Strangers ~ A Taemin Fic

Chapter 8

     "I don't expect you to understand because you're not a girl. Your treatment was different," I mutter, swallowing hard and blinking back incoming tears.

     "Yuki," he whispers, slowly stepping towards me until he towered over my small self. "I can't over work you in this condition. You're going to pass out one day..."

     "It makes me lighter," I interrupt, turning my head to meet his eyes, a few strands of wet brunette hanging over my eyes. "When I dance, I feel light...so I know that if I do fall, I won't feel heavy."

     He breathes a shaky sigh, as if he was going to cry. But instead, he circles around me so he now stood before me once again. There, his arms extend to mine, slowly taking them in his grasp and gently prying them away from me. As much as I wanted to refuse, my body grew numb and I gave into his demand.

     I watch as his eyes don't meet mine, but instead study my frame and how frail it was. His head slowly shakes at the sight that probably scared him, for it scared me everyday. "I don't skip every meal," I assure, feeling uneasy enough to pull my arms back and hug my exposed cage.

"Eat with me tonight," he sighs, pressing his lips together and shutting his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. He walks over to a shelf of towels where he grabs two and hands one to me. "Whatever you desire, I'll buy it for you. From this day on," he goes on as I wrap myself in with white, puffy cloth.

"I...I can't have you do that," I reply, slightly shivering and the unexpected breeze grazing my dripping skin. "You must take your money back. This is just something that I have to overcome on my own, like everyone else and..."

"Yuki..." he interrupts, gaining my attention. He steps incredibly closer to me, the white shirt he once wore now sucked against his skin to mimic the shape underneath. My skin crawls as I feel one of his arms wrap around my waist once again where he traces small circle on my back with his fingers. "I won't stop paying your bills...and you must promise me you'll eat normally from now on," he murmurs, my head turning to hide my incoming tears once again.

"I...can't," I breathe a staggered sigh. "I'll just be...heavy." My eyes slowly close, allowing a tear to escape and blend in with the water droplets on my face.

"Yuki, in my eyes, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he says in a low tone, his other arm wrapping itself around me, naturally pulling the rest of my shaking body into a hug. His words were lies...no longer could I trust a man's words ever since Jun ruined that side of me. "Did you hear me? You're gorgeous, Yuki."

"No...I'm not," I oppose, trying to push him away from me but he wouldn't budge.
"Taemin..." I sigh, closing my eyes for more tears to escape. My vision blurred as I stayed pressed against his healthy, fit body that was breathtaking compared to mine. Well...mine was a different kind of breathtaking.

"What will it take for me to convince you that you are?" He asks, pulling away and looking down at me. His hand slithers back to him and goes to my chin, slanting it up to face him.

I wasn't sure how to answer or even give him a response that would satisfy him. "You can't change trauma...you can't change my mindset, I'm sorry," I say, blinking hard and pulling away from him. I walk quickly into the house where I continue to dry myself enough to be able to go home without looking too bad.

"I'll get a car prepared for you, if that's what you want," he says behind me, my head nodding in return. I couldn't take anymore of this embarrassment. 'He probably thought I was ugly. Those damn rib cage marks...'

I hear him click away on his phone before a message is sent and we're left alone in silence. We didn't say anything more until the car came which was when I left without speaking a word of goodbye.

~

4 days later

"Again," the choreographer huffs in frustration. I couldn't blame him, the few dancers coming in late made me just as frustrated.

A few sighed heavily before performing again. I had probably done the one choreo with Taemin a good 200 times today. It was getting old and I was growing tired.

"That was much better. Don't you think, Taemin?" He asks the vocal rising from his position on the floor to examine our positions.
 
     I watch as he scans my body locked in the ending position enough so my crop top costume rose up a bit. I already knew the bottom of my rib cage was exposed by his sudden flicker of his eyes to the next person.

"Back straight a little more," he murmurs to Wooseok who obeys as he moves on to the next person and the next until he nods in satisfaction.

"Good. Now everyone go to lunch and please go to the costume designers first so they can get your costume off with all the pieces still in tack," he says, everyone sighing in relief and breaking their poses.

I rose from my position, immediately removing the rhinestone eyepatch from my head and the matching, red mask as well. A costume designer came to me and began removing chains and my coat to reveal my dance underclothes beneath.

"You coming to lunch today?" Yoora asks as she hands me my sweatshirt that I gladly put on over the black tank top.

"She's eating with me today," a voice says, our heads whipping to the right to find Taemin, still in his costume, approaching us and taking a stance beside me.

Yoora's eyes widen and flicker between the two of us before a smirk crosses her lips. "Oh, I see," she hums, gently nudging my arm before joining Talia. "Have fun you two."

I release a heavy sigh in annoyance. 'When will you leave me alone, Lee Taemin.'