Taemin stopped breathing.

He stopped blinking.

He just froze until Minho pulled back.

Then he did the smartest thing possible.

He fainted.

Once he came too, Minho was shaking him with a worried expression on his face. “Taemin-ah! Are you okay?”

Taemin scrambled up, smoothing out his hair in embarrassment. “N-Neh…Sorry I was just really surprised.”

Minho shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. Sorry for doing such a thing out of the blue.”

Taemin nodded meekly, rubbing the back of his neck. He let out a sound of surprise when Minho took his hand. “But that kiss wasn’t for nothing.” Minho said, staring at Taemin with a serious expression.

“I really like you Taemin.”

Taemin had to remind himself to breathe, or else he’ll faint again. “W-What?” He managed to choke out.

“I like you.” Minho repeated, gaze not faltering even for a second.

Even though it pained Taemin to do this, he slowly pulled his hand out of Minho’s grasp. “Sorry…But I think I need to think about this for a while.” He said quietly, heart beating frantically.

Minho paused but nodded. “Alright. I understand. Tell me when you’re ready.”

Taemin’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he picks up, “Hello?”

Slowly, the younger boy’s eyes widen. “I’ll be right there!’ He hangs up and gets up, eyes full of fear. “What’s wrong?” Minho asked, standing up also.

“My mom…She’s dying!”

The both of them arrived at the hospital shortly after.

“What do we do?” Taemin asked, clutching onto the front of his shirt in agony. “What if she doesn’t survive? She’s already so frail and weak I, I-“

“Taemin, calm down!” Minho said, clutching onto Taemin’s shoulders, noticing how badly the boy was shaking under his touch.

“I should have stayed with her longer…I should have visited her more often. Minho-ah, what do I do?” Taemin’s voice broke as he tried to keep back the tears. Minho wanted to hug Taemin. To tell him everything will be alright.

But then the doctor came out.

Taemin turned and ran to the doctor, his speech frantic, “Doctor, how is she? Is she okay?”

The doctor’s expression said it all.

“We tried out best, but…”

Taemin bursted into the room. “U…Mma.” He said, clutching onto his side as he took slow steps towards the bed.

His mother’s eyes moved slowly to Taemin as she took the oxygen mask off, shakily. “Taeminnie…”

Taemin found the energy he needed to run to his mother’s side, clutching onto her hand desperately. “Umma, please… Don’t speak.” He said quietly.

“I’m sorry…For worrying you…Like this…” His mother said, grinning weakly. “Umma has to go…Now. Ne…?”

Taemin shakes his head quickly. “No no! You can’t leave like this umma!! I-I still have so much to tell you. You can’t leave me alone like this!” He could feel the tears drip from his eyes and onto his mother’s hand.

“You won’t…Be alone.” His mother cooed. “You have…Minho to take care…Of you.”

Taemin’s lower lip quivered harder at this. “But-“

Taemin’s mother winced slightly at the pain through her body. “Ugh…”

“Umma!” Taemin cried out, almost feeling the same pain his mother was in.

“Get ready to administer the drugs.” The doctor said to a nurse, who handed him a needle.

The doctor put the needle into Taemin’s mother’s arm as she continued speaking, “Keep…Holding on…Taemin.” She said, voice getting quieter and softer.

“UMMA! PLEASE DON’T GO! UMMA!!” Taemin cried as he was held back by the nurse.

“Tae…Mi…” That was the last thing his mother said before her tear-stained eyes shut closed.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

…

…

…

No.

No way.

“Open…Open your eyes.” Taemin said quietly, touching his mother’s pale face. “Umma?”

His mother’s kind smiles.

Her comforting words.

The woman who raised her.

Gone.

“Uh…” Taemin whimpered out, hands going to his face before he falls on top of his mother’s body, crying and screaming loudly.

Why…

When Taemin comes out of the room, Minho stands up in alert. He walks quickly over to Taemin. “What happened?” He was scared to ask.

Taemin didn’t answer, and just took a step closer to Minho, clutching onto the front of his shirt and burying himself in the warmth.

Minho decided not to question it anymore and wrapped his arms around the other, letting the other let it all out.

Taemin thought he had cried out all his tears, but it seemed more kept surfacing. His body shook as he whimpered weakly.

Once Taemin had calmed down, Minho brought him back to the pastry house. He sat the boy down at the table and dashed into the kitchen to prepare something warm for the boy.

Minho finished quickly and went back to Taemin. “You should eat something…” He said softly and gave Taemin a slice of French bread with tomatoes and basil on top.

Taemin slowly took a bite of the bread.

Nothing.

“This doesn’t taste…Like anything.”

Minho stared in confusion and took a bite himself. “What do you mean? I can taste the tomato and the olive oil.”

Taemin continued staring at the table. “I can’t…Taste…Or smell…Anything.”

Minho’s eyes widened when he realized something.

“Taemin… You’ve…Lost your sense of taste!”

I think we were all expecting this…No?

I torture you guys WAY too much, I’m so sorry for that. But on the bright side, Minho confessed :D Okay I guess that doesn’t help. It was soo hard to do the dying scene. You’all give your moms a hug after this (dad’s too). But yeah, hope you liked, I’m off, PEACE.