to have a mind of its own?
“Not to mention he’s only like, twenty years old. But you know, if you really want me to introduce you to him, you can come with me to the gym next week. Although, I don’t really know what excuse I can make for you...” He looked him up and down from the cast on his arm to the one around his leg. “Physical therapy?”
“Don’t even.”
--
Jinki popped a white pill into his mouth before drowning it in water as Minho changed the bandages around his chest. It still ached to stretch his arms up too far, but it was much better than it had been lately.
“Are you ready to go yet?” Key asked, sticking his head into Jinki’s room. He was dressed in his usual gym attire, leaning on one leg with his bag slung over his shoulder. “Almost. Minho’s just gotta- Ow.” Jinki winced as Minho pulled a little bit too tight. “Sorry. But you’re done. Good luck.”
Jinki wasn’t sure how to feel as he followed Key out of the front door. The weather was getting colder, and since the gym was close, Jinki opted to change into his t-shirt and sweat pants at home instead of struggling in front of other people at the gym.
“You don’t have to do anything once we get to the gym.”
“I’m not going to stand there and look awkward. I mean. I could at least get on the treadmill and walk or something.”
“You could lift weights,” Key said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking up and down the street before hurrying across.
“What, and have one arm be bigger than the other? I’d like to stay somewhat symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.” Key laughed, turning down the street and pulling Jinki closer to him to avoid a crowd of people.
“Who said you were pleasing to the eye in the first place?” Jinki rolled his eyes and sighed, a small cloud of mist disappearing into the air.
Key regarded his expression for a moment before frowning slightly. “You know I’m just kidding, right? This is just how Jjong and I show our affection for you. You know, by insulting you.” Jinki smiled slightly as he nodded. “It’s always been like that. I know.”
Key’s frown became more pronounced. “Maybe it shouldn’t be... I mean, you’re always so responsible... I feel kinda bad making fun of you when you could’ve died...” Jinki laughed this time as Key opened the door to the gym for him.
“Then lay off until I get better. Then you can insult me all you want.”
--
Jinki leaned against the wall of the entrance to the dressing room as he waited for Key to finish changing. As he waited, his eyes scanned the lobby. There were a lot of people there despite the cold weather. He supposed to them, nothing could get in the way of a healthy body.
“Except maybe falling five stories,” he mumbled to himself. “Jinki! Did you wait long?” He heard Key ask, voice strangely bright. He turned to Key with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you mean? We got...” There he was. Standing next to Key.
Taemin.
“Taemin, I want you to meet my friend Jinki. He’s one of my roommates.” Taemin smiled at him and bowed respectfully while eyeing his casts and bandages.
“Hi Jinki! Um, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but what happened to you?” He noticed Taemin’s eyes settle on the pink scar next to his eye.
“I got into a gang fight and single-handedly beat down ten guys.” He wanted to slap himself as soon as those words left his mouth, but Taemin seemed to believe it by the way his eyes went wide.
“What? No way!”
“You’re right. I actually fell out of the balcony of my apartment. It's a pretty long way down, as I learned the hard way.” Taemin winced slightly. “Well, I’m glad you’re alive... You don’t look like you should be at a gym though.” Jinki laughed and shrugged.
“Key dragged me down here. Said I should at least walk or something so my bones don’t dissolve in my body.” Key gave him an indignant look and opened his mouth to say something, but the look Jinki gave him made him shut his mouth. It still didn’t wipe the indignant expression on his face.
“Well, I’ve got a class to teach, so I’ll see you guys later. Bye Key! It’s was nice to meet you Jinki!” Taemin hurried off with a wave.
As soon as he was gone, Key turned to Jinki. “So judging by the star struck look on your face, that’s the Taemin from your past lives visions?” He nodded dumbly.
“Jeeze, Jinki, close your mouth before you start drooling.”
--
Key left him to his own devices as he joined his yoga class. Jinki wandered through the gym for a moment. He’d been here once or twice with Key and Minho. Jonghyun only came when Minho dragged him kicking and screaming.
He peered into one of the windows of the closed doors and saw women bicycling. Nope, that wasn’t it. He traveled farther down the hallway and glanced through another window. “Okay, one more time!” He could hear the music playing over the speakers.
He watched as a group of people started dancing in the middle while another group surrounded them, watching and taking videos. Someone must have noticed him standing outside because the door suddenly opened, making him stumble inside. The person smiled at him and beckoned him to sit down, which he did, awkwardly.
The song playing was something he recognized, something by a group called SHINee. He couldn’t remember the name of the song, not like he could think coherently from the way Taemin was moving at the front and the faces he was making at the mirror.
It was irrational, the way his heart beat faster. It was stupid, the way he blushed until the tips of his ears turned red. But for once in his life, something felt right. He made a mental note to thank the big black dot later, then he frowned. He may have seen Taemin in his hallucinations, but why was he so attracted to him without knowing anything besides that they were together in past lives? If those visions were even real anyway.
He was so busy thinking that he didn’t even notice the class end and the people filing out, talking to each other, and laughing. He didn’t notice until he heard someone calling his name. “Jinki?” He looked up to see Taemin grinning at him with a towel around his neck, sweat dripping down his- Jinki jerked his eyes up to his face.
“Hi. Uh. I got lost looking for the treadmills. And somehow I managed to wander in here.” Taemin nodded a few times. “Well, the treadmills are on the opposite side of the building. I can take you over there if you like.” Jinki smiled a bright smile at him before pushing himself up against the wall and sliding up to a standing position.
“I would. Thanks.” Taemin opened up the door for him before turning off the light. He has a pretty nice smile, he thought to himself.
--
For some strange, inexplicable reason, Jinki’s vision wasn’t cooperating with him. He blinked a few times before wobbling in the hallway behind Taemin. “Jinki? Are you okay?” He heard him ask in a voice equally wobbly.
“Um... I... I’m not sure actually. I can’t see straight.” There was no way that Taemin was doing this to him. That would be stupid, and cliche, and just-
“Maybe you should sit. I’ll get you some water and maybe go find Key.” Taemin grabbed his good arm and led him over to a chair in the lobby. Jinki closed his eyes and tried to make his swirling mind concentrate on Taemin’s fingers around his arm, but he only succeeded in falling onto the chair, sending his mind spinning.
“That. That would be helpful. Thanks.” Why? Why was this happening to him right now? He wasn’t dehydrated. He ate breakfast that morning. He took his pill- He took his pills. Sudden realization hit him, but did nothing to stop his drugged up mind.
Damn those pain pills. Just damn them all. But he had to admit, they did a pretty good job numbing the pain in Jinki’s arm when he accidentally landed on it falling into the chair.
“Jinki? Jinki!” Key hurried over to him while Taemin stood behind him in curiosity. “He was fine in the dance studio, but then while I was taking him over to the treadmills, he started to walk weird and said he couldn’t see straight.”
“Jinki. Did you take your pain medication before we left?” Key asked, patting him on the face a few times to get his attention.
“Oh. I... I might’ve. I probably did. I’m sorry Key. I didn’t mean to mess up your... your workout and... yeah...” Key rolled his eyes. The guy worked in a pharmacy for goodness sake. He turned around and smiled apologetically at Taemin.
“I’m sorry. He’s not really like this all of the time.”
“I see... Well I hope he gets better,” Taemin said slowly, giving Jinki worried looks. Key threw his good arm over his shoulder and helped him up. “Jinki, where’s your jacket?”
“Jacket? I brought a jacket?” He blinked his brown eyes in confusion at Key. Key shook his head. Who knew pain medication could affect someone so much? He’d been fine at home. Maybe it was because he always slept when he was at home.
“He can have mine. You can bring it back to me whenever, I have an extra one.” Taemin slipped his jacket off and threw it around Jinki’s shoulders. It was a little bit small, but it provided enough warmth for the older man.
“Thanks, Taemin.”
--
Key was positively fuming when he dumped Jinki on the couch, very carefully, of course. As soon as he hit the cushions though, his mind was gone as he passed out cold. “What’s wrong?” Minho asked, leaning on the doorway of his and Jonghyun’s shared bedroom.
“Genius here took one of his pain pills before we went to the gym, so he ended up spaced out and ready to pass out before he could get anywhere with Taemin. And he probably thinks he’s a weird drug addict now,” Key said, eyeing the sleeping figure on the couch.
Minho shook his head. Jinki never did have any luck. “Whassgoinon?” Jonghyun murmured sleepily from behind Minho. He fell forward and buried his face into Minho’s back before wrapping his arms around his waist.
“Jinki had a mild fail at the gym.”
“Oh god. Did he hurt himself again?” Jonghyun asked, fully awake now. “I swear to you I didn’t say anything this time. I didn’t jinx him.”
Key sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to do a little bit of meddling. Jinki’s probably going to brood over this and stare at his jacket thinking of ways to give it back to him. And I’m not gonna lie, they do look cute together.”
“Does Taemin even like guys?” Key rolled his eyes. “Please. Anyone that can move their hips like that cannot be straight.”
--
And brood he did. After Jinki woke up in the morning (he slept through the rest of the day), he was completely horrified. He locked himself in his bedroom and refused to come out, except to eat, which was when Key and Jonghyun took the time to poke fun at him.
They stopped, however, when he didn’t respond and just went back to his room to brood some more. “Wow. He’s really hung up over him huh?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know a grown man could be so attached to someone after seeing them for a total of thirty minutes.”
“You know how Jinki is. He gets super attached for a few days then gets bored and dumps them. That’s how it was in high school.” Key frowned at him.
“Yeah, that was high school, but we’re talking about his potential soul mate here.” It was Jonghyun’s turn to frown.
“You really believe that he’s his soul mate? Like, they exist and stuff?”
“You don’t?” Minho asked from behind him. He glided to the kitchen table and sat down while Key slid him a cup of coffee.
“Minho, that’s not what I meant-”
“I think,” he said, cutting his boyfriend off, “that we should cut him some slack for once. Help him out. He’s suffered enough, hasn't he?” Key and Jonghyun were quiet while Minho sipped his coffee.
“I guess we been taking him for granted.”
“You mean you’ve been taking him for granted. I’ve been hanging out with Taemin for the past month so I can ask him to come to Christmas dinner with us. He asks quite a few questions about Jinki.” Key sighed as he leaned back into his chair.
“Well. Do you have any master plans for getting them together after the dinner? I mean, we’ve never met the kid either. So we’re gonna have questions.”
“Just question him to death until he goes to Jinki as a shield. I’ll have the place booby trapped with mistletoe. Which I’m sure everyone will find some way to make use of them. I’ll be inviting my boyfriend and-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?”
“Don’t be so surprised Jjong. You’ve already met him.”
“Who? For the love of god, who?”
“Just shut up and make sure you don’t screw up Jinki’s chance.”
--
Jinki wasn’t sure how Key convinced Taemin to come by for Christmas dinner, but there he was fidgeting uncomfortably in a seat across from him, next to Minho. He probably felt as out of place as Key’s boyfriend looked.
“So... You’re Key’s boyfriend huh? What country are you from again?” Jonghyun yelped as Minho elbowed him in the side while Key walked behind him and smacked hishead. They were supposed to be questioning Taemin, not his boyfriend.
“What? I’m just curious!” Key fumed as he set his dish onto the table, looking over apologetically at his boyfriend.
“It’s okay. I get that a lot. But I’m from Korea, born and raised.” Jonghyun still wasn’t convinced.
Jinki watched Taemin in his peripheral vision and noticed him playing with his hands. He wasn’t really making eye contact with anyone or joining in any conversations.
“So. Taemin. How have you been since I last saw you?” He grinned slightly before looking up at Jinki. “Are you sure you even remember what happened that day?”
Jinki let out a massive sigh. He had nothing to say to that. Taemin wasn’t going to make this easy, was he? “But I’m okay. Things could be worse.” Jinki nodded. “How’s the job at the gym?”
“Same as always.” An uncomfortable silence fell between the two again. Jinki frowned. He was bad at small talk. He wished that Key had informed him that Taemin would be coming so he could’ve at least come up with things to talk about.
“How’s your arm?” Jinki looked down at his bare arm. A few months had passed since he fell off of the balcony. Normally the doctors would’ve taken it off after about six weeks, but Jinki was an exceptionally slow healer.
“Better. Not ready to do any heavy lifting, but good enough to shuffle pills around. I work in a pharmacy,” he added quickly, seeing the look on Taemin’s face.
“Oh, I see. That’s good, that’s good.”
“I’m not a drug addict or anything,” he mumbled under his breath. Smooth move Jinki. If he didn’t think you were a drug addict before, he definitely thinks so now, he thought to himself.
“I didn’t think you were. You don’t really look the type,” Taemin said as he looked around at the couples around him, who were trying to look oblivious, but obviously listening to their conversation.
“Well, let’s eat then guys, I’m starving.”
--
Conversation was casual between all of them during dinner. There were questions about the usual things: work and school. The usual fight between Jonghyun and Key broke out halfway through dinner about something Jonghyun said. Minho and Dongwoon gave each other understanding looks.
“You’re just lucky you don’t have to live with them,” Minho said, scooping up another bite of mashed potatoes.
Taemin, however, was laughing at something Jinki was telling him. “Then Jonghyun bet Key that he wouldn’t be able to get anyone’s phone number in drag, so Key dressed up and went out, and like, we got to the club, and there were guys all over him! I’ve never seen Jjong so dumbstruck before in his life.”
Jinki was feeling pretty pleased. Things were becoming less and less awkward between them. He even noticed Taemin staring at him out of the corner of his eye when he was eating and having a conversation with Minho.
Once dinner was over, the six of them wandered over to the couches for the gift exchange. Minho held out a hat with numbers. The six of them eyed the presents on the table and picked their number respectively.
“Okay, Grampa first.” Jinki scowled at him while Key reached over and punched him in the arm. “Ow, jeeze.”
Jinki opened up his folded piece of paper to see the big number one on it. “Hey look! I’m number one!” Jonghyun smirked before opening his mouth to say something else, but this time, Minho covered his mouth with his hand.
“You can lick my hand all you want,” he said with a smirk on his face. He leaned in to whisper something into his ear that vaguely sounded like, “and other things too.”
Shuddering slightly, Jinki put his words out of his mind before picking up the present with the number one sticky note on it, noting how light it felt. He looked around the room to see if he could figure out whose it was, but their expressions betrayed nothing. Jinki opened up the bag and dug through the tissue paper to feel something like a stuffed animal.
He pulled it out and stared at it for a few seconds before his face broke out in a huge grin. “You’re kidding me!” Jonghyun clapped loudly as he rocked back and forth in his seat laughing. “That is perfect for you Jinki! Perfect!” He was holding a stuffed chicken. A very comfortable one at that. He held it close to him and leaned his head on it.
“It’s cute. I like it.” He didn’t miss the pleased look on Taemin’s face.
--
Taemin sat pretty close to him during the movie they were watching in the living room. Close in the sense that he was practically leaning on him, and the body heat that was radiating from him was amazing. Amazing.
As it got later, Minho caught Jinki’s attention and pointed to his bedroom. Jinki nodded slightly before dislodging himself from Taemin. “I’ll be right back.” Taemin nodded sleepily. Jinki followed Minho into his bedroom and pulled at his sweater vest.
“I figured I’d better do it before I get too sleepy or something.” Jinki nodded in understanding, pulling his shirt off all the way. Minho unwrapped the old bandages. “Are you not going to take a shower today?” Jinki smelled himself and shook his head. “I smell fine. I’ll just take one in the morning.”
Taemin watched the movie until he felt a sudden urgency. “Key, I don’t mean to uh, interrupt. But where’s your bathroom?” Key looked over at him from Dongwoon’s lap and pointed towards Jinki’s room. “Use the one in Jinki’s room. Our other one is out of order.”
Taemin wiggled off the couch and tiptoed over to the bedroom door as to not disturb anyone else. He knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside. The sight that met him made his jaw drop a little bit.
Jinki was standing there, shirt off with his arms slightly raised so Minho could wrap bandages around his chest. He could see the outline of abs that looked like they used to be well defined. His skin was pale and smooth, and his hair fell over his eyes perfectly as he turned to glance at Taemin with a soft smile.
“Need something?”
“Uh... bathroom,” was the only thing that came out of his mouth. Jinki pointed in front of him. “Over there.” Taemin hurried over as fast as he could, hoping that Jinki couldn’t see how red his ears were.
--
By the time the movie was done, it was the middle of the night, and the only people left on the couch were Taemin and Jinki.
Jinki blinked sleepily a few times at the screen before reaching out for the remote and turning it off. He turned to look at the half-awake boy leaning on his arm. “Sleepy? It’s too late for you to be going home. You can stay the night here. I’ll lend you some clothes.” Taemin nodded sleepily before pushing himself up into a sitting position and yawning.
He followed Jinki into his bedroom and sat on the bed while Jinki dug through his closet for smaller clothes. Eventually, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt landed beside him. Taemin picked them up and wandered into the bathroom to change without another word.
Jinki changed quickly and waited for him to come back out with his stuffed chicken in his hands. Taemin came out with his eyes barely open. He staggered towards the bed and fell on top of Jinki, pushing him back onto the bed.
He stopped breathing as Taemin snuggled into his chest, ignoring the dull ache in his ribs. “Uh. Taemin?”
“Jinki. Do you believe in soul mates?”
--
They started dating shortly after the Christmas holidays. New Year’s came and passed, then Valentine’s Day came.
“Are you guys doing anything special for Valentine’s Day?”
“No, not really,” Jinki said sipping on his coffee. Jonghyun nodded. “I think this is the longest you’ve ever committed to a relationship- OW!” Key whacked him in the back of the head. “Rude.”
Jinki chuckled as Jonghyun whipped around, ready to argue about the injustice he received. His phone vibrated on the table twice with Taemin’s name flashing on the screen before he picked it up. “Hello, my dear.”
“Haha, hello, Jinki. You’re going to be free later tonight, right? I kinda wanted to go out to dinner.”
“Oh, sure. Where?” There was silence on Taemin’s end for a moment.
“Actually, I lied. I wanted to cook for you tonight.”
“Oh? You can cook?” A look of surprise spread across his features.
“Well enough. Don’t eat anything before you come! I’ll make lots of good food for you!” They said their mushy things and goodbyes before Jinki hung up. The look of horror Key gave him was just as bad as the time Jinki cooked.
“Taemin is about as good a chef as you are.” Jinki blinked a few times and shrugged. “It’s okay. If all else fails, we can order takeout.”
--
“Oh my god, Jinki, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it was that burnt!”
And order takeout they did.
--
It was a leap year that year, adding that extra day to February that came once every four years. That’s when he was going to do it. It might’ve been soon, maybe a little bit too soon, but nothing in his life had ever felt so right before.
They spent the day in the dance studio, messing around and playing. Taemin’s class was canceled that day. Out of breath and sweaty, the two of them laid on the floor, fingers intertwined. Something had been nagging at Jinki’s mind lately.
“Hey, Taemin. Can I ask you another question after this one?” Taemin laughed and sat up to lean on his elbow to get a better view of Jinki’s face while playing with his fingers.
“Go right ahead.”
“What did you mean when you asked me if I believed in soul mates on Christmas?” Taemin blinked a few times, thinking about his answer. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t freak out on me or anything okay? Promise?” He sat up and held out his other pinky. Jinki laughed and took it, sealing the promise with their thumbs.
“Okay, so I used to not sleep very well at night, so I went to the doctors, and he prescribed me sleeping pills. You were the one that filled them out for me I believe.” Jinki furrowed his eyebrows trying to remember. “Was I? I don’t remember.”
“They worked pretty well until about a month later. I started to get weird dreams involving a big black dot.” Jinki stiffened for a second before sitting up and staring at Taemin in disbelief. “A big black dot? That liked to giggle and answer only yes or no questions?”
It was Taemin’s turn to raise an eyebrow at him. “Yeah... How did you know?”
“I had the same visions while I was in my coma!” The two of them blinked back and forth at each other.
“Yeah... I saw us married and stuff. And that you were the one to find me every time. So I figured you’d find me in this life too. I mean, if you even existed. Then BAM! You’re there at the gym with Key. I didn’t know what to say to you without sounding creepy.” Jinki laughed the laugh that made Taemin smile from ear to ear.
“That’s what I was thinking too. But uh, I failed miserably.” Taemin laughed this time, leaning forward to give him a kiss.
“You won me over though. But do me a favor. When we get married, don’t get me a gold ring. I don’t like yellow gold.” Jinki smiled and fished a small box out of his pocket. This was perfect. It was going to be perfect.
“I thought so too. So I opted for white gold.” He opened up the box as Taemin’s eyes widened at the sight of the ring in the box.
“So, Taemin. Will you marry me again?”
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Will You Marry Me (Again)?
Pairing: Onew/Taemin
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 9,659
Summary: After falling out of the balcony of his apartment, Jinki was lucky to be alive. He spends a few weeks in the hospital in a coma, in which he gets visions of his past lives. He sees himself married to the same person over again in each life, but the problem is, he doesn’t have a clue who it is.
“Hey, Jinki. What’s twenty-five years old and still a virgin?”
Jinki threw his takeout box at his roommate, Jonghyun, and rolled his eyes. “You ass. Just because I’m not up every night having sex like you and Minho doesn’t mean that I don’t get laid.” Key let out an indignant cry and picked up the noodles that spilled from the box and on his shirt with his chopsticks.
“Jinki. That is disgusting.” He dropped it onto a napkin and gave him a scandalized look. “But Jjong is right. When was the last time you brought a girl home? Or a guy?” Jinki scowled at Key before snatching his empty box and stalking off to the kitchen.
Minho rolled his eyes before picking a piece of chicken out of Jonghyun’s food. “Do you have to be so mean to him?” Jonghyun laughed. “I’m just messing with him. Jinki! You know I’m just joking right?”
Jinki fell back onto his position on the couch and sighed. “I guess you’re right. Things have been pretty busy at work lately. With the weather getting colder, everyone and their mother is coming in for medication.” Jinki worked at the local pharmacy as a technician, counting pills and filling out prescriptions for the sickly and mildly insane.
“Pick up one of your customers!” Jinki laughed, his eyes turning into crescent moons. “You’re kidding me right? Some of these people are insane. You should see the medications they’re taking.”
“Okay, okay. I was just making sure you weren’t taking me seriously and secretly planning to do something stupid like jump off of the balcony or something in an attempt to commit suicide.” The three of them gave Jonghyun a weird look. “What? He’s around crazy people all day! I don’t know what he’s thinking half the time he’s smiling at me!”
“I secretly plot your death behind each and every smile. You die at least three times every time I do.” And for good measure, Jinki gave him a bright smile.
--
Jinki had the following day off. Minho laid out on the couch watching TV while Jonghyun and Key were at their respective jobs. Key worked at a fashion designing firm somewhere down the street, and Jonghyun was a delivery boy for the restaurant that they always had takeout from. He always charmed the manager for some free food every time it was Jinki’s turn to cook, because quite frankly, no one wanted to give him another chance no one wanted to give him another chance after the food poisoning incident.
He slid the doors open to the balcony, shivering slightly as the cool autumn air hit his skin, raising goosebumps on his skin. Minho glanced over to him briefly before returning his gaze to the television. “Try not to die,” he called to him. Jinki chuckled before shaking his head.
He stepped out onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. Jonghyun, Minho, and Key were his best friends. They’d graduated high school together and kept in touch, and after all of them were done with experiencing life on their own, they decided to move in together in an apartment in the city.
Jinki’s thoughts briefly touched on his love life. Jonghyun and Minho had finally admitted they liked each other after arguing and beating each other up for a good two years of their friendship. Key, on the other hand, had people falling at his feet. He had his fair share to pick from, but Key was really picky, insisting on waiting for the one that “took his breath away” instead of the other way around.
Jinki dated around every now and then, but his relationships never felt right. He had a reputation for being a heart breaker because of that insecure feeling. He shifted his weight and sighed, staring out at the busy street to his left.
The morning dew left the balcony railing slick, something he failed to notice. He saw something flash in the street and leaned out over the railing, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see. Then his hand underneath him slipped, pitching head first down into the ally.
He didn’t register Minho’s yelling. He didn’t seem to realize how fast the ground was coming up at him. His body moved on its own in the air, flipping him over so he was right side up. There was a resounding crash as he hit the closed dumpster, then rolled off and hit the ground, broken and bloodied.
The phone couldn’t keep up with Minho’s fingers as he called 119.
--
“Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!” Key screeched in the hospital, earning him a few glares by passersby. Minho sat with his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. “No. I told you. He fell out of the balcony. I was on the couch watching TV, keeping an eye on him, just in case you know, something happened. I looked away for a moment to see the score, then suddenly he’s falling.”
Key sat down in a heap next to him. He left work right away after Minho had called him and told him what happened. He still had a pencil tucked behind his ear and a belt of fabric swatches around his waist. He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to fucking kill Jonghyun. He jinxed it. He jinxed it.”
“Oh god! Is he okay?!” Minho looked up to see Jonghyun running into the waiting room, pulling his hat off of his head. “He’s in intensive surgery right now. Broke a few ribs, his left arm, and cracked his heel. He got a nasty cut on his head and was bleeding pretty bad everywhere else. They’re checking to see nothing else is wrong.”
“But is he okay?”
“Jjong. Does he sound okay to you?” Jonghyun sat down weakly next to Minho. “It was just a joke. It was a joke!” He buried his face into his hands while Minho rubbed his back. The light for the operating room turned off as a doctor pushed open the doors, pulling his mask from his face. The three of them looked at him expectantly.
“You’re all friends of Lee Jinki?”
“His roommates. Best friends.”
“It seems he’ll be fine. He did suffer from a concussion when he landed, no major head injuries. It’s a miracle he’s still breathing after falling from five stories. We’ve done all we can. It’s only a matter of time before he wakes up. Could be hours, could be weeks, months. We don’t know.”
“But he will wake up right?” The doctor gave them a look that answered their question.
All they could do was wait.
--
Jinki’s eyes snapped open. White space filled his eyes as he looked around frantically. Everything was white. The ground, the sky. He scrambled to his feet and looked down at his clothes. Jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He picked at his t-shirt just to make sure he was actually wearing one and that his body hadn’t suddenly decided to blend in with the background.
“Hello?” He called out to the white space. His vision jumped for a second, causing his head to explode in pain. He gripped his head and grimaced. When he opened his eyes again, there was a black dot in the middle of the space. He stared at it cautiously before taking a few steps forward. It quivered slightly. Jinki stopped moving and darted his eyes around.
Suddenly, the dot burst into lines that began to twist and turn themselves all over the white space. Jinki fell back, completely startled, looking around at the lines that were drawing a picture. It didn’t take long for them to completely fill the white space. As soon as they stopped moving, color filled in the lines, a movie started to play. He was definitely the odd one out.
There were lots of men in togas and plenty of women with extremely pale faces and very large hair. He scrambled to his feet, moving out of people’s way as he apologized furiously. But they paid no attention to him. It was like he wasn’t even there. Who wore togas anymore? Only the Romans, Greeks, and frat boys did.
“Oh god. Only the Romans, Greeks, and frat boys did.” There were no cars, just roads that people walked. He saw wagons and the horses pulling them, and a group of people gathered around a fountain. Jinki wandered his way over to where a man was chiseling, yes chiseling, something onto a wall in words and letters he didn’t recognize. He did, however, recognize the numbers. “Roman numerals. Well. It’s not frat boys.”
Jinki turned, searching for someone to help him. “Excuse me...” He reached out to tap someone standing near the fountain on the shoulder, but his hand went straight through their body. “WHOA WHAT-” The person turned around and walked right through him.
Jinki stood there in shock for a moment. “Okay... Sure. Why not. I must’ve hit my head pretty hard. Maybe I’m hallucinating.” Hopefully, I’m not dead. He sat down on a wooden bench and took in his surroundings. But the looks of it, he was back in time. He time traveled? No. That was ridiculous.
Suddenly, a fanfare started playing, and the people hurried to the side of the main road. Jinki turned towards the crowd and got up, moving towards them, wanting to see what the fuss was about. A large procession made its way down the street.
“Make way for the Senator!” Now, Jinki was sure he said that in a language he couldn’t understand, but for some reason, it made perfect sense in his head. If only he could have the translate feature in his normal, everyday life.
People cheered and clapped. Jinki stood on his tippy toes to see until he realized no one could see him anyway. He walked through the crowd and stood near the middle of the street. He gasped when he saw the man sitting on the extravagant chair carried by four servants, a purple wrap with a gold outline adorned on his body.
It was him.
And just as soon as he saw himself, the color started to drain from everything, and the black lines retreated back into the large dot in the center, leaving him standing in blank space again. Jinki blinked a few times before sitting down in a huff. “Okay. That was weird.”
The dot swirled again before sending out more lines to create another scene.
--
It was dark. Jinki looked around apprehensively at the large bedroom he was sitting in. There wasn’t really a bed, more like something padded on top of a bed frame with strings supporting the mattress. It really brought a new meaning to ‘sleep tight.’
He saw a servant boy walk in, carrying a jar of something. He ran up to him and peered in as he poured wine into a glass. Jinki frowned, he didn’t even like wine. But apparently this him did. He watched himself smile as he laid down on the bed, taking the glass of wine from the slave and taking a sip, never taking his eyes off of him.
“Is everyone gone?” He heard himself ask. The small boy nodded as he grinned, beckoning him closer and pulling him onto the bed before sitting up.
“I missed you,” he murmured into his ear, sending chills down the other boy’s spine.
“I know, I missed you too,” he heard the other boy say softly before Jinki watched himself tilt boy’s face up and kiss him, a golden ring gleaming on his finger before the color drained again, lines retreating rapidly. He shielded his eyes from the blinding whiteness around him until they adjusted to its intensity.
“Okay. So. I used to be a senator. That’s cool. Can I go now?” He shouted into the white space. He froze as he heard something giggle. His eyes fell immediately to the quivering dot in the middle of the white space. “Are you laughing at me?” He got no reply this time, instead, the dot shrank, then exploded into more lines.
“Here we go again.”
--
The weather was dark and dreary, and the people gathered around the fire on the ground were speaking in a language he could vaguely understand. Maybe it was just the accent.
Jinki did notice that they were dressed in furs, carrying around heavy weapons and armor. “Who in the world- Oh.” He saw someone walk by with the infamous Viking hat with two horns protruding from each side. He glanced towards the shore and saw the longboats, complete with flags and oars.
Then he spotted a familiar boy. “Oh. This guy again.” He hurried over to the boy from the last vision huddling around the fire. He looked cold, but who wouldn’t be, dressed in so few furs? He didn’t know where they were, but he was sure it was cold. Jinki hated being cold, so he sympathized with the boy.
“Taemin. What are you doing here by yourself?” He turned to the voice to see himself again before turning his eyes back to the boy. So his name is Taemin... Jinki thought to himself. “Freezing to death. What does it look like?” Taemin smirked up at Jinki before he took off one of his furs and placed it around Taemin’s shoulders.
Jinki whistled when he got a good look at himself. He was very well built, carrying weapons of all assortments. People nodded their heads to him respectfully whenever they walked by him. Jinki stood next to his Viking self and held up his arms. He had a long way to go before looking anything like that.
Suddenly, the low bellow of a horn rang through the campsite. Taemin’s eyes darted towards the one who blew it, his expression suddenly going sad. Jinki watched his past self straighten up and turn towards him as well. “Taemin, it’s time for me to go.” Taemin stood up and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face into his chest.
“I don’t want you to go... What if you don’t come back?” Jinki chuckled before ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on his lips. “I’ll always come back to you.” He saw him slip something small and gold onto Taemin’s finger before leaving a kiss on his forehead and heading off to a ship.
Taemin watched as he left, unknowingly turning the small ring on his finger before the color drained again.
--
“Is this really necessary? My vision is starting to go out of whack,” Jinki said to the dot. As per usual, he got no reply. “Are you trying to tell me something?” The dot quivered. Jinki frowned at the dot. Was that a yes? “What are you showing me?” No reply.
“Okay. Um. Am I supposed to learn something from what you’re showing me?” The dot quivered. Maybe that was a yes. “Are you showing me my past lives?” The dot quivered again. Jinki nodded slowly, thinking back to all he saw in the past two visions. The only thing that was consistent was his apparent love for a boy named Taemin.
“I’m in love with Taemin?” The dot spun around excitedly before sending out another tangled mess of lines. Jinki sighed and got to his feet.
--
Another town formed around him this time, a little bit more modern, but not anything he’d ever seen in real life, just the movies perhaps. The accent of the people surrounding him was easier to recognize. “I was British in a past life? Okay. That’s pretty cool.” He heard the weird giggle echo again.
Jinki was standing on the side of the street, glancing up and down at the neatly packed buildings around him. A crowd of people walked through him from behind. He turned around to take a look at the buildings around him when he saw himself open a door and close it behind him, pulling a key ring from his belt and locking the door.
He hurried forward, looking around the dwelling. There was a split entrance. One that led to a courtyard, and one, he assumed, that led to the inside of the house. He saw himself replace the key ring on his belt, and with some papers tucked underneath his arm, looked both ways before walking across the street.
“Key is such a liar. I would totally look good with long hair.” His past British self kept long hair, tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a plain white shirt tucked into back pants that disappeared into boots. Jinki hurried after him, wondering where he was going at such a pace. Probably off to meet Taemin somewhere.
Jinki followed his past self through streets and allies, trying not to get lost. He saw himself trip slightly on a raised stone in the road and sighed. He was clumsy, even in his past lives. Luckily, he still had a firm grip on his papers as he made his way over to a house with a red door. He knocked on it three times before the door swung open, revealing none other than the boy Jinki recognized as Taemin.
He handed the papers over to him, sunlight glinting off something gold on his finger. Jinki hurried forward and tried to see what it was, vaguely remembering something like it in each of his visions.
A gold ring. He leaned over and glanced at Taemin’s hand while they had a conversation. Another gold ring. So did that mean... Taemin’s hand reached up to grab Jinki’s collar with a devious expression on his face before dragging him inside, shutting the door behind him.
Jinki blinked a few times at the closed red door before the colors drained again. The lines retreated back to the dot in the center of the white space. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said, approaching the dot and sitting down next to it, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Were Taemin and I... married each time?” The dot whirled around excitedly. “So what? Is he like my soul mate or something? We’re meant to be together or something?” The dot hopped up and down before exploding and turning the room from white to black.
Suddenly, Jinki was all too aware of the pain in his body. He groaned slightly before slowly opening his eyes. He blinked away the blurriness of his vision before something swirled into view.
There was a white wall across from him, a window with the shades pulled down. He saw some doctors and nurses walk past outside. He turned his eyes to the side, seeing Jonghyun asleep in Minho’s lap in a chair, while Key curled up in another chair.
He groaned again as he tried to move other parts of his body. That must have been one nasty fall, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, ignoring the aching in his chest. “Guys?” He croaked out. His voice didn’t even want to work correctly. How long had he been out?
Key’s eyes suddenly snapped open as he groaned, moving his body so he sat down in the chair properly. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and blinked a few times before meeting Jinki’s eyes. His open eyes. “Oh my god. Jinki? Jinki?! You’re awake?” Key whispered. It took all of his strength to muster up a smile. “Yeah. I hurt a little bit.”
Key jabbed Jonghyun and Minho in the ribs before standing up and grabbing gently at Jinki’s hand. The two of them woke up abruptly, Jonghyun almost falling to the floor. “What the hell Key...”
“He’s awake, you dimwit.” Their heads snapped over to Jinki in the bed, who had to suppress a laugh. It would be too painful to laugh right now. They all clamored over him until his nurse stepped in, asking them to step out for a moment so the doctor could examine him.
“How are you feeling?” He asked looking over his vitals and charts.
“Like... I fought the ground...and lost,” he wheezed.
“Difficulty breathing?” Jinki just nodded slightly, grimacing as his stiff neck protested. “Understandable. You broke five ribs. Deep breaths will be uncomfortable while you’re healing.” Jinki’s eyes traveled down to his chest. Wonderful.
“You left arm is broken too, and your heel is cracked. There’s an assortment of lacerations and bruises, but those have been stitched up, and the bruises will heal faster than anything else you may have sustained.” The doctor chuckled while writing something down on his chart. Jinki rolled his eyes. A doctor with a terrible sense of humor.
“How long...” He trailed off as his ribs protested.
“How long have you been here? About three weeks, almost a month.” The doctor closed his chart and smiled at him. “You might be here for rehab for a few weeks after you’re recovered enough to start moving again. But otherwise, I predict you’ll be back to normal in no time.” He signaled to the nurse to attend to him before leaving.
She injected something, and whatever it was, it numbing the pain in his body. “This should knock you out after a little bit.” She smiled at him. “If you need a nurse, just press this button over here.” She bowed to him quickly before leaving, as his friends rushed back in.
He listened to them gush for a moment before smiling and closing his eyes. “Tired.” He drifted back into sleep. There was no white space this time, just black. Taemin’s face flashed through his mind for a moment before he fell into a dreamless sleep.
--
If Jinki had a nickel for each time the physical therapist sighed or congratulated him for being able to walk two steps without collapsing, he’d be a rich man. Who knew that spending a few weeks in a coma would equal double that amount of time in physical therapy? Or at least, that’s what it felt like. Perhaps it was just Jinki, and the fact that he was an exceptionally slow healer. Combine that with his clumsiness, and he was a recipe for disaster.
Once he finished with physical therapy, he finally left the hospital to lick his wounds at home. There was a large cast over his leg, his toes wiggling against the cold air. His arm was in a sling, and his chest was completely bandaged up, scars from stitches still apparent on his body. But he was alive.
“Jinki! Thank goodness you’re okay. I hear you’ll be away from work for a bit.” He smiled gingerly as he dropped off his prescription with his boss. “Yeah. Currently half of my body is out of commission. You wouldn’t believe how much torture physical therapy is. I don’t know how babies learn to walk in the first place.” His boss laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a look at his prescription.
“This will be out in a couple minutes.”
“Thank you, sir.” He turned over his shoulder to see his friends scrambling around to grab snacks and candy. Jinki sighed as they dumped them all on the counter, smiling at him. Of course nothing had changed since his accident. Except now, he was terribly curious about the boy named Taemin. Maybe he’d ask them later if anyone knew one.
“Why do I have to buy all of you candy? Shouldn’t you guys be the one treating me to food and stuff?” He pulled out his keys and let the cashier scan his employee discount card before grabbing his credit card.
“Because. You didn’t spend any money while you were comatose.”
“I didn’t earn any money either.”
“Thanks, Jinki. I’ll pay you back for my and Jonghyun’s stuff. I left my wallet at home.”
“... You always leave your wallet at home.”
--
It would be his luck that the elevator at the apartment would be broken. The yellow caution tape and large ‘OUT OF ORDER’ sign mocked his very existence. His luck must have run out when he survived the fall from the balcony.
His friends were at least nice enough to help him up the stairs without making fun of him. At least, without making too much fun of him. He had to suffer through a few more of Jonghyun’s ‘What do you call’ jokes. He listened to Key complain nonstop about his choice of clothes. But for once, he didn’t mind.
Minho opened the door and threw his keys onto the bowl on the kitchen counter. Jinki dropped the white paper bag with his medicine onto the kitchen table and started to unwrap his scarf with one hand. “Hey, hey. I’ll help you with that. Wouldn’t want you to choke yoursel- OW. What Key?!”
Jonghyun inadvertently pulled on Jinki scarf, tightening it around his neck uncomfortably while he looked indignantly over at Key. “Stop saying stuff like that! You’re going to be the reason he dies someday!”
“Uh guys.” Jinki tugged at the scarf around his neck with his good hand and rolled his eyes. They were both going to be the death of him someday. He pulled the scarf out of Jonghyun’s hand abruptly and took in a deep breath, wincing from the ache in his ribs.
“Thanks for uh, you know, your good intentions, but please, for the love of god, stop trying to help me. You’re going to kill me faster.” He left his scarf hanging on the chair in the kitchen before settling on the couch next to Minho, who was reading through his care packet, cup of hot coffee in his hand.
“It says we’re going to have to change your bandages around your chest daily until your next checkup. The hospital gave us a kit with some instructions.” He put the cup of coffee down and held up the kit for the other two behind him to see.
Jonghyun and Key stopped arguing for a moment, glancing curiously over at Minho. “I’ll change your bandages for you, Jinki!” Jonghyun said enthusiastically with his hand raised. Key elbowed him in the ribs. “What? So you can break the rest of them? I’LL do it for you, Jinki.” The two started to fight behind them again.
“Minho, will you help me change my bandages?”
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry right?”
--
“Hey guys. Do either of you guys know anyone named Taemin?” Neither Jonghyun or Minho looked away from the screen as they mashed buttons on their controllers. “No. I don’t.”
“Neither do I. HEY! That was cheating! Your guy totally tripped my guy on purpose!”
“It’s a video game. I don’t think I can do that.” Jonghyun threw the controller down in disgust and anger. Jinki sighed. He’d gotten them the game system for Christmas one year, and the controllers for it cost about fifty dollars each.
“Be careful. Jeeze. This coffee table is expensive.” Oh. Right. The coffee table was expensive.
Jonghyun fumed for a moment before confusion hit his features. “Why did you wanna know if we knew a Taemin?”
“I don’t know. I was just curious,” he said quickly. Both of them would laugh if he told them it was because a big black dot in his coma showed him his past lives and the fact that he was married to Taemin in each life.
“What?” Jonghyun asked, giving him a weird look. Even Minho was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What?... Oh. I said that out loud didn’t I?” He sighed and ran his good hand through his hair.
“A big black dot showed you your past lives while you were in the coma. And you were married to some guy named Taemin?” Jonghyun shook his head and laughed. “So what? You’re gonna try to find him in this life too?”
Jinki shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.”
Jonghyun stopped laughing when he realized Jinki was actually being serious. “What? Really? Jinki. Be real here. He could be anywhere in the world right now, assuming he even exists.” Jinki sighed, staying silent for a moment. It did all sound a bit crazy.
The door to the apartment opened, revealing Key holding a brown bag of groceries before kicking the door closed behind him. “Hey. What’s going on?” He asked, dropping the bag onto the counter.
“Jinki’s looking for his soul mate. Someone named Taemin.” Key almost dropped the jar of peanut butter in his hands. “What? The dance instructor at my gym? You know him?” Key asked incredulously.
The three on the couch blinked at each other in amazement. “So he does exist! This is perfect Jinki!” He punched Jinki in the arm in his excitement, not noticing the sudden grimace on his friend’s face. “Just go with Key to the gym or something and make an excuse to meet him and- What? Oh god. Did I hit you in the wrong arm?! I’m sorry! I- Jeeze.” Minho shook his head while Key rolled his eyes from the kitchen.
“Would you just stay away from him, Jonghyun? Hasn’t he suffered enough already?” He said with exasperation, putting away the rest of the groceries. Minho gently grabbed Jonghyun and switched places with him on the couch.
After the pain faded, Jinki took a few deep calming breaths, just so he wouldn’t pick up a controller and bash Jonghyun over the head with it.
“So, are any of you going to tell me what’s going on?” Key asked, sitting down on the loveseat and stretching his legs. Jonghyun briefly, and with much more excitement than needed, explained the situation to Key.
“Because that makes sense,” he said slowly, giving the exact same look Minho was giving him earlier. Jinki sighed. “I don’t know! Who knows? Maybe he really is the one.” Key blinked a few times, leaning his head onto his fingers.
“I don’t know, Jinki. You guys don’t really seem that... compatible. He has grace and poise, and you have casts and two left feet.” Jinki closed his eyes and leaned his head on the back of the couch. Why did his mouth have to have a mind of its own?
“Not to mention he’s only like, twenty years old. But you know, if you really want me to introduce you to him, you can come with me to the gym next week. Although, I don’t really know what excuse I can make for you...” He looked him up and down from the cast on his arm to the one around his leg. “Physical therapy?”
“Don’t even.”
--
Jinki popped a white pill into his mouth before drowning it in water as Minho changed the bandages around his chest. It still ached to stretch his arms up too far, but it was much better than it had been lately.
“Are you ready to go yet?” Key asked, sticking his head into Jinki’s room. He was dressed in his usual gym attire, leaning on one leg with his bag slung over his shoulder. “Almost. Minho’s just gotta- Ow.” Jinki winced as Minho pulled a little bit too tight. “Sorry. But you’re done. Good luck.”
Jinki wasn’t sure how to feel as he followed Key out of the front door. The weather was getting colder, and since the gym was close, Jinki opted to change into his t-shirt and sweat pants at home instead of struggling in front of other people at the gym.
“You don’t have to do anything once we get to the gym.”
“I’m not going to stand there and look awkward. I mean. I could at least get on the treadmill and walk or something.”
“You could lift weights,” Key said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking up and down the street before hurrying across.
“What, and have one arm be bigger than the other? I’d like to stay somewhat symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.” Key laughed, turning down the street and pulling Jinki closer to him to avoid a crowd of people.
“Who said you were pleasing to the eye in the first place?” Jinki rolled his eyes and sighed, a small cloud of mist disappearing into the air.
Key regarded his expression for a moment before frowning slightly. “You know I’m just kidding, right? This is just how Jjong and I show our affection for you. You know, by insulting you.” Jinki smiled slightly as he nodded. “It’s always been like that. I know.”
Key’s frown became more pronounced. “Maybe it shouldn’t be... I mean, you’re always so responsible... I feel kinda bad making fun of you when you could’ve died...” Jinki laughed this time as Key opened the door to the gym for him.
“Then lay off until I get better. Then you can insult me all you want.”
--
Jinki leaned against the wall of the entrance to the dressing room as he waited for Key to finish changing. As he waited, his eyes scanned the lobby. There were a lot of people there despite the cold weather. He supposed to them, nothing could get in the way of a healthy body.
“Except maybe falling five stories,” he mumbled to himself. “Jinki! Did you wait long?” He heard Key ask, voice strangely bright. He turned to Key with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you mean? We got...” There he was. Standing next to Key.
Taemin.
“Taemin, I want you to meet my friend Jinki. He’s one of my roommates.” Taemin smiled at him and bowed respectfully while eyeing his casts and bandages.
“Hi Jinki! Um, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but what happened to you?” He noticed Taemin’s eyes settle on the pink scar next to his eye.
“I got into a gang fight and single-handedly beat down ten guys.” He wanted to slap himself as soon as those words left his mouth, but Taemin seemed to believe it by the way his eyes went wide.
“What? No way!”
“You’re right. I actually fell out of the balcony of my apartment. It's a pretty long way down, as I learned the hard way.” Taemin winced slightly. “Well, I’m glad you’re alive... You don’t look like you should be at a gym though.” Jinki laughed and shrugged.
“Key dragged me down here. Said I should at least walk or something so my bones don’t dissolve in my body.” Key gave him an indignant look and opened his mouth to say something, but the look Jinki gave him made him shut his mouth. It still didn’t wipe the indignant expression on his face.
“Well, I’ve got a class to teach, so I’ll see you guys later. Bye Key! It’s was nice to meet you Jinki!” Taemin hurried off with a wave.
As soon as he was gone, Key turned to Jinki. “So judging by the star struck look on your face, that’s the Taemin from your past lives visions?” He nodded dumbly.
“Jeeze, Jinki, close your mouth before you start drooling.”
--
Key left him to his own devices as he joined his yoga class. Jinki wandered through the gym for a moment. He’d been here once or twice with Key and Minho. Jonghyun only came when Minho dragged him kicking and screaming.
He peered into one of the windows of the closed doors and saw women bicycling. Nope, that wasn’t it. He traveled farther down the hallway and glanced through another window. “Okay, one more time!” He could hear the music playing over the speakers.
He watched as a group of people started dancing in the middle while another group surrounded them, watching and taking videos. Someone must have noticed him standing outside because the door suddenly opened, making him stumble inside. The person smiled at him and beckoned him to sit down, which he did, awkwardly.
The song playing was something he recognized, something by a group called SHINee. He couldn’t remember the name of the song, not like he could think coherently from the way Taemin was moving at the front and the faces he was making at the mirror.
It was irrational, the way his heart beat faster. It was stupid, the way he blushed until the tips of his ears turned red. But for once in his life, something felt right. He made a mental note to thank the big black dot later, then he frowned. He may have seen Taemin in his hallucinations, but why was he so attracted to him without knowing anything besides that they were together in past lives? If those visions were even real anyway.
He was so busy thinking that he didn’t even notice the class end and the people filing out, talking to each other, and laughing. He didn’t notice until he heard someone calling his name. “Jinki?” He looked up to see Taemin grinning at him with a towel around his neck, sweat dripping down his- Jinki jerked his eyes up to his face.
“Hi. Uh. I got lost looking for the treadmills. And somehow I managed to wander in here.” Taemin nodded a few times. “Well, the treadmills are on the opposite side of the building. I can take you over there if you like.” Jinki smiled a bright smile at him before pushing himself up against the wall and sliding up to a standing position.
“I would. Thanks.” Taemin opened up the door for him before turning off the light. He has a pretty nice smile, he thought to himself.
--
For some strange, inexplicable reason, Jinki’s vision wasn’t cooperating with him. He blinked a few times before wobbling in the hallway behind Taemin. “Jinki? Are you okay?” He heard him ask in a voice equally wobbly.
“Um... I... I’m not sure actually. I can’t see straight.” There was no way that Taemin was doing this to him. That would be stupid, and cliche, and just-
“Maybe you should sit. I’ll get you some water and maybe go find Key.” Taemin grabbed his good arm and led him over to a chair in the lobby. Jinki closed his eyes and tried to make his swirling mind concentrate on Taemin’s fingers around his arm, but he only succeeded in falling onto the chair, sending his mind spinning.
“That. That would be helpful. Thanks.” Why? Why was this happening to him right now? He wasn’t dehydrated. He ate breakfast that morning. He took his pill- He took his pills. Sudden realization hit him, but did nothing to stop his drugged up mind.
Damn those pain pills. Just damn them all. But he had to admit, they did a pretty good job numbing the pain in Jinki’s arm when he accidentally landed on it falling into the chair.
“Jinki? Jinki!” Key hurried over to him while Taemin stood behind him in curiosity. “He was fine in the dance studio, but then while I was taking him over to the treadmills, he started to walk weird and said he couldn’t see straight.”
“Jinki. Did you take your pain medication before we left?” Key asked, patting him on the face a few times to get his attention.
“Oh. I... I might’ve. I probably did. I’m sorry Key. I didn’t mean to mess up your... your workout and... yeah...” Key rolled his eyes. The guy worked in a pharmacy for goodness sake. He turned around and smiled apologetically at Taemin.
“I’m sorry. He’s not really like this all of the time.”
“I see... Well I hope he gets better,” Taemin said slowly, giving Jinki worried looks. Key threw his good arm over his shoulder and helped him up. “Jinki, where’s your jacket?”
“Jacket? I brought a jacket?” He blinked his brown eyes in confusion at Key. Key shook his head. Who knew pain medication could affect someone so much? He’d been fine at home. Maybe it was because he always slept when he was at home.
“He can have mine. You can bring it back to me whenever, I have an extra one.” Taemin slipped his jacket off and threw it around Jinki’s shoulders. It was a little bit small, but it provided enough warmth for the older man.
“Thanks, Taemin.”
--
Key was positively fuming when he dumped Jinki on the couch, very carefully, of course. As soon as he hit the cushions though, his mind was gone as he passed out cold. “What’s wrong?” Minho asked, leaning on the doorway of his and Jonghyun’s shared bedroom.
“Genius here took one of his pain pills before we went to the gym, so he ended up spaced out and ready to pass out before he could get anywhere with Taemin. And he probably thinks he’s a weird drug addict now,” Key said, eyeing the sleeping figure on the couch.
Minho shook his head. Jinki never did have any luck. “Whassgoinon?” Jonghyun murmured sleepily from behind Minho. He fell forward and buried his face into Minho’s back before wrapping his arms around his waist.
“Jinki had a mild fail at the gym.”
“Oh god. Did he hurt himself again?” Jonghyun asked, fully awake now. “I swear to you I didn’t say anything this time. I didn’t jinx him.”
Key sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to do a little bit of meddling. Jinki’s probably going to brood over this and stare at his jacket thinking of ways to give it back to him. And I’m not gonna lie, they do look cute together.”
“Does Taemin even like guys?” Key rolled his eyes. “Please. Anyone that can move their hips like that cannot be straight.”
--
And brood he did. After Jinki woke up in the morning (he slept through the rest of the day), he was completely horrified. He locked himself in his bedroom and refused to come out, except to eat, which was when Key and Jonghyun took the time to poke fun at him.
They stopped, however, when he didn’t respond and just went back to his room to brood some more. “Wow. He’s really hung up over him huh?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know a grown man could be so attached to someone after seeing them for a total of thirty minutes.”
“You know how Jinki is. He gets super attached for a few days then gets bored and dumps them. That’s how it was in high school.” Key frowned at him.
“Yeah, that was high school, but we’re talking about his potential soul mate here.” It was Jonghyun’s turn to frown.
“You really believe that he’s his soul mate? Like, they exist and stuff?”
“You don’t?” Minho asked from behind him. He glided to the kitchen table and sat down while Key slid him a cup of coffee.
“Minho, that’s not what I meant-”
“I think,” he said, cutting his boyfriend off, “that we should cut him some slack for once. Help him out. He’s suffered enough, hasn't he?” Key and Jonghyun were quiet while Minho sipped his coffee.
“I guess we been taking him for granted.”
“You mean you’ve been taking him for granted. I’ve been hanging out with Taemin for the past month so I can ask him to come to Christmas dinner with us. He asks quite a few questions about Jinki.” Key sighed as he leaned back into his chair.
“Well. Do you have any master plans for getting them together after the dinner? I mean, we’ve never met the kid either. So we’re gonna have questions.”
“Just question him to death until he goes to Jinki as a shield. I’ll have the place booby trapped with mistletoe. Which I’m sure everyone will find some way to make use of them. I’ll be inviting my boyfriend and-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?”
“Don’t be so surprised Jjong. You’ve already met him.”
“Who? For the love of god, who?”
“Just shut up and make sure you don’t screw up Jinki’s chance.”
--
Jinki wasn’t sure how Key convinced Taemin to come by for Christmas dinner, but there he was fidgeting uncomfortably in a seat across from him, next to Minho. He probably felt as out of place as Key’s boyfriend looked.
“So... You’re Key’s boyfriend huh? What country are you from again?” Jonghyun yelped as Minho elbowed him in the side while Key walked behind him and smacked hishead. They were supposed to be questioning Taemin, not his boyfriend.
“What? I’m just curious!” Key fumed as he set his dish onto the table, looking over apologetically at his boyfriend.
“It’s okay. I get that a lot. But I’m from Korea, born and raised.” Jonghyun still wasn’t convinced.
Jinki watched Taemin in his peripheral vision and noticed him playing with his hands. He wasn’t really making eye contact with anyone or joining in any conversations.
“So. Taemin. How have you been since I last saw you?” He grinned slightly before looking up at Jinki. “Are you sure you even remember what happened that day?”
Jinki let out a massive sigh. He had nothing to say to that. Taemin wasn’t going to make this easy, was he? “But I’m okay. Things could be worse.” Jinki nodded. “How’s the job at the gym?”
“Same as always.” An uncomfortable silence fell between the two again. Jinki frowned. He was bad at small talk. He wished that Key had informed him that Taemin would be coming so he could’ve at least come up with things to talk about.
“How’s your arm?” Jinki looked down at his bare arm. A few months had passed since he fell off of the balcony. Normally the doctors would’ve taken it off after about six weeks, but Jinki was an exceptionally slow healer.
“Better. Not ready to do any heavy lifting, but good enough to shuffle pills around. I work in a pharmacy,” he added quickly, seeing the look on Taemin’s face.
“Oh, I see. That’s good, that’s good.”
“I’m not a drug addict or anything,” he mumbled under his breath. Smooth move Jinki. If he didn’t think you were a drug addict before, he definitely thinks so now, he thought to himself.
“I didn’t think you were. You don’t really look the type,” Taemin said as he looked around at the couples around him, who were trying to look oblivious, but obviously listening to their conversation.
“Well, let’s eat then guys, I’m starving.”
--
Conversation was casual between all of them during dinner. There were questions about the usual things: work and school. The usual fight between Jonghyun and Key broke out halfway through dinner about something Jonghyun said. Minho and Dongwoon gave each other understanding looks.
“You’re just lucky you don’t have to live with them,” Minho said, scooping up another bite of mashed potatoes.
Taemin, however, was laughing at something Jinki was telling him. “Then Jonghyun bet Key that he wouldn’t be able to get anyone’s phone number in drag, so Key dressed up and went out, and like, we got to the club, and there were guys all over him! I’ve never seen Jjong so dumbstruck before in his life.”
Jinki was feeling pretty pleased. Things were becoming less and less awkward between them. He even noticed Taemin staring at him out of the corner of his eye when he was eating and having a conversation with Minho.
Once dinner was over, the six of them wandered over to the couches for the gift exchange. Minho held out a hat with numbers. The six of them eyed the presents on the table and picked their number respectively.
“Okay, Grampa first.” Jinki scowled at him while Key reached over and punched him in the arm. “Ow, jeeze.”
Jinki opened up his folded piece of paper to see the big number one on it. “Hey look! I’m number one!” Jonghyun smirked before opening his mouth to say something else, but this time, Minho covered his mouth with his hand.
“You can lick my hand all you want,” he said with a smirk on his face. He leaned in to whisper something into his ear that vaguely sounded like, “and other things too.”
Shuddering slightly, Jinki put his words out of his mind before picking up the present with the number one sticky note on it, noting how light it felt. He looked around the room to see if he could figure out whose it was, but their expressions betrayed nothing. Jinki opened up the bag and dug through the tissue paper to feel something like a stuffed animal.
He pulled it out and stared at it for a few seconds before his face broke out in a huge grin. “You’re kidding me!” Jonghyun clapped loudly as he rocked back and forth in his seat laughing. “That is perfect for you Jinki! Perfect!” He was holding a stuffed chicken. A very comfortable one at that. He held it close to him and leaned his head on it.
“It’s cute. I like it.” He didn’t miss the pleased look on Taemin’s face.
--
Taemin sat pretty close to him during the movie they were watching in the living room. Close in the sense that he was practically leaning on him, and the body heat that was radiating from him was amazing. Amazing.
As it got later, Minho caught Jinki’s attention and pointed to his bedroom. Jinki nodded slightly before dislodging himself from Taemin. “I’ll be right back.” Taemin nodded sleepily. Jinki followed Minho into his bedroom and pulled at his sweater vest.
“I figured I’d better do it before I get too sleepy or something.” Jinki nodded in understanding, pulling his shirt off all the way. Minho unwrapped the old bandages. “Are you not going to take a shower today?” Jinki smelled himself and shook his head. “I smell fine. I’ll just take one in the morning.”
Taemin watched the movie until he felt a sudden urgency. “Key, I don’t mean to uh, interrupt. But where’s your bathroom?” Key looked over at him from Dongwoon’s lap and pointed towards Jinki’s room. “Use the one in Jinki’s room. Our other one is out of order.”
Taemin wiggled off the couch and tiptoed over to the bedroom door as to not disturb anyone else. He knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside. The sight that met him made his jaw drop a little bit.
Jinki was standing there, shirt off with his arms slightly raised so Minho could wrap bandages around his chest. He could see the outline of abs that looked like they used to be well defined. His skin was pale and smooth, and his hair fell over his eyes perfectly as he turned to glance at Taemin with a soft smile.
“Need something?”
“Uh... bathroom,” was the only thing that came out of his mouth. Jinki pointed in front of him. “Over there.” Taemin hurried over as fast as he could, hoping that Jinki couldn’t see how red his ears were.
--
By the time the movie was done, it was the middle of the night, and the only people left on the couch were Taemin and Jinki.
Jinki blinked sleepily a few times at the screen before reaching out for the remote and turning it off. He turned to look at the half-awake boy leaning on his arm. “Sleepy? It’s too late for you to be going home. You can stay the night here. I’ll lend you some clothes.” Taemin nodded sleepily before pushing himself up into a sitting position and yawning.
He followed Jinki into his bedroom and sat on the bed while Jinki dug through his closet for smaller clothes. Eventually, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt landed beside him. Taemin picked them up and wandered into the bathroom to change without another word.
Jinki changed quickly and waited for him to come back out with his stuffed chicken in his hands. Taemin came out with his eyes barely open. He staggered towards the bed and fell on top of Jinki, pushing him back onto the bed.
He stopped breathing as Taemin snuggled into his chest, ignoring the dull ache in his ribs. “Uh. Taemin?”
“Jinki. Do you believe in soul mates?”
--
They started dating shortly after the Christmas holidays. New Year’s came and passed, then Valentine’s Day came.
“Are you guys doing anything special for Valentine’s Day?”
“No, not really,” Jinki said sipping on his coffee. Jonghyun nodded. “I think this is the longest you’ve ever committed to a relationship- OW!” Key whacked him in the back of the head. “Rude.”
Jinki chuckled as Jonghyun whipped around, ready to argue about the injustice he received. His phone vibrated on the table twice with Taemin’s name flashing on the screen before he picked it up. “Hello, my dear.”
“Haha, hello, Jinki. You’re going to be free later tonight, right? I kinda wanted to go out to dinner.”
“Oh, sure. Where?” There was silence on Taemin’s end for a moment.
“Actually, I lied. I wanted to cook for you tonight.”
“Oh? You can cook?” A look of surprise spread across his features.
“Well enough. Don’t eat anything before you come! I’ll make lots of good food for you!” They said their mushy things and goodbyes before Jinki hung up. The look of horror Key gave him was just as bad as the time Jinki cooked.
“Taemin is about as good a chef as you are.” Jinki blinked a few times and shrugged. “It’s okay. If all else fails, we can order takeout.”
--
“Oh my god, Jinki, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it was that burnt!”
And order takeout they did.
--
It was a leap year that year, adding that extra day to February that came once every four years. That’s when he was going to do it. It might’ve been soon, maybe a little bit too soon, but nothing in his life had ever felt so right before.
They spent the day in the dance studio, messing around and playing. Taemin’s class was canceled that day. Out of breath and sweaty, the two of them laid on the floor, fingers intertwined. Something had been nagging at Jinki’s mind lately.
“Hey, Taemin. Can I ask you another question after this one?” Taemin laughed and sat up to lean on his elbow to get a better view of Jinki’s face while playing with his fingers.
“Go right ahead.”
“What did you mean when you asked me if I believed in soul mates on Christmas?” Taemin blinked a few times, thinking about his answer. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t freak out on me or anything okay? Promise?” He sat up and held out his other pinky. Jinki laughed and took it, sealing the promise with their thumbs.
“Okay, so I used to not sleep very well at night, so I went to the doctors, and he prescribed me sleeping pills. You were the one that filled them out for me I believe.” Jinki furrowed his eyebrows trying to remember. “Was I? I don’t remember.”
“They worked pretty well until about a month later. I started to get weird dreams involving a big black dot.” Jinki stiffened for a second before sitting up and staring at Taemin in disbelief. “A big black dot? That liked to giggle and answer only yes or no questions?”
It was Taemin’s turn to raise an eyebrow at him. “Yeah... How did you know?”
“I had the same visions while I was in my coma!” The two of them blinked back and forth at each other.
“Yeah... I saw us married and stuff. And that you were the one to find me every time. So I figured you’d find me in this life too. I mean, if you even existed. Then BAM! You’re there at the gym with Key. I didn’t know what to say to you without sounding creepy.” Jinki laughed the laugh that made Taemin smile from ear to ear.
“That’s what I was thinking too. But uh, I failed miserably.” Taemin laughed this time, leaning forward to give him a kiss.
“You won me over though. But do me a favor. When we get married, don’t get me a gold ring. I don’t like yellow gold.” Jinki smiled and fished a small box out of his pocket. This was perfect. It was going to be perfect.
“I thought so too. So I opted for white gold.” He opened up the box as Taemin’s eyes widened at the sight of the ring in the box.
“So, Taemin. Will you marry me again?”