085.
title: all's fair in running man
rating: pg
pairing/focus: everything and anything (mentions of haha/jihyo and onho)
summary: It's another game of Hide & Seek, vicious and relentless as usual - it's just they're kind of at an international landmark this time.
notes: for jeny on her birthday - happy birthday!! ♥
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For once, Donghoon is on the same team as Jihyo, and Jihyo is, apparently, sick of hiding.
"Oppa," she screams down the length of the next international landmark they're at, and her walkie-talkie pops into life. Her voice echoes beautifully; it sounds like she's in fifty places at once.
"JIHYO!!!" Gary screams back happily.
"Jihyo, what're you doing," Jaesuk hisses.
"I'm sick of hiding," Jihyo hisses back and Donghoon slumps to the floor.
"I can't believe we're here," Donghoon moans into the floor, his ass stuck invitingly in the air.
Here is the Sydney Opera House because apparently the guests have been here before and thus know the layout and that justifies the eleven hour plane ride or something, even if it's the traditional Hide and Seek game rather than Find the Guests. Eighteen hours. Donghoon could've slept the whole time, but he had been stuck next to the wind turbines and instead nursed a massive headache while Jihyo had charmingly swapped with Jongkook and got the seat with extra leg room. She didn't even need it.
The guests are Minho and Jinki (of SHINee, Jihyo had whispered reverently) and being in Sydney for a concert like a year ago was reason enough for everything. At least it wasn't cold. In January. In January.
"I'm sweating," Donghoon whispers, and Jihyo waves a distracted hand, looking down at the foyer of the landmark. Because Jongkook, Minho, and Gwangsu are definitely going to just stroll down the length of the entrance.
"I just farted," Donghoon says, and Jihyo rolls her eyes.
"That is disgusting," Donghoon's VJ says, and Donghoon grins.
"You have forty five minutes left," Jihyo's VJ says, and Jihyo frowns.
They're meant to be finding tickets to some concert, all stamped with the Running Man logo, all freaking impossible to find. Donghoon kind of just wants to get caught so he can chill. This place is a maze. Where is the Commander when you need him?
"Let's go," Jihyo says after a considerable silence, but starts when Jinki drops down next to her.
"Noona," he greets easily, smiling, and Jihyo's heart starts subsiding back to a more normal rate. Donghoon crawls forward so he's on her other side.
"Found anything?" he interrupts, and Jihyo frowns. Jinki proudly holds up two tickets, and Jihyo takes them.
"Oh my god. You, Jinki, are a hero."
"I think Jaesuk-hyung found one," Jinki says just as their walkie-talkie sparks to life.
"Found the one in the playhouse, found the one in the playhouse," Jaesuk says. "...But I'm out, I'm in jail now."
"In jail too," Sukjin says and Jinki grins.
"Does this happen a lot, or...?"
"How can you tell?" Donghoon says, and Jihyo gives the tickets back to Jinki.
"Okay, if Jaesuk-oppa has one, then we have two left. Where'd you find those?"
"Uh," Jinki says intelligently. "The drama theatre and changeroom? I think? I got kind of lost…"
"Happens all the time," Donghoon says and they trade a high five.
"Right, anyway," Jihyo says. "So playhouse, drama theatre and changeroom are done. I think we only have the concert hall and foyer left?"
"I'll take the foyer," Jinki says and stands up. Jihyo and Donghoon look at each other.
"I guess that leaves us with the concert hall?" Jihyo raises her eyebrows.
"Bye hyung, noona!" Jinki cheerfully slips away.
"Guess that just leaves the two of us," Donghoon says, grinning, and Jihyo pushes him away with a hidden smile.
"The VJs," she says, and they both turn the cameras away to admire the ceiling's detailing.
"What VJs?"
"Oh god, not you," Jinki moans as he crawls out from behind the welcome desk, Minho's grin in sight.
"Hyung," Minho acknowledges, still smiling as he beckons Jinki closer. "Be a nice hyung and let me take off your tag."
"No." Jinki backs himself up against the wall. "No way, Minho."
"Hyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung," Minho pleads, and Jinki swears that Minho is spending way too much time with Jonghyun, the bad influence. Jinki, of course, is the good influence. Minho even has the puppy dog look perfected.
"No way in hell," Jinki says, and Minho creeps closer. Jinki scrabbles his fingers against the wooden panelling, digging them in. Secret door?
Minho leaps, all quiet stealth and perfect timing, and Jinki's trapped. His arms are behind him and Minho and his stupidly long arms have him trapped perfectly, unable to move, fight or even wiggle. Jongkook rounds the corner.
"Minho?"
"Got it," he grunts, and Jongkook disappears again, presumably to scare some other poor soul.
"Minhooooooooooooooo," Jinki wails loudly in Minho's ear, and Minho winces. "Be nice to your hyung!"
"No way, hyung," Minho manages as they grapple, rolling on the floor and imprinting new, impressive bruises on their legs, arms, back, what have you.
It's really rather impressive to think that Jinki has a chance against Minho, but Minho pins him down, knee on the centre of Jinki's back and rips off the tag, throwing it to the side. They stay in that position for a few moments, both breathing heavily, almost synchronised, before Minho stands and Jinki rolls over onto his back.
"You're terrible," Jinki says, and Minho just smiles down at him, such a pretty boy, before jogging away.
Jinki lies there for several moments before he slowly hauls himself up and spots something. He can't keep the grin from his face as he takes out his walkie talkie.
"Found the ticket in the foyer, someone care to come pick it up?"
The concert hall is freaking massive. The opera house looks tiny from the outside, but Jihyo gapes as she enters the hall.
"Seats over two and a half thousand," she remembers Joongki forlornly telling her. "Man, I want to go! Take lots of photos for me, okay?"
"Oh my god," she hears Donghoon say from behind her and she hurries forward, down all the steps towards the stage.
"How the hell are we going to find a ticket in here!" he whines and Jihyo sends him a sharp glare.
"Better start looking then."
They start combing the aisles one by one, checking under each seat, between the cracks and under the arm rests. It's laborious, intensive, and really, really boring. Jihyo suspects she's going to develop back problems after Running Man. They all will, if Sukjin and Jaesuk haven't already.
She checks her watch and shit, they have ten minutes left, and they still have one ticket to find. Gary has since joined them, but he's upstairs in the stalls, looking for a ticket there, and the chasing team is going to appear sooner or later.
"Found it yet?" Jaesuk's voice crackles over the walkie talkie, and Jihyo hears Gary's voice crackle back.
"Not yet."
"Hurry, hurry, we don't have much time."
"As if you've done anything," Jihyo mutters under her breath as she walks through what feels like the millionth aisle. Her VJ stifles a laugh.
Jihyo and Donghoon hear a scream and looks up to see Gary cornered by Gwangsu in one of the stalls.
"Wait, are you alone?" Gary asks, and before Gwangsu can reply, Gary pushes Gwangsu and runs through the doors, Gwangsu paralysed for a few moments before hurrying after him.
"Shit," Donghoon's voice echoes.
"Shhh! They might not know we're here," Jihyo stage whispers, and speak of the devil, Jongkook throws open the doors. And who else behind him but his protege, Minho.
"Shit," Donghoon says loudly. Jihyo immediately crouches and listens as footsteps pound closer and closer and Donghoon speeds past with the other two on his tail.
Jihyo crawls and crawls as Donghoon, Jongkook and Minho run around the whole place, weaving their way through the thousands upon thousands seats on the ground floor.
"Jihyo, Haha," Gary whispers into the walkie talkie. "I found the last ticket, it was on the stage. I'm going back to jail to scan it."
Jihyo conveniently forgot about that, how they have to scan the barcodes on the tickets back at jail to make it valid. And only a team member still in can do it -- and Jinki and Jaesuk have the others. Shit.
She stands carefully but Minho spots her as Jongkook wrestles Donghoon, Donghoon writhing on the ground in pain.
"MY HYUNG," Donghoon screams but Jongkook rips the tag off and Jihyo runs as fast as she can. Jail is on the other side of the landmark.
"JIHYO!" Jongkook screams. Minho's silence is more unnerving as she hears footsteps pound behind her, her breath loud in her own ears.
She's running and running but nothing is recognisable and she has to lose the others before she gets to jail. She passes Gwangsu ripping the tag off an exhausted Gary, ticket nowhere in sight, but can't linger as Jongkook nears.
She manages to block them behind a door and creeps behind a curtain and emerges in the jail.
"Jihyo! Quick!" Jaesuk grabs the tickets and shoves them in her hands, pushing her towards the machine. Her hands shake and she can't aim the scanner properly and the tickets scatter on the tabletop and oh god, her shaking hands are going to cause their loss.
She manages one before Jongkook arrives, breathing fire and with a limp Donghoon hanging off his shoulders.
"Jihyo!" Donghoon practically cries. "Jihyo, I tried to stop him! He's a monster, a MONSTER!!!"
Jaesuk, Sukjin and Jinki warily stand between Jihyo and Jongkook as she tries to aim the scanner at the next ticket, and gets a green light.
"Quick!" Gary manages as he arrives, Gwangsu trying to hold him back but failing as Gary strains, stretching his jumpsuit.
Jihyo tries to scan the others but Jongkook barges through the barricade and pushes her against the wall, practically growling as she shrieks and twists, avoiding his hands.
"Oppa!" she screams as she pushes against his hands, the rest of them trying to hold off Minho.
He pulls off her tag and she collapses.
"Winner, chasing team!"
"Is it like that every week?" Jinki asks, incredulous as they pop running balls into the lottery machine.
"Every. Week." Donghoon puts his head in his hands. He has no running balls.
"Fun," Minho says, grinning, and high fives Jongkook. Jongkook ruffles Minho's hair and gives him a double thumbs up.
"You did well, my dongsaeng~" Donghoon is sulking somewhere in a corner.
Jaesuk starts up the lottery machine, and the balls come out.
Donghoon, Jihyo, Jinki and Minho are confirmed for punishment.
"Both guests?" Jaesuk asks again, to make sure, and the PDs nod.
"The machine doesn't lie," Sukjin says as he holds up his own running ball.
"What's punishment?" Minho asks quietly, and Jaesuk repeats it for the camera. He receives a card.
"'Clean and wipe all the glass panels of the Opera House in the early morning as employees and tourists arrive. You are not allowed to shower or brush your teeth.'"
"Oh no," Jinki says, paling. "We have fans here."
"We have fans everywhere," Minho reminds him.
"We have fans that are going to see us dirty and unshowered and with bad breath. Oh no. Oh god."
"You have to do the punishment," Gwangsu says as he clutches his running ball, and Jongkook gives Minho and Jinki each a reassuring pat that makes Jinki's knees buckle.
"We've been through much worse; you'll survive."
It isn't actually that bad -- they don't have to wear hot pants -- but it's manual labour after an hour of flat out running and pure adrenaline after being awake all night, making it beyond painful. The sun's just rising as well, which means that there are already tourists gathering for a pretty sunrise at five-thirty-in-the-fucking-morning and the thing about the sun in summer? It gets hot, fast, and by seven am, when they're about halfway, they've all soaked their clothes with sweat.
Jihyo and Jinki paired off to take the glass panels of the restaurant after Jinki shyly confessed he was her fan, and Donghoon's stuck with Minho. Next to Minho, scrubbing down the glass panels, sweat dripping from his hair and beading at his temples, Donghoon feels like a garden gnome. It's like Minho is in an advertisement for glass cleaner and Donghoon is the janitor.
Jihyo butt-checks him and gives him a small smile as she soaks her cloth again.
"Oppa is so pretty~"
"Replay, replay, replay," they all sing automatically.
rating: pg
pairing/focus: everything and anything (mentions of haha/jihyo and onho)
summary: It's another game of Hide & Seek, vicious and relentless as usual - it's just they're kind of at an international landmark this time.
notes: for jeny on her birthday - happy birthday!! ♥
-
For once, Donghoon is on the same team as Jihyo, and Jihyo is, apparently, sick of hiding.
"Oppa," she screams down the length of the next international landmark they're at, and her walkie-talkie pops into life. Her voice echoes beautifully; it sounds like she's in fifty places at once.
"JIHYO!!!" Gary screams back happily.
"Jihyo, what're you doing," Jaesuk hisses.
"I'm sick of hiding," Jihyo hisses back and Donghoon slumps to the floor.
"I can't believe we're here," Donghoon moans into the floor, his ass stuck invitingly in the air.
Here is the Sydney Opera House because apparently the guests have been here before and thus know the layout and that justifies the eleven hour plane ride or something, even if it's the traditional Hide and Seek game rather than Find the Guests. Eighteen hours. Donghoon could've slept the whole time, but he had been stuck next to the wind turbines and instead nursed a massive headache while Jihyo had charmingly swapped with Jongkook and got the seat with extra leg room. She didn't even need it.
The guests are Minho and Jinki (of SHINee, Jihyo had whispered reverently) and being in Sydney for a concert like a year ago was reason enough for everything. At least it wasn't cold. In January. In January.
"I'm sweating," Donghoon whispers, and Jihyo waves a distracted hand, looking down at the foyer of the landmark. Because Jongkook, Minho, and Gwangsu are definitely going to just stroll down the length of the entrance.
"I just farted," Donghoon says, and Jihyo rolls her eyes.
"That is disgusting," Donghoon's VJ says, and Donghoon grins.
"You have forty five minutes left," Jihyo's VJ says, and Jihyo frowns.
They're meant to be finding tickets to some concert, all stamped with the Running Man logo, all freaking impossible to find. Donghoon kind of just wants to get caught so he can chill. This place is a maze. Where is the Commander when you need him?
"Let's go," Jihyo says after a considerable silence, but starts when Jinki drops down next to her.
"Noona," he greets easily, smiling, and Jihyo's heart starts subsiding back to a more normal rate. Donghoon crawls forward so he's on her other side.
"Found anything?" he interrupts, and Jihyo frowns. Jinki proudly holds up two tickets, and Jihyo takes them.
"Oh my god. You, Jinki, are a hero."
"I think Jaesuk-hyung found one," Jinki says just as their walkie-talkie sparks to life.
"Found the one in the playhouse, found the one in the playhouse," Jaesuk says. "...But I'm out, I'm in jail now."
"In jail too," Sukjin says and Jinki grins.
"Does this happen a lot, or...?"
"How can you tell?" Donghoon says, and Jihyo gives the tickets back to Jinki.
"Okay, if Jaesuk-oppa has one, then we have two left. Where'd you find those?"
"Uh," Jinki says intelligently. "The drama theatre and changeroom? I think? I got kind of lost…"
"Happens all the time," Donghoon says and they trade a high five.
"Right, anyway," Jihyo says. "So playhouse, drama theatre and changeroom are done. I think we only have the concert hall and foyer left?"
"I'll take the foyer," Jinki says and stands up. Jihyo and Donghoon look at each other.
"I guess that leaves us with the concert hall?" Jihyo raises her eyebrows.
"Bye hyung, noona!" Jinki cheerfully slips away.
"Guess that just leaves the two of us," Donghoon says, grinning, and Jihyo pushes him away with a hidden smile.
"The VJs," she says, and they both turn the cameras away to admire the ceiling's detailing.
"What VJs?"
"Oh god, not you," Jinki moans as he crawls out from behind the welcome desk, Minho's grin in sight.
"Hyung," Minho acknowledges, still smiling as he beckons Jinki closer. "Be a nice hyung and let me take off your tag."
"No." Jinki backs himself up against the wall. "No way, Minho."
"Hyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung," Minho pleads, and Jinki swears that Minho is spending way too much time with Jonghyun, the bad influence. Jinki, of course, is the good influence. Minho even has the puppy dog look perfected.
"No way in hell," Jinki says, and Minho creeps closer. Jinki scrabbles his fingers against the wooden panelling, digging them in. Secret door?
Minho leaps, all quiet stealth and perfect timing, and Jinki's trapped. His arms are behind him and Minho and his stupidly long arms have him trapped perfectly, unable to move, fight or even wiggle. Jongkook rounds the corner.
"Minho?"
"Got it," he grunts, and Jongkook disappears again, presumably to scare some other poor soul.
"Minhooooooooooooooo," Jinki wails loudly in Minho's ear, and Minho winces. "Be nice to your hyung!"
"No way, hyung," Minho manages as they grapple, rolling on the floor and imprinting new, impressive bruises on their legs, arms, back, what have you.
It's really rather impressive to think that Jinki has a chance against Minho, but Minho pins him down, knee on the centre of Jinki's back and rips off the tag, throwing it to the side. They stay in that position for a few moments, both breathing heavily, almost synchronised, before Minho stands and Jinki rolls over onto his back.
"You're terrible," Jinki says, and Minho just smiles down at him, such a pretty boy, before jogging away.
Jinki lies there for several moments before he slowly hauls himself up and spots something. He can't keep the grin from his face as he takes out his walkie talkie.
"Found the ticket in the foyer, someone care to come pick it up?"
The concert hall is freaking massive. The opera house looks tiny from the outside, but Jihyo gapes as she enters the hall.
"Seats over two and a half thousand," she remembers Joongki forlornly telling her. "Man, I want to go! Take lots of photos for me, okay?"
"Oh my god," she hears Donghoon say from behind her and she hurries forward, down all the steps towards the stage.
"How the hell are we going to find a ticket in here!" he whines and Jihyo sends him a sharp glare.
"Better start looking then."
They start combing the aisles one by one, checking under each seat, between the cracks and under the arm rests. It's laborious, intensive, and really, really boring. Jihyo suspects she's going to develop back problems after Running Man. They all will, if Sukjin and Jaesuk haven't already.
She checks her watch and shit, they have ten minutes left, and they still have one ticket to find. Gary has since joined them, but he's upstairs in the stalls, looking for a ticket there, and the chasing team is going to appear sooner or later.
"Found it yet?" Jaesuk's voice crackles over the walkie talkie, and Jihyo hears Gary's voice crackle back.
"Not yet."
"Hurry, hurry, we don't have much time."
"As if you've done anything," Jihyo mutters under her breath as she walks through what feels like the millionth aisle. Her VJ stifles a laugh.
Jihyo and Donghoon hear a scream and looks up to see Gary cornered by Gwangsu in one of the stalls.
"Wait, are you alone?" Gary asks, and before Gwangsu can reply, Gary pushes Gwangsu and runs through the doors, Gwangsu paralysed for a few moments before hurrying after him.
"Shit," Donghoon's voice echoes.
"Shhh! They might not know we're here," Jihyo stage whispers, and speak of the devil, Jongkook throws open the doors. And who else behind him but his protege, Minho.
"Shit," Donghoon says loudly. Jihyo immediately crouches and listens as footsteps pound closer and closer and Donghoon speeds past with the other two on his tail.
Jihyo crawls and crawls as Donghoon, Jongkook and Minho run around the whole place, weaving their way through the thousands upon thousands seats on the ground floor.
"Jihyo, Haha," Gary whispers into the walkie talkie. "I found the last ticket, it was on the stage. I'm going back to jail to scan it."
Jihyo conveniently forgot about that, how they have to scan the barcodes on the tickets back at jail to make it valid. And only a team member still in can do it -- and Jinki and Jaesuk have the others. Shit.
She stands carefully but Minho spots her as Jongkook wrestles Donghoon, Donghoon writhing on the ground in pain.
"MY HYUNG," Donghoon screams but Jongkook rips the tag off and Jihyo runs as fast as she can. Jail is on the other side of the landmark.
"JIHYO!" Jongkook screams. Minho's silence is more unnerving as she hears footsteps pound behind her, her breath loud in her own ears.
She's running and running but nothing is recognisable and she has to lose the others before she gets to jail. She passes Gwangsu ripping the tag off an exhausted Gary, ticket nowhere in sight, but can't linger as Jongkook nears.
She manages to block them behind a door and creeps behind a curtain and emerges in the jail.
"Jihyo! Quick!" Jaesuk grabs the tickets and shoves them in her hands, pushing her towards the machine. Her hands shake and she can't aim the scanner properly and the tickets scatter on the tabletop and oh god, her shaking hands are going to cause their loss.
She manages one before Jongkook arrives, breathing fire and with a limp Donghoon hanging off his shoulders.
"Jihyo!" Donghoon practically cries. "Jihyo, I tried to stop him! He's a monster, a MONSTER!!!"
Jaesuk, Sukjin and Jinki warily stand between Jihyo and Jongkook as she tries to aim the scanner at the next ticket, and gets a green light.
"Quick!" Gary manages as he arrives, Gwangsu trying to hold him back but failing as Gary strains, stretching his jumpsuit.
Jihyo tries to scan the others but Jongkook barges through the barricade and pushes her against the wall, practically growling as she shrieks and twists, avoiding his hands.
"Oppa!" she screams as she pushes against his hands, the rest of them trying to hold off Minho.
He pulls off her tag and she collapses.
"Winner, chasing team!"
"Is it like that every week?" Jinki asks, incredulous as they pop running balls into the lottery machine.
"Every. Week." Donghoon puts his head in his hands. He has no running balls.
"Fun," Minho says, grinning, and high fives Jongkook. Jongkook ruffles Minho's hair and gives him a double thumbs up.
"You did well, my dongsaeng~" Donghoon is sulking somewhere in a corner.
Jaesuk starts up the lottery machine, and the balls come out.
Donghoon, Jihyo, Jinki and Minho are confirmed for punishment.
"Both guests?" Jaesuk asks again, to make sure, and the PDs nod.
"The machine doesn't lie," Sukjin says as he holds up his own running ball.
"What's punishment?" Minho asks quietly, and Jaesuk repeats it for the camera. He receives a card.
"'Clean and wipe all the glass panels of the Opera House in the early morning as employees and tourists arrive. You are not allowed to shower or brush your teeth.'"
"Oh no," Jinki says, paling. "We have fans here."
"We have fans everywhere," Minho reminds him.
"We have fans that are going to see us dirty and unshowered and with bad breath. Oh no. Oh god."
"You have to do the punishment," Gwangsu says as he clutches his running ball, and Jongkook gives Minho and Jinki each a reassuring pat that makes Jinki's knees buckle.
"We've been through much worse; you'll survive."
It isn't actually that bad -- they don't have to wear hot pants -- but it's manual labour after an hour of flat out running and pure adrenaline after being awake all night, making it beyond painful. The sun's just rising as well, which means that there are already tourists gathering for a pretty sunrise at five-thirty-in-the-fucking-morning and the thing about the sun in summer? It gets hot, fast, and by seven am, when they're about halfway, they've all soaked their clothes with sweat.
Jihyo and Jinki paired off to take the glass panels of the restaurant after Jinki shyly confessed he was her fan, and Donghoon's stuck with Minho. Next to Minho, scrubbing down the glass panels, sweat dripping from his hair and beading at his temples, Donghoon feels like a garden gnome. It's like Minho is in an advertisement for glass cleaner and Donghoon is the janitor.
Jihyo butt-checks him and gives him a small smile as she soaks her cloth again.
"Oppa is so pretty~"
"Replay, replay, replay," they all sing automatically.