♫FIC - All but the best laid plans
all but the best laid plans
1/3 ~ 2min ~ 700 words
we live in anguish whether we should meet or not
The boy in the backseat leaned right as his cab took a wide left. They straitened out together and he craned his neck to inspect the street signs above. Catching sight of one he recognized, his eyes slid closed as he went over the rest of the trip again.
It was a pointless gesture. The cab had been procured the day before and the driver was operating on strict instructions. Taemin didn't have to know anything or utter a single word. He had memorized the route almost out of fear and he went over it in his mind at every corner, every stop light just to keep his mind busy.
Another mile and it had started to rain. With the rhythmic pounding on the roof as his lullaby, and cold glass for his pillow, he was rocked into an uneasy sleep.
The cab swerved through wet streets as Taemin was being crushed by an angry mob, cowering under hateful flash-bulbs.
When the cab finally came to its destination, the jarring stop woke him from his little nightmare. In that instant of waking his arms had flown up to shield him from the cameras and the angry shouts that had been all around him just a second ago. He could still hear the disgust in their cries and doubt began to swallow him as the cab idled in the dark alley.
The driver popped the trunk according to plan and Taemin jumped. The little disturbance brought him back to his senses though. Everything was going according to plan. With a quick glance at his watch he let out a heavy sigh, even the time reassured him.
The rain had eased off considerably but the alley was like one big water hazard as he disembarked and picked his way to the rear of the cab. With only slight difficulty he managed to extract his suitcase from the trunk. Once it was steady at his side he reached up and slammed the hood closed, but before he could even pull his hand back the cab had sped away from him.
Taemin stood transfixed, his arm hovering in the cold night air. As the glaring tail lights bounced through a pot hole or two he came back to himself and he looked down to see that his glove was sopping. He mused on the dry streak he must have left on the cab's trunk. A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth for the first time in hours but it did little to loosen the knot his guts had turned into.
Looking back up to the retreating cab he wiped his wet glove on his jeans and attended to his clothes; zipping up his coat, tightening his scarf, adjusting his beanie. He was waiting for the cab to turn onto the next street. When even the red spots on his vision had faded he finally thought it safe. Quickly turning on his heal, he set off in the opposite direction.
He knew the alley stretched on for another six blocks this way, but he only had to drag his luggage through the rain the length of one. The claustrophobicly thin street was peppered on both sides by overflowing dumpsters and a few assorted back doors. Everything was ancient looking but here and there the rain-soaked alley shone in the moonlight. It was almost pretty, even if it smelled rank.
Taemin also knew the names of the businesses that each door belonged to and he listed them off as he navigated around the puddles and pot holes, his suitcase bouncing along behind him. A second hand shop, a bar, an all night market, a chain drug store. It was just another one of those pointless distractions.
At the very end of the block he stopped just short of the door he was looking for, his stomach lurched as he stared at it. He knew what waited for him at the top of the stairs at the end of the long corridor that that door opened into, but his excitement was being eaten away by suspicion and doubt and nerves. Taemin cast one final furtive glance around the dark alley before he stepped up and reached for the door that would lead him to Minho.
author's note :: Holy shit, I did it again! I know its short but I have more in store for this one guys, please look forward to it! Eventually it will get hot and heavy but I'm kind of stuck. I can't decide if I should go to Minho's pov or just stay with Taemin. Any thoughts? Special thanks to anja_yoochun for being my sounding board as I posted this. Thanks for all the non-help XD