The sound of the door opening  made Minho turn his head, he opened his mouth to call the boy’s name but shut it immediately when he heard heavy steps getting closer to him, it wasn’t Taemin.

Sharp pain went through his scalp when someone fisted his hand around his hair and pulled it hard.  

“Your brother probably doesn't like you…” a creepy voice said close to his ear.

Minho recognized the voice as the driver of his kidnappers “I don’t have a brother” he hissed.

“...Where is he?” the man asked, ignoring him “I want my money”

“I told you-”

“-Too bad something bad would happen to you if you won’t tell me where he is”

“- I don’t have a brother”

Suddenly the man let go of his hair, it all became quiet for a moment, a small rustle heard before the man’s heavy steps turned toward the door and lock it behind him.

Joon pushed the candy wrap he found at the basement into his pocket and went upstairs to the living room where his young lover had been, he had a clue why the boy went to the basement and he knew he had to put an end to it before it’ll happen again.

“Taeminnie…” he called sweetly.

The boy raised his gaze from the book he was reading and looked at his lover “yes…?”

Joon got closer and took the book from his hand, he threw it to the floor before he hovered above him and locked him to the couch, his hands on each side of his head.

“Why did you do that?!” Taemin asked angrily ready to pick up his book, he couldn’t reach it though.

Joon smiled devilishly at him “this morning I had to leave before I could enjoy you”

Realizing what it meant Taemin sunk in his seat, his lover already reached one hand to his trousers.

Glancing at the kitchen where Joon’s bullies were he mumbled “can we do it when we’ll be alone?”

Joon ignored his question, nothing could save the boy from his punish.

“Joon...please” Taemin said and reached his hand to hold on his.

Laughing, Joon called his bullies and ordered them to get out of the house “...Taeminnie needs his privacy while I’ll his mouth” he said and they laughed their way out.

Humiliated, Taemin lowered his head and clenched his hands into fists, at the moment the door closed his lover caught his chin in between his fingers and forced him to look at him.

“We’re alone now” he said while his free hand already ed his trousers, the boy gasped when he let go of his chin and pulled his hand to his crotch, he tightened his grip when he tried to pull his hand away and guided him into his boxers.

“Joon…” Taemin whimpered “you’re hurting me, let go of my hand” when his lover hadn’t let go he promised to do whatever he wanted him.

Slowly, Joon let go of his hand and Taemin fisted around his , he it mechanically to full hardness.

Joon’s eyes lidded and his head thrown back, beastly groan echoed from his throat as he reached the boy and fisted his hair “open your mouth” he ordered him as he pulled him to his crotch.

Taemin let go of his and reached his hands to Joon’s wrists, he tried to stop him from pulling his hair but when his lover pulled even harder he gave up and opened his mouth unwillingly.

He gasped when Joon pushed his into his mouth roughly, he placed his hands on his thighs automatically to push him away but Joon hadn’t let him move, instead he just pushed deeper.

“Wider” he ordered.

Taemin gagged and coughed, the air was running out, tears sprang in his eyes as he tried to open his mouth wider, at the moment he did Joon shoved himself in, forcibly.

“Wider I said!” he hissed.

Taemin let out a wounded groan, he shut his eyes and the tears rolled on his cheeks, he didn’t want to see his lover’s sick satisfaction while he’s twitching and struggling for air, his face became red and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth with every Joon made, he dug his nails into his thighs trying to hurts him as he hurt him unsuccessfully.

Joon came in his mouth with a sickening moan, his filled him, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue, Taemin felt like he was about to throw up when he pulled his out, he wanted to spit the but his lover squeezed his jaw in his hand tightly and ordered him to swallow, disgusted, he did.

Joon let go of his jaw and patted his cheek fondly before he pulled his trousers up, Taemin wiped his tears and mouth when suddenly his lover pulled a ‘Snickers’ wrap from his pocket and threw it to his lap.

“if I’ll find out you went to the basement again…” he threatened as he made his way out of the house.

~ ~ ~ ~  

Even though Joon threatened him not to go into the basement again, Taemin stood in front of its door ready to disobey his lover.

After Joon left he trembled his way into the bathroom just in time before he threw up on himself, he stayed there for a long hour until nothing left inside him, eventually he calmed and the pain in his throat became dull, he forced himself to do a warm shower to wash his disgusted feeling away, he wore clean clothes and went to the kitchen for tea and a sandwich, it took him few more hours before he felt brave enough to go down to the basement.

At first he did it in order to provoke but with each step he took down stairs he realized he was looking for a comfort, nothing the man in the basement could provide him but the need for human’s company kept him from crying and pitying himself.

Minho turned his head at the moment the door opened, he recognized Taemin’s steps and a soft smile crossed his lips, like he also needed the company.

“Taemin…?”

Taemin hummed as he got closer to him, something clenched his heart to see Minho like that, tired, stiff, his bones must have ached from sitting without moving all this time, no food, no water, no ability to see around him, he must have been going crazy.

“I brought you something to eat” he said quietly “I don’t really know how to cook, so it just an instant ramen”

“Thank you”

“Are you thirsty? I brought you some water too…” without waiting for an answer he opened the bottle of water he brought and placed it to his lips.

Minho opened his mouth and gulped, so thirsty he drank fast, too fast he choked.

Taemin pulled the bottle away as Minho coughed, water dripped down his chin and he reached his hand to wipe it gently “Minho, are you ok?” he asked worriedly.

Minho tried to put a smile on his face as he kept coughing, tears filled his eyes from the lack of air.

“I’m so sorry!” Taemin mumbled, he tapped his back few times until he finally calmed.

Minho’s head thrown back as he tried to catch his breath, few tears escaped his eyes, Taemin reached his hand unconsciously underneath the blindfold and wiped his eyes, the intimate moment sent a shiver to both of them, awkward, the boy pulled his hand away.

“You...know my name” Minho said surprised.

“I saw it on your ID card” the boy confessed “your wallet must have been fell from your pocket when Joon and his bullies brought you here, I found it on the floor by the door. Don’t worry, I hadn’t taken anything, I keep it in my drawer”

Minho lowered his head and snorted “Joon, is that his name? I recognized his voice when he visited me a few hours ago. He drove the van, while two bullies received orders from him, he’s the devil itself, he’s-”

“My lover” Taemin cut him off, his voice was quiet like he was ashamed of that.

Minho shut.

“I’m sorry…” Taemin mumbled “I know he’s bad, I have no excuse for his behavior”

“So this is why you’re good to me, to make it up?”

“No” the boy said defensively.

“Why then?”

“I don’t know…” Taemin admitted, his voice as a whisper “I saw you at the day they brought you here and…and, I just wanted to see you up close so I came down to the basement. I’m not making up for Joon’s behavior, in fact, I’m not even allowed to go down here”

If Taemin could see Minho’s eyes he could have seen confusion “if he’ll find out you’re here, would you get in troubles?”

“I already am” Taemin mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing”

There was a long moment of silent between them before Minho spoke “Taemin…I want to see you”

Taemin reached his hand automatically to his eye, he wasn’t wearing his eyepatch and the thought Minho might see his sick eye scared him, would he think of him as a freak like he thought about himself?

“Taemin?”

“Why?”

“I… just do”  

The boy couldn’t hear anything over the rush of blood in his ears.

“Please” Minho whispered.

Taemin reached a trembling hand to the blindfold and lowered it slowly from Minho’s eyes.

Minho blinked, though the basement had dim lights his eyes needed the time to get used to it, in front of him stood a young slim boy, his small figure shook a little and he played with his fingers nervously as he slowly raised his gaze to his face.

Pink puffy lips had bitten by little pearly teeth, his nose small as a button, his hair framed his face making him look angelic, two big eyes looked at him, one was brown the other was blue, it made him stare, it was strange but also beautiful, unique. However, as he kept staring he noticed the blue eye was damaged.

“You’re...beautiful” he said his thoughts out loud.

Taemin lowered his gaze, embarrassed by the compliment, there were times Joon called him like that, but after he damaged his eye he had stopped and forced him to put an eyepatch so he won’t have to see it.

“Isn’t it repulsive you?” he asked referring to his eyes.

Minho shook his head, pleasurable shivers washed his body when the boy smiled sheepishly at him.

“What happened to your eye?”

The smile slowly faded away, sighing he said “Joon”

Minho frowned at him “what do you mean?”

“A year ago he punched me and hit my eye with the rings on his fingers, I lost 80% of my ability to see in this eye” he said pointing his blue eye and then at his brown eye “luckily this one still working”

“Why would he hit you? You’re his lover” Minho said with disbelief.

“I told you he’s bad”

“Why he’d done it?”

“I tried to leave him”

“So he just punched you?!” Minho squeaked the question.

Taemin hummed “...I guess I deserved it”

“No one deserves to be treated like that”

“I owe Joon my life, I shouldn’t have tried to leave him”

“Do you love him?”

Taemin shrugged as an answer and focused his attention on the noodles cup “it’s getting cold” he said and got closer to him, ready to feed him.

The boy’s sweet smell of soap tickled his nostrils, he eyed him as he leaned forward with the chopsticks in front of his mouth and got a glance of his pale skin from the collar of his shirt before he raised his gaze to his face. Up close, Taemin was even more beautiful, his odd eyes fascinated him, his puffy lips made his stomach squeez, he even noticed the boy have freckles on his nose, making him look sweet, even childish.

“Were you were born like that?” Minho asked while chewing the noodles.

“What?”

“Your eyes color…”

Taemin hummed as he kept feeding him, he avoided any eye contact like he always did when somebody mentioned his eyes, as a child at the orphanage the kids used to called him freak and the word sunk deep in his heart until he believed that what he was.  

“It’s very unique” Minho said with a soft smile.

“Freak” the boy corrected.

The smile on Minho’s face faded, it made Taemin look at him, their eyes linked and the boy used all of his strength not to look away, he felt vulnerable without his eyepatch, nothing could hide him from the man’s penetrating gaze.

“Is that how your lover calls you?”

Taemin shook his head, Joon never called him a freak, in fact that what made him fall for him, his odd eye, he couldn’t stand to see it damaged though, it was a constant reminder of what he had done to him.

“The kids...at the orphanage, they used to call me freak all the time, I can’t forget it even though I’m older now”

“Kids can be mean to who’s different”

Taemin nodded “I know, it was one of the reasons why I ran away eventually, I couldn’t stand the orphanage, I lived on the streets it was better than there, at least at first… I was naive, 10 years old boy who thought he could handle life. I lived poorly for 6 years until one day I tried to steal Joon’s wallet, this is how we met, he was nice to me, instead of taking me to the police station he gave me his card and some cash, I thought I’ve found my savior”

“So what happened then?”

“He gave me this house, placed a roof over my head and food on my plate, he bought me whatever I wanted and all I needed to do for this fortune was to let him touch me as he wished”

“You became his-”

“Yes” Taemin cut him off, the word he was about to say was too ugly to his ears “and when I realized it I started to doubt myself, I started to think about leaving Joon, at first he made me stay with sweet words and affection, showed me how loved I was”

“But?”

“Last year, he brought a man here, just like he brought you, locked him in my basement because of his debt, it was the first time I realized who Joon was, a criminal, loaner at the black market. It scared the out of me and when I asked him about that he just shushed me. I wanted to run away from him, he caught me with a bag in my hands out of the house”

“So he punched you for that”

Taemin shook his head “no, he tried nicely, asked what happened and why but I was scared…we argued and one thing led to another, I can’t remember much after he punched me, I woke up at the hospital with my eye bandage, Joon showed up few days later and took me home”

“Haven't you tried to leave since then?”

Taemin shook his head once again “he’s keeping an eye on me ever since, I can barely leave the house without him to know”

“You’re in his prison, it’s insane!” Minho hissed angrily.

Taemin smiled softly “what are you angry about?”

The question made Minho blink at him, he wasn’t even sure why he felt anger, shrugging he said “I don’t know…”

Taemin’s smile grew wider though he tried to hide it, warmth washed his body for the man’s concern, he couldn’t tell what made him leaned toward him and tap a small kiss on his lips.

The small kiss took Minho by surprise, he looked at the blushing boy in front of him “what was that for?”

Taemin tried to gulped his embarrassment as he mumbled “I’m sorry” his teeth nibbled his lower lip as his eyes bounced all over.

“Don’t…” Minho said “I...liked it”

The words made the boy look at him before he leaned toward him again, the empty noodles cup fell from his hands as he glued their lips together.

Minho groaned deep in his throat as he parted his lips to catch the boy’s in his mouth, he it gently while his tongue his upper lip, the boy opened his mouth to let him in as he reached his hands to cup his cheeks, he felt his warmth as his small body got closer to him, he wanted to free his hands so he could touch him.

They both panted when their lips separated, Taemin’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, fear and excitement rushed through his vines, kissing Minho felt so good but if Joon would find out...

“I should go now” he mumbled sheepishly.

Minho nodded understandingly as Taemin placed the blindfold back to his eyes, he heard him collecting the noodles cup and the bottle of water before he rushed his feet out of the basement.

He was alone again but this time it was bearable, he knew Taemin would come back.