There was a beautiful lively pattern as the lights danced above his head.

The room was white. All white. White walls, white furniture, white sheets, white fan. He knew well enough that the colors were all images that his mind was creating due to lack situational awareness.
 

Days and nights blended no longer helping him feel connected to the real world. He was no longer sure of what was dream and what reality was. These lights could have well all been a part of his dream.
 

There was a stretch of time ago that he had been able to find signs that helped him know when he was dreaming. Those dreams also helped him count the days. However, he no longer had a way to measure time.

There was one thing he did really quite love and helped him hold to that little sliver of sanity he had left.
 

It was a voice he heard through a small vent at the wall in which he figured a window could have gone.
 

That vent was close to the floor in a corner and it seemed that every two rooms had adjoining ones. He really didn’t know how it all worked all he knew was that once he had felt very hot and while resting beside it he heard a voice. Someone singing softly.

Only after the voice had stopped singing had he began to cry for the first time since he arrived.
 

“Please...keep singing”. It was all he had said and just like that, the other obeyed.

Ever since then, ever so often, the voice would sing to him, or tell him stories. Very few times, they had in fact spoken about their life outside of the four white walls but never did they go into details for fear of having to relive the days in which they may have not been entirely happier but damn well happier than inside those four walls.

“I’ve been seeing color lately”.

“Color? The lights again?”

“No. My hair is growing.”

“Ah. So what color is it?”

“Red. I had dyed it a few days before...well… you know… and now my hair has grown past my eyes”.

The other voice did know and instinctively began to hum until a chipper song began to form out of the tune he had to have had come up with just then.

~~~

“Jinki?”

“Yes. Did you know that I used to sing as well?”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

Moments later he saw the lights again as Jinki sang once more.

~~~

It wasn’t until the eighth time they talked, four times since he told Jinki about how he used to sing, that he heard his voice again. This time sounding more agitated but still no louder than a whisper.

“Taemin! Taemin!”

It took him a few minutes to shake the sleep out of his eyes and for the voice to register but once it did, he was on the floor crawling closer to the vent, “what...what's wrong?”

“I’m leaving today. I just got a notice under my door. I don’t know what it means or where I’m going. I wish I was telling you that I knew more and that I can get you out but I really don't know if this will be good or ba-”

Before Jinki could finish his sentence, a light shone through the vent and the creaking of a door reached Taemin’s ears.

“Number 2550 its time to relocate.”

Taemin only inhaled but Jinki quickly shushed him before getting up.

He wasn’t sure if it was for his own good or what but he didn’t protest.

He quickly moved to his bed as he heard the door in the room next door shut.

After that, Taemin heard no sound.

~~~
 

Taemin had lost track again, of how much time was passing since Jinki had left. Once again he had nothing to help him measure time spent in that room.

He ate his food and took a pill, most likely a vitamin, ever so often, but even that was too evenly spaced for him to tell if it was happening during the day or night or what.

~~~

It was around the time when his hair was around his shoulders that he heard the sound of metal sliding and then a scratching sound on the floor. When he looked by his door he saw a piece of paper. The first thing he wondered was, if it was the same note that Jinki had received.

He wasted no time in running to the door to gather the piece of paper.

It read, “Number 24456 relocation”.

It really didn’t make any sense to Taemin why the note was necessary. It only made him assume the worst about his fate. Just thinking about it made him feel anger towards whoever was responsible for his imprisonment. It made him hate them for causing him to feel this shaken up but most of all, it made him hate them because he had no idea what had happened to Jinki.  

The next time he heard any sound other than those made by him, two man came into his room. Grabbing his hands, cuffing him, and putting sunglasses on his eyes, before guiding him out of the room. The light filtering in through the lenses was brighter than the one in his room, which made him wonder what it must look like without the protective eyewear.

He told to sit on a chair in a room he recognized when he first came in. One with colors he hadn't experienced in a long time. One of the men told him to remain quiet until the warden came to speak to him.

He did remain silent.

He couldn’t speak.

All he could do was look around at every inch of the room. It had been so long since he had seen a color other than his red hair and that of his skin. He was sure that the tears he felt streaming down his face were a result of this simple sensory overload.

The warden came in after 5 min. Taemin had kept his eyes on the clock, amused by such a simple object. The warden wasn’t alone, with his was a familiar face.

“Hello Taemin.”
“Hello Minho.”

It took a lot out of Taemin not to cry in the moment and suddenly he was thankful for the sunglasses.

“I am signing you out today. I was able to prove that you are not against the union. That you are simply a student working under my wing.” Minho stated, trying to sound professional even with his eyes rimmed red.

Taemin nodded and then faced the warden who was currently sifting through papers, “young man you are very lucky. We only open cases for those who are willing to prove that someone is innocent. You must be very important for this man next to me to believe in your innocence. He paid a lot of money and spent six months under my watch working out a plan to prove that you are not only innocent but beneficial for our country’s missions.”

Taemin nodded once more, mouthing a Thank you to Minho.

About an hour or so later, Taemin received and implant in his writs that, even though excruciatingly painful for the redhead, would keep him safe when scanned by policing troops around the city.

“I have a question…” Taemin finally spoke to the guards who guided him and Minho out, “Does everyone leave here the same way? You know, by being proved innocent and beneficial to the union?” the guard simply nodded.

~~~

The very night Taemin, after a full meal and warm shower, spoke to his colleague Minho, about Jinki. He told him about how he needed to make sure that his friend was alive and safe.  

“I do think I may know someone who can help me find him. But…” Minho’s face looked unsure as if he was about to share something that he should have probably kept a secret.

“What? Do I have to pay? I can help pay. Did my accounts get frozen while I was imprisoned?”

Taemin now sat at the edge of his seat, cup of coffee on the table, he needed to do anything he could to find him.

“No it’s not that,” Minho waved his hand, “he’s just a bit...this guy is not your usual guy. He...he may suggest some things that are never entirely legal and that could land you back in jail.”

Taemin quickly shook his hand, “I don't care can we contact him soon? Please.”

With the way Minho looked at him, Taemin knew that he was giving himself away. That even if he never told Jinki or even allowed himself to think it he had depended on Jinki. He had felt for him so much more than he could ever express.

Somehow, though, Minho must have understood. It was evident in the way he simply nodded and retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed the right number.

“Jonghyun? I’m going to need you again.”

~~~

Per request of Jonghyun, they all met around 4am at a deli only a few blocks from Minho’s place.

They spoke there due to something about the range radars that the city uses to regulate the population were weaker in that zone. Taemin didn’t press further to find out how the man knew this. The man was too intimidating for him to enquire about his background.

Jonghyun did seem quite mysterious, just as Minho had told him on the way. He had on an all dark attire and bandana covering his mouth, hiding his features. The only thing visible was a tattoo by his left temple, which wasn’t even entirely visible because his reflective glasses covered enough of it to make it indescribable. He wasn’t too bulky or burly either but he looked quick and light on his feet, which was enough to allow Taemin’s imagination to conjure some moves he didn’t want the man pulling on him in self-defense.  

When Jonghyun wrapped up going over his rules, he asked for the name of whom Taemin was in search of as well as any other detail like where he was from or any facial features he remembered.

Taemin simply said no and that all he really knew. The name was all he had remembered.

“That’s a shame.” Jonghyun stated, “This will be a lot harder this way.”

Jonghyun gathered his bike helmet, most likely getting ready to go, before turning back once more, “Did he ever talk at all about where he is from?”

“Umm… he did mention he was from a small town…”

“Okay. Okay. Now we are getting somewhere. Anything at all that can help me pick him out among the rest will help.”

“Umm…”Taemin began to sort through any memory of the times Jinki spoke to him of his life before jail, of anything he might have said when he wasn’t singing. “I remember him mentioning how he was really into history and that he worked at a library but that was before going to jail. I don’t think I would know what he would be doing now. He did mention having a brother that was the mayor of his town. Other than that I really don't think he spoke of much other than his actual job as a librarian but those were simple everyday stories about people that came in".

Jonghyun spoke into his phone. Most likely taking down some of the information that Taemin was able to recall.

"This should be enough. Give me some time and be watchful okay? I may not deliver the address in person. You know. For liability reasons."

Taemin stepped forward and bowed saying thank repeatedly as the older man turned and climbed into his motorcycle and rode away.
 

"I don't think I’ve ever seen you bow. To anyone." Minho finally spoke breaking the silence while stepping forward to feel Taemin's forehead to see if the younger could possibly be feeling ill.
 

~~~

Two weeks had passed since they had contacted Jonghyun and Taemin was back to working in the lab with Minho. Their current project took away most of his free time but he was watchful nonetheless, of anything that could possibly hold information on Jinki.

Nothing yet.

~~~

Around 2 months after they contacted Jonghyun, Taemin began to lose hope on the older man. "Maybe someone else can help us?" Taemin suggested one evening while Minho prepared some tea. He was on the floor sorting the material they had to go over.

"Nah. Just relax. Let us have some tea and work on this. Jonghyun is a miracle worker." Taemin nodded and trusted Minho’s judgment but no amount of tea was going to ease his mind.  

"Oh! Grab that box by the TV. I got some cookies from my sister; those will go well with this tea."

Taemin grabbed the box and placed it on coffee table on the side in front of Minho’s favorite chair.

Minho handed him a mug and the honey he knew Taemin liked before sitting down and sifting through the box.
 

That son of ..."

“What is it?” Taemin asked, eyes watching the honey melt and blend w the hot liquid steaming up his reading glasses.

"I should have known better."

When Taemin looked up, he saw Minho holding a pink notepad paper, with pink flowers around the edge. He stood and hurriedly moved to Minho side to get a better look at the note.

"Found your guy. Minho, your sister was so clever to suggest me sending the note with a box of cookies she baked. So good with her hands. ;)"

“I’m going to murder him”.

~~~

Three days after they had received the address from Jonghyun, Taemin was able to prepare his bag for the trip Minho was going to take him. He was finally going to see Jinki. He deeply wished he had gotten a phone number but he wasn't about to be ungrateful.

The dean granted them a pass that allowed them to survey a few towns down south for "research". Something Minho cleverly mocked up from a project he had abandoned 4 months ago while waiting for Taemin's release. Since many of the journals were dated back to 4 months ago, the dean didn't question their excursion around the outer perimeters of the city.

~~~

Once on the road, they did have to stop and survey some of the land on the way just in case any guards stopped them.

It took around a day to locate the address Jonghyun had given them. However, once they did locate it, Taemin quickly got out of the car and took in the old ranch house before him.  Minho reassured him that he would be okay surveying around the area on his own and would be back in a few hours to pick him up.

It wasn’t until Minho’s car had turned at the cross walk they had used to turn into Jinki’s place, that Taemin felt courageous enough to walk through the gate and inquire about Jinki.

~~~
 

"Hello, is Jinki here?"

The swing on the porch slowed and the man sitting on it looked in the direction of the voice.

Taemin stopped walking once he reached the steps, "My name is-“

"Taemin? Is that you?"

The second the man spoke, Taemin knew it was he. It had to be.

That same voice had consoled him so many times. That same voice hushed his tears and broke down all his worries.

That sweet voice.

It was he.

The man in front of him.

Taemin nodded but quickly took notice of the cane that assisted Jinki as he stood and the glasses shading his eyes.

“Yes… it’s me.” He made sure to speak clearly.

Taemin quickly walked up the steps stopping right before Jinki, his eyes moving unrestingly as they took in every bit that was Jinki.

Jinki simply reached forward and touched his face.

Taemin welcomed the warmth and allowed the hand to touch him and feel his features, wiping away the tears and leaving behind a warmth he hadn’t felt yet but could very well get used too. That same hand touched the tips of his hair before trailing down to entwine their fingers. “It really is you” the words came out of Jinki as hushed as they did when they spoke with a vent between them but Taemin heard them. Clearly.

“Can you stay?”

“Yes of course.” There was no going back yet. Not after spending an innumerable amount of time wondering, if the older man was okay, while fighting off any thoughts that said otherwise.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors note; First of all, I just wanted to mention that this is a WIP and I may or many not work on a chapter 2 for it. It really depends on how people like this but even then I'm not sure if I should. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my first Ontae. (for now I will mark the story as complete). Please comment and let me know what you think :3