Episode 02: Return of the Pikachu
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it was a rare occasion that taemin got angry. annoyed, yes, when jonghyun pulled him into a headlock or kibum fussed over him excessively. frustrated, yes, when he just couldn't master the intricate steps of the village festival dance. exasperated, yes, when jinki cracked a joke that simply fell flat.
if the situation weren't so grave, minho would take the time to watch taemin, awing at the tense line of his shoulders, the firm set of his furrowed brows, the darker shade of his eyes.
(but jinki was no longer there to make a silly pun, jonghyun hadn't been around to wrestle with taemin for a long time, and kibum was too far away to grumble over taemin's messy hair.
and soon, minho would join them.)
"taemin," he sighs, impatience and exhaustion and just a hint of desperation breathed out in the exhale, "you know i have to."
"no, you don't! there are plenty of men going out to fight for the emperor! one missing person won't matter!" taemin slams white-knuckled fists onto the wooden table. the candle teeters precariously, but does not fall. its flickering light highlights the still-soft line of taemin's jaw, glinting off the sheen of his narrowed eyes.
it is this, the stark reminder of taemin's boyhood that makes minho's heart clench in his chest. he will not lie to himself: the thought of going out into war in all its grit and gore, handling a weapon that would snuff out another person's life, someone that also had people who loved him and prayed for his safety in a faraway land that was probably not too different from his hometown after all - it scares him.
but the thought that this boy's life could be claimed so easily by the same hand terrifies him even more, and he knows in his heart that he would rather soak his hands with another's blood than to see taemin suffer the same fate.
the words refuse to come out of his mouth, clogged in his throat by the bitterness of the inevitable. instead, he reaches out, takes taemin's hand in his and presses it to his cheek.
taemin's hand trembles against the curve of his jaw, and suddenly minho's head snaps back, the taste of blood filling his mouth as he slowly registers the throbbing pain in his cheek. by the time he regains his senses, his books are scattered to the floor, the candle has toppled over and lost its flame, and taemin has bolted out the door.
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"minho-sshi! minho-sshi!" a woman's voice hisses from the side of his bed. a flicker of light in the corner reveals taemin's father standing grim-faced in the corner of his room while his and taemin's mothers surround his bed with equally worried expressions.
"y-yes?" he stifles a yawn. "is it time for the preparations?"
the women glance at each other uncertainly. "not yet," minho's mother begins slowly, her hands coming up to clasp each other tightly. "minho, have you seen taemin?"
"not since yesterday. he left before the evening meal," minho says slowly, his brows furrowing at the inquiry. "why?"
taemin's mother crumples to the ground, and taemin's father slams his cane into the ground with a snarl. he turns to face the wall and buries his face into his hands, the cane falling to the ground in a noisy clatter.
"why? what is happening?" minho asks his mother frantically, alarmed by the way taemin's mother begins to wail.
his mother's face is pale - he has not seen her like this since his older brother was called away to war. "taemin-sshi is missing. he was last seen leaving our house last night. he has not been found since then."
cold dread washes over minho, weariness replaced by bone-deep fear. he bolts from his bed, running out into the living area where he had conversed with taemin the previous night.
the book is still there, the one taemin had thrown to the ground, and minho flips through its pages frantically, looking for the piece of paper that he had pinned inside for safekeeping. he nearly flings it into the fireplace when he cannot find anything within its folds and turns to ransacking the other books, overturning the table in his desperate search.
but no matter how hard he looks, the imperial order and its thief are nowhere to be found.
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