[_starcandy Challenge] #95-Broken Limb
Title: Weakness
Rating: R
Genre: AU, horror, (dark) fantasy, angst
Prompt: #95: Broken Limb
Warnings: gore, blood, aftermath of what is essentially a terror attack
Word Count: 1,121
Summary: Many vampires had concerns when the Elders started talking about revealing themselves to the humans. When the war began, these concerns had seemed justified.
Weakness
It doesn't make sense, not a single moment of it. He's watching it all unravel right in front of him, but he still can't understand it. How did they get here? How did they go from perfection to destruction in what seems like mere moments? He has all the pieces, but none of them are fitting together.
There's so much blood. Everywhere. It's on his hands and skin and clothes, in his hair and eyes. It will be seared in his memory forever after this day. And it's not only his, not only Jae's. There had been so many people here. Had been. People. Now there are bodies, or just parts of bodies.
They were supposed to be safe here; that's what they'd been told. Innocents, civilians who wanted no part of the war - many of whom, like Changmin and Jaejoong and the other three, hadn't wanted to go public in the first place. Turns out it wasn't the humans they had to worry about. The threat had been internal all along, the war a convenient excuse and cover, and now he's standing in the epicenter of a massacre.
Their safe-house has been reduced to so much rubble and debris. Half of the back wall still stands, barely, teetering in the wind, but the rest is scattered in pieces around the small forest clearing. Wood from the other four walls had exploded into shards that are now embedded in the trunks of the closest trees, just like the piece piercing through Jaejoong's left side.
Changmin collapses to his knees at Jaejoong's side, only then realizing his left arm is limp and most likely dislocated. His right thigh pumps a steady supply of blood out of his body and down his leg. He's pretty sure the artery's sliced, but he can feel the wound already starting to mend itself. He'll survive, though the blood loss will leave him weak.
Staring up at Changmin, Jaejoong's breaths gasp around the blood falling from his lips. "Min," he chokes out, "you have to pull it out. I can't- I can't heal around it. Please."
Changmin shakes his head - He can't do this. It's already too much for his head to handle, more blood and carnage than he's ever seen in his life. - even as he reaches with his good hand for the wood impaling Jaejoong. He pulls, and the stake starts to slide out with a wet slurping sound. With his weakness and the use of only one arm, though, the process takes much longer than it normally would have.
Jaejoong winces then starts to whimper, and Changmin wishes that it was anyone but him here. Yunho or Junsu or even Yoochun. They could handle this better. They wouldn't be putting Jaejoong through so much unnecessary pain. If only he were stronger.
At the same time, though, he curses them. All four of them. They'd taken him in after his parents died, and they'd always done their best to take care of him. Protect him. Shelter him. Maybe they'd done their job too well. Maybe it's their fault he's so weak now when he needs strength the most. Tears fall down his cheeks as he continues to struggle with the stick in Jaejoong's body.
Finally, hours and lifetimes and really only a few minutes later, the wood pulls free. Changmin tosses it away then collapses against Jaejoong's chest and cries, great gasping sobs that he can't hold back any longer. Barely a moment later, Jaejoong wraps his arms around Changmin in an attempt to offer some comfort. It's an advantage to age; where his own body is still trying to knit itself back together, Jaejoong's is probably mostly healed already.
Changmin accepts the comfort, wrapping his good arm around Jaejoong while his other lays uselessly at his side. He hisses in pain when Jaejoong runs his hand over the shoulder. Jaejoong pauses before probing a bit deeper to find the cause of the noise. "Your shoulder's out of place," he states. Changmin nods but doesn't reply. "We need to put it back in place, Minnie-baby. Your body can't do that on its own."
They haven't called him 'Minnie-baby' since well before he Turned, but he can't find it in himself to protest the childish nickname. He simply nods again lethargically. So, so tired that he can barely find the will to keep his eyes open.
Jaejoong wraps his left arm over Changmin's back, holding tightly, and positions his left hand under Changmin's shoulder. "Deep breath, Minnie," he says softly, pressing a kiss to Changmin's sweaty forehead. When he feels Changmin follow the direction, he pushes up hard with his left hand to pop the shoulder back into its socket. Changmin screams weakly against his chest at the flare of new pain, but it's all wrong. It's too weak for that injury. "Where else were you hurt, Min? What else do I need to fix?"
Changmin shakes his head. "A cut, inside of my thigh," he manages to mumble-slur through his exhaustion. "Mostly healed now, just a lot of blood. Tired, hyung."
Cursing, Jaejoong sits up even as his newly-healed body protests the action. He's sore, but he can tell any serious damage is fixed. Changmin is more important at the moment. "Changmin, baby, stay awake for me, okay?" Jaejoong nearly pleads as he watches Changmin get progressively weaker. He maneuvers around to lay the boy down so he can get a look at the wound.
He tears open Changmin's pant leg to see the ragged gash starting high up on the outside of Changmin's thigh and slashing all the way across to the inside. Changmin was right; it is mostly healed, but a small trickle of blood still sluggishly seeps from it. Jaejoong can only imagine how deep it must have been if it's only this healed now. "Yunho and Chun and Su should be back with more blood for us soon. Just be strong a little bit longer."
Changmin's unfocused eyes stare up at the sky, light clouds obscuring the slowly setting sun. "Not strong," he denies. "Couldn't- Couldn't do anything. I couldn't..." He trails off, gasping out a broken sob.
Jaejoong moves up to rest Changmin's head on his lap, and he picks up the sound of the other three moving quickly through the trees. "You are strong, Min. You are. And don't say you couldn't do anything. You helped me, right? No matter how scared or confused you were, you still helped me." He tries to run his fingers through Changmin's hair, a long-standing motion of comfort for Changmin, but drying blood mats it together.
Yunho breaks through the tree line, Junsu then Yoochun following close behind, just as Changmin's eyes slip closed.
Rating: R
Genre: AU, horror, (dark) fantasy, angst
Prompt: #95: Broken Limb
Warnings: gore, blood, aftermath of what is essentially a terror attack
Word Count: 1,121
Summary: Many vampires had concerns when the Elders started talking about revealing themselves to the humans. When the war began, these concerns had seemed justified.
Weakness
It doesn't make sense, not a single moment of it. He's watching it all unravel right in front of him, but he still can't understand it. How did they get here? How did they go from perfection to destruction in what seems like mere moments? He has all the pieces, but none of them are fitting together.
There's so much blood. Everywhere. It's on his hands and skin and clothes, in his hair and eyes. It will be seared in his memory forever after this day. And it's not only his, not only Jae's. There had been so many people here. Had been. People. Now there are bodies, or just parts of bodies.
They were supposed to be safe here; that's what they'd been told. Innocents, civilians who wanted no part of the war - many of whom, like Changmin and Jaejoong and the other three, hadn't wanted to go public in the first place. Turns out it wasn't the humans they had to worry about. The threat had been internal all along, the war a convenient excuse and cover, and now he's standing in the epicenter of a massacre.
Their safe-house has been reduced to so much rubble and debris. Half of the back wall still stands, barely, teetering in the wind, but the rest is scattered in pieces around the small forest clearing. Wood from the other four walls had exploded into shards that are now embedded in the trunks of the closest trees, just like the piece piercing through Jaejoong's left side.
Changmin collapses to his knees at Jaejoong's side, only then realizing his left arm is limp and most likely dislocated. His right thigh pumps a steady supply of blood out of his body and down his leg. He's pretty sure the artery's sliced, but he can feel the wound already starting to mend itself. He'll survive, though the blood loss will leave him weak.
Staring up at Changmin, Jaejoong's breaths gasp around the blood falling from his lips. "Min," he chokes out, "you have to pull it out. I can't- I can't heal around it. Please."
Changmin shakes his head - He can't do this. It's already too much for his head to handle, more blood and carnage than he's ever seen in his life. - even as he reaches with his good hand for the wood impaling Jaejoong. He pulls, and the stake starts to slide out with a wet slurping sound. With his weakness and the use of only one arm, though, the process takes much longer than it normally would have.
Jaejoong winces then starts to whimper, and Changmin wishes that it was anyone but him here. Yunho or Junsu or even Yoochun. They could handle this better. They wouldn't be putting Jaejoong through so much unnecessary pain. If only he were stronger.
At the same time, though, he curses them. All four of them. They'd taken him in after his parents died, and they'd always done their best to take care of him. Protect him. Shelter him. Maybe they'd done their job too well. Maybe it's their fault he's so weak now when he needs strength the most. Tears fall down his cheeks as he continues to struggle with the stick in Jaejoong's body.
Finally, hours and lifetimes and really only a few minutes later, the wood pulls free. Changmin tosses it away then collapses against Jaejoong's chest and cries, great gasping sobs that he can't hold back any longer. Barely a moment later, Jaejoong wraps his arms around Changmin in an attempt to offer some comfort. It's an advantage to age; where his own body is still trying to knit itself back together, Jaejoong's is probably mostly healed already.
Changmin accepts the comfort, wrapping his good arm around Jaejoong while his other lays uselessly at his side. He hisses in pain when Jaejoong runs his hand over the shoulder. Jaejoong pauses before probing a bit deeper to find the cause of the noise. "Your shoulder's out of place," he states. Changmin nods but doesn't reply. "We need to put it back in place, Minnie-baby. Your body can't do that on its own."
They haven't called him 'Minnie-baby' since well before he Turned, but he can't find it in himself to protest the childish nickname. He simply nods again lethargically. So, so tired that he can barely find the will to keep his eyes open.
Jaejoong wraps his left arm over Changmin's back, holding tightly, and positions his left hand under Changmin's shoulder. "Deep breath, Minnie," he says softly, pressing a kiss to Changmin's sweaty forehead. When he feels Changmin follow the direction, he pushes up hard with his left hand to pop the shoulder back into its socket. Changmin screams weakly against his chest at the flare of new pain, but it's all wrong. It's too weak for that injury. "Where else were you hurt, Min? What else do I need to fix?"
Changmin shakes his head. "A cut, inside of my thigh," he manages to mumble-slur through his exhaustion. "Mostly healed now, just a lot of blood. Tired, hyung."
Cursing, Jaejoong sits up even as his newly-healed body protests the action. He's sore, but he can tell any serious damage is fixed. Changmin is more important at the moment. "Changmin, baby, stay awake for me, okay?" Jaejoong nearly pleads as he watches Changmin get progressively weaker. He maneuvers around to lay the boy down so he can get a look at the wound.
He tears open Changmin's pant leg to see the ragged gash starting high up on the outside of Changmin's thigh and slashing all the way across to the inside. Changmin was right; it is mostly healed, but a small trickle of blood still sluggishly seeps from it. Jaejoong can only imagine how deep it must have been if it's only this healed now. "Yunho and Chun and Su should be back with more blood for us soon. Just be strong a little bit longer."
Changmin's unfocused eyes stare up at the sky, light clouds obscuring the slowly setting sun. "Not strong," he denies. "Couldn't- Couldn't do anything. I couldn't..." He trails off, gasping out a broken sob.
Jaejoong moves up to rest Changmin's head on his lap, and he picks up the sound of the other three moving quickly through the trees. "You are strong, Min. You are. And don't say you couldn't do anything. You helped me, right? No matter how scared or confused you were, you still helped me." He tries to run his fingers through Changmin's hair, a long-standing motion of comfort for Changmin, but drying blood mats it together.
Yunho breaks through the tree line, Junsu then Yoochun following close behind, just as Changmin's eyes slip closed.