THE BABY MILL [[{SHINee}]]

THE BABY MILL [[38]] AMNIOCENTISIS

            Excitement gripped JongHyun in a firm embrace. He was trapped in a firmament where he only existed with Key. A stethoscope bounced happily in his pocket while the wind lapped at his rosy skin. Nothing but sky separated him from Key and even then he had but to look at him to close the distance.

            To think they could finally escape this place… it was almost too good to believe…

            “We’re not leaving until we find my carrier, though.” The additional detail was not something MinHo had ever proposed for the plan. So when he uttered that with a tone of absolute certainty both he and Key froze.

            JongHyun was yanked rudely out of his day dreams and reminded that MinHo had yet to find the Ka to his Ba. His soul was still without a vital component. Till now he’d completely forgotten about his roommate’s carrier, too absorbed in his own…

            He chastised himself severely for being so selfish. MinHo’s carrier was with child and they’d had a sort of relationship before… And he was doting himself to a stranger’s need.

            Key’s head tilted sideways, gentle cat eyes alive with questions. “TaeMin?”

            Of course, MinHo nodded. With his lips tight he continued, “I’m not leaving without him; I don’t care what you say.”

            Thankfully, he was spared a game of charades when Key chimed in with his two cents to add.

            “I’m not leaving without TaeMin either, I’m sorry…” His voice had softened, weakening from when they’d first come in, but a firmness was melted into the syllables, making it impossible for JongHyun to do anything but agree. There had never been room for him to refuse their conditions in the first place, but in case there had been, this was the deciding factor.

            The hand he had on Key’s arm migrated south, finding fingers and weaving through them so their hands were interlocked. Not once did he raise his stare to join Key’s. His focus was solely on his fingers, their palms pressing together. Wet but comfortable, trembling on Key’s part, steady on JongHyun’s, providing balance… Smooth and rough, tough yet weak. Together they were one – one soul in one body. Ka and Ba.

            “We’ll find him,” Key whispered, reading JongHyun’s mind.

            He nodded. They would need to find aw ay to get the detour fit in their plan, but he was sure they could manage it.

            “Then it’s settled,” MinHo grunted, heading to the door already.

            Reluctantly, JongHyun followed suit, leaving behind Key’s fingers and replacing them with his own. They wrenched together as he left with his partner, trying to find something to replace this feeling with.

            “Soon,” MinHo whispered loud enough for it to echo back to Key. “We’ll be back soon.”

            The door clicked open. JongHyun dared to glance over his shoulder at Key, not going past his knees because then it would feel like an indefinite goodbye in which this certainly was not… Not yet.