First one-shot!

For this chapter - you can read without reading The Showdown, but it does reference events from The Showdown (i.e. Taemin's injuries).

#1 – Crash

Taemin shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  He had never really been good about lavishing money about himself so he had not bought the first-class ticket on his trans-Pacific flight like Kibum had told him too, though he did settle for business class since he knew he would never find sleep for the fans if he was in coach.  As Key said, “You have the money; why not use it to make traveling a little easier?”

He thought he was used to flying – and then he decided to go to college in the United States.  Needing something to occupy his time after the attack from his manager left him unable to really execute his duties as a member of SHINee, Taemin had graduated from high school, but also started taking English lessons, far more intensely than he had ever experienced in his schooling up to that point.  He decided that he liked it.  It helped him to keep from focusing on something other than his lack of promoting with SHINee and it gave him something to share with the others at the end of the day when they all were home. 

SHINee was on a break.  Onew and Minho were both off performing their mandatory military service.  Onew was in the army while Minho was a Marine.  Jonghyun was doing some solo work currently before he would head off to do his military service.  Taemin had been exempted from his mandatory service due to “previously sustained injuries.”  Apparently the army didn’t want you when you still have wires in your chest from having your rib cage reconstructed, not that Taemin was really complaining or anything.  He still fought for his country; he just didn’t need to carry a gun to do so.  He used his words to destroy the opposition’s defenses these days.    

He was coming home after his first school year abroad.  One very interesting school year, but all he wanted was to see Kibum.  Everything that America had to offer and all he wanted was one person back in Korea.  They had used Skype to keep in touch and they had seen each other every few days through webcams, but that just wasn’t enough.  It was enough hassle just trying to work out the time differences.  It was getting towards night in the U.S. while it was morning (of the next freaking day) in Korea.

One of their running jokes had become Taemin asking Key how tomorrow looked so far and Key would always laugh, his huge bark of a laugh, and Taemin would smile.    

Taemin shifted once more in his seat, but somehow found nothing but hard edges and dilapidated padding that just wouldn’t let him drift off to sleep.  He spent twelve hours that way, flying across the Pacific in the middle of the night, and he was pretty sure that the only ones awake in the cabin at this point were him and the flight attendants who didn’t even walk the aisles anymore but sat chatting to each other softly in the galley, occasionally glancing out through their open curtains to make sure that no one needed them or was going to hurt themselves stumbling to the bathroom in the dark. 

Taemin knew when the plane had flown into the rising sun even though the windows were closed, because he could see the outline of light from around the pulled shade.  He still had yet to fall asleep.  He groaned to himself and checked his watch for what seemed like the millionth time.  The plan was due in at the airport in less than an hour, there wouldn’t even be a point in trying to sleep now. 

Taemin forced himself up into a normal sitting position and pulled a notebook out of his carry-on and did a writing exercise.  He picked one of his sleeping fellow passengers and described them for ten minutes.  Key would have drawn him, Taemin thought idly.  But the dancer “drew” his pictures through the words that flowed from his pen.  Everything he wrote had to be a description of that chosen passenger, like the man across the aisle from him.  Taemin wrote of the toupee that was sliding off his shiny head, of the light snore that sometimes drifted out of his mouth, or the few hairs of his mustache that would dance around the in rush of wind whenever one of those snores escaped.  Of the fact that clutched in his hand, safe despite his lack of consciousness, was a picture of three children professionally taken, probably for Christmas if the clothes were any indication – his children.  From his observations anyone reading would begin to take view of a slightly portly man in his middling years who was used to flying from the way that his shoes had been kicked off immediately upon taking his chair, and who automatically knew to fasten his seatbelt on over his blanket so that the flight attendants wouldn’t disturb him to check, and was nervous of his aging appearance, but deeply cared for his family.  Taemin smiled as the ten minutes ticked by and he wrote the last lines.  He had taken a creative writing class during his first semester away and this had been one exercise that he had enjoyed.  It was amazing how many different ways you could describe someone. 

Before he knew it they were bringing the cabin lights back on and waking up the rest of the plane – they were almost home!

That realization was accompanied by an ache in his chest so strong that Taemin actually grabbed at his chest trying to find some way to lesson it.  Home meant Kibum.  Taemin couldn’t wait to feel the other man’s arms around him again; it had been way too long.    

His tired eyes searched through the seas of people.  He had collected his luggage and was searching unsuccessfully for Kibum in the crowd of people heading off in every direction.  He pulled out his phone and selected ‘Love’ from his contact list.

“Yeobo!” Key squealed into the phone.

“Kibum…” Taemin sighed happily, looking forward to seeing the man again.

“Why are you calling, you’re right in front of me?”

“Am I really?” Taemin said, eyes closed.  He was practically sleeping on his feet.  “I couldn’t get any sleep on the plane, I’m so tired…”

“Tae, open your eyes…”

“Easier said than done…” Taemin mumbled.  Forcing them open, Taemin looked dead ahead.  Kibum said he was right in front of me…

He could feel his eyes drifting shut again when he saw the shock of blonde hair and the familiar smirking lips.  Taemin felt a surge of warmth rush over him at the sight of the man, live and in person. 

With a sudden burst of energy, he ran over as fast as his tired legs would carry him and regardless of the waist high barrier designed to separate those waiting to pick people up from the hangers of arriving and departing passengers, Taemin threw himself at Key, burying his face into the older man’s neck and deeply inhaling the gentle smell of soap and lavender that seemed to flow from him. 

“Oh Kibum, I missed you, I missed you so much…”  He clung tightly, as though he might awake to find this all to have been a dream and he’d be back in his American apartment all alone once again. 

“I missed you too Tae, oh God how I’ve missed you.”  Key said, clinging to the ever broadening back of the SHINee maknae and running his fingers over rumpled hair.  “Now come on, let’s get you home!” he said brightly, eager to have Taemin to return to their shared apartment that had seemed so empty with him gone. 

Taemin slouched along beside Key to the garage and collapsed into the car that Key drove home.  Taemin wasn’t much for company right now as tired as he was, but at least he was there, that was enough to fill the hollow ache that had taken up residence in Key’s heart the day he waved goodbye at the airport last fall. 

He managed to get Taemin up to their apartment with relatively little trouble, though he did have to face the disapproving scowl of one old lady in the elevator as Taemin practically slept on Key’s shoulder while standing.  Key just smiled at the woman until she got off on her floor, huffing and puffing all the way, mumbling about “kids these days.” 

He walked Taemin straight through to their bedroom, pausing only to make sure that the door had locked behind them, and Taemin crashed, face-first like a five-year-old, into the bed, send a couple of pillows flying with the force. Taemin mumbled something as Key removed the younger’s shoes and jacket and started to tuck him in. 

“I d-d-d-don’t” Taemin stuttered through a yawn, “want to sleep.  I wanted to spend the whole day with y-y-y-you…”

“You will love,” Key said gently, moving up to remove his jacket.  “All day, you and me, right here, together.”  He tucked Taemin in under the covers and walked around to the other side of the bed, sliding under the covers himself.  “I’ll be right here when you wake up and we can do anything you want then, but for now you need a nap, so we’ll just…”

“Crash…” 

Key knew that Taemin had fallen asleep literally as soon as his head touched down on his pillow.  Key kissed Taemin gently behind the ear and pulled Taemin into his chest.  He almost didn’t even need to look to see the smile that spread across Taemin’s face at the contact. 

He was home, they were together and nothing else mattered. 

For the first time in months, they both felt whole and they would cling to that feeling for as long as they could, in whatever way that they could.