One Week (Day Six)
Title: One Week
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Tragedy
Pairing: YooSu (YunJae)
Status: On-Going
Length: Multi-chapter; Six (of seven chapters)
Basic Synopsis: Kim Junsu is an eighteen year old boy, diagnosed with a terminal illness that he has been fighting for three years now. Deciding to stop his treatments, Junsu desperately wants to spend his last week alive by meeting his biggest idol, Park Yoochun, known around the world as 'Micky.'
Park Yoochun is Seoul's notorious playboy, partying and clubbing nonstop at the hottest spots in the city. But when the media almost catches him at one of his favorite strip-clubs, his management fears that it could ruin his career and give the company bad publicity. Discovering Junsu, a diehard fan who is dying, the company grants his wish--to spend his last week with his favorite idol, in order to keep 'Micky' and his career out of the (bad) spotlight.
Reluctant at first, Yoochun goes along with the meeting, thinking of it as nothing more than just some loser fan faking an illness just to see him. He never expected his fan to be the shy Junsu that helps him learn to live his life to its fullest and teaches him the meaning of true love.
Dedicated to my soulmate (she is the Yoo to my Su~)... Saih, who made this beautiful banner without me even asking as well as a trailer for the story. I love you, dear~
(The Trailer) ( The Characters) (The Prologue) (Day One) (Day Two) (Day Three) (Day Four) (Day Five)
Because... introductions are too long and I just don't have the heart to do it anymore... This is it... This is chapter six, the last one before it ends completely... Enjoy, I guess...
Day Six
… … …
Yoochun had not gotten any sleep that night, still plagued with thoughts of Junsu’s continuously shortening week, and after Junho left, their understanding pronounced in the fresh dew of the morning, he spent the next few hours banging on ivory keys and letting his frustrations out on the grand white piano.
He rested his elbows on the keys, ignoring the awful note that echoed throughout his work room, and fisted his hands in his hair, yanking on a few of the dark strands. This was almost over. This dream. This love--no, wait, love, true love, was undying… it would last forever. He let out a strangled noise, clenching his eyes shut tight, trying to brush back these horrible thoughts, the ache of heart painful, tearing away, dripping blood as it wept inside him. He rubbed his hands across his face furiously, making long red marks across the normally tan skin, as he tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart.
“Chunnie?” a voice called out to him timidly, small and quiet, and Yoochun could barely hear it.
But he did, turning around on the matching white bench, and opened his arms wide to the still sleepy boy before him. Junsu quickly accepted the offer, sitting himself down in his lover’s lap, snuggling against a warm neck and chest.
“Why are you up so early?” he yawned out, eyes blinking open and shut, not yet fully awake from his slumber.
Yoochun smiled, burying his face into the younger’s neck, rubbing his nose against the soft flesh the pajama shirt revealed. “I couldn’t get to sleep, I missed you too much.”
Junsu pulled away, his arms wrapping themselves around the other’s waist, straddling the other man as he looked up at the older male. “I’m sorry,” he voiced softly, his eyes closing when he felt Yoochun brush his lips against his own, feeling the sparking sensation tingle all down his spine, pulling him in like gravity.
“Ahem.”
They broke away from their tiny kiss, finally acknowledging the slightly uncomfortable twin lingering at the doorway. Junsu blushed, embarrassed at having been caught in such an intimate situation with Yoochun, covering his face with his hands, dunking the rosy head into Yoochun’s chest. The singer was more composed, locking his hands together around Junsu’s tiny body, as he quirked a brow, signaling Junho to continue.
“Anyway, um, I came to say thank you for letting us come by… and for paying for the hotel we’ll be staying at for the rest of the week. So, that means, you can have Su for today,” Junho said with a smug smile, directing it at the artist. “But tomorrow… I want to see my brother. We can play video games--I’ve been working out my fingers, I’m so ready to kick your ass tomorrow. Bye Su and… Chun-nieeeeee.”
“Junho!” Junsu screeched, his face turning brighter when his brother mocked him.
Yoochun just laughed at the display, nuzzling Junsu’s flushed skin with his lips and nose. Junho chuckled, waving his hands as a sign of goodbye, meeting his parents (both just as flushed as Junsu was, having witnessed the display of affection as well through the glass) and then it was just the two of them again.
“So,” Junsu said, after returning to his normal skin color, “what are we going to do today, Chunnie?”
“We’re going to have a picnic with Yunho, Jaejoong, and Changmin. Us five all day.”
Junsu smiled widely as he stated, “Actually, in the end it just might be us three. Jaejoong and Yunho might wander off to share some love.”
“Well, then, I must correct you once again. By the end of the day, Changmin will be left by himself. I might want to show you my love as well, babe.” For added effect, Yoochun winked at the teenager, a cheeky grin on his face, and he delighted in the fact that he could make Junsu turn ten shades of red in a matter of seconds.
“Ah, Chunnie! Stop,” Junsu whined, playfully hitting the singer’s shoulder, his voice squeaking a few octaves higher than normal.
Yoochun caught the balled up hand in his own, gently tugging it to his heart, letting the fingers uncurl and rest against his chest, directly above the soft hum of his thumping heart. Junsu remained silent, just feeling the beat against his palm, its rhythm matching his own. Yoochun swayed them back and forth, his hands still keeping a firm hold over the much younger boy (not yet a man, still nothing more than a child).
“I love you.” There was a pause. “I’m not letting you go.”
“There is one day left, Chunnie--” he was cut off by Yoochun.
“Then there is still time to save you.”
Junsu shook his head, angrily, as he snapped, “Chunnie, this isn’t some stupid fairy tale. Life does not end in happily ever after--one day I am going to leave. If I make it through this time, how are you sure that next time will be the same. What happens if you leave me first? I will be left devastated! Things are never going to work out.”
Yoochun grabbed hold of Junsu’s shoulders, pulling the teen to him swiftly, cutting him off with a harsh kiss--bruising and demanding--to the other’s lips. Breaking away he stated back, calmer than his love, “Don’t say that. I want to wake up for the rest of my life and the first person I see be you. Junsu, I want to marry you. I want to adopt a child with you, raise it to be a smart and successful adult. I want to grow to be an old man with you. No one else. I don’t care if we cannot end with a happily ever after, I just want this--this magic, this moment, this love--to stay!”
Junsu cupped his hands against Yoochun’s face, feeling the tiny little imperfections of the other’s face against his flesh, but could not find any reason not to love this man. Why did they fit together so well--picture perfect. But… he feared the picture would be ripped all too soon, into tiny shards, puzzle pieces that are ragged at the edges, too worn to be pieced back together.
“I love you,” Junsu breathed, resting his forehead against the other’s own. “This hurts me so much. More than I’ll ever be able to describe. More than you know.”
“Tell me, show me, I will do anything to make it better. Let me understand. Let me love you--like tomorrow will never come and that there is only now.”
It was the last thing spoken between them as Junsu raised his head forward, and there was only the sound of rustling clothes and soft words of love after that.
…
“You’re late.”
It was the first thing that Changmin said, his voice accusing and his lips set into a pout.
Junsu bowed many times, apologizing for their tardiness. Changmin forgave him, but glared at his smirking client, swatting the older male’s hands away from his food as they gathered on the tiny checked blanket that Yunho brought along with him. Jaejoong smiled widely as he dished everyone out a few of the foods he had made, Yunho’s arms around his waist. Junsu laughed loudly as Yoochun swatted Changmin’s hands away from his plate, causing the younger male to pout.
He had never thought in his wildest dreams that he would have made such great friends, here, with them.
He had known about Yoochun’s career, how it was going down a spiral, ready to crash and burn. Micky had not released any singles or appeared on any promotion banners in quite a long time. It had seemed like he had disappeared from the public, except when the media ran spreads about the playboy’s life and nightly rituals.
Junsu would not lie--he had expected Yoochun to be a lot less friendly than he had been. He came to Seoul with thoughts of little talk and cold shoulders, but what he came to find surprised him.
He found Park Yoochun. A man that had fallen in love with him. A man that he had fallen in love with in return. He found a guy that cared for his friends, liked to laugh, played the piano, smelled like coffee, and was far too emotional for his own good.
Kim Junsu used to like to believe in fairy tales, used to love reading stories of happily ever after and princes and dragons, and wishes that were granted. He used to think that if he prayed enough, believed, acted like a good boy, he might get one of those endings, too.
But then he came crashing back down, diagnosed with an illness that would slowly kill him if he did not go to his treatments, and his whole world crashed before his eyes. Life was not fair. God called in sick, had other people to attend to, and Junsu just did not phone in his prayers on time, barely missing out on having his dreams come true.
Junsu watched them, small smile on his face, Yoochun’s arms wrapped around him. He loved hearing Jaejoong laugh, seeing Changmin with his mouth stuffed full of food and trying to fit more into it, and just being near Yunho, the fatherly figure of their group. But most all, he loved having Yoochun’s arms around him, feel him, hear him, smell him, talk to him--he just loved Yoochun.
If he had to die now, at least he would die happy.
As they say, all good things must come to an end, and Junsu was selfish enough to say that he wanted this to be longer. But he was not so selfish to tell Yoochun about his secret wish. It would hurt more if he left--when he left.
“Okay, that’s not fair! Damn it, Chun, you just had to go and encourage them, didn’t you?”
Junsu snapped out of his inner thoughts only to find a very smug arm extended from his side, some of the warmth leaving him briefly as Yoochun collected something (upon further inspection, it was some money--how much, he was not sure). Changmin sat across from him, a pout set firmly in place, and Junsu had to suppress a laugh as to what the two had been betting about.
“See? I told you that they would be at it before sundown--public or not,” Yoochun said proudly, indicating with a nod of his head the direction of the two lovers.
Junsu smiled softly to himself when he saw the two best friends attached at the lips, Jaejoong’s face titled upward in an awkward angle to meet Yunho’s lips, still sitting in the younger man’s lap. They did not seem to pay any mind to the passersby that stumbled upon the scene nor their three friends, who really did not mind at all.
Junsu slumped back in Yoochun’s hold, snuggling deeper into the other’s chest, feeling arms unconsciously tighten around him. The sun was still shining overhead, and even though he felt its warmth as well as the man he loved the most, the cold crept across him, a sign of the changing season of the city.
He had always loved winter… He would love to watch the snow fall with Yoochun, bundled up on the terrace… Spend his birthday with his family at a nice little restaurant in downtown Seoul, Yoochun by his side, ring in his pocket and a question on his tongue… Not have to ask for anything for Christmas (although Yoochun wearing nothing but a bow around his waist was a lovely thing to envision) because Yoochun’s love was all that he wanted… To make love on New Year’s eve, say I love you as the time changed and the new year came…
There were so many things to do… There was not much time left…
“Junsu! Junsu, open your eyes! Please, open your eyes.”
Yoochun had a wonderful voice. He would not mind hearing it for the rest of his life…
“Calm down, Yoochun! Changmin, get help! Now!”
Yunho was nice… Changmin was funny… They were like a second family--a father and a baby brother…
“Hold on, Junsu, we’re getting help. Please, be okay.”
If Yunnie was his second father, then Joongie was definitely the mother.
“Junsu, I love you. Don’t leave me!”
…
He blinked his eyes open, murmurs of people talking softly amongst themselves hammered in his ears as well as the beats of the heart monitor by his bedside… Wait, where was he?
He tried sitting up, but he found himself too weak to do that. His eyes finally grew accustomed to the new lighting, flittering around to see many strange faces until it landed on the very weary one of the man he loved.
“Hey, Su,” he whispered, his voice barely audible above the thunderous ache in his head and chest. “You fainted at the picnic. You wouldn’t wake up. You’re at the hospital.”
“I… I am sorry,” Junsu’s throat hurt, why did it hurt so damn much?
Yoochun shook his head, his brown eyes rimmed with tears and a hint of a sad smile on his face, as he stated, “No, it’s okay. We’re all here with you. Do you want to see them now?”
Junsu breathed in, the act alone putting strain on his tired body, as he answered, “No, I just want to go to sleep.”
And, Yoochun thinks, that this is not fair. That Junsu is supposed to be up, laughing, not being swallowed in a sea of white as he awaits morning time with tired eyes and a heavy heart. But Junsu is so fucking beautiful at this moment, insecure, vulnerable, weary, scared--and Yoochun just wishes this was all a dream, that they would wake up, that come December, Junsu would be there with him. He believed it would happen, but magic was something that you stop believing in when you are younger, much younger, when you are a child, and Yoochun was no longer one of those… But for Junsu, he wanted to be selfish and wish upon stars, because he needed this boy. He needed his love, his life, his laughter. He just needed Junsu.
“I know, Su, I know. But you can’t right now. Everyone is so worried. You have to stay awake a little while longer.”
In the corner somewhere he could hear someone crying… And a deeper voice trying to soothe the one crying. Jaejoong and Yunho. Then another person (far too blurry for him to make out who it was, but he knew that it was Changmin) ushered them out of the room.
“Hey, baby, it’s mommy and… and… Oh, my God!” The woman tried to say more but she collapsed into the floor with tears, too weak to stand and see her youngest in a bed with every inch of him slowly slipping away.
“Shh, mom, let’s go outside with the others, okay,” he heard the shaky voice of his brother say, pleading eyes that were leaking a countless number of crystalline tears, and then they were gone too.
It hurt him--not physically, but emotionally--to think that he was the cause of their pain. It hurt. So much. So much… so very much.
“Junsu, it’s your dad, how are you?”
“I am just… peachy,” Junsu replied with a forced grin on his face, not wanting his parents to know how painful this was for him…
His father choked on his tears and said, “The doctors said that there is still time to save you. Just be strong through the night and tomorrow they’ll start the treatments again. They aren’t one hundred per--”
“I don’t think I can…”
He felt tears plummet onto his limp hand, numbed by the medication they had given him, and he really just wanted to go to sleep. Yoochun was by his side, arms on the blankets with his face buried against them, his back shaking with every breath he took, and Junsu felt the urge to cry become stronger than ever.
At that moment a doctor came in, his face distraught as he quietly closed the door to the wailing on the outside, and said, “I am sorry, but visiting hours are over. But due to the circumstances, we will allow one to stay the night.”
Junsu watched his dad exhale slowly, wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, and then said, “Mr. Park will be staying with my son.” Two sets of eyes widened at that.
The doctor nodded and then waited for the older man to finish up.
“Junsu, I love you. And I believe that you can overcome this. You’ve done so much already. But even if this is goodbye--” he choked on the word and continued onward, not liking the flash of pain in his son’s eyes, “--I just want you to know, that I have always been proud of you.”
He brushed a few sweaty brown strands back, placed a kiss on his son’s forehead, and followed the doctor out of the room.
“Chunnie, I’m scared,” Junsu whimpered, clutching blindly around the bedside for the man he needed most.
“I am, too, Su, but just like your dad said, we’re going to get through this.”
They finally broke down. Years of barriers crumbled at that moment, the clock in the background clicking to eleven o’ clock at night, and the two people that the world had seemingly come to hate grasped at each other’s hands, fearing what might happen if they fall asleep.
“I’m going to love you forever. I’m always going to be your biggest fan.”
“Tell me that tomorrow, Su, after the treatments.”
Junsu looked to his side, his hand fitting perfectly in the larger one of the man in the chair beside him. “You make it seem like there will be a tomorrow.”
Yoochun nodded, smiling brilliantly despite the tearstains on his cheeks, as he answered, “There will be--”
“Just for you, Chunnie.”
“Damn it, Su! Stop saying that! There will be a tomorrow and many more to come, okay. We are going to get our fucking happily ever after.” Yoochun dug in his pockets for something and when he found it, he carefully pulled it out for the other to see.
A tiny velvet box, that once opened, revealed a beautiful silver band, tiny gems placed here and there. Junsu felt his breath hitch automatically, happy and sad tears leak from the corners of his eyes, and if anything, it made his will to survive--hang on, stay strong--increase. But he was afraid that it would not be enough.
“Marry me? Tomorrow. In a week. Just promise to stay. Please, Junsu, I need you. More than the air that I breathe. More than music. More than money. The world could stop spinning right now, and I would not give a damn as long as I had you.” Yoochun slipped the ring onto a slender finger, as he clasped to the boy tightly. “I need you in my life. Without you… everything is gone. The colors, the love, the life. You take everything with you. I cannot stand losing you.”
“Chunnie…” Junsu coughed, the pressure on his chest heavy, and he felt his eyes droop close. “I am tired. Sleep now?”
The breath caught in his throat, successfully causing a lump to grow in Yoochun’s throat, as he sighed out, “Yes, Su, you can go to sleep. And tomorrow, we’ll spend the day together, okay?”
Junsu smiled to himself, like a chi--no, wait, like the child he was.
“I love you, Chunnie. Forever and ever. I promise.”
“Okay, Su, please, just say that tomorrow.”
There was a pause.
“Chunnie, if I die--”
“You’re not going to--”
“I said if, Chunnie, please, let me finish.” He was answered with silence. “If I die, Chunnie, I want you to carry on. I want you to live happily and, most importantly, I want you to sing again, okay.”
“I can’t live without you,” Yoochun cried, desperately trying to make Junsu snap out of his negative outlook on the life that was swiftly being taken away.
“Yes, you can and you will,” Junsu snapped, or at least tried to, but his voice was too soft and too dry to sharpen his tone. “If I don’t,” at that he looked at the man leaning over him, his eyes glowing brightly in the lamp light, and Yoochun felt that it did him no justice, “can we really get married?”
Yoochun smiled again, stroking brown locks out of tired eyes, and kissed the boy’s temple, as he said, “Yes, Su, anything you want. A big wedding, a small one, just your family, Jaejoong, Yunho, and Changmin if you want.”
“I’d like that, a lot.” His breathing quieted and Yoochun thought he was asleep, but then the boy’s eyes fluttered open and he asked one question that broke Yoochun’s heart. “Is this goodbye?”
“No, never goodbye. Just a… see you soon, until next time, farewell for now… But this--this moment, right now--is a good night,” Yoochun explained, his heart beating frantically in his chest, his fingers automatically intertwining with those of the younger boy.
“Mmm,” Junsu nodded, smiling, his eyes now closed again, on the brink of sleep. “Chunnie… let’s meet in our dreams.”
Yoochun placed a kiss on the knuckles of the tiny hand that he held firmly in his grasp. There was no more words spoken, the angel on the bed sleeping peacefully, and Yoochun restrained himself from falling asleep even though he knew he probably needed it. He just wanted to make sure that Junsu would make it through the night.
He watched the rise and the fall of the boy’s chest. It was steady, like a rhythm in his head, one that he could not quite put to paper, soft little puffs of breath coming from the slumbering boy’s full lips, tiny notes to the melody.
Yoochun’s eyes closed, his hand loosening on the other’s until Junsu’s fell limply to the side, his falling on top of it, his head drooping forward to rest on the blankets that smelled of hospitals and Junsu. He dreamt of love and Junsu.
The only sounds he heard in his dream were those of Junsu’s laughter, reverberating all around, a contagious fit of giggles…
He could not hear the heart monitor beating anymore…
Note From the Author: So, yes, I got it written... and no, I am not happy with it (whether it be that the chapter is total crap or the fact that it IS ending, so soon, too soon....)
For everyone that I did not get around to commenting back to, I am very sorry, this time I will sit and answer everyone's questions or hug anyone crying. I mean it. You all mean a lot to me. So... I hope you enjoyed and until we speak again~
<3<3<3
Edit: The story is not over just yet. The last sentence might set in place what the original ending has in store, but I have yet to write it. And as promised, along with the original, there will be an alternate ending that will be posted at the same time. Thank you everyone! I will see you at the end~ Don't lose hope just yet, Junsu still has a little time left to shine~ But forever he will glow brightly (like the sun), in our hearts~
To Day Seven