A Closet with a View - JE - G
Title: A Closet with a View
Author: mycroftnext
Characters: Yamapi/Koki
Word Count: 978 words
Rating: G
Poster's note: Not beta'ed. posted by anamuan with semi-consent. mycroftnext says she'll fix it when i stop bullying her. XD
Countdown was a logistic nightmare. Countdown backstage was enough to send even the most well-adjusted screaming into the night. The halls were treacherous with costumes, musical instruments, massive electronic equipment, and even the occasional junior flying out of doorways without notice. Not to mention the pins and scissors, feathers and glitter constantly being pushed onto your body for no apparent reason. Yamapi assumed that it was for costuming purposes, but he could never be sure.
As soon as he could break free from the seeming thousands of hands reaching to touch his hair or face or apply this or take away that, Pi ducked through the halls, looking for his spot. Years ago he had realized that he needed to find some quiet space, so he didn't go absolutely insane. Usually that entailed scouting out some sort of back room or storage closet where he could hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign and take a break from the visual and aural chaos. This year, he hadn't arrived as early as he had hoped, so the only unoccupied place he could find was a janitor's closet, which wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind the smell of disinfectant.
Pi reached his hideout and sank back against the door. Stillness. His own mini-Nirvana in the middle of...whatever natural disaster came even close to a Johnny's event. He flicked off the lights and sat leaned up against a wall, enjoying being able to ignore all the muffled noises outside. Nothing but him and the cool air of an unheated room.
Just as Pi was truly starting to relax, the door flew open, nearly hitting Pi. The light flicked on, and as Pi tried to adjust his eyesight, he heard someone say "Don't mind me," then sit down hard across from him. Koki?
"What do you need?" And how soon can you get it and be out?
"Same thing you do. Just a little peace and quiet."
"But...how...why here?"
Koki opened his eyes and gave Yamapi a look that was equal parts pity, amusement, and fatigue. "Number one, never tell Jin anything that you don't want people to know. Number two, I saw you come out of a storage closet labeled 'Do Not Disturb' two years ago. It wasn't too hard to put it all together when I saw an 'Out of Order' sign on a janitor's closet. And now I'm going to get what I came here for, so shhhhhh."
Pi looked somewhat taken aback, but figuring that anything silent was still acceptable, he closed his eyes again. After about 30 seconds, he heard Koki chuckling softly.
"'Out of Order'? Could you not have thought of something remotely plausible?"
"Oh shut up. Peace and quiet, remember?"
"I lied. I actually just needed to find somewhere to relax for a bit."
"Perfect. Let's relax quietly."
"Do you mind if I rap some?"
"Huh?"
"I like to free-style when I'm stressed. It helps me get rid of all my tension."
"Must you?"
"I bet you'd enjoy it. It's not like the songs."
"Me? Rap? Pass."
"Not you. Just listen."
Koki took Yamapi's long-suffering sigh as a yes and began spinning his rhymes. Pi was determined to be annoyed. It was his closet after all; he found it first. Then he found himself bobbing his head in time with the innate rhythm of the raps. It was actually somewhat soothing.
Then the lyrics started reaching his conscious brain.
"You're rapping about our costumes?"
"Why not? Better to make fun of it here instead of in front of some staff lady that might cry or try to put me into something even worse. Besides, that's nothing. You should have heard the one I did about the perils of zipping your fly too fast during a costume change."
Yamapi snorted. "And you expect people to believe you're a gangster? Ok, do it."
Fifteen minutes later Pi and Koki were laughing too hard to breathe, much less rap. Pi wiped the tears from his eyes and leaned back again, still chuckling at a particularly funny image of Johnny being the devil's business manager. "Oh man, I hate Countdown."
Koki gave Pi a funny look. "What brought that on?"
"You know. The stupid costumes. The quick-changes into even more ridiculous costumes. All the people we're supposed to know, and then all the people who hate the people we're supposed to know. All the personality drama. Just, the bother of it all."
Koki half-smiled at Pi. "You don't hate Countdown. You hate getting ready for Countdown. That's different. Countdown's not about the costumes or the personalities or even all the high muckety-mucks running around. It's about the rush of being up on a stage, knowing that thousands of people want to see you. That you make people happy, just by being there and singing for them. It's not a bad way to start a new year if you ask me."
Silence returned to the little room. Then, as if they had discussed it, they both got up to return to their respective dressing rooms. People would be looking for them.
Hours later, everyone was lined up backstage, waiting for the intro. There were too many people all crammed in the wings; it was too warm, too cramped, too loud. Everyone was on the brink of snapping. Then the announcer's voiced pierced the dull roar of the dome. Suddenly, a rush of sound that seemed big enough to fill the world. Thousands of people waiting just to see them. Pi let the wave of emotion wash over him. Adrenaline, nerves, excitement, and pure joy. Riding the high, he looked around and caught Koki's eye, winking at him. Koki threw him his best gansta sign and turned back to his group. Pi laughed and bounced a few times, preparing for his entrance.
Not a bad way to start a new year.
Author: mycroftnext
Characters: Yamapi/Koki
Word Count: 978 words
Rating: G
Poster's note: Not beta'ed. posted by anamuan with semi-consent. mycroftnext says she'll fix it when i stop bullying her. XD
Countdown was a logistic nightmare. Countdown backstage was enough to send even the most well-adjusted screaming into the night. The halls were treacherous with costumes, musical instruments, massive electronic equipment, and even the occasional junior flying out of doorways without notice. Not to mention the pins and scissors, feathers and glitter constantly being pushed onto your body for no apparent reason. Yamapi assumed that it was for costuming purposes, but he could never be sure.
As soon as he could break free from the seeming thousands of hands reaching to touch his hair or face or apply this or take away that, Pi ducked through the halls, looking for his spot. Years ago he had realized that he needed to find some quiet space, so he didn't go absolutely insane. Usually that entailed scouting out some sort of back room or storage closet where he could hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign and take a break from the visual and aural chaos. This year, he hadn't arrived as early as he had hoped, so the only unoccupied place he could find was a janitor's closet, which wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind the smell of disinfectant.
Pi reached his hideout and sank back against the door. Stillness. His own mini-Nirvana in the middle of...whatever natural disaster came even close to a Johnny's event. He flicked off the lights and sat leaned up against a wall, enjoying being able to ignore all the muffled noises outside. Nothing but him and the cool air of an unheated room.
Just as Pi was truly starting to relax, the door flew open, nearly hitting Pi. The light flicked on, and as Pi tried to adjust his eyesight, he heard someone say "Don't mind me," then sit down hard across from him. Koki?
"What do you need?" And how soon can you get it and be out?
"Same thing you do. Just a little peace and quiet."
"But...how...why here?"
Koki opened his eyes and gave Yamapi a look that was equal parts pity, amusement, and fatigue. "Number one, never tell Jin anything that you don't want people to know. Number two, I saw you come out of a storage closet labeled 'Do Not Disturb' two years ago. It wasn't too hard to put it all together when I saw an 'Out of Order' sign on a janitor's closet. And now I'm going to get what I came here for, so shhhhhh."
Pi looked somewhat taken aback, but figuring that anything silent was still acceptable, he closed his eyes again. After about 30 seconds, he heard Koki chuckling softly.
"'Out of Order'? Could you not have thought of something remotely plausible?"
"Oh shut up. Peace and quiet, remember?"
"I lied. I actually just needed to find somewhere to relax for a bit."
"Perfect. Let's relax quietly."
"Do you mind if I rap some?"
"Huh?"
"I like to free-style when I'm stressed. It helps me get rid of all my tension."
"Must you?"
"I bet you'd enjoy it. It's not like the songs."
"Me? Rap? Pass."
"Not you. Just listen."
Koki took Yamapi's long-suffering sigh as a yes and began spinning his rhymes. Pi was determined to be annoyed. It was his closet after all; he found it first. Then he found himself bobbing his head in time with the innate rhythm of the raps. It was actually somewhat soothing.
Then the lyrics started reaching his conscious brain.
"You're rapping about our costumes?"
"Why not? Better to make fun of it here instead of in front of some staff lady that might cry or try to put me into something even worse. Besides, that's nothing. You should have heard the one I did about the perils of zipping your fly too fast during a costume change."
Yamapi snorted. "And you expect people to believe you're a gangster? Ok, do it."
Fifteen minutes later Pi and Koki were laughing too hard to breathe, much less rap. Pi wiped the tears from his eyes and leaned back again, still chuckling at a particularly funny image of Johnny being the devil's business manager. "Oh man, I hate Countdown."
Koki gave Pi a funny look. "What brought that on?"
"You know. The stupid costumes. The quick-changes into even more ridiculous costumes. All the people we're supposed to know, and then all the people who hate the people we're supposed to know. All the personality drama. Just, the bother of it all."
Koki half-smiled at Pi. "You don't hate Countdown. You hate getting ready for Countdown. That's different. Countdown's not about the costumes or the personalities or even all the high muckety-mucks running around. It's about the rush of being up on a stage, knowing that thousands of people want to see you. That you make people happy, just by being there and singing for them. It's not a bad way to start a new year if you ask me."
Silence returned to the little room. Then, as if they had discussed it, they both got up to return to their respective dressing rooms. People would be looking for them.
Hours later, everyone was lined up backstage, waiting for the intro. There were too many people all crammed in the wings; it was too warm, too cramped, too loud. Everyone was on the brink of snapping. Then the announcer's voiced pierced the dull roar of the dome. Suddenly, a rush of sound that seemed big enough to fill the world. Thousands of people waiting just to see them. Pi let the wave of emotion wash over him. Adrenaline, nerves, excitement, and pure joy. Riding the high, he looked around and caught Koki's eye, winking at him. Koki threw him his best gansta sign and turned back to his group. Pi laughed and bounced a few times, preparing for his entrance.
Not a bad way to start a new year.