Taemin had always felt that there was something wrong with him.

When he was five years old, during the time of a great blizzard, he had gotten angry with his mother because she wouldn’t let him play outside. He grew red in the face, his small hands turned into pale fists and her glass filled with wine crystalized and exploded, the pipes throughout the house solidified with a thick layer of ice. The fish tank froze leaving a beautiful goldfish staring through the glass with its mouth opened mid breath.

His mother was so shocked that she mustered whatever explanation that made sense to her husband and herself. From then on, she watched her son with different eyes.

When Taemin was ten years old, he was bullied. Five kids that disliked his rather effeminate and pretty face had decided to gang up on him after school. He didn’t know how to fight, nor did he know how to handle this situation, so when he shut his eyes, arms stiff at his side, ready for the first punch he heard a high pitched squeal before the retreating feet of the bullies. When he opened his eyes, before him was a foot thick block of ice as tall as he was, shielding him. It was the middle of summer, he had thought. Taemin touched the ice block that failed to melt no matter how much the sun beat down on it. And as if a voice whispered it to him, Taemin was now aware that it wouldn’t let up unless he told it to.

And he did. With a hesitant voice he ordered, “Fall.”

And it did. It liquefied and gravity pulled it down to the bronze grass around him, leaving a wet spot, and Taemin’s wide eyes.

With this discovery, Taemin intentionally avoided socializing, or enjoying his childhood doing the things normal kids would do. To Taemin, he had discovered something far too amazing to ignore, and he found that he could avoid his mother’s frightened eyes if he locked himself in his room with a glass of water.

He was now going into his first year of college at a Music and Arts School. He was confident to say that he had mastered his ability of controlling the temperature around him. He figured his power consisted of only solidifying water to ice, where he could manipulate it to a shield, a sword, and if creative on a hot day an ice cup that chilled any drink.

But because he knew he was different than everyone else, he didn’t say anything to his parents, nor to any of his friends. The last time he had used his power was last summer, but slowly and surely the desire to explore more with it withered. There wasn’t a reason to use it. So he didn’t. It became an easily misplaced ability, tucked away in the darkest part of his mind.

He had now lived with his grandmother along with his cousin Key Kibum, who also attended the same university. His parent’s house was too far from the university, so it was in his best interest (and after much pestering from Key) that it would be wise if Taemin decided to just live with them.

Upon moving in, Taemin had no regrets. He preferred living with the two family members. Especially after his parents had excitedly made themselves another son they could fawn over. Taemin could remember there rather relieved faces when he left, his mother holding onto the little bundle in his arms with more care than he was probably held after that incident.

Living here gave him space. Key, who was two years older than him, would busy himself with late night parties only to come back at three in the morning where Taemin and his grandmother were already tucked in their beds.

His grandmother busied herself with her thriving garden outside. She went out to the market with her handmade basket to buy fresh seeds for planting. She helped out at a homeless shelter a train station away, and came home to make dinner, and Taemin’s lunch in the morning. Time with her consisted of sitting outside on the porch helping her weed, or just enjoying the atmosphere with a glass of lemonade.

In Taemin’s daily life, he would merely go to his college classes, clad in his rather loose clothing, vibrant red hair brushing the back of his neck as he swiveled through the masses. He would sit in the back of the class, take diligent notes, and avoid the world around him as he ate lunch in the student lobby and go straight home, taking the train home while listening to his hot red mp3 player.

He wasn’t much for a socializing.

But Key on the other hand…

“Taemin!” Taemin actually jumped at the sudden pitch of Key’s voice so early in the afternoon. Key was never home at 3 o’clock.

Taemin peeked over the sofa clutching the writer’s magazine he was reading from last month’s issue, and watched as Key marched in with his duffel bag, his high cheek bones and beautifully symmetrical face etched in a frown. When his eyes landed on the mass of red hair and blue eyes staring back at him, Key folded his arms across his chest, “I didn’t know you came home so early from school.”

Taemin nodded, “My class actually ended a bit after twelve, so I’ve been here ever since.”

Key openly gaped at him, “Taemin seriously. Don’t you have any friends? Ever since you got here, you’ve been punishing yourself. What’s wrong with you?”

Taemin stood up, and deadpanned, “I like this atmosphere.”

Key eyed him as if he was lying before noticing his pose. He couldn’t help but see the way the bracelets around his wrist just announced how thin he really was. The pale skin that seemed to glow in the afternoon sun, along with the red hair gave Taemin and almost ethereal feel. He looked close to a fairy if he didn’t have such a bland expression on his face.

“Do you even eat anymore, Taemin? The last time I saw you before you moved in was when we were 6 and you were the fattest kid I’ve ever seen.”

Taemin eyes widen a bit before he looked down at the floor pushing the bangs out of his eyes, “I eat. It just…at home, my mom got me on this diet. She told me that I couldn’t be the fattest kid in school, so I ended up losing a lot. Now I’m use to the portions I eat now.”

Taemin than looked at Key straight in the eye before lifting his arms, asking, “Do I look like I don’t eat?”

Key stiffened before he made an exasperated groan, turning away from him and dropping his duffel bag at the foot of the stairs. He muttered something about how absolutely insane his aunt was and what she was doing to his poor cousin who didn’t no the definition of late night snacks, before he made for the kitchen, “I came home early because my class was cancelled, and I had no plans today.”

Taemin followed him staring at Key as he began to whip out a frying pan and ingredients that seemed intimating.

It was a lie really. His classes were still going on for today, and he cancelled his plans for the group date he was to go to tonight only to spend time with his little cousin. It had scared him, the sight of Taemin with his rather floating and transparent existence flitting through the crowd of the college as if the world around him was nothing more than shadows and he was the sole inhabitant. He looked tragic.

“Taemin?”

“Yes, Key?”

“You’re coming with me to a party tomorrow.”

Taemin stared and opened his small mouth to protest but Key beat him, his eyes focusing on the task at hand, “No buts, Taemin. You’re coming even if I have to force you there.”

Taemin didn’t say much after that. His body moved back to the couch, sighed, and collapsed sideways blowing his bangs out of his face with a defeated huff.

A/N:

Okay so a few months ago, I read the foreword of a story called The 5th Element by PuppetMistress and I was motivated to write this. It became a monster and it lay dormant in my computer's harddrive collecting dust.  I took notice of it while organizing my folders (and after seeing 2min kissing and jongtae humping) and decided to post this.

It's as if PuppetMistress made a prompt and I ran with it.

Please tell me what you think. Anything at all: grammar, punctuation, pace ect.

Thanks PuppetMistress and anyone who reviews!

There will be more!

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