Wonderland (flashfic challenge 30: impossible things)
Title: Wonderland
Author: twhitesakura
Word count: 1,300
Concrit?: Yes
Rating: G
Summary: “Yoochun smirks, pulls down one felt-tipped appendage from his head and informs Changmin that they’re going to do something epic-style.”
Notes: The IMF crisis refers to the Asian Financial Crisis.
“So, uh, what’s up with the bunny ears?”
Yoochun smirks, pulls down one felt-tipped appendage from his head and informs Changmin that they’re going to do something epic-style.
Apparently, epic-style involved getting Jaejoong in a blue dress with ruffles along the sleeves and a bow in his hair. Jaejoong tilts his head for a moment, then whips out a mirror to take an assessing look at himself.
“Why are we doing this again?” Changmin complains, dragging the rest of his centipede-ish body along the floor. The rubber itches and it’s a bit disconcerting to have multiple insect segments and legs scrapping all over their living room floor.
“If Yunho and Junsu don’t finish getting changed soon, we’re going to be late. Terribly late,” Yoochun says, ignoring Changmin’s inquiry and feigning horror as he slips out a gold watch hidden in his cummerbund.
That’s when Yunho steps out from the bedroom - the door creaking - in full royal gown, decked black and red like some ridiculously priced chess piece figurine. The crown slumps a bit when he looks up (a tad oversized, Yoochun explains mournfully, but the only costume the wardrobe coordinators had found suitable) and Jaejoong comes over to right it.
Yoochun scurries over when the Queen’s crown starts slipping the other way.
“There,” Yoochun says, patting the plastic-encrusted tiara back into place. He smiles at Yunho and Jaejoong in a very satisfied manner and even nods his head, rabbit ears wavering in the air in two distinctive bobs. “Now all we need is Junsu.”
Junsu comes out of the bedroom next with a loud bang, slamming the door and almost knocking it off its hinges, smiling widely, one paw on his hip and the other gleefully twirling his tail.
“Why are you so happy?” Changmin murmurs, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m supposed to be smiley,” says Junsu and gives a mischievous grin which is only a slightly naughtier version of Junsu’s usual smile.
Yoochun approaches to give Junsu the once-over because Yunho’s crown is falling again, Jaejoong’s helping, and Changmin may have multiple legs but it slows a person down to have extra limbs when they’re deadweight. Yoochun scrutinizes Junsu a bit, then whips out a black magic marker to squiggle three distinctive lines on Junsu’s right cheek and then his left. Yoochun nods, rabbit ears following.
“Now we’re ready.”
“It’s falling again,” Yunho sighs when they’re packed up in the van and on their way.
Jaejoong leans over, takes a few hairpins out of his head to help anchor the crown back into Yunho’s hair. It leaves Jaejoong’s coiffure in a bit of a mess, but the unkempt bangs only make him look younger, a bit more innocent.
“The perfect Alice,” Yoochun says bouncing happily in his seat.
Junsu next to him seems to agree, as the absent-minded singing he’s been doing during the drive spikes into a moving crescendo while Yoochun’s hands turn the steering wheel.
Changmin sighs at the utter immaturity of their situation.
“It’s no worse then when we did ‘Balloons’,” Yunho offers kindly, reading his sigh.
Changmin pops his headphones into his ears and stares out the window.
It’s a long drive and Yoochun advises them all to nap. He’ll wake them when they arrive.
So they do and Changmin’s eyes drift closed.
“This isn’t the studio,” Jaejoong says after getting out of the van, brushing some of the bangs off his forehead to take a better look at the house in front of them.
They stand awkwardly around the courtyard, gazing at a stucco building amidst rambling greenery that’s seen better days, paint-peeled, and drain-pipe rusted, when Yoochun moves forward with a strange ease to the intercom hidden in the doorway recess.
“Who’s there?” A crackly voice demands when he presses for the door.
“Me!” Yoochun shouts.
“Who?” The voice demands again and the crackling is a little worse like static electricity gone haywire.
“Me, Yoochun!” Yoochun shouts and luckily, the intercom only fizzles another minute before there’s a muffled shuffling and the door is unlatched and opened. Yoochun smiles at the old woman. “Hello, Aunty.”
“It’s an orphanage,” Changmin says over tea while Yoochun’s in the den bashfully laughing at talk involving “ - having grown so much, why, I remember when you used to climb in my lap and demand sweets.”
Junsu’s quiet and looks around the small kitchenette. They passed by the dormitory rooms down the hall awhile ago. Double bunk beds.
“Pretty crowded,” Jaejoong acknowledges. He’s careful not to let the kimbap spill over the pristine white apron covering of his dress, cupping the roll and bringing it towards his mouth.
Yunho darts a hand under Jaejoong’s, when some of the ham filling falls out.
“Thanks.”
The noises in the other room die down and Yoochun comes shuffling back into the tiny kitchenette with its rickety chairs, rough cupboards, and ancient humming refrigerator.
“The kids will be back soon,” Yoochun explains. “They’re out playing now and Aunty’s going out shopping for more groceries for dinner tonight.”
“This isn’t the studio, Yoochun.” Junsu interrupts.
Yoochun sighs, sinking into one of the empty ratty chairs the others have also commandeered. He puts his hands on his knees and stares down at his knuckles.
“No, it isn’t.”
“We really have today off then,” Jaejoong says.
“And the manager didn’t take ill and couldn’t drive us to the variety show shooting that never existed,” Yunho finishes.
Yoochun smiles at his hands, lashes sliding down further to hide his eyes. They flutter a bit and Changmin catches Yoochun’s gaze moving cautiously towards him.
The costume rubber’s itchy and Changmin could have stayed home all day idling his time away, insect-suit-free, instead of getting up three in the morning to drive to some sleepy hamlet in the middle of nowhere. Changmin scratches at one unbearable itch and sighs.
“Hyung, why didn’t you just ask us?”
The kids come back and Junsu greets the little girls who laugh and want to play with his tail and ears in the foyer. Jaejoong stays in the corner of the room, watching carefully while Yunho stands close by with one arm draped over the frame of the doorway. Changmin waits patiently, his arms crossed.
“It’s shutting down in a week because of the bad economy,” Yoochun explains. “Not enough funds. The kids will be split apart and taken elsewhere.”
“And Aunty?”
“She used to be a social worker in the city,” Yoochun answers. “She was overlooking the neighborhood my family lived in when the IMF crisis hit. My mother was friends with her. That was before we moved to America and lost touch for a while. Apparently, Aunty started the orphanage five years ago through some government grants.”
“And the costumes?” Yunho asks.
Yoochun smiles. “They were reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for school and were supposed to see a stage performance of it in Seoul for the annual summer trip. The show was canceled. They couldn’t get to Wonderland so I wanted to bring it to them instead.”
“You’re an idiot,” Jaejoong interjects affectionately.
“Well, TOP and Hyun Joong were all over Korea doing album promotions, Super Junior’s in China, and I’ve run out of friends to rope into this.”
“So you were stuck with us as your last possible choice?”
“Not much of a choice, since you all had made plans far in advance and had vacation time. So, I canceled it.” A pause. “I’m sorry for lying.”
“It’s okay,” Yunho sighs while the Cheshire Cat twirls one boy in the air and laughter draws Alice and Caterpillar away. Yunho fishes Yoochun’s watch out of his cummerbund and opens it. “You’re the type to make impossible things possible at the last possible moment.”
When the watch snaps closed again, the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit smile at each other.
Author: twhitesakura
Word count: 1,300
Concrit?: Yes
Rating: G
Summary: “Yoochun smirks, pulls down one felt-tipped appendage from his head and informs Changmin that they’re going to do something epic-style.”
Notes: The IMF crisis refers to the Asian Financial Crisis.
“So, uh, what’s up with the bunny ears?”
Yoochun smirks, pulls down one felt-tipped appendage from his head and informs Changmin that they’re going to do something epic-style.
Apparently, epic-style involved getting Jaejoong in a blue dress with ruffles along the sleeves and a bow in his hair. Jaejoong tilts his head for a moment, then whips out a mirror to take an assessing look at himself.
“Why are we doing this again?” Changmin complains, dragging the rest of his centipede-ish body along the floor. The rubber itches and it’s a bit disconcerting to have multiple insect segments and legs scrapping all over their living room floor.
“If Yunho and Junsu don’t finish getting changed soon, we’re going to be late. Terribly late,” Yoochun says, ignoring Changmin’s inquiry and feigning horror as he slips out a gold watch hidden in his cummerbund.
That’s when Yunho steps out from the bedroom - the door creaking - in full royal gown, decked black and red like some ridiculously priced chess piece figurine. The crown slumps a bit when he looks up (a tad oversized, Yoochun explains mournfully, but the only costume the wardrobe coordinators had found suitable) and Jaejoong comes over to right it.
Yoochun scurries over when the Queen’s crown starts slipping the other way.
“There,” Yoochun says, patting the plastic-encrusted tiara back into place. He smiles at Yunho and Jaejoong in a very satisfied manner and even nods his head, rabbit ears wavering in the air in two distinctive bobs. “Now all we need is Junsu.”
Junsu comes out of the bedroom next with a loud bang, slamming the door and almost knocking it off its hinges, smiling widely, one paw on his hip and the other gleefully twirling his tail.
“Why are you so happy?” Changmin murmurs, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m supposed to be smiley,” says Junsu and gives a mischievous grin which is only a slightly naughtier version of Junsu’s usual smile.
Yoochun approaches to give Junsu the once-over because Yunho’s crown is falling again, Jaejoong’s helping, and Changmin may have multiple legs but it slows a person down to have extra limbs when they’re deadweight. Yoochun scrutinizes Junsu a bit, then whips out a black magic marker to squiggle three distinctive lines on Junsu’s right cheek and then his left. Yoochun nods, rabbit ears following.
“Now we’re ready.”
“It’s falling again,” Yunho sighs when they’re packed up in the van and on their way.
Jaejoong leans over, takes a few hairpins out of his head to help anchor the crown back into Yunho’s hair. It leaves Jaejoong’s coiffure in a bit of a mess, but the unkempt bangs only make him look younger, a bit more innocent.
“The perfect Alice,” Yoochun says bouncing happily in his seat.
Junsu next to him seems to agree, as the absent-minded singing he’s been doing during the drive spikes into a moving crescendo while Yoochun’s hands turn the steering wheel.
Changmin sighs at the utter immaturity of their situation.
“It’s no worse then when we did ‘Balloons’,” Yunho offers kindly, reading his sigh.
Changmin pops his headphones into his ears and stares out the window.
It’s a long drive and Yoochun advises them all to nap. He’ll wake them when they arrive.
So they do and Changmin’s eyes drift closed.
“This isn’t the studio,” Jaejoong says after getting out of the van, brushing some of the bangs off his forehead to take a better look at the house in front of them.
They stand awkwardly around the courtyard, gazing at a stucco building amidst rambling greenery that’s seen better days, paint-peeled, and drain-pipe rusted, when Yoochun moves forward with a strange ease to the intercom hidden in the doorway recess.
“Who’s there?” A crackly voice demands when he presses for the door.
“Me!” Yoochun shouts.
“Who?” The voice demands again and the crackling is a little worse like static electricity gone haywire.
“Me, Yoochun!” Yoochun shouts and luckily, the intercom only fizzles another minute before there’s a muffled shuffling and the door is unlatched and opened. Yoochun smiles at the old woman. “Hello, Aunty.”
“It’s an orphanage,” Changmin says over tea while Yoochun’s in the den bashfully laughing at talk involving “ - having grown so much, why, I remember when you used to climb in my lap and demand sweets.”
Junsu’s quiet and looks around the small kitchenette. They passed by the dormitory rooms down the hall awhile ago. Double bunk beds.
“Pretty crowded,” Jaejoong acknowledges. He’s careful not to let the kimbap spill over the pristine white apron covering of his dress, cupping the roll and bringing it towards his mouth.
Yunho darts a hand under Jaejoong’s, when some of the ham filling falls out.
“Thanks.”
The noises in the other room die down and Yoochun comes shuffling back into the tiny kitchenette with its rickety chairs, rough cupboards, and ancient humming refrigerator.
“The kids will be back soon,” Yoochun explains. “They’re out playing now and Aunty’s going out shopping for more groceries for dinner tonight.”
“This isn’t the studio, Yoochun.” Junsu interrupts.
Yoochun sighs, sinking into one of the empty ratty chairs the others have also commandeered. He puts his hands on his knees and stares down at his knuckles.
“No, it isn’t.”
“We really have today off then,” Jaejoong says.
“And the manager didn’t take ill and couldn’t drive us to the variety show shooting that never existed,” Yunho finishes.
Yoochun smiles at his hands, lashes sliding down further to hide his eyes. They flutter a bit and Changmin catches Yoochun’s gaze moving cautiously towards him.
The costume rubber’s itchy and Changmin could have stayed home all day idling his time away, insect-suit-free, instead of getting up three in the morning to drive to some sleepy hamlet in the middle of nowhere. Changmin scratches at one unbearable itch and sighs.
“Hyung, why didn’t you just ask us?”
The kids come back and Junsu greets the little girls who laugh and want to play with his tail and ears in the foyer. Jaejoong stays in the corner of the room, watching carefully while Yunho stands close by with one arm draped over the frame of the doorway. Changmin waits patiently, his arms crossed.
“It’s shutting down in a week because of the bad economy,” Yoochun explains. “Not enough funds. The kids will be split apart and taken elsewhere.”
“And Aunty?”
“She used to be a social worker in the city,” Yoochun answers. “She was overlooking the neighborhood my family lived in when the IMF crisis hit. My mother was friends with her. That was before we moved to America and lost touch for a while. Apparently, Aunty started the orphanage five years ago through some government grants.”
“And the costumes?” Yunho asks.
Yoochun smiles. “They were reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for school and were supposed to see a stage performance of it in Seoul for the annual summer trip. The show was canceled. They couldn’t get to Wonderland so I wanted to bring it to them instead.”
“You’re an idiot,” Jaejoong interjects affectionately.
“Well, TOP and Hyun Joong were all over Korea doing album promotions, Super Junior’s in China, and I’ve run out of friends to rope into this.”
“So you were stuck with us as your last possible choice?”
“Not much of a choice, since you all had made plans far in advance and had vacation time. So, I canceled it.” A pause. “I’m sorry for lying.”
“It’s okay,” Yunho sighs while the Cheshire Cat twirls one boy in the air and laughter draws Alice and Caterpillar away. Yunho fishes Yoochun’s watch out of his cummerbund and opens it. “You’re the type to make impossible things possible at the last possible moment.”
When the watch snaps closed again, the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit smile at each other.