Do you all want a bunch of short and fluffy chapters so it won't end as soon or do you all just want me to get on with the story?

Jongin had left. The plane had crashed. And the worst part: Taemin didn’t even get to say goodbye.

The hook inside Taemin’s chest that yanked him out of this dream (nightmare) left him in cold sweats and damp eyes. He jolted upright in his bed, the duvet falling off the mattress and his hair stuck to his forehead. Nothing to comfort him but the darkness of night. Not to exclude the shadowing thoughts and memory of the absolute fear smothered by revulsion that just felt so damn real.

The further he thought, the further his eyes threatened to give way to the falls that were now being egged on by the sputtering in his chest. His fingers trembled, and after reaching for his phone, he dialed the number of the only person that could cradle him to some dimension of calm.

After holding his breath, he finally heard a sleepy voice on the last ring.

“Tae?”

The sweet sound of Jongin.

Taemin barely whimpered into the phone due to his quivering bottom lip.

“Hyung, hyung… I need you.”

All that was passed through the line were distinct yet slow breaths, hovering over the unsaid and fervent essential of an immediate reunion.

“Hold on.”

The call disconnected. Taemin’s head sunk into his pillow. He pulled the comforter over his head and shut his eyes, reminding himself that it had only been a dream. A sliver of his pessimism (or realism) told him that some fraction of it were true, though.

Approximately ten minutes later, Taemin heard the sound of his front door being opened. Thankfully, Jongin knew where the hidden key was.  Next came the sound of rushed yet hushed footsteps climbing the staircase. If Taemin hadn’t been completely disordered and tumultuous, it might have been a little creepy.

Moments later, the door to Taemin’s room burst open. Taemin gasped out relief and a few small tears as he instinctively sat up in bed with his arms outstretched for Jongin. Jongin dived into Taemin and they both collapsed with Jongin completely on top; he blocked out even an inch of the outside anguish.

“I’m here, I’m here. It’s okay.” Jongin hummed a little urgently, desperately attempting to calm the sobbing mess. He was wearing that gorgeous tank that did his arms justice, and which made him seem a little more intimidatingly heavenly and inviting. Taemin continued to whimper, “Hyung, you can’t leave me alone… you can’t…I’m so in love with you, hyung.” And Jongin replied by gliding his palms along Taemin’s , and then across his stomach for comfort. It seemed as though any second Taemin’s shirt would be pulled apart, which would rip free another layer between them. Taemin couldn’t help but moan quietly into Jongin’s ear.

Jongin took Taemin’s cheeks between his palms after brushing away any wandering strands of blonde that might interrupt Taemin’s eyesight. Taemin grabbed Jongin’s wrists and his arms for small reassurance of his actual presence. He spoke only seconds away from Taemin’s flushed face, and their eyes locked, though they occasionally deviated to each other’s lips. “I know, Taemin, I know. Hey, look at me. I’m here, I will always be here for you. You know that. I’m always here—”

Taemin couldn’t stand it any longer. He brought their lips together, and their bodies melted into each other. In all honesty, it was a pretty amazing kiss. Taemin’s hands roamed to all parts of Jongin’s smooth and gorgeously colored body; from his cheeks, to his neck, his arms, his chest, and to his waist.

The sweet scent of Jongin.

Normally, Taemin would be too nervous or restrained to do any of this, but having Jongin with him in that moment was just as important as his next breath. The shield, security, and forgetfulness were all the things that Taemin needed desperately. But only from Jongin.

Jongin seemed to mirror Taemin’s physical love, and his hands too traversed to all corners of Taemin’s fright and vulnerability, stilling them and transforming them to safety. Taemin was aware that if he continued his full body caress, Jongin would end up wanting much more, so his touch slowed and rested behind Jongin’s neck. They lay intertwined and in love.

“Taemin, shouldn’t you practice getting through the nights…,” Jongin was about to finish his sentence with “alone” but thought better of it, for he knew Taemin would burst into tears, and he knew that Taemin would never be alone as long as he was alive. Taemin understood what Jongin meant just the same. “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters, so you’re going to stay by my side for as long as possible. I don’t care if you want time alone. This is the consequence of you leaving me.”

“I don’t think consequence is the right word.” He hummed into Taemin’s ear, and Taemin shivered.

They stayed like that, wrapped around each other, for at least an hour if not more. Whispering comfort, laughing quietly at nothing, and occasionally kissing each other’s cheeks and lips. The wild beating of Taemin’s heart eventually settled, and his body went limp under Jongin. This was the only signal that Taemin had finally fallen asleep again, with a much more pleasant dream.

Jongin sighed. He ran his fingertips over the fuzz of Taemin’s cheek before slowly releasing himself from Taemin’s grasp. He pulled the sheets over Taemin and tucked him in gently. Jongin sat on the edge of the bed and rested his elbows to his knees. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked behind him at the sleeping beauty. Taemin had never called him hyung before (that he knew of).

Of course it hurt just as much as it hurt Taemin. How could he ruin such a perfect relationship, this perfect love that he would probably never feel for anyone else? How could he break the heart of the most fragile boy in the world with so much love to give? He sighed again.

He grabbed a pen and scribbled out his inner poet on the back of a receipt he found in the depths of his pocket.

To finish the moments together, to not always worry about the inevitable, will find us great happiness. Finding new beauty in every step towards the destination can only help us, and not harm us. After we’ve gained that wisdom, then maybe we can agree that to “leave you” is equivalent to leaving this earth. You have amazing inner strength, so if I doubted you, I would not enforce this challenge of conquering the unconquerable. I love you so much.

He quietly left the house after leaving the note on Taemin’s bedside table. He hoped it would at least bring a smile to Taemin in the morning. It succeeded in doing so, along with Taemin’s heart performing aerobatics.The question that sauntered through each morning breeze plastered again to Taemin's infatuation and awe. 

Why did Jongin have to be so damn perfect?