various sfn and kacts fills (sulli/krystal, suho/a number of people)
Don't you shiver?
Sulli/Krystal. PG. 611 words.
For all of the medical knowledge Jinri has about the heart, there are still certain things involving it that she cannot understand. (written for a request @ seoulfulness)
don't you shiver?
"And that's it; you're ready for your procedure tomorrow!"
Jinri smoothed out the creases on the patient's blanket and offered the patient a smile. She'd been trying to talk the patient into getting an MRI for at least a week already - "Totally non-invasive. You just have to get inside a tube and it'll do its magic on you" - and she'd only been successful earlier today, but it was all worth it. Everything seemed to just play out according to plan - Victoria was able to sign the papers right after the patient had agreed to do the procedure, and Jinri was able to find a good schedule. All's good.
"This is non-invasive, right?"
Jinri chuckled. "You don't watch medical dramas, do you?"
The patient shook her head.
"Hey, if anything, I can take the blame if things go wrong." It was as bad as assuring her patient of imminent danger, so she made sure to punctuate the statement with a smile, some crinkling of the eyes for good measure. She'd learned by now that smiling wasn't just a work of the lips - there was also deception through eyes.
"Awesome," the patient said, a smile finally surfacing on her lips.
Jinri excused herself and turned in the patient's charts and records, prepared to take a quick nap before scrubbing in for her 5 a.m. procedure. The patient in 501 was a special case, after all, and the patient had specifically asked for her (something Victoria has greatly frowned upon).
The other doctor sleeping in the quarters was a special case, as well.
Jinri closed the door behind her gently, the soft 'click' a mark of the wall between the outside world and here. Krystal was on the other bed, eyes tightly shut, hair stuck to her face. Krystal was on her first 48-hour shift and, compared to Jinri's three consecutive 24-hour shifts, her shifts proved to be much more challenging. So Jinri settled on the bed opposite Krystal's softly, careful not to make a sound, careful not to wake Krystal up.
Three days ago, when Krystal wasn't avoiding her yet and when the confession was just a figment of Jinri's imagination, things would've been different. Krystal would've been waiting for Jinri to come in, would've asked her about her day, would've complained about Victoria and her cut-throat ways, or would've complained about the patient in 514. But things were different now - Jinri had somehow done a sloppy confession reeking of adoration and pure hero-worship, and it made her sick. It might have made Krystal sick, as well.
Jinri slipped under the covers and pulled them over her chest.
She watched as Krystal shifted in her position, as Krystal's alarm rang off and Krystal reached for it to turn it off. She then quickly shut her eyes and evened out her breathing. Krystal would be able to tell whether she was faking sleep or not.
Within a few seconds, Krystal was out of the room and back on duty.
Jinri thought she'd have gotten used to this by now, having spent so many years in med school, but nothing had prepared her for this. Their professors always said, Make sure to distance yourself from your patients, because breaking the news to them was the hardest. Nobody told them, Distance yourself from your fellow doctors, because they have no way of mending broken hearts.
Jinri took a deep breath and pulled the covers over her head. She had to scrub in in a few hours. This was no time to be worrying about silly things.
* * *
God only knows why it's taken me so long
Suho/Kris, Suho/Sehun, Suho/Kai. PG-13. 565 words.
Joonmyun assumes three different personas at three different points of the day. In the end, he choses to retain just one. (written for a request @ kacts)
god only knows why it's taken me so long
In the morning, there is Kris. Joonmyun gets up early - 5 a.m., to be exact - because Kris is a busy person and has already outlined the things he'll be doing from seven in the morning onwards, and because Joonmyun has, too. When he arrives at Kris' flat, he's got two Americanos and a bunch of butter croissants in one hand, a fistful of Kris' shirt in the other.
"I've pushed my meeting to 9." Kris whispers as he circles an arm around Joonmyun's waist. "Do you know what that means?"
"Your schedule's ruined," Joonmyun replies. He curls his fingers around the back of Kris' neck. "But mine isn't."
Kris grins. "Perfect."
It's always like this - Joonmyun places the food and coffee on Kris' kitchen table and Kris pushes him against the fridge, Kris' hands resting where the cool metal and Joonmyun's skin meet. Joonmyun leans in, tiptoes for a kiss, and nips at Kris' lower lip. Kris is the aggressor; he probes deeper. And while Kris' rule is to never ever leave marks on his skin, Joonmyun disregards this in favor of leaving a bright red mark just below Kris' jaw.
* * *
In the afternoon, there is work and Sehun and the stockroom and there are piles of paper on his desk, and Sehun's pushing Joonmyun against the stack of boxes, and he's coughing more loudly than the usual because, "This place is a fucking mess," Joonmyun blurts out, but Sehun doesn't let on, doesn't loosen the grip on his wrist or the press of their lips, because they have a meeting in fifteen minutes and Joonmyun rarely ever has time to play.
Sehun leaves the stockroom first. Joonmyun stays in the stockroom for a few more minutes, ironing out the creases on his shirt. Every part of him that Sehun has touched stings.
* * *
Joonmyun arrives in his flat late in the evening and is welcomed by the sight of Jongin's curled figure on the couch. Gently, he unfolds a blanket and puts it over Jongin, careful not to wake up the latter.
"I miss your pancakes. And your coffee. And waking up to your annoyingly bright smile." Jongin shifts a bit in his position, and pulls the blanket over his head. "And I miss going to bed with you, not waiting for you here on the couch."
Joonmyun bites the inside of his cheek. "I never told you to wait-"
"But you made me feel that you wanted me to."
The cool wind blows. Joonmyun reaches over the couch to close the window and makes himself some room in the couch, cozying up to Jongin. Slowly, he pulls the blanket down, revealing a Jongin with eyes tightly shut. "Did I?" Joonmyun asks, concise and curt, and Jongin just bites his lower lip, eyes still closed.
Joonmyun smiles and and lies down beside Jongin for the first time in a long, long while.
Joonmyun's alarm goes off at five in the morning, but he quickly puts it on snooze and ignores it until seven in the morning, until Jongin pokes at his belly, mumbling, "Move. I'll be late for work," but actually meaning to say, "Pancakes, extra fluffy. And oh, can I have that with strawberries on the side? Thanks."
* * *
I was made to keep your body warm
Suho/Kai. PG-13. 984 words.
In the beginning, there is dancing and coming to practice late and school and subjects to be passed. And then, there is Joonmyun. (written for a request @ kacts)
i was made to keep your body warm
October 2006, 12:05 p.m.
Jongin slips his feet into already-made up sneakers and dashes out of the door, not even bothering to look over his shoulder when he bids his parents goodbye. It's a perfect day for panicking and rushing to the dance studio, Jongin thinks, and he makes his way through the subway crowd, mumbling apologies every so often. The skies are cloudy and the wind isn't chilly; tolerable. He remembers promising Yixing and Lu Han that he'll be in the studio at half past twelve. The underlying promise is to come in fifteen minutes later because the other two will probably come in at one.
Sorry, will be late :c, Lu Han says over text. Score one for Jongin.
He arrives at the studio ten minutes later. He enjoys its solitude and silence in the afternoon. Everyone's out for lunch, so it's the perfect time to experiment with new choreography and not make a complete fool of himself in front of other people. "Self-conscious," that's what Yixing calls him. He resents the term; he'd much rather be called "hard-working".
"Hello? Anybody home?"
Jongin scowls a little. What a way to ruin the mood.
When he looks over his shoulder, though, he is greeted by a bright pair of eyes and an equally bright yet confused smile. "This is a dance studio, right? Because uh, I went here earlier and no one was around-"
Jongin presses his lips together, trying to feel around for his voice with his tongue. He gulps down hard when the newcomer continues staring at him and says, unceremoniously, "I. Opened. Just now. I mean, I opened the studio just a few minutes ago." He bites his lower lip when a smile brighter than before light the newcomer's features.
"Oh! Great. I thought I got the address wrong... Have you had lunch yet?"
Jongin doesn't know where the newcomer gets the easy confidence, and he stops wondering when the newcomer walks up to him and says, "We should probably get something to eat." Jongin nods and follows blindly, then hurriedly types a message for Lu Han, one that says, Brb dying I mean having lunch. Be back by 1.
* * *
March 2013, 3:18 p.m.
Jongin isn't entirely surprised when Joonmyun arrives at their dormitory later than the usual. "We had to do extra runs. Matching pitch is a pain," Joonmyun says, reasoning out, and plops down on their shared bed, his bangs covering his eyes.
"That doesn't explain the dog-eared books, though," Jongin quips. Joonmyun bolts and checks his books; the creases created by the dog ears make him cringe. "I warned you about taking 24 units this semester. You told me you could handle it but no-"
Joonmyun places a finger on his lips and gently taps his nose. "Shut up. We already had this conversation before. And you still have to teach me jazz dancing. I'm already regretting taking that class just for you."
Jongin chuckles. He remembers coaxing - more like forcing - Joonmyun into enrolling for an extra P.E. class and promising to help Joonmyun get through the class with relative ease. "You weren't so bad on your first day in the studio," Jongin remembers himself saying. "Passable, maybe good. You weren't awful, that's what's important."
"And you looked as if you were mesmerized by me." Joonmyun grins, and Jongin remembers all too clearly the easy confidence, the surety of perfection in the stretch of Joonmyun's body. "Googly eyes and all. You looked like a total creeper."
"I won't help you with that routine, Joonmyun, I swear-"
"No, I'm just joking!"
Jongin doesn't know how it happens, but Joonmyun manages to pin him down on the bed and straddles him. There's something akin to desire and a confession at the back of Joonmyun's eyes. "But I won't take it back; you did look as if you were mesmerized," Joonmyun says as he leans closer. Joonmyun's lips hover but they never really kiss, and they don't talk about it, and all Joonmyun does as a reply to Jongin asking, "What are you doing", is to trace figures on the back of Jongin's hand - a smiley, a few Korean characters, a heart.
* * *
August 2017, 9:52 p.m.
Jongin gets recruited by SM Entertainment as a choreographer. They find him during one of the university's open concerts where Joonmyun sings as an opening act and Jongin dances for most part of the concert. "The way you move is different," Jongin remembers the recruiter saying, and repeats this to Joonmyun when Joonmyun asks about the silly grin on his face.
"Can you imagine - SM Entertainment! I… I never thought-"
"I always knew you had it in you."
"This is all so surreal. Just-"
Jongin quickly turns to Joonmyun. "I'll still be around," Joonmyun begins then pauses for a while before continuing, "I've got one more year in med school. I will still see you, right?"
Jongin heaves a sigh. The recruiter said something about being willing to give up free time and social life; he never mentioned anything about giving up relationships. "I'm… not sure." He pointedly avoids Joonmyun's gaze as he finishes, saying, "I'll be busy."
The smile on Joonmyun's lips collapses, shrinking back into the corners. "Okay," Joonmyun replies in a small voice. "I'll probably be busy, as well."
Jongin has never been good with words, so before leaving for practice the following day, he sticks a note to Joonmyun's phone. "I'm never too busy for you," the note reads - overly cheesy even for someone like Jongin.
He shakes his head and adds an even cheesier message at the bottom.
8 p.m. tonight? My treat.
It's a date.
Sulli/Krystal. PG. 611 words.
For all of the medical knowledge Jinri has about the heart, there are still certain things involving it that she cannot understand. (written for a request @ seoulfulness)
don't you shiver?
"And that's it; you're ready for your procedure tomorrow!"
Jinri smoothed out the creases on the patient's blanket and offered the patient a smile. She'd been trying to talk the patient into getting an MRI for at least a week already - "Totally non-invasive. You just have to get inside a tube and it'll do its magic on you" - and she'd only been successful earlier today, but it was all worth it. Everything seemed to just play out according to plan - Victoria was able to sign the papers right after the patient had agreed to do the procedure, and Jinri was able to find a good schedule. All's good.
"This is non-invasive, right?"
Jinri chuckled. "You don't watch medical dramas, do you?"
The patient shook her head.
"Hey, if anything, I can take the blame if things go wrong." It was as bad as assuring her patient of imminent danger, so she made sure to punctuate the statement with a smile, some crinkling of the eyes for good measure. She'd learned by now that smiling wasn't just a work of the lips - there was also deception through eyes.
"Awesome," the patient said, a smile finally surfacing on her lips.
Jinri excused herself and turned in the patient's charts and records, prepared to take a quick nap before scrubbing in for her 5 a.m. procedure. The patient in 501 was a special case, after all, and the patient had specifically asked for her (something Victoria has greatly frowned upon).
The other doctor sleeping in the quarters was a special case, as well.
Jinri closed the door behind her gently, the soft 'click' a mark of the wall between the outside world and here. Krystal was on the other bed, eyes tightly shut, hair stuck to her face. Krystal was on her first 48-hour shift and, compared to Jinri's three consecutive 24-hour shifts, her shifts proved to be much more challenging. So Jinri settled on the bed opposite Krystal's softly, careful not to make a sound, careful not to wake Krystal up.
Three days ago, when Krystal wasn't avoiding her yet and when the confession was just a figment of Jinri's imagination, things would've been different. Krystal would've been waiting for Jinri to come in, would've asked her about her day, would've complained about Victoria and her cut-throat ways, or would've complained about the patient in 514. But things were different now - Jinri had somehow done a sloppy confession reeking of adoration and pure hero-worship, and it made her sick. It might have made Krystal sick, as well.
Jinri slipped under the covers and pulled them over her chest.
She watched as Krystal shifted in her position, as Krystal's alarm rang off and Krystal reached for it to turn it off. She then quickly shut her eyes and evened out her breathing. Krystal would be able to tell whether she was faking sleep or not.
Within a few seconds, Krystal was out of the room and back on duty.
Jinri thought she'd have gotten used to this by now, having spent so many years in med school, but nothing had prepared her for this. Their professors always said, Make sure to distance yourself from your patients, because breaking the news to them was the hardest. Nobody told them, Distance yourself from your fellow doctors, because they have no way of mending broken hearts.
Jinri took a deep breath and pulled the covers over her head. She had to scrub in in a few hours. This was no time to be worrying about silly things.
* * *
God only knows why it's taken me so long
Suho/Kris, Suho/Sehun, Suho/Kai. PG-13. 565 words.
Joonmyun assumes three different personas at three different points of the day. In the end, he choses to retain just one. (written for a request @ kacts)
god only knows why it's taken me so long
In the morning, there is Kris. Joonmyun gets up early - 5 a.m., to be exact - because Kris is a busy person and has already outlined the things he'll be doing from seven in the morning onwards, and because Joonmyun has, too. When he arrives at Kris' flat, he's got two Americanos and a bunch of butter croissants in one hand, a fistful of Kris' shirt in the other.
"I've pushed my meeting to 9." Kris whispers as he circles an arm around Joonmyun's waist. "Do you know what that means?"
"Your schedule's ruined," Joonmyun replies. He curls his fingers around the back of Kris' neck. "But mine isn't."
Kris grins. "Perfect."
It's always like this - Joonmyun places the food and coffee on Kris' kitchen table and Kris pushes him against the fridge, Kris' hands resting where the cool metal and Joonmyun's skin meet. Joonmyun leans in, tiptoes for a kiss, and nips at Kris' lower lip. Kris is the aggressor; he probes deeper. And while Kris' rule is to never ever leave marks on his skin, Joonmyun disregards this in favor of leaving a bright red mark just below Kris' jaw.
* * *
In the afternoon, there is work and Sehun and the stockroom and there are piles of paper on his desk, and Sehun's pushing Joonmyun against the stack of boxes, and he's coughing more loudly than the usual because, "This place is a fucking mess," Joonmyun blurts out, but Sehun doesn't let on, doesn't loosen the grip on his wrist or the press of their lips, because they have a meeting in fifteen minutes and Joonmyun rarely ever has time to play.
Sehun leaves the stockroom first. Joonmyun stays in the stockroom for a few more minutes, ironing out the creases on his shirt. Every part of him that Sehun has touched stings.
* * *
Joonmyun arrives in his flat late in the evening and is welcomed by the sight of Jongin's curled figure on the couch. Gently, he unfolds a blanket and puts it over Jongin, careful not to wake up the latter.
"I miss your pancakes. And your coffee. And waking up to your annoyingly bright smile." Jongin shifts a bit in his position, and pulls the blanket over his head. "And I miss going to bed with you, not waiting for you here on the couch."
Joonmyun bites the inside of his cheek. "I never told you to wait-"
"But you made me feel that you wanted me to."
The cool wind blows. Joonmyun reaches over the couch to close the window and makes himself some room in the couch, cozying up to Jongin. Slowly, he pulls the blanket down, revealing a Jongin with eyes tightly shut. "Did I?" Joonmyun asks, concise and curt, and Jongin just bites his lower lip, eyes still closed.
Joonmyun smiles and and lies down beside Jongin for the first time in a long, long while.
Joonmyun's alarm goes off at five in the morning, but he quickly puts it on snooze and ignores it until seven in the morning, until Jongin pokes at his belly, mumbling, "Move. I'll be late for work," but actually meaning to say, "Pancakes, extra fluffy. And oh, can I have that with strawberries on the side? Thanks."
* * *
I was made to keep your body warm
Suho/Kai. PG-13. 984 words.
In the beginning, there is dancing and coming to practice late and school and subjects to be passed. And then, there is Joonmyun. (written for a request @ kacts)
i was made to keep your body warm
October 2006, 12:05 p.m.
Jongin slips his feet into already-made up sneakers and dashes out of the door, not even bothering to look over his shoulder when he bids his parents goodbye. It's a perfect day for panicking and rushing to the dance studio, Jongin thinks, and he makes his way through the subway crowd, mumbling apologies every so often. The skies are cloudy and the wind isn't chilly; tolerable. He remembers promising Yixing and Lu Han that he'll be in the studio at half past twelve. The underlying promise is to come in fifteen minutes later because the other two will probably come in at one.
Sorry, will be late :c, Lu Han says over text. Score one for Jongin.
He arrives at the studio ten minutes later. He enjoys its solitude and silence in the afternoon. Everyone's out for lunch, so it's the perfect time to experiment with new choreography and not make a complete fool of himself in front of other people. "Self-conscious," that's what Yixing calls him. He resents the term; he'd much rather be called "hard-working".
"Hello? Anybody home?"
Jongin scowls a little. What a way to ruin the mood.
When he looks over his shoulder, though, he is greeted by a bright pair of eyes and an equally bright yet confused smile. "This is a dance studio, right? Because uh, I went here earlier and no one was around-"
Jongin presses his lips together, trying to feel around for his voice with his tongue. He gulps down hard when the newcomer continues staring at him and says, unceremoniously, "I. Opened. Just now. I mean, I opened the studio just a few minutes ago." He bites his lower lip when a smile brighter than before light the newcomer's features.
"Oh! Great. I thought I got the address wrong... Have you had lunch yet?"
Jongin doesn't know where the newcomer gets the easy confidence, and he stops wondering when the newcomer walks up to him and says, "We should probably get something to eat." Jongin nods and follows blindly, then hurriedly types a message for Lu Han, one that says, Brb dying I mean having lunch. Be back by 1.
* * *
March 2013, 3:18 p.m.
Jongin isn't entirely surprised when Joonmyun arrives at their dormitory later than the usual. "We had to do extra runs. Matching pitch is a pain," Joonmyun says, reasoning out, and plops down on their shared bed, his bangs covering his eyes.
"That doesn't explain the dog-eared books, though," Jongin quips. Joonmyun bolts and checks his books; the creases created by the dog ears make him cringe. "I warned you about taking 24 units this semester. You told me you could handle it but no-"
Joonmyun places a finger on his lips and gently taps his nose. "Shut up. We already had this conversation before. And you still have to teach me jazz dancing. I'm already regretting taking that class just for you."
Jongin chuckles. He remembers coaxing - more like forcing - Joonmyun into enrolling for an extra P.E. class and promising to help Joonmyun get through the class with relative ease. "You weren't so bad on your first day in the studio," Jongin remembers himself saying. "Passable, maybe good. You weren't awful, that's what's important."
"And you looked as if you were mesmerized by me." Joonmyun grins, and Jongin remembers all too clearly the easy confidence, the surety of perfection in the stretch of Joonmyun's body. "Googly eyes and all. You looked like a total creeper."
"I won't help you with that routine, Joonmyun, I swear-"
"No, I'm just joking!"
Jongin doesn't know how it happens, but Joonmyun manages to pin him down on the bed and straddles him. There's something akin to desire and a confession at the back of Joonmyun's eyes. "But I won't take it back; you did look as if you were mesmerized," Joonmyun says as he leans closer. Joonmyun's lips hover but they never really kiss, and they don't talk about it, and all Joonmyun does as a reply to Jongin asking, "What are you doing", is to trace figures on the back of Jongin's hand - a smiley, a few Korean characters, a heart.
* * *
August 2017, 9:52 p.m.
Jongin gets recruited by SM Entertainment as a choreographer. They find him during one of the university's open concerts where Joonmyun sings as an opening act and Jongin dances for most part of the concert. "The way you move is different," Jongin remembers the recruiter saying, and repeats this to Joonmyun when Joonmyun asks about the silly grin on his face.
"Can you imagine - SM Entertainment! I… I never thought-"
"I always knew you had it in you."
"This is all so surreal. Just-"
Jongin quickly turns to Joonmyun. "I'll still be around," Joonmyun begins then pauses for a while before continuing, "I've got one more year in med school. I will still see you, right?"
Jongin heaves a sigh. The recruiter said something about being willing to give up free time and social life; he never mentioned anything about giving up relationships. "I'm… not sure." He pointedly avoids Joonmyun's gaze as he finishes, saying, "I'll be busy."
The smile on Joonmyun's lips collapses, shrinking back into the corners. "Okay," Joonmyun replies in a small voice. "I'll probably be busy, as well."
Jongin has never been good with words, so before leaving for practice the following day, he sticks a note to Joonmyun's phone. "I'm never too busy for you," the note reads - overly cheesy even for someone like Jongin.
He shakes his head and adds an even cheesier message at the bottom.
8 p.m. tonight? My treat.
It's a date.