Chapter 15
Kidnap Me Hyung
"Taemin, wake up." Onew said softly, shaking the dancer gently. Taemin groaned and rolled over, dragging a pillow to cover his face.
"Come on Taemin, don't you want to eat something? I made your favorite coffee."
Taemin shook his head and pulled the blankets tighter around him.
"Please don't make me get up hyung." Taemin's small, hoarse voice pulled at Onew's heart strings. The boy had been through so much the past few days, it only made sense that Taemin didn't want to leave the bed.
Onew sighed and sat on the edge, patting the lump that was Taemin.
"I know it's hard. Do you want me to not go to work for the day?"
"No, go to work hyung. People will be sad if you're not there." Taemin's voice was still muffled by the blanket/sheild surrounding him, but Onew got the message.
"It's okay, no one's come in today anyways. I'll just stay with you Tae-ah." In an instant, Taemin popped his head out from beneath the covers, a confused and hopeful smile on his face.
"What did you call me?"
Startled by the sudden change in attitude, all Onew could do was stare at the younger he was slowly starting to think was bipolar.
"Tae-ah. You called me Tae-ah." Taemin answered himself, hugging the pillow.
Onew blushed. "Oh that. Well, it's just, I mean, Joon calls you Taebaby!" Taemin laughed and hugged the elder.
"Alright hyung, I'll spend the day with you." Onew sat still as Taemin hugged him, breathing in the sweet scent of the younger. The hug lasted a little longer than it should, Onew enjoyed it more than a friend would, and things were getting out of hand. Onew was sure he had reached the line, that he had already begun crossing it, that the boundaries were quickly crumbling. Seriously, the were sleeping in the same bed. Obviously, the lines had gone a bit hazy on what was okay and what was not, but he had no idea how to stop himself. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to stop himself anymore.
At least for today, he decided as Taemin pulled away and smiled, he would forget about his worries, and instead focus on the boy who needed him. Right now, it didn't matter what war of emotions was going on inside his head, he had to be there to comfort Taemin.
The two ate breakfast without much talk, Taemin still caught up in thoughts of last night's encounter, and Onew caught up in thoughts about Taemin. It was then Onew began to realize something.
Taemin was no longer the source of constant painful memories, but instead of joy and laughter. The longer he spent with Taemin, the more he realized that Kibum and him were not so alike after all. Sure, they both danced, were both kind hearted but with sharp tongues when they wanted, and more beautiful than any woman, but that was all.
Where harsh reality had hardened Kibum and made him a bit cold to strangers, Taemin was still very much innocent, and one would never think he had lived such a rough life. That being said, Taemin was more secretive, where as Onew remembered countless times where Kibum would go on and on about his life.
It confused Onew to no end how the two could be so alike yet so different, and frustrated him even more so. Struggling with these feelings and trying to decipher how he felt was like unraveling a string with no end, wearing him down mentally and emotionally. It was all beginning to be too much.
"Come on hyung! Let's play mario kart! The one who loses has to do something for the winner."
Onew gulped and stared at Taemin. "What exactly do you mean by 'something'?"
"The winner gets to request the loser to do one thing for them, and it can be anything." Onew didn't like that idea, and he didn't like the glint in Taemin's eyes either.
"I don't know Taemin..."
"Come on hyung! It'll be fun! Best two out of three, okay?" Taemin looked up at Onew with begging puppy dog eyes, his lip jutting out in an adorable pout.
"Fine." Onew agreed, while Taemin cheered.
Onew was beginning to think he would never have the power to say no to Taemin.
Onew set up the game while Taemin bounced on the couch excitedly, chatting away about how he and Jongin always played this after practice.
Jongin this, Jongin that. Does Taemin have any stories that don't involve that kid?
The game started up and Onew handed Taemin a controller, dropping down onto the couch beside Taemin.
"I'm warning you Onew, I'm really good at this game."
"Don't be so cocky Taemin. I'm too bad myself."
"Let's see what you got." Taemin replied, getting ready.
"Alright. Let's play."
It didn't take Onew long to regret his decision. After only one lap he had already been hit twice by green shells because of Taemin, and it didn't look like the dancer was going to stop his assault any time soon.
"Jeez Taemin, how many green shells are you going to fire at me? This is ridiculous!"
Taemin laughed as he sent another one at Onew, instantly knocking the elder out of control.
"I hate these stupid green shells!" Onew yelled, frowning as he tried to keep himself from going off track.
"You only hate them until you're the one that has them hyung." Taemin teased, eyes glued to the screen.
The next two laps continued laughter from Taemin and angry yells from Onew as the elder was repeatedly hit with shells. When Taemin crossed the finish line first, Onew threw down his controller.
"What is this? That wasn't mario kart, that was mortal kombat!"
Taemin laughed. "Poor hyung. I'll go easier on you next round."
"Yeah right." Onew mumbled, picking up his controller from the ground and readying himself for the next round.
The two were neck and neck, the finish line in view. Taemin was muttering under his breath, willing his car to go faster. Almost there...
"Ha! I win! That's one for you, one for me." Onew grinned, laughing as Taemin leaned back and pouted.
"You only won because you kept hitting me with green shells."
"You only hate them until you have them." Onew replied, mimicking Taemin's earlier words.
"Okay, okay, I get it. One more round, to decide the winner. Are you ready hyung?" Onew took on the appearance of a warrior and stared Taemin down.
"Please. I was born ready." Taemin couldn't contain his laughter, and soon Onew broke character and was laughing as well. It took a good 10 minutes before they were both calm enough to start the race.
"Okay, we're starting. For real this time."
"For real." Taemin agreed, eyes on the prize- well, the screen. The second the screen said "go" they were off, racing each other and passing any other cars on the track.
As the finished the second lap, Onew looked over at Taemin, watching him lean sideways with the car on the screen, forehead crinkled in concentration. For some reason, the sight made strangly happy. strangly because it felt as if he shouldnt be happy, which made no sense. It was just, there was something about today, that he was sure he was forgetting.
Taemin's yell of victory brought Onew back to earth, and he looked at the screen just in time to see Taemin cross the finish line in first place.
"Woo! I win! I beat you hyung!" Taemin jumped up and started doing a victory dance, but it was so silly, no one would think he was actually a trained dancer. Onew laughed, amazed at how the younger simply smiling could make him feel so lighthearted. Taemin jumped back onto the couch and leaned closer to Onew, smiling mischievously.
"I win. That means you have to do something for me."
"What is it?" Onew asked uneasily, remembering the sneaky look Taemin had when suggesting it.
"Let me lay on you."
"Wh-what?!"
Taemin blushed, and less confidently this time, he said, "Let me lay my head on your lap. I know this may sound weird, it's just... My mom used to do that to comfort me when I was little and we still got along...Please hyung..." Taemin bowed his head, blushing hard, silently cursing himself for making such a weird request.
Onew, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. His heart dropped as he heard the younger's honest confession, and in that moment, he knew he would do anything for the younger.
Which meant yes, he would let the boy lay on his lap."Alright, come here." Taemin looked up in shock, not expecting the elder to agree.
"Really?" Onew nodded, and Taemin eagerly moved closer and layer his head onto Onew's lap, looking up at him happily. "Thank you hyung."
"No need to thank me Tae-ah. You won after all." Taemin smiled and snuggled into Onew's stomach. The two stayed like that, and after a while, Onew raised one hand and began playing with Taemin's long hair, twirling it between his fingers. Taemin sighed contendly, a soft smile gracing his face.
This is how it should be. Taemin thought. Just me, and hyung, alone together without being bothered by anything. Why can't this be the reality?
The feeling of Onew's fingers in his hair was calming and relaxing, and slowly, Taemin began to feel his eyes falling closed. It was so nice laying here, head on Onew's soft legs, warmed by the body heat radiating off the elder. He could take a nap here. Maybe he would.
All good things must come to an end it seems, and that proved to once again be true when the harsh ringing of Onew's phone broke their peaceful silence. Onew sighed and fished it out of his pocket, answering with an annoyed, "What?".
"Where are you?" Jonghyun yelled through the phone, ear splittingly loud.
"I'm...busy. Why?" Onew looked down at the boy on his lap, while Taemin smiled up at him.
There's a pause before Jonghyun replied. "Are you with Taemin?" He said, voice deadly calm.
"What if I am?" What, was the singer jealous?
"It's nice to know how easy it is for you to forget my brother." Jonghyun said through clenched teeth.
"Wha..what?" Onew's face began losing color as realization set in.
"Check your calendar Jinki." Onew looked to his wall in fear, only to see the all too familiar date staring at him.
"No..." He whispered.
"Realize your mistake now? Go ahead and play with Taemin, it's obvious you don't care enough about my brother to visit him on the day he died."
The last three words hit Onew hard. Silently, he hung up the phone, clenching it tightly in his fist.
"Hyung? What's wrong?" Taemin's worried voice seeped through the ocean of pain in Onew's head, reminding him of what exactly caused him to forget about such an important date in the first place.
"Get out." He said coldly, not daring to look at the younger.
"What?" Shock and hurt colored Taemin's voice, but nothing could waver Onew's resolve.
"I said get out."
"Hyung, what's going on? Why are you-"
"GET THE OUT TAEMIN!" Onew roared. Taemin's eyes widened in fear. What was going on?
Onew doesn't get angry.
Onew doesn't swear.
Onew doesn't yell.
Yet he was, and it was all Taemin could do to scramble out of the elder's apartment as quickly as possible.
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So yeah. That happened. ^-^
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