This Act of Grace
Description
Taemin is plagued by a fear even he doesn't know the origin of. Anger is his only defence, so he pushes everyone away. Minho holds the key to unlocking Taemin's pain, but is he too late to reach the boy he's always loved?
Foreword
“What do you want?” Standing above them, Sehun’s voice has gone hard, which tells Taemin there is an outsider here, encroaching on their territory. He doesn't look up until the hesitant voice speaks his own name. He recognizes the voice, of course.
It hurts.
He stands up and clenches his fists. “ off, Minho.”
“Taemin, please,” Minho says softly, and something inside Taemin's heart twists.
“You heard him,” Sehun plants a hand on Minho’s chest and shoves. Hard. Minho stumbles back a couple of steps, catching himself on the wall. He glances at Taemin, opens his mouth as if to say something else, but when Sehun takes a threatening step forward, he is forced to back away. Taemin watches Minho turn and walk slowly away. His head is slightly lowered, and his shoulders are slumped.
“Who was that?” Sehun asks.
“Nobody.” Taemin’s hands start to tremble. Suddenly, instead of safe, he feels trapped in this narrow space. The walls are too close. The air is too dry. The light is like a knife against his teeth. He snaps the cap back onto his marker and pushes past Sehun.
“What about my tattoo?” Jongin calls after him. “It's not finished.”
“Later,” Taemin says, and feels their eyes boring into his back as he leaves.
Warnings: Heavy angst, swearing, mentions of drugs and alcohol, child abuse, did I say heavy angst - I MEAN IT BE WARNED.
Note that I adapted and expanded this from an idea I wanted to explore more of in another of my EXO fics (The Way We Rise), just in case if you've also read that and notice the similarities.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction and does not represent any real people, events or relationships.
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