My blood's not usually pounding in my ears, but this is a special exception. It's also boiling and rushing through me much faster than usual, which would worry me if I wasn't so pissed off.

"Taemin..." I heard Onew murmur. Even though I wasn't too close at the moment, I was close enough to see Taemin's chest heaving as my best friend- BEST FRIEND -bent forward for a kiss from Taemin.

He's going to win this contest at this pace, and I can't let him, I think frantically. I can't let him-

I can't let him kiss Taemin.

I try to throw away that thought, but it gets louder as I open my mouth.

"Hey guys!" I shout out to try and drown out the sound of my own thought as it tortures me mercilessly. Taemin's eyes squeeze even tighter and he grits his teeth, falling back onto the soles of his feet and glaring at me.

"Hello, Minho," he snarls. Onew's face looks slightly crestfallen, but he manages a smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asks as I adjust Yoogeun in my arms.

"Yoogeun missed you," I lie smoothly, hoping the kid won't rat me out. I'm in luck; he's too busy looking at all the rides. Taemin opens his mouth, probably to scream at me, when Yoogeun pipes up.

"I wanna go on that one!" he shrieks, pointing to a brightly-lit ferris wheel. I feel my blood run cold as the top car seems to scrape against the sky, and the color drains from my face. I turn and see the eagerness in Yoogeun's face, and I will myself to man up.

"Sure," I say happily. I cast a meaningful glance at Taemin and Onew. "Coming?"

"Of course!" Taemin snarls, marching over and swinging Yoogeun into his own arms. Onew walks up next to me and gives me a worried look.

"Minho, are you sure it's a good idea?" he hisses. I fix him with a glare. That Taemin-kissing bastard... I'll show him!

"I'll be fine, Onew," I snarl before turning with a huff and catching up with Taemin.

"I can't wait!" Yoogeun squeals, clapping enthusiastically. I smile gently at him as Onew jogs to Taemin's other side.

"Me neither," I lie through my teeth. We step into the long line, waiting to get on what I know will be the worst ride of my life.

Minho's pale face grows paler and paler as we walk under the shadow of the ride. I give him a worried glance, but he keeps his eyes fixed on the ground. I can see his arrogance and confidence draining away as we near the gate.

"Two at a time," the man at the gate says sternly. I look from Yoogeun to Minho, but Onew swiftly scoops my son into his arms.

"I'm going with the kid," Onew says resolutely, casting Minho the same worried glance. I look from Onew to Minho and then back to Onew. As he leaves my side, Onew leans over and whispers to me, "Remind him to breathe." Then Onew gets on the free car and he's scooped up with Yoogeun.

"Next," the man at the gate growls, pushing Minho and I into the remaining car. I end up squished between the wall and Minho, and Minho's just as rigid as the unyielding iron of the car. The door closes and I try to push Minho off.

"Get away from me, you lump!" I snarl. Then I feel him tremble on my body and I freeze. "Minho?"

"Haaa...." His breath is raspy and slow, almost halting. I push him into a sitting position and see his eyes wide and his fists clenched.

"Minho, are you okay?" I ask as the ride starts. He jolts at the sudden motion and this seems to snap him out of it. He looks at me, his eyes like chips of pure anxiety.

"I'm fine," he says coolly, but his shaking fists say otherwise. I look him up and down. At this moment, he doesn't look insufferable or stuck up or anything else that he usually is. He was just... Minho.

"We're going up now," I say slowly. He whips his head away.

"I know," he growls, his voice full of cracking pride. He squeezes his eyes shut as the sunlight smacks him harshly on the face, his body quivering like a plucked violin string. I clench my own fist before making the leap: I touch him.

"Minho, calm down," I whisper, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. He freezes under my touch for a second as we're swung high over the park. The climb is slow, but steady. I feel Minho's breath heave under my hand, and I scoot closer. I press my side to his and wrap an arm around his shoulder. He flinches but doesn't pull away.

"I thought we had a deal," he grumbles, but I can hear a kind of clinging in his voice. He doesn't want me to pull away, and truthfully I don't want to leave him. He seems so fragile now... His head turns half an inch and his eyes meet mine. I try to smile gently.

"Well, these are extreme circumstances," I say softly, each word catching in my throat as his eyes seem to cloud over again. I look out of the window and see the cloud almost touching our car now, the sky blue and rich and full of light. Below us, the amusement fark is just another stretch of vibrant color, and I can't help but gasp at how beautiful the world could be.

Our car suddenly stops and swings to allow us to have the full view. We're about three quarters of the way up to the top, and that fact isn't making this situation any better for Minho. His phone rings and he answers it quickly, shouldering me out of the way.

"Hello?" he greets, his voice quavering. He nods. "Yes, the thrid... No, not... Yeah, that one. No, it's not... Okay. Okay, good. Got it. Thanks, bye." He hangs up and sighs.

"Work?" I ask, trying to be sympathetic. He nods.

"Yeah. Work," he replies simply. I rub his back and he closes his eyes, relaxing a little. Then the ride starts again and he stiffens up. The muscles around his eyes contract as he shuts himself into the darkness.

"Minho, it's alright," I murmur as I rub his arm. His fists clench tighter and his breathing becomes labored.

"No, it's not. It's not going to be alright," he hisses. His voice is almost sobbing. He's breaking down from a ferris wheel?

"Minho, nothing going to happen to you," I say calmly, trying to hide my own shaken feelings.

"He's leaving. He's going," Minho chants under his breath, lost in his own little world. His eyes open, but they're misted over with memories I can't even comprehend. I can't help it; I hug him.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whisper. "I'm staying right here." I press my side to his again, breathing slowly and calmly and steadily. His heartbeat's erratic, and I can feel my own speeding up.

"Don't leave," he half-demands, half-whimpers. "Please... don't..." He reaches up and clutches to the arm I have around his waist. He grips at my sleave and I retract it a little to grab his hand. He immediately links our fingers and his Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows painfully. "Don't leave," he repeats again. I nod.

"I'm not going anywhere." By now we've neared the top and I know it won't be much time before the car stops yet again. Minho's heart starts beating faster, and he crushes my fingers with his own. His phone rings, but neither of us make a move to answer it.

"Taemin, I..." He looks at me with foggy, half-lidded eyes. I part my lips to ask him to continue, but no words come out. His own lips semm to float apart, only a little, and for a moment I'm hoping wishing thinking that he'll lean forward and we'll... kiss again.

We don't.

Instead, the car jolts to a stop and his eyes widen.

"How high are we?" he asks weakly. I look outside my window, seeing the fog under us and the muted color of the amusement park. The window's growing cold from the chilling air outside.

"Not too high," I lie. Minho peers over my shoulder before I can stop him, and I feel his breath stop. I turn, alarmed and see his eyes bulging from his skull. His jaws are stretched apart as he struggles for breath, but nothign passes to or from his lungs.

"Ah... Ah..!" he gasps and rasps, clutching his fists to his shirt and squeezing his eyelids shut. My own eyes widen and I grip at his shoulders.

"Minho, breathe!" I shout. "In and out. Come on, you can do it!"

"Ha...!" he writhes, but I realize that it's not that he won't breathe; he can't. I grab his face and turn it towards me. I stare at him intently, placing another hand over his chest.

"Minho, look at me. We're going to be alright. Everything's okay. Just breathe," I whisper. He blinks, comprehending my word, and I feel his chest heave with effort. I smile gently, hiding my own frantic emotions. "Just breathe."

"Taemin," he whispers, his eyes closing. He slumps over me, passed out, and I just hold him. Our heartbeats are plain and simple as he lays, passed out, on my shoulder. The ferris wheel slowly goes down.

"Hey, is he alright?" Onew asks Taemin once we get out of the car. I lean on Taemin's shoulder heavily, my head still spinning from the experience. Taemin looks to me for an answer. I smile weakly and nod, straightening up. I walk forward and open my arms, reclaiming Yoogeun. My legs have stopped wobbling, and I manage a confident beaming grin.

"Come on, let's go home," I say cheerfully. I see Onew give Taemin a glance that makes my blood boil, and Taemin smiles back, which doesn't help the situation.

"Let's," Onew says. He takes Taemin's hand and leads him to the car, leaving me once again with Yoogeun. I follow them, but I'm suddenly struck by despair at how Taemin doesn't flinch from Onew's side.

"Minho-appa, what happened up there?" Yoogeun asks. I look at him as I walk, absorbing his hope and unshaking belief that I was alright. I nod and give him a decieving grin.

"I had lots of fun," I lie through my teeth.

"Are you and Taemin-appa friends now?" he asks brightly. I look at Taemin's back as he reaches the car. I watch Onew open the door for him, watching Taemin's back as he slides in. I look at Yoogeun and shrug before jogging up to the vehicle. I put Yoogeun in first, then sit next to my son, letting him seperate Taemin and me.

"Minho, are you alright?" Taemin asks. I nod and reach over to touch him, but he shies away. I see the same fear in his eyes as the fear that's certainly in my own: The fear that, if I do touch him, neither of us will be able to let go.

And we both (BOTH) want to let go.

"I'm fine."

A/N - I know, so close XD SO CLOSE!

But no.

No, I'm not that nice.

So, as always, MORE TO COME AND COMMENTS ARE LOVE~

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