true lies
True Lies
specialises
7,080w (Jonghyun/Taemin)
Drama, Angst, AU; PG
Summary: Lee Taemin is a normal kid, thrown into a school where superpowers are the norm. With some help from Kim Jonghyun, he discovers his own powers and learns to control them. However, he starts realizing that perhaps Jonghyun isn’t what he seems and things really aren’t as simple as he perceives them to be.
written for bitter_cakes for shinee_replay 's secret santa event. originally posted here.
A/N:
thanks to ixjaydee for helping me beta this and for helping me with the fluff parts, as well as the hand-holding throughout the fic. thanks to train1332 for the plot idea in the first place, and to xxqod for characterisation and interaction help. and many thanks to onew for listening to me whine nonstop, as well as talking me out from quitting on many occasions.
this is for you guys ♥
Taemin swallows and turns to look at the black Mercedes Benz as it pulls away. He wonders if it is too late to go running after it. Six months away from home suddenly seems scary to him, considering he’s never even been to summer camp. The large grey building before him isn’t making things any better. He’s never even heard of this school but the letter they sent him seems impressive enough, with the gold border and glossy paper.
“May I see your letter, sir?”
Taemin jumps before giving a small smile, handing his letter over to the guard. The guard pulls out a flash light and shines it over the letter as Taemin rocks on his heels. “This way, please,” he says, signaling for Taemin to follow.
The guard leads him to an ordinary garden shed and pulls a shovel. Taemin stares at him, because clearly it’s a sign of insanity that they’re in a shed of all places. There’s a sudden shake which makes Taemin grip on to the guard, earning a soft chuckle from him. He hears a muttered, “Newbies,” before he lets go and turns in another direction as his face heats up.
The doors swing open with a “ding”, and the guard pushes Taemin out, as a soft gasp escapes his mouth. The building before him looks more like a department centre than a school. His duffel falls from his shoulder, landing on the ground as the guard calls out, “You! Come here!”
The guard waves at a tall guy with cropped black hair and bright eyes, while saying, “This is Lee Taemin, he’s new at your school. Go show him around.”
Before any protests were even uttered, the guard shoves Taemin’s letter into the guy’s hands and disappears back into the garden shed, leaving both of them standing in the middle of the field. The guy picks up Taemin’s duffel and hands it to him, smiling, “I’m Jung Yunho, and welcome to SA Academy.”
He takes large strides, and Taemin scrambles to keep up with him, his duffel slowing down his movement. Yunho points out various classrooms to him and names them so fast that Taemin’s eyes are blurry, and he’s about to cry that he’s never going to remember any of this. But the last thing he wants is to embarrass himself on the first day in front of a senior.
Yunho pauses abruptly in front of a door, and Taemin almost walks right into him. He turns to Taemin with a bright grin as he exclaims, “And this is your dorm, according to your letter. Well, I’ll see you around then, Taemin-sshi!”
He waves and skids off while Taemin fumbles with the door handle and access card that came with the letter. However, before he could crank the handle open, the door’s yanked open and a boy with a bowl hair-cut is staring at him. They stare at each other briefly and Taemin wonders how many times he’s going to be thrown in such a situation before the day ends.
Taemin grins and holds out a hand, “Hi, I’m Lee Taemin. Are you my roommate?”
The boy glances down at his hand before he starts flailing about, and Taemin’s positive that the boy’s shrieking, “Oh my god, why are you so terribly late? We have classes in an hour! And that looks absolutely heavy, let me help you out!”
He bustles about Taemin and yanks his duffel from him, hoisting it up on to the bed. The boy reminds him so much of his mum that Taemin lowers his head, as his shoulders shake with laughter. This was definitely going to be an interesting six months.
-
Taemin learns that his roommate’s name is Key. He adores pink and shops more than a 19 year old guy should. Taemin decides that he kind of likes Key, even with his strange high-pitched laughter and his insistence of taking a picture together with his Polaroid so that Taemin could carry it around and have a remembrance of him at all times. He nags a little too much and talks a little too freely even though they’ve only been acquainted for two hours, but Taemin supposes he’s fine with it.
Key introduces him to Minho, someone that doesn’t talk much, he notes. They’ve been best friends since they were kids, and Taemin figures they make a nice pair, considering Key talks enough for both of them.
“Today’s objective would be to figure out what powers you have.”
Taemin glances up and stops fiddling with his jacket zipper. “Our… what?”
Minho raises an eyebrow at him and states, “Powers. Didn’t you read the guidebook of the school regarding its history and the reason why we were selected?”
Oh, Taemin thinks, finally understanding chain of events with the guard this morning. He recalls the thick book that had been sent to him in the mail along with the letter and curses himself for throwing it aside, thinking that anything he had to learn, he would learn hands-on. “Kim Kibum!”
Key groans and jogs up to the teacher, mumbling something about wanting to be called Key instead. Taemin watches Key step onto a square, before it springs up and throws him in the air towards a soft mattress. Key halts mid-air and does a little somersault as Minho grumbles, “Show-off.”
He gapes at Key’s ease of floating about before he lands back on the ground, as the teacher booms, “Element Air!”
Taemin gulps as more kids get called up, letting out a breath every single time his name wasn’t the one being called. He watches Minho ignite a whole role of candles and burns a hole through the target board placed before him. Taemin stares down at his own hands, holds them a distance away and thinks fire. Nothing happens, and he slumps. He’s always wanted to be a fire controller. “Lee Taemin!”
He jumps as Key gives him a light pat on the back and wishes him good luck. Taemin inhales and jogs forward, pausing in front of the teacher, giving him a small grin.
The teacher drags him and before he knows it, the ground has disappeared beneath his feet and it’s absolutely freezing. Taemin opens his mouth to scream only to choke as he struggles to surface. Strong hands materialize and start pulling him up, as water clears from Taemin’s lungs. Hands are patting his back and he can faintly hear Key shrilling about whether he was alright.
Taemin coughs and nods, before the teacher shoos Key off and leads him to the centre of the class. He blinks and suddenly, the ceiling’s getting nearer to him as he yelps, “I can’t fly!”
His chest hits the mattress and Taemin buries his head in it as he hears snickers from the class. This is going to be the longest six months of my life.
-
The last thing Taemin wants to do now is to eat, but Key seems adamant about getting his way and he’s not about to fight a losing battle. Minho’s craning his neck, searching for an empty table in the canteen as Key balances both his and Taemin’s tray in the air. “Kibummie!”
Key jumps and Taemin lurches, catches both their trays before they hit the ground. A guy with drenched milk-tea hair is waving madly at them as Key hisses under his breath. Minho gives a light chuckle and signals for Taemin to come along while he balances the two trays. “Shut up, hyung! I thought I told you to call me Key in school!”
He whacks the other boy who forms a pout and sticks out his tongue. Next to him, Yunho shakes his head and teases, “So heartless, Key.”
Yunho beams at them before he glances over and waves, “Hey, Lee Taemin right? How’s first day?”
Taemin smiles and sits down with both trays as Key fumes and bickers more with the other guy. He shakes his head and mumbles, “I’ve had better days. Key’s my roommate though!”
Yunho laughs and gives him a pat on the back, “Rough first day? Don’t worry, it happens to plenty of freshmen. Oh and about your roommate, I can always give you pointers on how to deal with him when he’s being hysterical. After all, I’ve been rooming with his brother for two years now.”
Key stops whining for a few seconds and glances over at Taemin, who’s staring at Yunho with bright confusion. He sighs and points to the guy across the table, “This is my idiotic older brother, Kim Jaejoong. He’s an air user too.”
Taemin bows his head, as holds out his hand and introduces himself. He notes the way Jaejoong puffs out his cheeks as Yunho tousles his hair, similar to the way Key freaks out when someone touches his colourful hair. The sharpness of their features, and the concern they hold for each other beneath the yelling amuses Taemin, just as two other trays were plopped down.
“The queue’s insane! How did you guys manage to get your food so fast?”
A guy questions as he sits down, his long, slight curly brown hair bouncing with the small movement. Yunho shrugs and reaches for a clump of rice on Jaejoong’s tray, only to have Jaejoong’s chopsticks whack his knuckles. He rubs them and responds, “Hang out with air users in future if you want to get food fast, Jinki.”
This causes a pout to be thrown in the direction of the other guy, who simply shrugs. Key clears his throat above the arguments and put his arm around Taemin as all eyes focused on them. Taemin keeps his gaze down. The only thing he hates more than being on unfamiliar grounds was to have all eyes on him. Key announces, “This is Lee Taemin, my roommate. And from this point on, he shall be my son, so keep your claws off him. Especially you, Kim Jonghyun!”
The other guy who has sat down, with spiky brown hair and large puppy eyes holds up his hands in mock surrender as he whines, “But I haven’t even said a word since I sat down! Why are you always picking on me?”
Key turns to Taemin and smiles, ignoring the statement and causing the other to pout. “Taemin-ah, that is Jinki-hyung. Water users are supposedly graceful and poised, so I think he was probably placed in the wrong element since he trips over nothing.”
Jinki smiles at Key, reaches across and ruffles his hair as he jokes, “Key, can’t you give me a nicer description? Like ‘a killer smile’ or ‘a melodious laugh’, instead of ‘insanely clumsy’?”
Key’s cheeks turn a light pink as he wriggles away from Jinki’s hand, continuing, “And this is Kim Jonghyun, the world’s biggest attention whore.”
Jonghyun opens his mouth to protest, as Jaejoong cuts in, “So, how was power identification?”
This causes a few moments of silence as Minho fidgets about and stares down at his rice, while Key chokes out a laugh and changes the subject. Taemin picks up his tray, claims that he’s full and excuses himself despite Key’s endless protests and Minho’s wrist grabbing.
-
Taemin bangs his head on the book and exhales. How pathetic was it that he was in this school when he had no powers whatsoever. Maybe if he got his parents to write a letter, he could be out of this place. He shakes the thought out of his head and stands up to get another book.
The History of Powers. Taemin reaches for the book only to touch its spine, unable to pull it out. He puffs out his cheeks and jumps a few times to no avail.
Just as he was about to walk away, the book floats down and lands in his outstretched hands. He whirls around and gasps, “You’re an air user too, Jonghyun-sunbae?”
Jonghyun turns his head and points towards a plastic bottle near the window of the library. Taemin watches the bottle float up and turns to Jonghyun, as he raises an eyebrow. Jonghyun smiles and whispers, “Just watch.”
Taemin turns back to the bottle and his jaw drops, as the book in his hand lands with a ‘thud’ on the ground. The bottle begins caving inwards as Jonghyun moves his hand mid-air, and crumples into a ball as he claps them together. The distorted bottle drops to the ground and Jonghyun smirks, “Air users can’t do that, Taemin.”
This is probably the moment where he should bolt out of there, yet Taemin feels drawn to Jonghyun as he sputters, “What… what are you?”
Jonghyun smiles, picking up the book and flipping to a page before shoving it in Taemin’s face. Psychic users, the rarest and most powerful of all the elements. Taemin glances up, “How… how do you determine if you’re a psychic user?”
-
“I really can’t do it,” Taemin cries out in exasperation.
Jonghyun looks up from his phone and pushes himself off the wall he’s leaning against. He raises his arm, and the bottle in the middle of the auditorium floats up before it lands back on the ground. “Try again, concentrate.”
Taemin furrows his brows and squeezes his eyes shut. Float, float, float. “That’s it.”
His eyes fly open as he watches the bottle levitate before him. Taemin stammers, “Wait, are you doing that?”
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow, his grin still intact as he shakes his head and states, “Nope, it’s all your doing.”
Taemin squeals, and the bottle falls as he buries himself into Jonghyun’s embrace. He breathes, “Thank you so much.”
Jonghyun clears his throat and pries Taemin off him. He picks up the bottle and replies, “Let’s meet here every day after class. The school doesn’t exactly train psychic users, so I’ll train you.”
It’s dark outside and Taemin struggles to keep up with Jonghyun’s fast pace. “Then how did you learn to control your powers, sunbae?”
Jonghyun pushes open the door to the dorms and answers, “My hyung taught me.”
Taemin pauses, his room access card in his hand as he asks, “Oh? Does he come to our school too?”
A look flickers across Jonghyun’s face and Taemin shrinks back, realization that he knows close to nothing about this stranger suddenly hits him. Jonghyun’s face cracks into an easy smile and he pats Taemin’s head, “Goodnight Taemin. Get a good night’s rest, we have a lot of training to do tomorrow.”
He turns and leaves Taemin standing before his room, a thousand unanswered questions tittering off the tip of his tongue.
-
List of psychic users. Taemin’s face brightens as he scrolls down the list of names. Only twenty psychic users have ever been in this school, out of which twelve had graduated and seven were still undergrads, him included. He frowns and recounts the number of graduates and undergrads, only to end up with the same number.
Taemin scrolls down the page and stops at the title ‘Suspended’. Under the header is only one name, along with a picture. Kim Jongshin. Taemin squints at the picture. There was something familiar about this guy. He stares at the picture and brief description of Kim Jongshin until his eyelids flutter shut.
-
“Taemin-ah,” Taemin jerks awake and retrieves the pen which has rolled out of his hand onto the ground. He stands and bows with the rest of the class, before he gathers his books and stretches. Key stares at him and asks, “Everything alright? You keep dozing off during classes today.”
They walk out of class with Minho, and Taemin shrugs and replies, “I was up last night searching for psychic users from our school. There are only twenty including me, you know?”
Key pats his head and chuckles, “That’s fascinating.”
Taemin nods and continues, “But there was a particular user who was being suspended from our school. Do you guys know who Kim Jongshin is?”
Key chokes and Minho shoots him a look. Taemin blinks at the exchange of head shakes and hisses of “it’s not our business to blab”. He clears his throat and both fall silent, “Is that a yes?”
Minho’s mouth goes into a tight line as he answers, “Let’s get to the cafeteria. We don’t have much time before class starts again.”
Taemin opens his mouth to protest but stops short when Key squeezes his wrist so tight that it hurts. He trails behind them to the cafeteria, his mind still whirling with questions.
-
“Compulsion,” Jonghyun says as he writes it out on the whiteboard. “Is the ability to make others do what you want them to do.”
Jonghyun puts down the marker and turns to Taemin with a smile, “We’re going to try this today. The key to compulsion is to focus your mind and to stare at the other party intently. Once you’ve got his attention, say what you want him to do in a calm voice.”
Taemin stands and asks, “Wait, but how will I know if I’ve got his attention?”
Jonghyun glances at him and stops rolling up his sleeves, and replies, “There will be a change in the expression on the other party’s face. Of course there are also levels of difficulties of compulsion. For example, some people’s minds are more heavily guarded than others, and those will be harder to break into. I’m considered slightly above the average, so if you can break into my mind, you’ll have more or less mastered the skill.”
Taemin’s eyes widen and he takes a few steps back. Jonghyun laughs and shakes his head, and says, “Don’t worry, you’re not trying it on me yet. I have a rather simple target for you to practice on today. Jinki-hyung!”
A loud crash echoes through the vast auditorium and Yunho drags Jinki in. Yunho lets go, Jinki stumbles forward and throws the pair a sheepish smile. Jonghyun nods at Taemin and Taemin glares at Jinki. Jinki takes a few steps back and Yunho’s eyes widen as he launches forward, only to be held back by Jonghyun. Jonghyun states, “Don’t lose focus, Taemin-ah.”
Jinki shakes his head and turns his gaze away from Taemin. And then, his head snaps in Taemin’s direction, a slightly dazed expression covers his features. Taemin smiles and whispers, “I want you to give me your car keys.”
A black, sleek key is fished out of Jinki’s pocket and held before Taemin’s face. Taemin holds out his palm and he’s so close but a loud yelp signals the end of his compulsion.
Jinki’s eyes are wide and he’s on the ground, car keys abandoned by his side. Jonghyun’s holding his arm, where a tiny fire is still burning, his mouth hanging open. A wave of Yunho’s hand and the flame extinguishes as he grips Jonghyun’s collar and hisses, “Never teach him compulsion, Jonghyun.”
Jonghyun pushes Yunho away and snaps, “I know what I’m doing.”
“We all do, Jonghyun. And you better drop the damn idea.”
Jonghyun’s raises his hand and in a flash, Jinki pushes himself between both of them, as he exclaims, “Enough! Look, I’m fine and so is Taemin. No big deal alright, Yunho? Just, just teach him something else, Jjong.”
Jonghyun smiles and nods, “Sure. Why don’t you guys get on your way then?”
Yunho raises an eyebrow in disbelief, but Jinki tugs on his hand and mumbles, “Let’s go. I’m sure Jonghyun knows better than to try that again.”
They turn and Jonghyun’s by Taemin’s side in a flash. He holds his hand out and hisses, “Memory wipe.”
Jinki and Yunho freeze in their steps before they turn to face them. Yunho scratches his head and mutters, “What are we doing here?”
Jonghyun smirks and takes large strides over, “Ah, I had Jinki-hyung’s car keys and you guys dropped by to collect them.”
Jinki blinks as Jonghyun drops the keys into his hand and throws him a mega-watt smile. Taemin stares in amazement before noticing a sleek white iPhone on the floor. He bends down and picks it up. The screen lights up, and he nearly drops the phone. Why does Jonghyun-hyung have a picture with Kim Jongshin?
“I believe that’s mine,” Jonghyun states as he fishes the phone out of Taemin’s grasp, before he slides it into his side pocket and signals for Taemin to take a seat opposite him.
He continues, “Rule number one of compulsion, always stay focused. You lost your grip on Jinki-hyung just now because you were distracted. In actual situations, this would be dangerous as the other party will realize what’s going on and things might not turn out pretty.”
Taemin nods as he opens a new note in his phone and types down the instructions. Jonghyun rattles on, “Rule number two, ensure there is no one with the other party or interference might occur. Any questions?”
Taemin looks up from his phone and hesitates, before he asks, “Why is Yunho-hyung so against you teaching me how to use compulsion?”
To this, Jonghyun breaks their eye contact, exhales deeply, then mutters, “Because the more compulsion you use, the less able you are to control your powers.”
He glances back up at Taemin, stands and breaks into a grin upon sight of his expression. “Don’t worry, that only happens when you use it too many times in a row, so your body doesn’t have ample rest time. Just use it at a maximum of three times in a row and you’ll be fine.”
Taemin nods, eyes downcast as he saves the note, as he stands. Jonghyun’s finger pushes his chin up and Taemin stares into those deep pools of brown. Jonghyun’s leaning in a little too close and his breath is warm against Taemin’s ear as he whispers, “Good, now delete the note. No one must know that you’re learning to use compulsion.”
And then it’s cool air blowing against Taemin’s face. Jonghyun’s already several feet away as he waves a flippant goodbye and heads back to his room.
-
“Memory wipe,” Jonghyun mutters as he pushes Seunghyun out of the door of the auditorium.
Taemin collapses to the ground and curls up into a little ball. Jonghyun passes him a bottle of water and pats his back, “It’s been hard on you, but I think you’ve mastered compulsion. Good job.”
The water feels cool on his skin as Taemin pours it down his head and runs fingers through his hair. They had been doing the same thing every day; Jonghyun would trick one of his classmates to come to the auditorium alone and Taemin would practice compulsion on him. After which, Jonghyun would memory wipe them before he sends them on their way, and they would continue to practice lifting things with their mind.
“Teach me how to use memory wipe, hyung,” Taemin says abruptly.
Jonghyun stares at him, before he laughs, “Learn to control compulsion first, Taemin-ah.”
Taemin pouts and gets to his feet, before he breaks into a sprint and pounds his fists against Jonghyun’s chest, whining, “But you said it’s as easy to learn and control as lifting things, so why can’t you teach me that instead? It’ll come in useful if I use compulsion without you around.”
Jonghyun laughs and grips his wrists, before he says in a serious tone, “You must never use compulsion without me by your side, do you understand?”
Taemin stares at him, a flush spreads across his face as he realizes their close proximity. Jonghyun stops laughing and he leans in. It’s now or never. Compulse. Taemin pushes all thoughts away and stares deeply at Jonghyun’s half-lidded eyes. A wave of relaxation washes over Jonghyun’s face and he pauses a millimeter away from Taemin’s lips, his eyes lost and dazed.
Taemin exhales and calms himself as he whispers, “Tell me who Kim Jongshin is.”
Jonghyun answers, his eyes not leaving Taemin’s, “He’s my hyung.”
Taemin’s eyes widen as explanations start falling in place. The worried glances between Minho and Key, the similarity in appearance and the wallpaper. Jonghyun’s eyes snap open and he shoves Taemin away from him. Taemin stumbles but regains his balance as Jonghyun yanks up his shoulder bag and brisk walks to the door.
“Hyung!” Taemin cries as he catches hold of Jonghyun’s arm and falls to the ground. “Hyung, I’m sorry! I just had to know.”
Jonghyun’s gaze is nothing but icy as he hisses, “And why would that be any of your business? You’re on your own from this point, Taemin.”
Jonghyun pushes Taemin’s fingers off his arm and slams the auditorium door shut. Taemin sits on the ground and pulls his legs to his chest. He wipes the stray tears down his face before he stands and swings the auditorium door open, with nothing but street lamps to guide him back to the dorm.
-
“I’ll be making a move. See you guys in class.”
Jonghyun picks up his barely touched tray and makes his way to the bin just as Taemin places his tray on the table. All eyes turn to Taemin and Minho coughs, “Did something happen during training?”
The stares are too piercing, causing Taemin to abandon his tray and start sprinting after Jonghyun. He says, “Hyung!”
Jonghyun pauses and turns his head just a little. Taemin catches up with him, and mumbles, “I’m really sorry. I won’t ever use it on you again. Just please, don’t do this.”
Jonghyun’s face softens and Taemin wonders what expression of his could garner such a response, before the look of stony indifference reappears. “You’re doing fine by yourself, you don’t need my help.”
With that, Jonghyun continues brisk walking to his next class, almost missing Taemin’s whisper, “But I do.”
-
Taemin tilts his head towards the sky and holds out his hands. He wrinkles his nose as a snowflake lands on it. Taemin shivers slightly as more land on his face while his eyes trail a lone snowflake until it touches the ground. Beautiful, yet so cold, just like Jonghyun.
The snow on the ground is a mixture of white and grey. Taemin frowns but glances up as he hears Key call out, “Taemin-ah, get in here before you catch a cold! You’ve been standing in the snow for ten minutes!”
Minho mumbles something as Taemin steps into the auditorium and pulls off his beanie. Key dusts his hair and pats his head with a bright smile. Taemin wriggles out of Key’s grasp and sticks out his tongue, as he moves backwards and collides with a figure.
Key stifles a laugh and drags Minho away, smiles playing their lips. Taemin whirls around and he freezes. Jonghyun stares at him and Taemin takes a few steps back as he mumbles, “I didn’t, um, see you there. And uh, Key didn’t tell me…”
He swallows as Jonghyun continues to stare at him with cold brown eyes, his words trails off. And he blurts out, “That’s a really nice green shirt.”
Taemin squeezes his eyes shut and mentally curses himself before he hears soft chuckling. He opens his eyes and his mouth falls open as he gapes at the broad smile across Jonghyun’s face. He coughs and stammers, “Hyung, I -“
Jonghyun holds out his hand and Taemin falls silent, before Jonghyun says, “I’ve been thinking about what happened that day. I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you. I just needed a couple of days to clear my mind and figure things out.”
Taemin begins to reply but Jonghyun grips his wrist, and continues, “So let’s continue with lessons tomorrow. I’ll text you location details, alright?”
He nods and Jonghyun gives him a small smile, lets go of his wrist and moves towards the crowd. Taemin pauses for a while before he breaks into a run. He catches sight of Jonghyun’s back and flings himself towards Jonghyun, arms encircling his waist. Taemin exhales, “I missed you, hyung.”
Jonghyun’s frame relaxes and his warm fingers grip Taemin’s as he pulls them away. He turns around and tucks Taemin’s hair behind his ear, “I missed you too, Taemin.”
-
Meet me outside the gymnasium at 10pm.
Make sure no one knows where you’re going.
Jonghyun
Taemin slides his phone back into his pocket and crawls out of bed. He straightens out the creases in his clothes and throws a final glance at the sleeping figure in Key’s bed, before he pushes open the door and slips out of their room.
Taemin crosses his arms over his chest and heads towards the gymnasium, with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. He looks around, then leans against the wall outside the gymnasium and glances at his watch. It's already 10.15pm, and Jonghyun's still not here. As a few more minutes pass, he takes another glance at his watch. Jonghyun can't possibly take too long.
All of a sudden, he hears a soft 'boo' come from behind him, and he almost jumps in his place.
Jonghyun pulls off his black cap and ruffles Taemin’s hair. His grins, and says “Sorry for the wait. My roommate just wouldn’t fall asleep.”
Taemin shakes his head and asks, “What are we doing tonight?”
Jonghyun’s smile fades and he asks, “Do you trust me, Taemin?”
Taemin hesitates before he nods. Jonghyun cracks into a grin and he whispers, “Then follow me and don’t ask questions. We’re going on a mission tonight.”
And then he’s grabbing Taemin’s hand, running as fast as he can.
-
Excitement bubbles in Taemin as he follows Jonghyun to a deserted area in the school. Jonghyun pushes a brick in the wall and the wall dissolves, revealing a long passage with candles lining its walls. Jonghyun smiles at Taemin and pulls him in as the entrance disappears behind them.
Jonghyun pulls Taemin to a halt and says, “I need you to compulse whoever we meet along the way and have them let us through, alright?”
Taemin blinks and retorts, “Why can’t you do it?”
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him use compulsion before. Jonghyun looks momentarily blank before he grins and replies, “I can control my psychic abilities better than you and compulsion draws energy from the user. So wouldn’t it make more sense if I kept my energy to protect us from attackers?”
Taemin tilts his head and nods slowly. Jonghyun beams and grips Taemin’s hand as they move forward with caution. “Who goes there?”
Taemin glares at the security guard before them and focuses. A look of confusion crosses the guard’s features and he’s about to scream for help, before a look of pure bliss settles over his features. Taemin exhales and says, “Let us pass.”
He moves out of their way and Jonghyun slips pass, his fingers tightening around Taemin’s, dragging Taemin along with him. A tight squeeze and Taemin breaks the gaze, as Jonghyun smirks, “Memory wipe.”
And then, Jonghyun’s pulling him down another corner, deeper into the passageway.
The process continues and Taemin’s feeling a little light headed by the time he’s done with the third one. He breaks the connection too fast and the guard’s eyes widen, as he opens his mouth to scream for help.
Jonghyun kicks him in the stomach and the guard stumbles back, his back collides with the wall as he falls to the ground. Jonghyun’s fingers are shaking as he whispers, “Memory wipe.”
Jonghyun yanks Taemin’s hand and runs, turns a corner, before he halts. Taemin slumps against the wall, his eyes falling shut from exhaustion. “Taemin,” Jonghyun breathes, his hands on either side of Taemin’s face. “Hey, are you alright?”
Taemin drops his gaze to the ground and he whispers, “I’m tired, hyung.”
Jonghyun’s brows furrow and he answers, “Just a little more, Taemin. We’re almost at our destination.”
Taemin exhales and glances up at Jonghyun. One of Jonghyun’s hands fall from his face and on to his waist before he pulls away and murmurs, “We should get moving before any guards come.”
Taemin nods, unable to hear anything else that Jonghyun says as his ears fill with the sound of his heart pounding. He almost walks into Jonghyun as Jonghyun halts abruptly.
Before them is a glass door several feet away, with a security guard dozing off before it. Jonghyun’s grip on his hand tightens as he whispers, “Taemin, I need you to use compulsion.”
Taemin takes a step back and shakes his head, “But hyung, you told me never to use it more than thrice in a row.”
Jonghyun releases his hand, and he’s shaking Taemin with so much vigor that he almost cries, as Jonghyun hisses, “Do it. It’s too late to turn back now.”
Taemin swallows and stares at the monster before him. He shoves Jonghyun away and rubs his eyes as he stares at the guard. The guard’s eyes flutter open, and he turns to Taemin with a dazed look. Taemin hates how his voice is shaking as he mutters, “Let us in.”
The guard presses his pass to a panel to the side of the door and it slides open. Taemin smiles, before his hands fly up to his head, and he falls to the ground. Taemin glances up and notes how the guard is floating and whirling about before him, his finger pointing at him. Taemin struggles as he feels a force drag him into the room before the glass door swings shut. “Taemin, calm down! It’s me.”
The three Jonghyuns before him swirl and merge into one. Taemin pants and flings himself into Jonghyun’s arms, as he buries his head into Jonghyun’s chest. Jonghyun exhales and pats his back, “It’s okay. Everything’s fine now.”
“Jonghyun? Jonghyun, is that you?”
Taemin pulls away as their heads turn simultaneously in the direction of the voice. A bony hand reaches out of the cage and Taemin jumps back in fright. Jonghyun gets to his feet and moves towards the hand. A face appears by the cage and Taemin suddenly realizes what they’ve been doing.
“Hyung? Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here.”
Jonghyun sprints over to the control panel and punches a few buttons to no avail. Taemin shakes his head as he walks towards the man in the cage. Jonghyun hits a button and spinning disks fly out. Taemin ducks one and yells, “Hyung! Make them stop!”
Jonghyun slams multiple buttons and he curses, “Shit, the system’s not responding.”
Taemin raises his arms and attempts to divert the disks. One of the disks wobbles slightly and swivels to the left before it continues on its course towards him. Taemin ducks it and flips his bangs out of his eyes. He stares at his hands and tries to divert the disks again. It can’t be. Why isn’t this working? It worked perfectly when we were practicing.
A disk flies past his ear and Taemin jumps back as more head towards him. Jonghyun’s on the opposite diverting disks heading towards him with ease. It’s not the room which is weakening my powers. It’s the compulsion.
He ducks under another disk and runs, as disks whisk past him and he continues to try to divert them. Taemin shakes his head, as he tries to focus his vision, but the room’s spinning too much. “Jonghyun,” he whispers, hands on his ears.
“Jonghyun!” He screams, as his knees hit the ground and he loses his sight completely.
-
“… If something happens to him, I swear I’ll kill you, Kim Jonghyun.”
Taemin coughs as blurry figures appear before him, and he croaks, “Water.”
A cool glass is held to his lips and fingers push his chin up as freezing liquid runs down his throat. He sputters and hears Jaejoong gasp, “Oh god, I’m so sorry!”
Taemin shakes his head and glances at the figures before him. Jinki presses the back of his hand to his forehead and smiles, as he asks, “Are you feeling okay, Taemin-ah?”
Taemin nods. Yunho and Minho breathe a sigh of relief as Key wraps his arms around Taemin and exclaims, “I’m so glad you’re alright! You had us all worried, Taemin-ah!”
He smiles and pulls away, his eyes on Jonghyun sitting on the sofa in their room. Jonghyun catches his gaze and glances away. Taemin stammers, “What, no I mean, how did I get here?”
Key huffs and turns to Jonghyun, “Yes, now that Taemin’s awake, would you like to enlighten us on what happened, Einstein?”
Jonghyun glances up at Key before he turns his gaze to the window and clears his throat, “Well, um, I got us out of there. I carried Taemin out and straight to the dorm.”
Key raises an eyebrow and asks, “And where is there exactly?”
Minho grips Key’s wrist and hisses, “Key, don’t.”
“But he deserves to know! I mean he lied and used him, so Taemin deserves -“
“It doesn’t matter,” Jonghyun says, his voice soft and crisp. Key opens his mouth to protest but Jonghyun holds up a hand to stop him, and continues, “He won’t see me anymore after this, so it doesn’t matter.”
Jonghyun stands and pushes open the dorm door, before swinging it shut behind him. Jinki yanks his jacket from the clothes rack and runs out the door. Key puffs out his cheeks and complains, “Well, wasn’t that just rude of him.”
Yunho puts a hand on Key’s shoulder and gives him a small smile, “Could you guys go out for a while? I would like a private word with Taemin.”
Key glares at him before Jaejoong drags him out of the door, with Minho trailing behind them. Yunho laughs and sits on the edge of Taemin’s bed, before asking, “So, you’re not having any signs of dizziness, are you?”
Taemin shakes his head and Yunho sighs in relief. He ruffles Taemin’s hair and says, “He was blaming himself, you know?”
“What?”
Yunho smiles at Taemin and continues, “Jonghyun. He rushed here with you in his arms, and he didn’t even retort when Key yelled at him. He was just begging Jinki to heal you up with his water abilities, even though all you got was a minor cut on your forehead. Jinki wanted to heal him first -“
“Hyung was hurt?” Taemin interrupts.
Yunho nods and replies, “Yes. There was a long cut down his right arm which was bleeding profusely. He refused to let Jinki near him until Jinki took care of your injury first. And the whole time Jinki was healing you, he was just blaming himself for getting you injured.”
Yunho pauses and glances up at Taemin, before he asks, “But Taemin, tell me, do you know of the dangers of compulsion?”
Taemin nods and answers, “The more it’s used, the less ability the user will have to control his powers.”
Yunho crosses his fingers and asks, “And was the reason you were injured due to your lack of abilities to control your power?”
Taemin hesitates and replies, “I didn’t have a choice! Jonghyun-hyung said he needed to save his powers to protect us against danger, so I had to be the one to use compulsion. And -“
Yunho frowns and cuts in, “What do you mean Jonghyun needs to save his powers?”
Taemin blinks, then tilts his head to one side, “I mean, that’s why I had to be the one to use compulsion, because it weakens the user. And hyung couldn’t risk having his powers weakened -“
Yunho shakes his head and sighs. Taemin pauses and stares at him, not understanding what was upsetting him. Yunho bites his bottom lip and says, “Jonghyun can’t use compulsion.”
“What? I… don’t understand.”
Yunho stares up at the ceiling before dropping his gaze back at Taemin, his hand on Taemin’s shoulder, “Compulsion is a special ability that only selected psychic users possess. Do you know Kim Jongshin? He’s Jonghyun’s older brother.”
Taemin nods and frowns, as Yunho continues, “The reason he was locked up by the school was because he used compulsion too much and lost control over his powers as a result. He was locked up to protect the students. And Jonghyun was getting you to help break him out.”
Taemin sinks into his pillow and covers his face with his hands, as he murmurs, “I was so stupid, hyung.”
Yunho pries his hands away and gives him a small smile, before he stands up and walks towards the door. He pauses, with a hand on the door knob and turns back to say, “He could’ve chosen to take his hyung instead of you, Taemin-ah. Doesn’t that count for something to you?”
-
Taemin leans against the wall and stares at the ceiling. He tries to steady his uneven breathing and mentally thanks Minho for dragging Key away. A flurry of footsteps and silence falls. Taemin glances up at Jonghyun and smiles, “Annyong, hyung.”
Jonghyun stiffens and asks, “What are you doing outside my class?”
Taemin pushes himself off the wall and walks towards Jonghyun, closing the gap between them. He shakes his head and says, “Why? Why did you abandon your hyung back there and choose to save me instead?”
Jonghyun slides fingers under his own fringe and pushes it away from his eyes, as he answers, “It was my fault you were injured in the first place. I have to take responsibility for that.”
A gentle laugh and Taemin shakes his head, and questions, “Really? I could have sworn you liked me for a second there.”
Jonghyun falls silent and averts his gaze, as they stroll down the hallway together. Taemin continues, “Fall out of like with me, hyung.” Jonghyun’s mouth falls open, as Taemin states, “Fall out of like with me, and fall in love with me.”
A smirk and Jonghyun pauses, turning to him, “Yeah? What if I don’t want to?”
Taemin grins and teases, “Then I’ll have no choice but to use compulsion on you, hyung.”
Jonghyun grips Taemin’s wrist and pulls Taemin to him. He closes the gap between them and places a chaste kiss on Taemin’s lips for a few seconds, before he pulls away and smirks, “Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.”
Taemin laughs and smacks his chest, “Don’t take too long, hyung. I’m very sought after.”
Jonghyun chuckles and ruffles Taemin’s hair as he grips the door knob to his class. He turns back and plants a kiss on Taemin’s forehead then smiles, “Yeah? Then I’ll just make you fall in love with me all over again.”
specialises
7,080w (Jonghyun/Taemin)
Drama, Angst, AU; PG
Summary: Lee Taemin is a normal kid, thrown into a school where superpowers are the norm. With some help from Kim Jonghyun, he discovers his own powers and learns to control them. However, he starts realizing that perhaps Jonghyun isn’t what he seems and things really aren’t as simple as he perceives them to be.
written for bitter_cakes for shinee_replay 's secret santa event. originally posted here.
A/N:
thanks to ixjaydee for helping me beta this and for helping me with the fluff parts, as well as the hand-holding throughout the fic. thanks to train1332 for the plot idea in the first place, and to xxqod for characterisation and interaction help. and many thanks to onew for listening to me whine nonstop, as well as talking me out from quitting on many occasions.
this is for you guys ♥
Taemin swallows and turns to look at the black Mercedes Benz as it pulls away. He wonders if it is too late to go running after it. Six months away from home suddenly seems scary to him, considering he’s never even been to summer camp. The large grey building before him isn’t making things any better. He’s never even heard of this school but the letter they sent him seems impressive enough, with the gold border and glossy paper.
“May I see your letter, sir?”
Taemin jumps before giving a small smile, handing his letter over to the guard. The guard pulls out a flash light and shines it over the letter as Taemin rocks on his heels. “This way, please,” he says, signaling for Taemin to follow.
The guard leads him to an ordinary garden shed and pulls a shovel. Taemin stares at him, because clearly it’s a sign of insanity that they’re in a shed of all places. There’s a sudden shake which makes Taemin grip on to the guard, earning a soft chuckle from him. He hears a muttered, “Newbies,” before he lets go and turns in another direction as his face heats up.
The doors swing open with a “ding”, and the guard pushes Taemin out, as a soft gasp escapes his mouth. The building before him looks more like a department centre than a school. His duffel falls from his shoulder, landing on the ground as the guard calls out, “You! Come here!”
The guard waves at a tall guy with cropped black hair and bright eyes, while saying, “This is Lee Taemin, he’s new at your school. Go show him around.”
Before any protests were even uttered, the guard shoves Taemin’s letter into the guy’s hands and disappears back into the garden shed, leaving both of them standing in the middle of the field. The guy picks up Taemin’s duffel and hands it to him, smiling, “I’m Jung Yunho, and welcome to SA Academy.”
He takes large strides, and Taemin scrambles to keep up with him, his duffel slowing down his movement. Yunho points out various classrooms to him and names them so fast that Taemin’s eyes are blurry, and he’s about to cry that he’s never going to remember any of this. But the last thing he wants is to embarrass himself on the first day in front of a senior.
Yunho pauses abruptly in front of a door, and Taemin almost walks right into him. He turns to Taemin with a bright grin as he exclaims, “And this is your dorm, according to your letter. Well, I’ll see you around then, Taemin-sshi!”
He waves and skids off while Taemin fumbles with the door handle and access card that came with the letter. However, before he could crank the handle open, the door’s yanked open and a boy with a bowl hair-cut is staring at him. They stare at each other briefly and Taemin wonders how many times he’s going to be thrown in such a situation before the day ends.
Taemin grins and holds out a hand, “Hi, I’m Lee Taemin. Are you my roommate?”
The boy glances down at his hand before he starts flailing about, and Taemin’s positive that the boy’s shrieking, “Oh my god, why are you so terribly late? We have classes in an hour! And that looks absolutely heavy, let me help you out!”
He bustles about Taemin and yanks his duffel from him, hoisting it up on to the bed. The boy reminds him so much of his mum that Taemin lowers his head, as his shoulders shake with laughter. This was definitely going to be an interesting six months.
-
Taemin learns that his roommate’s name is Key. He adores pink and shops more than a 19 year old guy should. Taemin decides that he kind of likes Key, even with his strange high-pitched laughter and his insistence of taking a picture together with his Polaroid so that Taemin could carry it around and have a remembrance of him at all times. He nags a little too much and talks a little too freely even though they’ve only been acquainted for two hours, but Taemin supposes he’s fine with it.
Key introduces him to Minho, someone that doesn’t talk much, he notes. They’ve been best friends since they were kids, and Taemin figures they make a nice pair, considering Key talks enough for both of them.
“Today’s objective would be to figure out what powers you have.”
Taemin glances up and stops fiddling with his jacket zipper. “Our… what?”
Minho raises an eyebrow at him and states, “Powers. Didn’t you read the guidebook of the school regarding its history and the reason why we were selected?”
Oh, Taemin thinks, finally understanding chain of events with the guard this morning. He recalls the thick book that had been sent to him in the mail along with the letter and curses himself for throwing it aside, thinking that anything he had to learn, he would learn hands-on. “Kim Kibum!”
Key groans and jogs up to the teacher, mumbling something about wanting to be called Key instead. Taemin watches Key step onto a square, before it springs up and throws him in the air towards a soft mattress. Key halts mid-air and does a little somersault as Minho grumbles, “Show-off.”
He gapes at Key’s ease of floating about before he lands back on the ground, as the teacher booms, “Element Air!”
Taemin gulps as more kids get called up, letting out a breath every single time his name wasn’t the one being called. He watches Minho ignite a whole role of candles and burns a hole through the target board placed before him. Taemin stares down at his own hands, holds them a distance away and thinks fire. Nothing happens, and he slumps. He’s always wanted to be a fire controller. “Lee Taemin!”
He jumps as Key gives him a light pat on the back and wishes him good luck. Taemin inhales and jogs forward, pausing in front of the teacher, giving him a small grin.
The teacher drags him and before he knows it, the ground has disappeared beneath his feet and it’s absolutely freezing. Taemin opens his mouth to scream only to choke as he struggles to surface. Strong hands materialize and start pulling him up, as water clears from Taemin’s lungs. Hands are patting his back and he can faintly hear Key shrilling about whether he was alright.
Taemin coughs and nods, before the teacher shoos Key off and leads him to the centre of the class. He blinks and suddenly, the ceiling’s getting nearer to him as he yelps, “I can’t fly!”
His chest hits the mattress and Taemin buries his head in it as he hears snickers from the class. This is going to be the longest six months of my life.
-
The last thing Taemin wants to do now is to eat, but Key seems adamant about getting his way and he’s not about to fight a losing battle. Minho’s craning his neck, searching for an empty table in the canteen as Key balances both his and Taemin’s tray in the air. “Kibummie!”
Key jumps and Taemin lurches, catches both their trays before they hit the ground. A guy with drenched milk-tea hair is waving madly at them as Key hisses under his breath. Minho gives a light chuckle and signals for Taemin to come along while he balances the two trays. “Shut up, hyung! I thought I told you to call me Key in school!”
He whacks the other boy who forms a pout and sticks out his tongue. Next to him, Yunho shakes his head and teases, “So heartless, Key.”
Yunho beams at them before he glances over and waves, “Hey, Lee Taemin right? How’s first day?”
Taemin smiles and sits down with both trays as Key fumes and bickers more with the other guy. He shakes his head and mumbles, “I’ve had better days. Key’s my roommate though!”
Yunho laughs and gives him a pat on the back, “Rough first day? Don’t worry, it happens to plenty of freshmen. Oh and about your roommate, I can always give you pointers on how to deal with him when he’s being hysterical. After all, I’ve been rooming with his brother for two years now.”
Key stops whining for a few seconds and glances over at Taemin, who’s staring at Yunho with bright confusion. He sighs and points to the guy across the table, “This is my idiotic older brother, Kim Jaejoong. He’s an air user too.”
Taemin bows his head, as holds out his hand and introduces himself. He notes the way Jaejoong puffs out his cheeks as Yunho tousles his hair, similar to the way Key freaks out when someone touches his colourful hair. The sharpness of their features, and the concern they hold for each other beneath the yelling amuses Taemin, just as two other trays were plopped down.
“The queue’s insane! How did you guys manage to get your food so fast?”
A guy questions as he sits down, his long, slight curly brown hair bouncing with the small movement. Yunho shrugs and reaches for a clump of rice on Jaejoong’s tray, only to have Jaejoong’s chopsticks whack his knuckles. He rubs them and responds, “Hang out with air users in future if you want to get food fast, Jinki.”
This causes a pout to be thrown in the direction of the other guy, who simply shrugs. Key clears his throat above the arguments and put his arm around Taemin as all eyes focused on them. Taemin keeps his gaze down. The only thing he hates more than being on unfamiliar grounds was to have all eyes on him. Key announces, “This is Lee Taemin, my roommate. And from this point on, he shall be my son, so keep your claws off him. Especially you, Kim Jonghyun!”
The other guy who has sat down, with spiky brown hair and large puppy eyes holds up his hands in mock surrender as he whines, “But I haven’t even said a word since I sat down! Why are you always picking on me?”
Key turns to Taemin and smiles, ignoring the statement and causing the other to pout. “Taemin-ah, that is Jinki-hyung. Water users are supposedly graceful and poised, so I think he was probably placed in the wrong element since he trips over nothing.”
Jinki smiles at Key, reaches across and ruffles his hair as he jokes, “Key, can’t you give me a nicer description? Like ‘a killer smile’ or ‘a melodious laugh’, instead of ‘insanely clumsy’?”
Key’s cheeks turn a light pink as he wriggles away from Jinki’s hand, continuing, “And this is Kim Jonghyun, the world’s biggest attention whore.”
Jonghyun opens his mouth to protest, as Jaejoong cuts in, “So, how was power identification?”
This causes a few moments of silence as Minho fidgets about and stares down at his rice, while Key chokes out a laugh and changes the subject. Taemin picks up his tray, claims that he’s full and excuses himself despite Key’s endless protests and Minho’s wrist grabbing.
-
Taemin bangs his head on the book and exhales. How pathetic was it that he was in this school when he had no powers whatsoever. Maybe if he got his parents to write a letter, he could be out of this place. He shakes the thought out of his head and stands up to get another book.
The History of Powers. Taemin reaches for the book only to touch its spine, unable to pull it out. He puffs out his cheeks and jumps a few times to no avail.
Just as he was about to walk away, the book floats down and lands in his outstretched hands. He whirls around and gasps, “You’re an air user too, Jonghyun-sunbae?”
Jonghyun turns his head and points towards a plastic bottle near the window of the library. Taemin watches the bottle float up and turns to Jonghyun, as he raises an eyebrow. Jonghyun smiles and whispers, “Just watch.”
Taemin turns back to the bottle and his jaw drops, as the book in his hand lands with a ‘thud’ on the ground. The bottle begins caving inwards as Jonghyun moves his hand mid-air, and crumples into a ball as he claps them together. The distorted bottle drops to the ground and Jonghyun smirks, “Air users can’t do that, Taemin.”
This is probably the moment where he should bolt out of there, yet Taemin feels drawn to Jonghyun as he sputters, “What… what are you?”
Jonghyun smiles, picking up the book and flipping to a page before shoving it in Taemin’s face. Psychic users, the rarest and most powerful of all the elements. Taemin glances up, “How… how do you determine if you’re a psychic user?”
-
“I really can’t do it,” Taemin cries out in exasperation.
Jonghyun looks up from his phone and pushes himself off the wall he’s leaning against. He raises his arm, and the bottle in the middle of the auditorium floats up before it lands back on the ground. “Try again, concentrate.”
Taemin furrows his brows and squeezes his eyes shut. Float, float, float. “That’s it.”
His eyes fly open as he watches the bottle levitate before him. Taemin stammers, “Wait, are you doing that?”
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow, his grin still intact as he shakes his head and states, “Nope, it’s all your doing.”
Taemin squeals, and the bottle falls as he buries himself into Jonghyun’s embrace. He breathes, “Thank you so much.”
Jonghyun clears his throat and pries Taemin off him. He picks up the bottle and replies, “Let’s meet here every day after class. The school doesn’t exactly train psychic users, so I’ll train you.”
It’s dark outside and Taemin struggles to keep up with Jonghyun’s fast pace. “Then how did you learn to control your powers, sunbae?”
Jonghyun pushes open the door to the dorms and answers, “My hyung taught me.”
Taemin pauses, his room access card in his hand as he asks, “Oh? Does he come to our school too?”
A look flickers across Jonghyun’s face and Taemin shrinks back, realization that he knows close to nothing about this stranger suddenly hits him. Jonghyun’s face cracks into an easy smile and he pats Taemin’s head, “Goodnight Taemin. Get a good night’s rest, we have a lot of training to do tomorrow.”
He turns and leaves Taemin standing before his room, a thousand unanswered questions tittering off the tip of his tongue.
-
List of psychic users. Taemin’s face brightens as he scrolls down the list of names. Only twenty psychic users have ever been in this school, out of which twelve had graduated and seven were still undergrads, him included. He frowns and recounts the number of graduates and undergrads, only to end up with the same number.
Taemin scrolls down the page and stops at the title ‘Suspended’. Under the header is only one name, along with a picture. Kim Jongshin. Taemin squints at the picture. There was something familiar about this guy. He stares at the picture and brief description of Kim Jongshin until his eyelids flutter shut.
-
“Taemin-ah,” Taemin jerks awake and retrieves the pen which has rolled out of his hand onto the ground. He stands and bows with the rest of the class, before he gathers his books and stretches. Key stares at him and asks, “Everything alright? You keep dozing off during classes today.”
They walk out of class with Minho, and Taemin shrugs and replies, “I was up last night searching for psychic users from our school. There are only twenty including me, you know?”
Key pats his head and chuckles, “That’s fascinating.”
Taemin nods and continues, “But there was a particular user who was being suspended from our school. Do you guys know who Kim Jongshin is?”
Key chokes and Minho shoots him a look. Taemin blinks at the exchange of head shakes and hisses of “it’s not our business to blab”. He clears his throat and both fall silent, “Is that a yes?”
Minho’s mouth goes into a tight line as he answers, “Let’s get to the cafeteria. We don’t have much time before class starts again.”
Taemin opens his mouth to protest but stops short when Key squeezes his wrist so tight that it hurts. He trails behind them to the cafeteria, his mind still whirling with questions.
-
“Compulsion,” Jonghyun says as he writes it out on the whiteboard. “Is the ability to make others do what you want them to do.”
Jonghyun puts down the marker and turns to Taemin with a smile, “We’re going to try this today. The key to compulsion is to focus your mind and to stare at the other party intently. Once you’ve got his attention, say what you want him to do in a calm voice.”
Taemin stands and asks, “Wait, but how will I know if I’ve got his attention?”
Jonghyun glances at him and stops rolling up his sleeves, and replies, “There will be a change in the expression on the other party’s face. Of course there are also levels of difficulties of compulsion. For example, some people’s minds are more heavily guarded than others, and those will be harder to break into. I’m considered slightly above the average, so if you can break into my mind, you’ll have more or less mastered the skill.”
Taemin’s eyes widen and he takes a few steps back. Jonghyun laughs and shakes his head, and says, “Don’t worry, you’re not trying it on me yet. I have a rather simple target for you to practice on today. Jinki-hyung!”
A loud crash echoes through the vast auditorium and Yunho drags Jinki in. Yunho lets go, Jinki stumbles forward and throws the pair a sheepish smile. Jonghyun nods at Taemin and Taemin glares at Jinki. Jinki takes a few steps back and Yunho’s eyes widen as he launches forward, only to be held back by Jonghyun. Jonghyun states, “Don’t lose focus, Taemin-ah.”
Jinki shakes his head and turns his gaze away from Taemin. And then, his head snaps in Taemin’s direction, a slightly dazed expression covers his features. Taemin smiles and whispers, “I want you to give me your car keys.”
A black, sleek key is fished out of Jinki’s pocket and held before Taemin’s face. Taemin holds out his palm and he’s so close but a loud yelp signals the end of his compulsion.
Jinki’s eyes are wide and he’s on the ground, car keys abandoned by his side. Jonghyun’s holding his arm, where a tiny fire is still burning, his mouth hanging open. A wave of Yunho’s hand and the flame extinguishes as he grips Jonghyun’s collar and hisses, “Never teach him compulsion, Jonghyun.”
Jonghyun pushes Yunho away and snaps, “I know what I’m doing.”
“We all do, Jonghyun. And you better drop the damn idea.”
Jonghyun’s raises his hand and in a flash, Jinki pushes himself between both of them, as he exclaims, “Enough! Look, I’m fine and so is Taemin. No big deal alright, Yunho? Just, just teach him something else, Jjong.”
Jonghyun smiles and nods, “Sure. Why don’t you guys get on your way then?”
Yunho raises an eyebrow in disbelief, but Jinki tugs on his hand and mumbles, “Let’s go. I’m sure Jonghyun knows better than to try that again.”
They turn and Jonghyun’s by Taemin’s side in a flash. He holds his hand out and hisses, “Memory wipe.”
Jinki and Yunho freeze in their steps before they turn to face them. Yunho scratches his head and mutters, “What are we doing here?”
Jonghyun smirks and takes large strides over, “Ah, I had Jinki-hyung’s car keys and you guys dropped by to collect them.”
Jinki blinks as Jonghyun drops the keys into his hand and throws him a mega-watt smile. Taemin stares in amazement before noticing a sleek white iPhone on the floor. He bends down and picks it up. The screen lights up, and he nearly drops the phone. Why does Jonghyun-hyung have a picture with Kim Jongshin?
“I believe that’s mine,” Jonghyun states as he fishes the phone out of Taemin’s grasp, before he slides it into his side pocket and signals for Taemin to take a seat opposite him.
He continues, “Rule number one of compulsion, always stay focused. You lost your grip on Jinki-hyung just now because you were distracted. In actual situations, this would be dangerous as the other party will realize what’s going on and things might not turn out pretty.”
Taemin nods as he opens a new note in his phone and types down the instructions. Jonghyun rattles on, “Rule number two, ensure there is no one with the other party or interference might occur. Any questions?”
Taemin looks up from his phone and hesitates, before he asks, “Why is Yunho-hyung so against you teaching me how to use compulsion?”
To this, Jonghyun breaks their eye contact, exhales deeply, then mutters, “Because the more compulsion you use, the less able you are to control your powers.”
He glances back up at Taemin, stands and breaks into a grin upon sight of his expression. “Don’t worry, that only happens when you use it too many times in a row, so your body doesn’t have ample rest time. Just use it at a maximum of three times in a row and you’ll be fine.”
Taemin nods, eyes downcast as he saves the note, as he stands. Jonghyun’s finger pushes his chin up and Taemin stares into those deep pools of brown. Jonghyun’s leaning in a little too close and his breath is warm against Taemin’s ear as he whispers, “Good, now delete the note. No one must know that you’re learning to use compulsion.”
And then it’s cool air blowing against Taemin’s face. Jonghyun’s already several feet away as he waves a flippant goodbye and heads back to his room.
-
“Memory wipe,” Jonghyun mutters as he pushes Seunghyun out of the door of the auditorium.
Taemin collapses to the ground and curls up into a little ball. Jonghyun passes him a bottle of water and pats his back, “It’s been hard on you, but I think you’ve mastered compulsion. Good job.”
The water feels cool on his skin as Taemin pours it down his head and runs fingers through his hair. They had been doing the same thing every day; Jonghyun would trick one of his classmates to come to the auditorium alone and Taemin would practice compulsion on him. After which, Jonghyun would memory wipe them before he sends them on their way, and they would continue to practice lifting things with their mind.
“Teach me how to use memory wipe, hyung,” Taemin says abruptly.
Jonghyun stares at him, before he laughs, “Learn to control compulsion first, Taemin-ah.”
Taemin pouts and gets to his feet, before he breaks into a sprint and pounds his fists against Jonghyun’s chest, whining, “But you said it’s as easy to learn and control as lifting things, so why can’t you teach me that instead? It’ll come in useful if I use compulsion without you around.”
Jonghyun laughs and grips his wrists, before he says in a serious tone, “You must never use compulsion without me by your side, do you understand?”
Taemin stares at him, a flush spreads across his face as he realizes their close proximity. Jonghyun stops laughing and he leans in. It’s now or never. Compulse. Taemin pushes all thoughts away and stares deeply at Jonghyun’s half-lidded eyes. A wave of relaxation washes over Jonghyun’s face and he pauses a millimeter away from Taemin’s lips, his eyes lost and dazed.
Taemin exhales and calms himself as he whispers, “Tell me who Kim Jongshin is.”
Jonghyun answers, his eyes not leaving Taemin’s, “He’s my hyung.”
Taemin’s eyes widen as explanations start falling in place. The worried glances between Minho and Key, the similarity in appearance and the wallpaper. Jonghyun’s eyes snap open and he shoves Taemin away from him. Taemin stumbles but regains his balance as Jonghyun yanks up his shoulder bag and brisk walks to the door.
“Hyung!” Taemin cries as he catches hold of Jonghyun’s arm and falls to the ground. “Hyung, I’m sorry! I just had to know.”
Jonghyun’s gaze is nothing but icy as he hisses, “And why would that be any of your business? You’re on your own from this point, Taemin.”
Jonghyun pushes Taemin’s fingers off his arm and slams the auditorium door shut. Taemin sits on the ground and pulls his legs to his chest. He wipes the stray tears down his face before he stands and swings the auditorium door open, with nothing but street lamps to guide him back to the dorm.
-
“I’ll be making a move. See you guys in class.”
Jonghyun picks up his barely touched tray and makes his way to the bin just as Taemin places his tray on the table. All eyes turn to Taemin and Minho coughs, “Did something happen during training?”
The stares are too piercing, causing Taemin to abandon his tray and start sprinting after Jonghyun. He says, “Hyung!”
Jonghyun pauses and turns his head just a little. Taemin catches up with him, and mumbles, “I’m really sorry. I won’t ever use it on you again. Just please, don’t do this.”
Jonghyun’s face softens and Taemin wonders what expression of his could garner such a response, before the look of stony indifference reappears. “You’re doing fine by yourself, you don’t need my help.”
With that, Jonghyun continues brisk walking to his next class, almost missing Taemin’s whisper, “But I do.”
-
Taemin tilts his head towards the sky and holds out his hands. He wrinkles his nose as a snowflake lands on it. Taemin shivers slightly as more land on his face while his eyes trail a lone snowflake until it touches the ground. Beautiful, yet so cold, just like Jonghyun.
The snow on the ground is a mixture of white and grey. Taemin frowns but glances up as he hears Key call out, “Taemin-ah, get in here before you catch a cold! You’ve been standing in the snow for ten minutes!”
Minho mumbles something as Taemin steps into the auditorium and pulls off his beanie. Key dusts his hair and pats his head with a bright smile. Taemin wriggles out of Key’s grasp and sticks out his tongue, as he moves backwards and collides with a figure.
Key stifles a laugh and drags Minho away, smiles playing their lips. Taemin whirls around and he freezes. Jonghyun stares at him and Taemin takes a few steps back as he mumbles, “I didn’t, um, see you there. And uh, Key didn’t tell me…”
He swallows as Jonghyun continues to stare at him with cold brown eyes, his words trails off. And he blurts out, “That’s a really nice green shirt.”
Taemin squeezes his eyes shut and mentally curses himself before he hears soft chuckling. He opens his eyes and his mouth falls open as he gapes at the broad smile across Jonghyun’s face. He coughs and stammers, “Hyung, I -“
Jonghyun holds out his hand and Taemin falls silent, before Jonghyun says, “I’ve been thinking about what happened that day. I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you. I just needed a couple of days to clear my mind and figure things out.”
Taemin begins to reply but Jonghyun grips his wrist, and continues, “So let’s continue with lessons tomorrow. I’ll text you location details, alright?”
He nods and Jonghyun gives him a small smile, lets go of his wrist and moves towards the crowd. Taemin pauses for a while before he breaks into a run. He catches sight of Jonghyun’s back and flings himself towards Jonghyun, arms encircling his waist. Taemin exhales, “I missed you, hyung.”
Jonghyun’s frame relaxes and his warm fingers grip Taemin’s as he pulls them away. He turns around and tucks Taemin’s hair behind his ear, “I missed you too, Taemin.”
-
Meet me outside the gymnasium at 10pm.
Make sure no one knows where you’re going.
Jonghyun
Taemin slides his phone back into his pocket and crawls out of bed. He straightens out the creases in his clothes and throws a final glance at the sleeping figure in Key’s bed, before he pushes open the door and slips out of their room.
Taemin crosses his arms over his chest and heads towards the gymnasium, with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. He looks around, then leans against the wall outside the gymnasium and glances at his watch. It's already 10.15pm, and Jonghyun's still not here. As a few more minutes pass, he takes another glance at his watch. Jonghyun can't possibly take too long.
All of a sudden, he hears a soft 'boo' come from behind him, and he almost jumps in his place.
Jonghyun pulls off his black cap and ruffles Taemin’s hair. His grins, and says “Sorry for the wait. My roommate just wouldn’t fall asleep.”
Taemin shakes his head and asks, “What are we doing tonight?”
Jonghyun’s smile fades and he asks, “Do you trust me, Taemin?”
Taemin hesitates before he nods. Jonghyun cracks into a grin and he whispers, “Then follow me and don’t ask questions. We’re going on a mission tonight.”
And then he’s grabbing Taemin’s hand, running as fast as he can.
-
Excitement bubbles in Taemin as he follows Jonghyun to a deserted area in the school. Jonghyun pushes a brick in the wall and the wall dissolves, revealing a long passage with candles lining its walls. Jonghyun smiles at Taemin and pulls him in as the entrance disappears behind them.
Jonghyun pulls Taemin to a halt and says, “I need you to compulse whoever we meet along the way and have them let us through, alright?”
Taemin blinks and retorts, “Why can’t you do it?”
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him use compulsion before. Jonghyun looks momentarily blank before he grins and replies, “I can control my psychic abilities better than you and compulsion draws energy from the user. So wouldn’t it make more sense if I kept my energy to protect us from attackers?”
Taemin tilts his head and nods slowly. Jonghyun beams and grips Taemin’s hand as they move forward with caution. “Who goes there?”
Taemin glares at the security guard before them and focuses. A look of confusion crosses the guard’s features and he’s about to scream for help, before a look of pure bliss settles over his features. Taemin exhales and says, “Let us pass.”
He moves out of their way and Jonghyun slips pass, his fingers tightening around Taemin’s, dragging Taemin along with him. A tight squeeze and Taemin breaks the gaze, as Jonghyun smirks, “Memory wipe.”
And then, Jonghyun’s pulling him down another corner, deeper into the passageway.
The process continues and Taemin’s feeling a little light headed by the time he’s done with the third one. He breaks the connection too fast and the guard’s eyes widen, as he opens his mouth to scream for help.
Jonghyun kicks him in the stomach and the guard stumbles back, his back collides with the wall as he falls to the ground. Jonghyun’s fingers are shaking as he whispers, “Memory wipe.”
Jonghyun yanks Taemin’s hand and runs, turns a corner, before he halts. Taemin slumps against the wall, his eyes falling shut from exhaustion. “Taemin,” Jonghyun breathes, his hands on either side of Taemin’s face. “Hey, are you alright?”
Taemin drops his gaze to the ground and he whispers, “I’m tired, hyung.”
Jonghyun’s brows furrow and he answers, “Just a little more, Taemin. We’re almost at our destination.”
Taemin exhales and glances up at Jonghyun. One of Jonghyun’s hands fall from his face and on to his waist before he pulls away and murmurs, “We should get moving before any guards come.”
Taemin nods, unable to hear anything else that Jonghyun says as his ears fill with the sound of his heart pounding. He almost walks into Jonghyun as Jonghyun halts abruptly.
Before them is a glass door several feet away, with a security guard dozing off before it. Jonghyun’s grip on his hand tightens as he whispers, “Taemin, I need you to use compulsion.”
Taemin takes a step back and shakes his head, “But hyung, you told me never to use it more than thrice in a row.”
Jonghyun releases his hand, and he’s shaking Taemin with so much vigor that he almost cries, as Jonghyun hisses, “Do it. It’s too late to turn back now.”
Taemin swallows and stares at the monster before him. He shoves Jonghyun away and rubs his eyes as he stares at the guard. The guard’s eyes flutter open, and he turns to Taemin with a dazed look. Taemin hates how his voice is shaking as he mutters, “Let us in.”
The guard presses his pass to a panel to the side of the door and it slides open. Taemin smiles, before his hands fly up to his head, and he falls to the ground. Taemin glances up and notes how the guard is floating and whirling about before him, his finger pointing at him. Taemin struggles as he feels a force drag him into the room before the glass door swings shut. “Taemin, calm down! It’s me.”
The three Jonghyuns before him swirl and merge into one. Taemin pants and flings himself into Jonghyun’s arms, as he buries his head into Jonghyun’s chest. Jonghyun exhales and pats his back, “It’s okay. Everything’s fine now.”
“Jonghyun? Jonghyun, is that you?”
Taemin pulls away as their heads turn simultaneously in the direction of the voice. A bony hand reaches out of the cage and Taemin jumps back in fright. Jonghyun gets to his feet and moves towards the hand. A face appears by the cage and Taemin suddenly realizes what they’ve been doing.
“Hyung? Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here.”
Jonghyun sprints over to the control panel and punches a few buttons to no avail. Taemin shakes his head as he walks towards the man in the cage. Jonghyun hits a button and spinning disks fly out. Taemin ducks one and yells, “Hyung! Make them stop!”
Jonghyun slams multiple buttons and he curses, “Shit, the system’s not responding.”
Taemin raises his arms and attempts to divert the disks. One of the disks wobbles slightly and swivels to the left before it continues on its course towards him. Taemin ducks it and flips his bangs out of his eyes. He stares at his hands and tries to divert the disks again. It can’t be. Why isn’t this working? It worked perfectly when we were practicing.
A disk flies past his ear and Taemin jumps back as more head towards him. Jonghyun’s on the opposite diverting disks heading towards him with ease. It’s not the room which is weakening my powers. It’s the compulsion.
He ducks under another disk and runs, as disks whisk past him and he continues to try to divert them. Taemin shakes his head, as he tries to focus his vision, but the room’s spinning too much. “Jonghyun,” he whispers, hands on his ears.
“Jonghyun!” He screams, as his knees hit the ground and he loses his sight completely.
-
“… If something happens to him, I swear I’ll kill you, Kim Jonghyun.”
Taemin coughs as blurry figures appear before him, and he croaks, “Water.”
A cool glass is held to his lips and fingers push his chin up as freezing liquid runs down his throat. He sputters and hears Jaejoong gasp, “Oh god, I’m so sorry!”
Taemin shakes his head and glances at the figures before him. Jinki presses the back of his hand to his forehead and smiles, as he asks, “Are you feeling okay, Taemin-ah?”
Taemin nods. Yunho and Minho breathe a sigh of relief as Key wraps his arms around Taemin and exclaims, “I’m so glad you’re alright! You had us all worried, Taemin-ah!”
He smiles and pulls away, his eyes on Jonghyun sitting on the sofa in their room. Jonghyun catches his gaze and glances away. Taemin stammers, “What, no I mean, how did I get here?”
Key huffs and turns to Jonghyun, “Yes, now that Taemin’s awake, would you like to enlighten us on what happened, Einstein?”
Jonghyun glances up at Key before he turns his gaze to the window and clears his throat, “Well, um, I got us out of there. I carried Taemin out and straight to the dorm.”
Key raises an eyebrow and asks, “And where is there exactly?”
Minho grips Key’s wrist and hisses, “Key, don’t.”
“But he deserves to know! I mean he lied and used him, so Taemin deserves -“
“It doesn’t matter,” Jonghyun says, his voice soft and crisp. Key opens his mouth to protest but Jonghyun holds up a hand to stop him, and continues, “He won’t see me anymore after this, so it doesn’t matter.”
Jonghyun stands and pushes open the dorm door, before swinging it shut behind him. Jinki yanks his jacket from the clothes rack and runs out the door. Key puffs out his cheeks and complains, “Well, wasn’t that just rude of him.”
Yunho puts a hand on Key’s shoulder and gives him a small smile, “Could you guys go out for a while? I would like a private word with Taemin.”
Key glares at him before Jaejoong drags him out of the door, with Minho trailing behind them. Yunho laughs and sits on the edge of Taemin’s bed, before asking, “So, you’re not having any signs of dizziness, are you?”
Taemin shakes his head and Yunho sighs in relief. He ruffles Taemin’s hair and says, “He was blaming himself, you know?”
“What?”
Yunho smiles at Taemin and continues, “Jonghyun. He rushed here with you in his arms, and he didn’t even retort when Key yelled at him. He was just begging Jinki to heal you up with his water abilities, even though all you got was a minor cut on your forehead. Jinki wanted to heal him first -“
“Hyung was hurt?” Taemin interrupts.
Yunho nods and replies, “Yes. There was a long cut down his right arm which was bleeding profusely. He refused to let Jinki near him until Jinki took care of your injury first. And the whole time Jinki was healing you, he was just blaming himself for getting you injured.”
Yunho pauses and glances up at Taemin, before he asks, “But Taemin, tell me, do you know of the dangers of compulsion?”
Taemin nods and answers, “The more it’s used, the less ability the user will have to control his powers.”
Yunho crosses his fingers and asks, “And was the reason you were injured due to your lack of abilities to control your power?”
Taemin hesitates and replies, “I didn’t have a choice! Jonghyun-hyung said he needed to save his powers to protect us against danger, so I had to be the one to use compulsion. And -“
Yunho frowns and cuts in, “What do you mean Jonghyun needs to save his powers?”
Taemin blinks, then tilts his head to one side, “I mean, that’s why I had to be the one to use compulsion, because it weakens the user. And hyung couldn’t risk having his powers weakened -“
Yunho shakes his head and sighs. Taemin pauses and stares at him, not understanding what was upsetting him. Yunho bites his bottom lip and says, “Jonghyun can’t use compulsion.”
“What? I… don’t understand.”
Yunho stares up at the ceiling before dropping his gaze back at Taemin, his hand on Taemin’s shoulder, “Compulsion is a special ability that only selected psychic users possess. Do you know Kim Jongshin? He’s Jonghyun’s older brother.”
Taemin nods and frowns, as Yunho continues, “The reason he was locked up by the school was because he used compulsion too much and lost control over his powers as a result. He was locked up to protect the students. And Jonghyun was getting you to help break him out.”
Taemin sinks into his pillow and covers his face with his hands, as he murmurs, “I was so stupid, hyung.”
Yunho pries his hands away and gives him a small smile, before he stands up and walks towards the door. He pauses, with a hand on the door knob and turns back to say, “He could’ve chosen to take his hyung instead of you, Taemin-ah. Doesn’t that count for something to you?”
-
Taemin leans against the wall and stares at the ceiling. He tries to steady his uneven breathing and mentally thanks Minho for dragging Key away. A flurry of footsteps and silence falls. Taemin glances up at Jonghyun and smiles, “Annyong, hyung.”
Jonghyun stiffens and asks, “What are you doing outside my class?”
Taemin pushes himself off the wall and walks towards Jonghyun, closing the gap between them. He shakes his head and says, “Why? Why did you abandon your hyung back there and choose to save me instead?”
Jonghyun slides fingers under his own fringe and pushes it away from his eyes, as he answers, “It was my fault you were injured in the first place. I have to take responsibility for that.”
A gentle laugh and Taemin shakes his head, and questions, “Really? I could have sworn you liked me for a second there.”
Jonghyun falls silent and averts his gaze, as they stroll down the hallway together. Taemin continues, “Fall out of like with me, hyung.” Jonghyun’s mouth falls open, as Taemin states, “Fall out of like with me, and fall in love with me.”
A smirk and Jonghyun pauses, turning to him, “Yeah? What if I don’t want to?”
Taemin grins and teases, “Then I’ll have no choice but to use compulsion on you, hyung.”
Jonghyun grips Taemin’s wrist and pulls Taemin to him. He closes the gap between them and places a chaste kiss on Taemin’s lips for a few seconds, before he pulls away and smirks, “Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.”
Taemin laughs and smacks his chest, “Don’t take too long, hyung. I’m very sought after.”
Jonghyun chuckles and ruffles Taemin’s hair as he grips the door knob to his class. He turns back and plants a kiss on Taemin’s forehead then smiles, “Yeah? Then I’ll just make you fall in love with me all over again.”