[[ SHINee ]] Linear Equations 10/14.
Title: Linear Equations.
Author: Sacryde.
Fandom: SHINee.
Pairing: Jonghyun/Taemin.
Rating: PG-13, for this chapter.
Summary: Taemin was not the kind of boy to make friends for the sake of having friends; all he needed was his dance. So why did he suddenly find himself drawn to Jonghyun, the boy who never stopped crooning his love song to Juliette?
Status/length: Incomplete, 3,600 words.
Author's Note: This is the side story (more of a prequel, really) to my Onew/Minho fic, Parallel Lines, but it can be read on its' own as AU. And I swear it's not all math-y; I just like the way math terms sound. ^^;;
Previous Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
*****
"Taeminnie, is there anything you want to do today?"
Taemin blinked, looking up at his dad who was again trying to look perfectly calm, despite the way he was wringing his hands together. Taemin shrugged, muttering a 'not really' before turning his attention back to his waffles. His parents had been acting strange all morning; his dad was fluttering around nervously, asking weird questions at complete random, while his mother kept looking around as if she were afraid of something, and had even made him a huge breakfast. He was starting to wonder if anyone died.
"Taeminnie.... you do know what today is, right?"
Taemin blinked again, raising an eyebrow at his dad. He frowned, trying to remember the date for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders. "It's July... something, right?"
Taemin's parents exchanged a glance that bordered between worried and relieved, a small smile gracing their lips. Taemin blinked, furrowing his brow as he glanced around the kitchen at his brother and Jonghyun's family, growing more and more suspicious by the second.
"I'm back!" Jonghyun yelled from the front door as he kicked it shut with his foot. "I got the shit!"
Jonghyun's mother made a disapproving sound, muttering something teenagers and their filthy mouths before going over to grab the bags from Jonghyun, pointing him over in the direction of the kitchen. Jonghyun walked over, planting himself in the only open seat, directly in front of Taemin. Taemin blinked at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes and going back to eating his breakfast, deciding that he wasn't ready to talk to Jonghyun just yet. Jonghyun sighed, grabbing the box of cereal and container of milk, pouring himself a bowl before starting to eat, awkwardness practically radiating off of him in waves.
"When is he going to get here?" Taemin's dad asked. Taemin looked up curiously, assuming that he had been asking him and wondering what he was babbling about now, but instead his dad was looking directly at Jonghyun, a serious expression on his face.
"It should be any minu--" Just then, the doorbell rang, making everyone but Taemin jump. They exchanged nervous looks, as if they thought there were loan sharks or door-to-door salespeople standing on the other side. Taemin sighed, getting up from his seat and walking over to the door, ignoring the yells that told him not to answer. He rolled his eyes and opened the door, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Minho...."
"Hey, Taemin." Minho said, smiling at him. Taemin blinked, looking around as if he didn't quite understand what was going on, wondering why Minho was here and why his parents were acting weird and why Jonghyun had gone shopping earlier and-- "Here."
Taemin's thoughts were abruptly cut off as a box was shoved into his hands. Taemin blinked, looking up at Minho as if he were an alien or something equally unusual and weird.
"Happy birthday."
"But it's not--" Taemin paused, turning around to look at the kitchen where his family and Jonghyun and Jonghyun's family were standing and sitting, staring at him with anxious eyes. He squinted to read the calender behind them, his eyes going wide when he saw what day it was. July 18th, his birthday.
Minho coughed awkwardly, and suddenly Taemin's parents rushed to the door, inviting him in as Taemin's mother wrapped her arm around Taemin's shoulder in a hug, whispering a happy birthday to him with a smile.
"I can't believe you forgot!" Taemin's brother yelled from his spot in the kitchen, laughing to himself until Jonghyun's sister thwapped him on the back of the head, hard. His brother yelled something about how that was mean, to which Jonghyun's sister smacked him again, a grin playing along her lips as if she were enjoying this immensely.
Taemin blinked at them, his eyes shifting from his parents, to Jonghyun's parents, to Minho, and finally to Jonghyun. His breath caught in his throat as he saw a small smile on Jonghyun's lips; not a sneer, not a smirk, but a smile. Taemin ducked his head as a smile played along his own lips, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he looked back up, this time at his parents.
"Thank you, guys."
Taemin's mother made that typical mother face, all pressed lips and shining eyes, smiling as she wrapped Taemin in her arms again, petting his hair gently.
"It's the least we could do," Taemin's dad said, smiling at Taemin and patting him on the shoulder, reaching into his back pocket to come out with three pieces of hard paper. "We want you to have fun today, so we got you tickets to that amusement park in the next city. We want you to go with Jonghyun and Minho, and you can open your presents when you get back."
Taemin gaped at him, his eyes going wide as he stared at the tickets, his jaw dropping just a little. He'd never been to an amusement park before, because they'd never really been able to afford it. His eyes darted up, taking in everyone's smiling faces, a faint blush rising to his cheeks as he grinned. He glanced over at Jonghyun who was still smiling at him just slightly, feeling a small bubble of hope rise in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, today would be the day that changed everything.
*****
"Where should we go first?" Taemin asked, his voice breathy with excitement as he bounced where he stood, his eyes taking in all the huge machines and rides around him. It was even better than he'd expected; so loud, so lively, so... perfect.
"Hmm, well since we just ate it wouldn't be a good idea to do anything with a lot of flipping or going upside-down," Minho mumbled wisely, reading the small map they'd been given at the gate that had a list of all the rides and where they could be found. "Let's just get in that line for now and figure it out while we wait."
Taemin nodded, bouncing over to the end of the line where a teenage couple stood in front of them, holding hands and laughing quietly, looking at each other as if they were in their own little world. Taemin watched them for a long moment, barely noticing the pout that had appeared on his lips, wishing that he could do that with Jonghyun. He glanced over at Jonghyun, who was looking at the couple with a despondent expression lining his features, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Taemin frowned, wondering what - or who - Jonghyun was thinking about, a tinge of jealousy starting to bubble in his stomach. He quickly squashed it down, reminding himself that today was supposed to be a good day. He was going to have fun with Minho and Jonghyun, and he wasn't going to worry about all the drama that had been nearly suffocating them over the last couple of weeks.
"Maybe we should go on the one where it drops suddenly? After that we can hit the roller coasters, and then the water rides since they're close by," Minho pondered out loud. Jonghyun glanced up at this, his eyes widening as he caught Taemin staring at him. Taemin blushed, ducking his head to stare at the ground, mumbling something about that ride sounding like a good idea, trying to ignore the tingle on the back of his neck that could have either been from the sun or Jonghyun's stare that was surely on him right now.
They moved from their line, having figured out their plan relatively quickly, heading over to where the sudden drop ride was located. Taemin eyed the crowd as they walked by, finding himself almost amazed at the number of people that were there, and even more so by how many different types of people there were. He'd never really payed much attention to the outside world, instead focusing solely on his dance, so seeing this many people kind of astounded and amazed him, while making him a little bit nervous at the same time. He twiddled his fingers at his sides, gnawing on his lower lip as they continued walking to the next location, his eyes darting around anxiously until they landed on the ground. He kept his head down, noting all the different kinds of shoes running around, until something caught his eye.
To his right, a hand was reaching out toward his, the fingers stopping just inches from his wrist and retracting for a few moments before reaching out again. This continued for an entire minute, the back and forth and back and forth, until the other person finally gave up, deciding to just place their hand in their pocket. Taemin blinked, glancing up nervously, his breath catching as he saw Jonghyun walking beside him, eyes narrowed and set stubbornly as he kept his focus on the street directly in front of him. Taemin's mouth gaped open a little in surprise, letting out a squeak when he ran into a pole.
"Taemin, are you okay?" Minho asked, his hands hovering over Taemin nervously. Taemin groaned, holding his head and nodding slowly, not wanting to make it hurt any more than it did already.
"I'm fine, Minho," Taemin mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut for a short moment before glancing back up, blinking a few times to clear his sight until Minho's worried face came into focus. He smiled at him to try and let him know he really was okay, glancing to his right to find Jonghyun. Only, Jonghyun wasn't there. He blinked, darting his eyes around the crowd in search of Jonghyun, but he wasn't anywhere in his line of vision. He spun around twice, not caring that it made him slightly dizzy, his eyes searching for that familiar tuft of hair, that bright blue shirt that he'd been wearing, but it was nowhere. Taemin blinked, gnawing on his lower lip and ducking his head as he tried to remind himself that people got lost all the time.
"I think.... that he wanted to give us space," Minho said quietly, clearly knowing exactly who Taemin was looking for. Taemin sighed, grumbling something incoherent under his breath and kicking at the ground. Today was supposed to be the day he smacked Jonghyun upside the head and fixed this whole damn drama between them. "Let's just have fun today, okay?"
Taemin sighed, looking around for Jonghyun one more time before giving up and nodding his head, asking Minho where the ride they were supposed to get on was. As they walked, he kept his eyes peeled for any hint of Jonghyun, his smile fading just a little each minute that he was nowhere to be seen. Taemin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he and Minho got into line, discussing a more solid plan of action while they waited.
"Tickets, please," The man standing in front of the ride said, reaching his hand out and looking at Taemin and Minho's all day passes, nodding his head and letting them on. Taemin felt his heart flutter as he sat in the seat, strapping his seatbelt on and lowering the thing over his head, his eyes darting around the crowd nervously. He watched all the people who were watching him, their eyes either scared or worried or excited. He was starting to wonder if this was really such a good idea, his stomach clenching in knots, and then suddenly, he was flying.
Every thought disappeared as he felt himself rise and fall, every ounce of negative emotion died in his chest as he found himself unable to focus on it, felt himself finally being freed. He laughed and screamed, his eyes burning with excitement for the first time in too long, feeling his heart race and pound against his chest in a way that was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
After that ride, he and Minho went on every roller coaster they could find, spending the time waiting in lines drinking soda and playing random hand games, sometimes talking to the people waiting in line with them and sometimes not. At some point, Taemin managed to trip coming off of a particularly fast roller coaster and wound up scraping his arm on the ground, so they'd gone to the nurse's station where some young girl merely sprayed the wound with water and antiseptic, put a band-aid on it, and sent him on his way. Not long after that, Minho got lost in the middle of the crowd, the cell phone tag with Taemin sounding something similar to, "'I'm by the thing', 'What thing?', 'The thing where you go upside down', 'The roller coaster?', 'No, the other thing'" and back and forth like that until Taemin miraculously found him by complete chance after his cell phone battery died. They roamed around, going to see the live shows and visiting the safari until the sky grew dark and they decided to take a break and get some food at a nearby stand.
"I'll be right back," Minho said with a stupid grin on his face as he left Taemin at the little table, heading toward the bathrooms. Taemin hummed to himself as he waited, nibbling on his hot dog a little bit, not really hungry because of the pure adrenaline running through his body. This had to have been the best birthday ever.
"Sun will rise, close your eyes. Downfallen falling, hold inside, just howling in the shadows"
Taemin blinked, looking at Minho's cell phone as it started ringing. The screen flashed brightly for a few moments before the person calling was re-directed to voicemail. He glanced around, looking to see if Minho was on his way, jumping a little when the phone started ringing again. He frowned, picking the phone up and squinting at the screen until he recognized the familiar Hangul, chewing on his bottom lip. He looked around for Minho once again before answering the phone with a small 'hello.'
"Yah, what took you so long to answer?" Jonghyun asked, sounding more impatient than Taemin had ever heard him.
"He's in the bathroom, of course he didn't answer," Taemin mumbled, taking another bite of his hot dog.
"Taemin?" Jonghyun asked, clearly sounding surprised. He made a weird coughing noise, and Taemin somehow got the image of him blushing in his head for a moment. "Ah, whatever. Your parents are here to pick us up, so go get Minho and come to the front gate, okay?"
"Okay," Taemin said quietly, opening his mouth to ask Jonghyun where he'd run off to today, but before he got the chance he heard a click from the other end as Jonghyun hung up.
Taemin blinked at the phone for a long moment before sighing, finishing off his food and grabbing his drink as he walked over to the bathrooms, waiting outside for Minho. When Minho finally exited, Taemin handed him his phone and relayed the information, both of them deciding to stop and get a small souvenir from the shop near the entrance before they met up with Jonghyun at the front gate, still smiling from the amazing day.
*****
"Why did you disappear like that today?" Taemin asked as he entered the room that he and Jonghyun shared, the older man trailing in behind him slowly.
They'd left the amusement park a while ago, his parents volunteering to drop Minho off at his home, which he'd gratefully accepted with a grin and a small wave to both Taemin and Jonghyun. When they finally got back home, his parents had said something about Taemin's present being wrapped and hidden in their closet, urging him upstairs with a smile and telling him that he could thank them in the morning.
"I thought you'd want time to be with your boyfriend," Jonghyun mumbled, running a hand through his hair as he went over to their closet, grabbing a box covered in shiny red wrapping and tossing it toward Taemin.
"He's not my boyfriend," Taemin mumbled, rolling his eyes at the disbelieving snort Jonghyun gave. "He's my friend. A good friend, but that's it."
"Then you just go around kissing all your friends?" Jonghyun asked, rolling his eyes and looking away, as if he'd rather be talking about anything but this. Taemin blinked, flopping onto his bed and grabbing the box, staring at the wrapping for a long moment before looking back up at Jonghyun, a single eyebrow raised disbelievingly.
"You really don't know why I did that?"
Jonghyun blinked, looking confused for a moment before shaking his head, laughing it off with a wave of his hand. "Look, would you just open your presents?"
Taemin grumbled something under his breath about Jonghyun being an idiot, to which Jonghyun threw the tube of wrapping paper at him like a javelin. Taemin ducked out of the way, a grin automatically lighting up across his face as he felt the familiar bubble of laughter tingling in his chest. Maybe they weren't completely broken, he mused as he ripped the shiny red paper, his eyes going wide as he saw what was in it.
"Holy--- the fuck? Is this real?" Taemin asked, his mouth gaping open as he stared at the iPod in his hand, fingers tracing it delicately. It was black, with his name in lime green graffiti printed across the top, the phrase “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another” engraved into the back in loopy English text.
"There's more," Jonghyun said, pointing to the box still situated in Taemin's lap. Taemin blinked, placing the iPod delicately on his bed before moving the white gift paper aside, his breath actually catching in his throat as he saw the brand new white sneakers with a red and black checkered logo near the back. He turned them over in his hands a few times, just gaping at them in complete shock. He'd never gotten gifts this amazing before; usually he was just given gift cards or money, and for his parents and Jonghyun's parents to get him presents this perfect....
"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday," Jonghyun mumbled, kicking his feet in front of him awkwardly as he sat on the edge of his bed, head ducked down and staring at the floor.
Taemin blinked and glanced up from his gifts, a frown adorning his lips as he noticed the way Jonghyun suddenly seemed so downcast, so depressed. Taemin stared quietly, letting himself study Jonghyun's form for the first time in far too long, his eyes drinking in the strong arms, the short torso, the sharp jawline. He took in the way Jonghyun's back rose and fell when he breathed, the way his hair contrasted with his skin, the way his hands gripped the bed as if he were afraid of falling. Taemin drank him in, taking a shuddering breath as he placed the sneakers beside him on the bed as quietly as he could, standing up slowly and walking toward Jonghyun's bed.
Jonghyun looked up suddenly, his eyes going wide as he saw Taemin standing right in front of him. Taemin knew that the expression on his face was probably a mix of something anxious and something serious as he took in a deep breath, trying to draw up any ounce of courage he had.
"Are you really sorry?" Taemin whispered, hardening his jaw to try and keep his voice from trembling. "Does that mean I can take what I want, if you already have it?"
Jonghyun glanced around nervously, as if he were uncomfortable under Taemin's serious eyes. He shifted on his bed, seeming to think it over for a long moment before he looked up, nodding his head slowly.
Taemin smiled then. It wasn't a happy smile, or a sad smile, or a condescending smile; just a smile. He reached his hand out slowly, gently touching the edges of Jonghyun's hair before narrowing his eyes, smacking him upside the head as hard as he could.
"What the hell was that for?!" Jonghyun screeched as he reached up to hold his head, his eyes squeezed together in pain. Taemin studied him for a moment, his smile widening as he moved to place his hand over Jonghyun's, lacing their fingers awkwardly. Jonghyun looked up at him, his eyes staring at him owlishly, only growing wider as Taemin leaned down, pressing his lips to Jonghyun's.
His lips were hard, demanding, and unrelenting as he poured every ounce of sadness and anger and frustration he'd felt in the last few weeks through his lips, letting it seep into Jonghyun's soul as he tried to relay to him every exact feeling he'd experienced, and how it was all because of him. He felt Jonghyun inhale sharply, felt his body start to move, and pulled away. Jonghyun's arms were raised just slightly, as if he had been preparing to either push Taemin away or pull him closer. Taemin smiled at him, tilting his head to the side as he felt his heart relax for the first time in far too long.
"You really are an idiot, Kim Jonghyun," He whispered calmly, his fingers playing along the edges of Jonghyun's hair lightly. He retracted his hand and slowly turned away, reaching for his new iPod and heading down to the basement to fill it, his heart smiling just as much as his lips.
*****
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Awkward ending is awkward, but FINALLY the angst has ended~~ *dances* I'm sorry this chapter took longer to get out; there were some real life things that got in the way of my writing ( like gunshots being fired outside my house and being too shaken to write ) but I hope it was worth it! Thank you guys so much for reading this! ♥
Also, I would not have been able to write the amusement park thing without taemptation because my knowledge of amusement parks is pretty much nonexistent. XDD
Next Chapter: Chapter 11
Author: Sacryde.
Fandom: SHINee.
Pairing: Jonghyun/Taemin.
Rating: PG-13, for this chapter.
Summary: Taemin was not the kind of boy to make friends for the sake of having friends; all he needed was his dance. So why did he suddenly find himself drawn to Jonghyun, the boy who never stopped crooning his love song to Juliette?
Status/length: Incomplete, 3,600 words.
Author's Note: This is the side story (more of a prequel, really) to my Onew/Minho fic, Parallel Lines, but it can be read on its' own as AU. And I swear it's not all math-y; I just like the way math terms sound. ^^;;
Previous Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
*****
"Taeminnie, is there anything you want to do today?"
Taemin blinked, looking up at his dad who was again trying to look perfectly calm, despite the way he was wringing his hands together. Taemin shrugged, muttering a 'not really' before turning his attention back to his waffles. His parents had been acting strange all morning; his dad was fluttering around nervously, asking weird questions at complete random, while his mother kept looking around as if she were afraid of something, and had even made him a huge breakfast. He was starting to wonder if anyone died.
"Taeminnie.... you do know what today is, right?"
Taemin blinked again, raising an eyebrow at his dad. He frowned, trying to remember the date for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders. "It's July... something, right?"
Taemin's parents exchanged a glance that bordered between worried and relieved, a small smile gracing their lips. Taemin blinked, furrowing his brow as he glanced around the kitchen at his brother and Jonghyun's family, growing more and more suspicious by the second.
"I'm back!" Jonghyun yelled from the front door as he kicked it shut with his foot. "I got the shit!"
Jonghyun's mother made a disapproving sound, muttering something teenagers and their filthy mouths before going over to grab the bags from Jonghyun, pointing him over in the direction of the kitchen. Jonghyun walked over, planting himself in the only open seat, directly in front of Taemin. Taemin blinked at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes and going back to eating his breakfast, deciding that he wasn't ready to talk to Jonghyun just yet. Jonghyun sighed, grabbing the box of cereal and container of milk, pouring himself a bowl before starting to eat, awkwardness practically radiating off of him in waves.
"When is he going to get here?" Taemin's dad asked. Taemin looked up curiously, assuming that he had been asking him and wondering what he was babbling about now, but instead his dad was looking directly at Jonghyun, a serious expression on his face.
"It should be any minu--" Just then, the doorbell rang, making everyone but Taemin jump. They exchanged nervous looks, as if they thought there were loan sharks or door-to-door salespeople standing on the other side. Taemin sighed, getting up from his seat and walking over to the door, ignoring the yells that told him not to answer. He rolled his eyes and opened the door, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Minho...."
"Hey, Taemin." Minho said, smiling at him. Taemin blinked, looking around as if he didn't quite understand what was going on, wondering why Minho was here and why his parents were acting weird and why Jonghyun had gone shopping earlier and-- "Here."
Taemin's thoughts were abruptly cut off as a box was shoved into his hands. Taemin blinked, looking up at Minho as if he were an alien or something equally unusual and weird.
"Happy birthday."
"But it's not--" Taemin paused, turning around to look at the kitchen where his family and Jonghyun and Jonghyun's family were standing and sitting, staring at him with anxious eyes. He squinted to read the calender behind them, his eyes going wide when he saw what day it was. July 18th, his birthday.
Minho coughed awkwardly, and suddenly Taemin's parents rushed to the door, inviting him in as Taemin's mother wrapped her arm around Taemin's shoulder in a hug, whispering a happy birthday to him with a smile.
"I can't believe you forgot!" Taemin's brother yelled from his spot in the kitchen, laughing to himself until Jonghyun's sister thwapped him on the back of the head, hard. His brother yelled something about how that was mean, to which Jonghyun's sister smacked him again, a grin playing along her lips as if she were enjoying this immensely.
Taemin blinked at them, his eyes shifting from his parents, to Jonghyun's parents, to Minho, and finally to Jonghyun. His breath caught in his throat as he saw a small smile on Jonghyun's lips; not a sneer, not a smirk, but a smile. Taemin ducked his head as a smile played along his own lips, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he looked back up, this time at his parents.
"Thank you, guys."
Taemin's mother made that typical mother face, all pressed lips and shining eyes, smiling as she wrapped Taemin in her arms again, petting his hair gently.
"It's the least we could do," Taemin's dad said, smiling at Taemin and patting him on the shoulder, reaching into his back pocket to come out with three pieces of hard paper. "We want you to have fun today, so we got you tickets to that amusement park in the next city. We want you to go with Jonghyun and Minho, and you can open your presents when you get back."
Taemin gaped at him, his eyes going wide as he stared at the tickets, his jaw dropping just a little. He'd never been to an amusement park before, because they'd never really been able to afford it. His eyes darted up, taking in everyone's smiling faces, a faint blush rising to his cheeks as he grinned. He glanced over at Jonghyun who was still smiling at him just slightly, feeling a small bubble of hope rise in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, today would be the day that changed everything.
*****
"Where should we go first?" Taemin asked, his voice breathy with excitement as he bounced where he stood, his eyes taking in all the huge machines and rides around him. It was even better than he'd expected; so loud, so lively, so... perfect.
"Hmm, well since we just ate it wouldn't be a good idea to do anything with a lot of flipping or going upside-down," Minho mumbled wisely, reading the small map they'd been given at the gate that had a list of all the rides and where they could be found. "Let's just get in that line for now and figure it out while we wait."
Taemin nodded, bouncing over to the end of the line where a teenage couple stood in front of them, holding hands and laughing quietly, looking at each other as if they were in their own little world. Taemin watched them for a long moment, barely noticing the pout that had appeared on his lips, wishing that he could do that with Jonghyun. He glanced over at Jonghyun, who was looking at the couple with a despondent expression lining his features, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Taemin frowned, wondering what - or who - Jonghyun was thinking about, a tinge of jealousy starting to bubble in his stomach. He quickly squashed it down, reminding himself that today was supposed to be a good day. He was going to have fun with Minho and Jonghyun, and he wasn't going to worry about all the drama that had been nearly suffocating them over the last couple of weeks.
"Maybe we should go on the one where it drops suddenly? After that we can hit the roller coasters, and then the water rides since they're close by," Minho pondered out loud. Jonghyun glanced up at this, his eyes widening as he caught Taemin staring at him. Taemin blushed, ducking his head to stare at the ground, mumbling something about that ride sounding like a good idea, trying to ignore the tingle on the back of his neck that could have either been from the sun or Jonghyun's stare that was surely on him right now.
They moved from their line, having figured out their plan relatively quickly, heading over to where the sudden drop ride was located. Taemin eyed the crowd as they walked by, finding himself almost amazed at the number of people that were there, and even more so by how many different types of people there were. He'd never really payed much attention to the outside world, instead focusing solely on his dance, so seeing this many people kind of astounded and amazed him, while making him a little bit nervous at the same time. He twiddled his fingers at his sides, gnawing on his lower lip as they continued walking to the next location, his eyes darting around anxiously until they landed on the ground. He kept his head down, noting all the different kinds of shoes running around, until something caught his eye.
To his right, a hand was reaching out toward his, the fingers stopping just inches from his wrist and retracting for a few moments before reaching out again. This continued for an entire minute, the back and forth and back and forth, until the other person finally gave up, deciding to just place their hand in their pocket. Taemin blinked, glancing up nervously, his breath catching as he saw Jonghyun walking beside him, eyes narrowed and set stubbornly as he kept his focus on the street directly in front of him. Taemin's mouth gaped open a little in surprise, letting out a squeak when he ran into a pole.
"Taemin, are you okay?" Minho asked, his hands hovering over Taemin nervously. Taemin groaned, holding his head and nodding slowly, not wanting to make it hurt any more than it did already.
"I'm fine, Minho," Taemin mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut for a short moment before glancing back up, blinking a few times to clear his sight until Minho's worried face came into focus. He smiled at him to try and let him know he really was okay, glancing to his right to find Jonghyun. Only, Jonghyun wasn't there. He blinked, darting his eyes around the crowd in search of Jonghyun, but he wasn't anywhere in his line of vision. He spun around twice, not caring that it made him slightly dizzy, his eyes searching for that familiar tuft of hair, that bright blue shirt that he'd been wearing, but it was nowhere. Taemin blinked, gnawing on his lower lip and ducking his head as he tried to remind himself that people got lost all the time.
"I think.... that he wanted to give us space," Minho said quietly, clearly knowing exactly who Taemin was looking for. Taemin sighed, grumbling something incoherent under his breath and kicking at the ground. Today was supposed to be the day he smacked Jonghyun upside the head and fixed this whole damn drama between them. "Let's just have fun today, okay?"
Taemin sighed, looking around for Jonghyun one more time before giving up and nodding his head, asking Minho where the ride they were supposed to get on was. As they walked, he kept his eyes peeled for any hint of Jonghyun, his smile fading just a little each minute that he was nowhere to be seen. Taemin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he and Minho got into line, discussing a more solid plan of action while they waited.
"Tickets, please," The man standing in front of the ride said, reaching his hand out and looking at Taemin and Minho's all day passes, nodding his head and letting them on. Taemin felt his heart flutter as he sat in the seat, strapping his seatbelt on and lowering the thing over his head, his eyes darting around the crowd nervously. He watched all the people who were watching him, their eyes either scared or worried or excited. He was starting to wonder if this was really such a good idea, his stomach clenching in knots, and then suddenly, he was flying.
Every thought disappeared as he felt himself rise and fall, every ounce of negative emotion died in his chest as he found himself unable to focus on it, felt himself finally being freed. He laughed and screamed, his eyes burning with excitement for the first time in too long, feeling his heart race and pound against his chest in a way that was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
After that ride, he and Minho went on every roller coaster they could find, spending the time waiting in lines drinking soda and playing random hand games, sometimes talking to the people waiting in line with them and sometimes not. At some point, Taemin managed to trip coming off of a particularly fast roller coaster and wound up scraping his arm on the ground, so they'd gone to the nurse's station where some young girl merely sprayed the wound with water and antiseptic, put a band-aid on it, and sent him on his way. Not long after that, Minho got lost in the middle of the crowd, the cell phone tag with Taemin sounding something similar to, "'I'm by the thing', 'What thing?', 'The thing where you go upside down', 'The roller coaster?', 'No, the other thing'" and back and forth like that until Taemin miraculously found him by complete chance after his cell phone battery died. They roamed around, going to see the live shows and visiting the safari until the sky grew dark and they decided to take a break and get some food at a nearby stand.
"I'll be right back," Minho said with a stupid grin on his face as he left Taemin at the little table, heading toward the bathrooms. Taemin hummed to himself as he waited, nibbling on his hot dog a little bit, not really hungry because of the pure adrenaline running through his body. This had to have been the best birthday ever.
"Sun will rise, close your eyes. Downfallen falling, hold inside, just howling in the shadows"
Taemin blinked, looking at Minho's cell phone as it started ringing. The screen flashed brightly for a few moments before the person calling was re-directed to voicemail. He glanced around, looking to see if Minho was on his way, jumping a little when the phone started ringing again. He frowned, picking the phone up and squinting at the screen until he recognized the familiar Hangul, chewing on his bottom lip. He looked around for Minho once again before answering the phone with a small 'hello.'
"Yah, what took you so long to answer?" Jonghyun asked, sounding more impatient than Taemin had ever heard him.
"He's in the bathroom, of course he didn't answer," Taemin mumbled, taking another bite of his hot dog.
"Taemin?" Jonghyun asked, clearly sounding surprised. He made a weird coughing noise, and Taemin somehow got the image of him blushing in his head for a moment. "Ah, whatever. Your parents are here to pick us up, so go get Minho and come to the front gate, okay?"
"Okay," Taemin said quietly, opening his mouth to ask Jonghyun where he'd run off to today, but before he got the chance he heard a click from the other end as Jonghyun hung up.
Taemin blinked at the phone for a long moment before sighing, finishing off his food and grabbing his drink as he walked over to the bathrooms, waiting outside for Minho. When Minho finally exited, Taemin handed him his phone and relayed the information, both of them deciding to stop and get a small souvenir from the shop near the entrance before they met up with Jonghyun at the front gate, still smiling from the amazing day.
*****
"Why did you disappear like that today?" Taemin asked as he entered the room that he and Jonghyun shared, the older man trailing in behind him slowly.
They'd left the amusement park a while ago, his parents volunteering to drop Minho off at his home, which he'd gratefully accepted with a grin and a small wave to both Taemin and Jonghyun. When they finally got back home, his parents had said something about Taemin's present being wrapped and hidden in their closet, urging him upstairs with a smile and telling him that he could thank them in the morning.
"I thought you'd want time to be with your boyfriend," Jonghyun mumbled, running a hand through his hair as he went over to their closet, grabbing a box covered in shiny red wrapping and tossing it toward Taemin.
"He's not my boyfriend," Taemin mumbled, rolling his eyes at the disbelieving snort Jonghyun gave. "He's my friend. A good friend, but that's it."
"Then you just go around kissing all your friends?" Jonghyun asked, rolling his eyes and looking away, as if he'd rather be talking about anything but this. Taemin blinked, flopping onto his bed and grabbing the box, staring at the wrapping for a long moment before looking back up at Jonghyun, a single eyebrow raised disbelievingly.
"You really don't know why I did that?"
Jonghyun blinked, looking confused for a moment before shaking his head, laughing it off with a wave of his hand. "Look, would you just open your presents?"
Taemin grumbled something under his breath about Jonghyun being an idiot, to which Jonghyun threw the tube of wrapping paper at him like a javelin. Taemin ducked out of the way, a grin automatically lighting up across his face as he felt the familiar bubble of laughter tingling in his chest. Maybe they weren't completely broken, he mused as he ripped the shiny red paper, his eyes going wide as he saw what was in it.
"Holy--- the fuck? Is this real?" Taemin asked, his mouth gaping open as he stared at the iPod in his hand, fingers tracing it delicately. It was black, with his name in lime green graffiti printed across the top, the phrase “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another” engraved into the back in loopy English text.
"There's more," Jonghyun said, pointing to the box still situated in Taemin's lap. Taemin blinked, placing the iPod delicately on his bed before moving the white gift paper aside, his breath actually catching in his throat as he saw the brand new white sneakers with a red and black checkered logo near the back. He turned them over in his hands a few times, just gaping at them in complete shock. He'd never gotten gifts this amazing before; usually he was just given gift cards or money, and for his parents and Jonghyun's parents to get him presents this perfect....
"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday," Jonghyun mumbled, kicking his feet in front of him awkwardly as he sat on the edge of his bed, head ducked down and staring at the floor.
Taemin blinked and glanced up from his gifts, a frown adorning his lips as he noticed the way Jonghyun suddenly seemed so downcast, so depressed. Taemin stared quietly, letting himself study Jonghyun's form for the first time in far too long, his eyes drinking in the strong arms, the short torso, the sharp jawline. He took in the way Jonghyun's back rose and fell when he breathed, the way his hair contrasted with his skin, the way his hands gripped the bed as if he were afraid of falling. Taemin drank him in, taking a shuddering breath as he placed the sneakers beside him on the bed as quietly as he could, standing up slowly and walking toward Jonghyun's bed.
Jonghyun looked up suddenly, his eyes going wide as he saw Taemin standing right in front of him. Taemin knew that the expression on his face was probably a mix of something anxious and something serious as he took in a deep breath, trying to draw up any ounce of courage he had.
"Are you really sorry?" Taemin whispered, hardening his jaw to try and keep his voice from trembling. "Does that mean I can take what I want, if you already have it?"
Jonghyun glanced around nervously, as if he were uncomfortable under Taemin's serious eyes. He shifted on his bed, seeming to think it over for a long moment before he looked up, nodding his head slowly.
Taemin smiled then. It wasn't a happy smile, or a sad smile, or a condescending smile; just a smile. He reached his hand out slowly, gently touching the edges of Jonghyun's hair before narrowing his eyes, smacking him upside the head as hard as he could.
"What the hell was that for?!" Jonghyun screeched as he reached up to hold his head, his eyes squeezed together in pain. Taemin studied him for a moment, his smile widening as he moved to place his hand over Jonghyun's, lacing their fingers awkwardly. Jonghyun looked up at him, his eyes staring at him owlishly, only growing wider as Taemin leaned down, pressing his lips to Jonghyun's.
His lips were hard, demanding, and unrelenting as he poured every ounce of sadness and anger and frustration he'd felt in the last few weeks through his lips, letting it seep into Jonghyun's soul as he tried to relay to him every exact feeling he'd experienced, and how it was all because of him. He felt Jonghyun inhale sharply, felt his body start to move, and pulled away. Jonghyun's arms were raised just slightly, as if he had been preparing to either push Taemin away or pull him closer. Taemin smiled at him, tilting his head to the side as he felt his heart relax for the first time in far too long.
"You really are an idiot, Kim Jonghyun," He whispered calmly, his fingers playing along the edges of Jonghyun's hair lightly. He retracted his hand and slowly turned away, reaching for his new iPod and heading down to the basement to fill it, his heart smiling just as much as his lips.
*****
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Awkward ending is awkward, but FINALLY the angst has ended~~ *dances* I'm sorry this chapter took longer to get out; there were some real life things that got in the way of my writing ( like gunshots being fired outside my house and being too shaken to write ) but I hope it was worth it! Thank you guys so much for reading this! ♥
Also, I would not have been able to write the amusement park thing without taemptation because my knowledge of amusement parks is pretty much nonexistent. XDD
Next Chapter: Chapter 11