and now it's too late for you and your white horse to catch me now
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This,” Taemin sighed, “is the worst idea ever.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kibum threw his arms up in the air, incredulous. “This is the best idea ever!” His grin seemed more like a smirk to Taemin, who fidgeted in front of the mirror trying to smooth out the embroidered yellow number 5 on his sleeveless blue tank top. “I mean, think about it: we’ll be killing two birds with one stone with this!” Then, reconsidering, “Well, maybe this won’t get Jjong to shut up about that stupid bet, but-”
Taemin wasn’t listening, concentrated on his current state of dress.
The white fabric of his too-short shorts clung to his thighs, knee-high socks and the shirt was so tiny even on him that his abdomen was showing. Taemin pouted, trying his hardest to look ‘cute’ as Kibum instructed earlier.
It still wasn’t working.
“Why did I even agree to this?” Taemin mumbled, running his hand through the yellow and blue ribbons tied into his hair. “I feel stupid. And I LOOK stupid, too…”
“Please - are you kidding me?! You look perfect, Taemin-ah!” Damn Kibum and his impeccable sense of hearing, Taemin thought, nearly toppling over when Kibum came over to hug him from behind. “You make the best girl out of all of us. And he’s gonna love this, I know it.” Kibum patted the maknae’s shoulders - and then promptly shoved him toward the bedroom door. “Trust me!”
“…Okay.” Kibum gave an elated whoop, outright pushing Taemin out the door now. “But-” Taemin looked back at Kibum’s identical outfit, “Why do I get to get dressed up with you?”
“For moral support. Obviously.” Kibum gave Taemin a little nudge with his foot, propelling the younger boy forward. “Anyway, they’re waiting for us, aren’t they? … Let’s go out there and give ’em hell!”
Jonghyun, Jinki, and Minho hadn’t moved from the living room since they left to get ready, the eldest two chattering away about whether or not Kibum would actually take them up on their ‘dare.’ Jinki had moved to the seat Kibum once occupied, and Jonghyun had taken to the floor, arms dangling over the armrest on Minho’s side of the couch. Minho nodded ever so often when prompted, glancing ever so often at the empty hallway.
Empty, that is, except for Taemin hugging the wall, hovering and weighing his options.
“Hey, hey, hey-I think they’re ready now!” Too late-an excited Jonghyun jumped from the couch, sharp eyes catching a flash of blue in the corridor. “Kibum-ah? Taemin-ah? Which of you is it?”
Taemin barely opened his mouth before Kibum came up behind him and shoved him out into the open.
Jinki’s eyes went as wide as saucer plates. Jonghyun made a strangled noise that sounded something like a squeak mixed with a gurgle. And Minho’s mouth fell open and shut, flapping uselessly without a sound.
He was speechless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Junsu dreams of standing on the biggest stage he’s ever stood on in his life.
The stage lights are impossibly bright, so bright that he can’t see the faces of those in the crowd watching him. It’s not a huge crowd, and far away as they are, they still seem so close.
He can hear them screaming and shouting his name.
They start chanting in unison, calling out to him in anxious elation - one breathtaking reverberation that startles him to stand up straight. It’s a liberating sound, really. He can’t even explain why he feels so happy, but he does.
He can’t help but smile, but his heart feels suddenly empty when he lifts the microphone to his mouth to sing.
That’s when he realizes: his mouth moves, but he can’t hear anything that comes past his lips. He’s singing without singing; words spilling forth, sentiments divulging themselves - but he knows he doesn’t mean any of it. He’s never meant any of it.
The last thing he thinks before he wakes up is that he’s never felt so lost and alone before in his entire life.
“This,” Taemin sighed, “is the worst idea ever.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kibum threw his arms up in the air, incredulous. “This is the best idea ever!” His grin seemed more like a smirk to Taemin, who fidgeted in front of the mirror trying to smooth out the embroidered yellow number 5 on his sleeveless blue tank top. “I mean, think about it: we’ll be killing two birds with one stone with this!” Then, reconsidering, “Well, maybe this won’t get Jjong to shut up about that stupid bet, but-”
Taemin wasn’t listening, concentrated on his current state of dress.
The white fabric of his too-short shorts clung to his thighs, knee-high socks and the shirt was so tiny even on him that his abdomen was showing. Taemin pouted, trying his hardest to look ‘cute’ as Kibum instructed earlier.
It still wasn’t working.
“Why did I even agree to this?” Taemin mumbled, running his hand through the yellow and blue ribbons tied into his hair. “I feel stupid. And I LOOK stupid, too…”
“Please - are you kidding me?! You look perfect, Taemin-ah!” Damn Kibum and his impeccable sense of hearing, Taemin thought, nearly toppling over when Kibum came over to hug him from behind. “You make the best girl out of all of us. And he’s gonna love this, I know it.” Kibum patted the maknae’s shoulders - and then promptly shoved him toward the bedroom door. “Trust me!”
“…Okay.” Kibum gave an elated whoop, outright pushing Taemin out the door now. “But-” Taemin looked back at Kibum’s identical outfit, “Why do I get to get dressed up with you?”
“For moral support. Obviously.” Kibum gave Taemin a little nudge with his foot, propelling the younger boy forward. “Anyway, they’re waiting for us, aren’t they? … Let’s go out there and give ’em hell!”
Jonghyun, Jinki, and Minho hadn’t moved from the living room since they left to get ready, the eldest two chattering away about whether or not Kibum would actually take them up on their ‘dare.’ Jinki had moved to the seat Kibum once occupied, and Jonghyun had taken to the floor, arms dangling over the armrest on Minho’s side of the couch. Minho nodded ever so often when prompted, glancing ever so often at the empty hallway.
Empty, that is, except for Taemin hugging the wall, hovering and weighing his options.
“Hey, hey, hey-I think they’re ready now!” Too late-an excited Jonghyun jumped from the couch, sharp eyes catching a flash of blue in the corridor. “Kibum-ah? Taemin-ah? Which of you is it?”
Taemin barely opened his mouth before Kibum came up behind him and shoved him out into the open.
Jinki’s eyes went as wide as saucer plates. Jonghyun made a strangled noise that sounded something like a squeak mixed with a gurgle. And Minho’s mouth fell open and shut, flapping uselessly without a sound.
He was speechless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Junsu dreams of standing on the biggest stage he’s ever stood on in his life.
The stage lights are impossibly bright, so bright that he can’t see the faces of those in the crowd watching him. It’s not a huge crowd, and far away as they are, they still seem so close.
He can hear them screaming and shouting his name.
They start chanting in unison, calling out to him in anxious elation - one breathtaking reverberation that startles him to stand up straight. It’s a liberating sound, really. He can’t even explain why he feels so happy, but he does.
He can’t help but smile, but his heart feels suddenly empty when he lifts the microphone to his mouth to sing.
That’s when he realizes: his mouth moves, but he can’t hear anything that comes past his lips. He’s singing without singing; words spilling forth, sentiments divulging themselves - but he knows he doesn’t mean any of it. He’s never meant any of it.
The last thing he thinks before he wakes up is that he’s never felt so lost and alone before in his entire life.