fic: Aftermath {101 Side Shot}
Title: Aftermath
Length: side-shot of 101
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: R for theme
Genre: AU
Pairing/Characters: Yoseob, DooSeob, Gina
Warnings: RPS, ANGST, references to sexual assault
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: This is probably not up to my usual standards. It's been one of those weeks and my head is still spinning. It probably has a lot to do with why so much angst keeps spilling out.
This is a side shot from Yoseob's point of view. It immediately follows the events that took place in the video that Doojoon saw in Chapter 6. Read that first.
Summary: Life isn't a fairytale.
~*~*~
Yoseob ignored his phone as it buzzed and blinked at him from the nightstand. There were a dozen things DW could be calling about that he didn’t feel like dealing with. And he didn’t even want to consider talking to any of the other people who might be calling him.
He was too raw, too exposed, both emotionally and physically.
Doojoon made a soft noise of pain and Yoseob sighed, leaning down to brush gentle lips against his forehead.
The worst of it was over, but it would be days before the other man was anything approaching his normal self. His hands tightened making Doojoon whimper slightly and he had to force himself to relax again. Getting himself worked up again wasn’t going to help anyone.
“I’m sorry,” Yoseob whispered against Doojoon’s hair. He let his eyes slip closed and held the other man a little closer.
When he’d first made it his job to protect Gikwang’s new family, it had been nothing more or less than trying to make sure his old friend didn’t lose them. He’d never really expected to want to protect them on their own merits.
He’d never expected to fail so spectacularly.
His phone buzzed again and he sighed before reaching over to snag it. A quick glance showed an incoming video chat and he grimaced. If DW wanted to see his face, that meant the call was less about the mess he’d gone and made of things and more about wanting to make sure Yoseob was okay.
As if he’d been the one who’d been drugged and nearly raped because his self-appointed bodyguard had been late.
Yoseob eased back a little so that Doojoon wouldn’t be in view and flicked it on. DW’s concerned face peered out at him. ‘You all right, Seob?’
“I’m fine.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. He wished he’d never let DW talk him into getting the stupid video phone. It was annoying as hell. But it had taken a lot of time and effort to get DW to a point where he was comfortable asking for the things he wanted, so there was no sense in undermining that. Even if it meant that he couldn’t duck out of these sorts of things. It was good, he supposed, that DW looked more out than in these days.
‘He hurt you.’
It wasn’t a question. With anyone else, Yoseob might have been able to bluff his way out of the entire conversation. DW wouldn’t be fooled. He had a little too much experience, both with Yoseob’s stubborn insistence that he was fine regardless of what may have happened and with the reality of such things. “A little. Nothing a little time won’t cure.”
He’d been hurt worse for things a lot less important to him.
DW hesitated for a moment. ‘Do you need stitches?’
“Fucking- No, DW. I don’t need stitches. It’s not that bad.” Yoseob had to fight the urge to toss his phone across the room. He shut his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. The younger man was just being concerned, he knew, and it wasn’t like it wasn’t a valid question. Doojoon had been drugged out of his mind, far too gone to remember basic things like how much more preparation a man needed than a woman or lube, and Yoseob had been more concerned about Doojoon than about anything else.
His friend knew him too well. Yoseob sighed. He really should find more people to introduce DW to so that he had someone else to be concerned about.
‘Sorry, I just… you know.’
“Yeah. If it makes you feel better you can check yourself when I get back, but I really think it’s all right.”
There were few secrets between them any longer and DW had been stitching Yoseob up regularly since the mercenary had brought him home. Yoseob had never intended to keep the scrawny, abused boy he’d rescued from one of his early targets, but DW had attached himself to his savior with single-minded loyalty and had refused to be fobbed off on anyone else. Eventually, Yoseob had given in and made space in his home and his life for the kid.
DW wasn’t actually that much younger than Yoseob was and his life experiences had aged him prematurely, but it was hard for Yoseob to think of him as an adult. No matter how DW grew and changed, Yoseob would never mentally get past the kid he’d been.
At Yoseob’s offer, he seemed to relax even as he shook his head, as if the very offer was enough to confirm Yoseob’s own prognosis. ‘Nah… not if you really think you’re okay.’
Glad to have that topic over and done with, Yoseob moved on. “Were you able to take care of Park?”
DW quirked a grin. ‘Yeah. Actually, it’s a good thing I checked the station before I did. Looks like his brother took you at your word. He confessed to the murder and told the cops he dumped the body in the river. I managed to get it down there so it can be found before they actually started dredging.’
That actually surprised Yoseob and he blinked. “Seriously?”
‘Apparently a long prison sentence for murder - in addition to his other confessed crimes - is preferable to being anywhere that you can get at him.’
Yoseob snorted. “As if a few iron bars and guards would stop me.”
‘Well, he seems to think it will. There’s a lot of speculation among the detectives that he was coerced, but no one seems inclined to follow up on it.’ DW leaned back and grabbed something. His expression was tight and disgusted. ‘I did some research on that list of victims he gave you. One of the one’s he gave a location for was a detective’s son. If they find the body there, he’ll be lucky if they don’t kill him and save you the trouble.’
Something in Yoseob relaxed a little at that. Though the youngest Park brother had sworn to leave Doojoon’s name out of his confessions, Yoseob had been worried that there wouldn’t be any way around it. Confessing to a few dozen rapes and murders was all well and good, but without names and bodies… He wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but at least the detective would get closure and they’d be less likely to start trying to dig into the unnamed victims.
He doubted Park would last long once the kid’s body had be recovered and his story confirmed.
Doojoon made another pained noise, his head pressing hard against Yoseob’s sternum and he brushed the older man’s hair out of his face so that he could see him more clearly. “Doojoonie?”
He was still passed out, though, his expression twisted in a grimace that could have been caused by a nightmare or pain. Either way, Yoseob wished there was something more he could do to help.
‘How is he?’
“He’ll live,” Yoseob replied with a sigh. After they’d gotten back to the condo, they’d spent a couple of hours in the toilet while it seemed like Doojoon had emptied his stomach of everything he’d eaten… ever. The shakes and weakness afterwards had made it hard to get showered and cleaned up properly, but Yoseob had persisted, knowing it would help them both in the long run. “Probably won’t even remember, thankfully.”
‘Hmm…’ DW didn’t look like he thought that was entirely a good thing, but if so, he had the good sense not to say it out loud. He sighed and ran a hand through already disheveled hair.
“Get some sleep, DW. You look like shit.”
Rolling his eyes, DW glanced at his watch. ‘Pot meet kettle. You do realize it’s like… ten in the morning, right? I’ve got things to do, so I might as well just stay up.’
“What?” Yoseob looked at the clock by Doojoon’s bedside and winced. He’d had no idea so much time had passed. Only the barest hint of grey light had penetrated Doojoon’s blinds.
‘Fun isn’t the only thing that makes time fly,’ DW remarked, shaking his head. ‘But you should probably consider getting out of there. Someone is going to start wondering where he is soon.’
Yoseob nodded and shut the phone with a last promise to be careful. Then he lay back for another long moment.
The last thing he needed was Gikwang showing up to check on Doojoon, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to just leave. Doojoon sighed softly in his sleep and curled closer.
With a sigh of his own, Yoseob kissed Doojoon’s forehead. “You’re going to be the death of me one of these days, Yoon Doojoon. Just you watch.”
It was another half an hour before he talked himself into wriggling out of Doojoon’s arms and getting dressed. He paused in the doorway to watch Doojoon snuffle and cling to his pillow for a moment before turning silently to leave.
“Everything all right, Yoseob-sshi?”
The voice nearly made him jump out of his skin and Gina smiled apologetically when he whirled in her direction. She was damned lucky he hadn’t had his gun on him.
“Are you sure you aren’t a ninja assassin sent to kill me by scaring me to death?” Yoseob groused, rubbing a hand over bleary eyes. They’d run into each other as Yoseob was leaving more than once and it seemed like she always managed to startle him.
“Pretty sure.” She handed him a cup of tea. “Here. You look like you could use this.”
He’d intended to slip out without anyone the wiser, but Gina’s presence made that plan impossible. He sighed and took the cup. He’d never get used to the way this family behaved like they lived in one condo instead of two. “Thanks.”
It was the main reason he always tried to make sure he was out before they woke up. Gina’s schedule was unpredictable though and he thought she took a certain amount of mischievous pleasure in catching Yoseob unawares as he was coming or going.
“Rough night?”
Yoseob made a face, glancing back towards the bedroom. “You could say that.” He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “He’s probably not going to feel good for a few days.”
She gave him a curious look. “Contagious sick or over-indulgence sick?”
“Neither,” Yoseob shifted uncomfortably. Doojoon might not thank him for it, but someone needed to keep an eye on him while he recovered and Yoseob wouldn’t be able to. “Someone slipped something into his drink.”
“Oh..” Her expression went a shade more alarmed. “Should he be in a hospital?”
“No, he’ll be okay. He’s just going to feel like sh- uh.. Crap for a few days. Just.. You know. Keep him hydrated. Get food in him as soon as he can handle it.”
Her lips twitched up at his switch, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead she sipped at her own cup of tea. “You could come by, you know. During the day. During the week. It’d be okay.”
It really, really wouldn’t, but Yoseob couldn’t explain to her that his status as Doojoon’s boyfriend was more fiction than fact. Just because he often found himself forgetting the difference occasionally didn’t make it any less true. But only a piss poor boyfriend abandoned his lover in this kind of condition.
“I can’t.” The regret in his voice wasn’t even feigned. From the beginning he’d been playing this role far too close to himself. He’d stopped trying to tell himself that it was just another infiltration. There was no layer of separation there anymore and he couldn’t even blame it on what Gikwang was to him. Doojoon had wormed his way past every wall Yoseob had ever had without even trying. There was something wholly unfair about the fact that the reporter never even remembered any of it. Such was his life. “I have a business trip… I can’t get out of it.”
She nodded, understanding about the travel demands of work better than most. Her modeling career made her almost as well traveled as Yoseob. Almost. Somehow he doubted models had much call to go tromping around some of the hell holes he occasionally visited.
“All right.” Then she smiled. “You know… all this time and I don’t even know what you do.”
Yoseob hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed. “I’m a chef.”
Gina blinked at the answer before grinning. “Somehow, that wasn’t what I expected. Once you guys make it all official, you should have a dinner party. The kitchen here is lovely.. Well, when it’s cleaned up.”
“I don’t think-”
“Yoseob-sshi…” Gina bit her lip and looked at him over her cup. “I know Doojoon wants to protect Cheon, doesn’t want her to get attached to someone who’s short-term, but… I think you’ve more than proved that you’re going to stick around for the long haul. I like you. I’m sure Gikwang and Cheon will love you. Don’t you think it’s passed time to stop hiding it?”
Yoseob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not that easy.”
“Why? I can tell how much you love him and Doojoon wouldn’t be bringing you home if he didn’t feel the same. He’s already out… Are you… not?”
He wanted to laugh. If only the issue was that easy. Instead he just shook his head and made a show of glancing at his watch. “I really have to go.”
He could tell she wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but she nodded. “All right.” She grabbed his hand before he could stand up. “Talk to him about it when you get back? I just want him - I want both of you - to be happy.”
“I’ll ask him.” It was the first time he’d outright lied to her, but at that point he’d have promised anything if it got her to quit pushing the issue. “Thanks for the tea,” he murmured as he got up, more than ready to escape back to the loft and DW’s more familiar prying.
As he let himself out, grateful that Gikwang’s more regular schedule meant he didn’t have to worry about ducking him, Yoseob paused at the door, leaning back against it with a deep sigh. It was too easy to imagine the picture that Gina so innocently taunted him with.
It was easy to close his eyes and see the kind of relationship he and Doojoon could have had in another time and place, a relationship that involved dinner parties and laughing little girls and Christmas cards filled with smiling faces.
If Yoseob was anyone other than who he was.
He wanted that more than he dared admit, but Yoseob forced himself away from the door. It was getting late and he was way too old to be believing in fairytales.
~*~
fin
Length: side-shot of 101
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: R for theme
Genre: AU
Pairing/Characters: Yoseob, DooSeob, Gina
Warnings: RPS, ANGST, references to sexual assault
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: This is probably not up to my usual standards. It's been one of those weeks and my head is still spinning. It probably has a lot to do with why so much angst keeps spilling out.
This is a side shot from Yoseob's point of view. It immediately follows the events that took place in the video that Doojoon saw in Chapter 6. Read that first.
Summary: Life isn't a fairytale.
~*~*~
Yoseob ignored his phone as it buzzed and blinked at him from the nightstand. There were a dozen things DW could be calling about that he didn’t feel like dealing with. And he didn’t even want to consider talking to any of the other people who might be calling him.
He was too raw, too exposed, both emotionally and physically.
Doojoon made a soft noise of pain and Yoseob sighed, leaning down to brush gentle lips against his forehead.
The worst of it was over, but it would be days before the other man was anything approaching his normal self. His hands tightened making Doojoon whimper slightly and he had to force himself to relax again. Getting himself worked up again wasn’t going to help anyone.
“I’m sorry,” Yoseob whispered against Doojoon’s hair. He let his eyes slip closed and held the other man a little closer.
When he’d first made it his job to protect Gikwang’s new family, it had been nothing more or less than trying to make sure his old friend didn’t lose them. He’d never really expected to want to protect them on their own merits.
He’d never expected to fail so spectacularly.
His phone buzzed again and he sighed before reaching over to snag it. A quick glance showed an incoming video chat and he grimaced. If DW wanted to see his face, that meant the call was less about the mess he’d gone and made of things and more about wanting to make sure Yoseob was okay.
As if he’d been the one who’d been drugged and nearly raped because his self-appointed bodyguard had been late.
Yoseob eased back a little so that Doojoon wouldn’t be in view and flicked it on. DW’s concerned face peered out at him. ‘You all right, Seob?’
“I’m fine.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. He wished he’d never let DW talk him into getting the stupid video phone. It was annoying as hell. But it had taken a lot of time and effort to get DW to a point where he was comfortable asking for the things he wanted, so there was no sense in undermining that. Even if it meant that he couldn’t duck out of these sorts of things. It was good, he supposed, that DW looked more out than in these days.
‘He hurt you.’
It wasn’t a question. With anyone else, Yoseob might have been able to bluff his way out of the entire conversation. DW wouldn’t be fooled. He had a little too much experience, both with Yoseob’s stubborn insistence that he was fine regardless of what may have happened and with the reality of such things. “A little. Nothing a little time won’t cure.”
He’d been hurt worse for things a lot less important to him.
DW hesitated for a moment. ‘Do you need stitches?’
“Fucking- No, DW. I don’t need stitches. It’s not that bad.” Yoseob had to fight the urge to toss his phone across the room. He shut his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. The younger man was just being concerned, he knew, and it wasn’t like it wasn’t a valid question. Doojoon had been drugged out of his mind, far too gone to remember basic things like how much more preparation a man needed than a woman or lube, and Yoseob had been more concerned about Doojoon than about anything else.
His friend knew him too well. Yoseob sighed. He really should find more people to introduce DW to so that he had someone else to be concerned about.
‘Sorry, I just… you know.’
“Yeah. If it makes you feel better you can check yourself when I get back, but I really think it’s all right.”
There were few secrets between them any longer and DW had been stitching Yoseob up regularly since the mercenary had brought him home. Yoseob had never intended to keep the scrawny, abused boy he’d rescued from one of his early targets, but DW had attached himself to his savior with single-minded loyalty and had refused to be fobbed off on anyone else. Eventually, Yoseob had given in and made space in his home and his life for the kid.
DW wasn’t actually that much younger than Yoseob was and his life experiences had aged him prematurely, but it was hard for Yoseob to think of him as an adult. No matter how DW grew and changed, Yoseob would never mentally get past the kid he’d been.
At Yoseob’s offer, he seemed to relax even as he shook his head, as if the very offer was enough to confirm Yoseob’s own prognosis. ‘Nah… not if you really think you’re okay.’
Glad to have that topic over and done with, Yoseob moved on. “Were you able to take care of Park?”
DW quirked a grin. ‘Yeah. Actually, it’s a good thing I checked the station before I did. Looks like his brother took you at your word. He confessed to the murder and told the cops he dumped the body in the river. I managed to get it down there so it can be found before they actually started dredging.’
That actually surprised Yoseob and he blinked. “Seriously?”
‘Apparently a long prison sentence for murder - in addition to his other confessed crimes - is preferable to being anywhere that you can get at him.’
Yoseob snorted. “As if a few iron bars and guards would stop me.”
‘Well, he seems to think it will. There’s a lot of speculation among the detectives that he was coerced, but no one seems inclined to follow up on it.’ DW leaned back and grabbed something. His expression was tight and disgusted. ‘I did some research on that list of victims he gave you. One of the one’s he gave a location for was a detective’s son. If they find the body there, he’ll be lucky if they don’t kill him and save you the trouble.’
Something in Yoseob relaxed a little at that. Though the youngest Park brother had sworn to leave Doojoon’s name out of his confessions, Yoseob had been worried that there wouldn’t be any way around it. Confessing to a few dozen rapes and murders was all well and good, but without names and bodies… He wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but at least the detective would get closure and they’d be less likely to start trying to dig into the unnamed victims.
He doubted Park would last long once the kid’s body had be recovered and his story confirmed.
Doojoon made another pained noise, his head pressing hard against Yoseob’s sternum and he brushed the older man’s hair out of his face so that he could see him more clearly. “Doojoonie?”
He was still passed out, though, his expression twisted in a grimace that could have been caused by a nightmare or pain. Either way, Yoseob wished there was something more he could do to help.
‘How is he?’
“He’ll live,” Yoseob replied with a sigh. After they’d gotten back to the condo, they’d spent a couple of hours in the toilet while it seemed like Doojoon had emptied his stomach of everything he’d eaten… ever. The shakes and weakness afterwards had made it hard to get showered and cleaned up properly, but Yoseob had persisted, knowing it would help them both in the long run. “Probably won’t even remember, thankfully.”
‘Hmm…’ DW didn’t look like he thought that was entirely a good thing, but if so, he had the good sense not to say it out loud. He sighed and ran a hand through already disheveled hair.
“Get some sleep, DW. You look like shit.”
Rolling his eyes, DW glanced at his watch. ‘Pot meet kettle. You do realize it’s like… ten in the morning, right? I’ve got things to do, so I might as well just stay up.’
“What?” Yoseob looked at the clock by Doojoon’s bedside and winced. He’d had no idea so much time had passed. Only the barest hint of grey light had penetrated Doojoon’s blinds.
‘Fun isn’t the only thing that makes time fly,’ DW remarked, shaking his head. ‘But you should probably consider getting out of there. Someone is going to start wondering where he is soon.’
Yoseob nodded and shut the phone with a last promise to be careful. Then he lay back for another long moment.
The last thing he needed was Gikwang showing up to check on Doojoon, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to just leave. Doojoon sighed softly in his sleep and curled closer.
With a sigh of his own, Yoseob kissed Doojoon’s forehead. “You’re going to be the death of me one of these days, Yoon Doojoon. Just you watch.”
It was another half an hour before he talked himself into wriggling out of Doojoon’s arms and getting dressed. He paused in the doorway to watch Doojoon snuffle and cling to his pillow for a moment before turning silently to leave.
“Everything all right, Yoseob-sshi?”
The voice nearly made him jump out of his skin and Gina smiled apologetically when he whirled in her direction. She was damned lucky he hadn’t had his gun on him.
“Are you sure you aren’t a ninja assassin sent to kill me by scaring me to death?” Yoseob groused, rubbing a hand over bleary eyes. They’d run into each other as Yoseob was leaving more than once and it seemed like she always managed to startle him.
“Pretty sure.” She handed him a cup of tea. “Here. You look like you could use this.”
He’d intended to slip out without anyone the wiser, but Gina’s presence made that plan impossible. He sighed and took the cup. He’d never get used to the way this family behaved like they lived in one condo instead of two. “Thanks.”
It was the main reason he always tried to make sure he was out before they woke up. Gina’s schedule was unpredictable though and he thought she took a certain amount of mischievous pleasure in catching Yoseob unawares as he was coming or going.
“Rough night?”
Yoseob made a face, glancing back towards the bedroom. “You could say that.” He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “He’s probably not going to feel good for a few days.”
She gave him a curious look. “Contagious sick or over-indulgence sick?”
“Neither,” Yoseob shifted uncomfortably. Doojoon might not thank him for it, but someone needed to keep an eye on him while he recovered and Yoseob wouldn’t be able to. “Someone slipped something into his drink.”
“Oh..” Her expression went a shade more alarmed. “Should he be in a hospital?”
“No, he’ll be okay. He’s just going to feel like sh- uh.. Crap for a few days. Just.. You know. Keep him hydrated. Get food in him as soon as he can handle it.”
Her lips twitched up at his switch, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead she sipped at her own cup of tea. “You could come by, you know. During the day. During the week. It’d be okay.”
It really, really wouldn’t, but Yoseob couldn’t explain to her that his status as Doojoon’s boyfriend was more fiction than fact. Just because he often found himself forgetting the difference occasionally didn’t make it any less true. But only a piss poor boyfriend abandoned his lover in this kind of condition.
“I can’t.” The regret in his voice wasn’t even feigned. From the beginning he’d been playing this role far too close to himself. He’d stopped trying to tell himself that it was just another infiltration. There was no layer of separation there anymore and he couldn’t even blame it on what Gikwang was to him. Doojoon had wormed his way past every wall Yoseob had ever had without even trying. There was something wholly unfair about the fact that the reporter never even remembered any of it. Such was his life. “I have a business trip… I can’t get out of it.”
She nodded, understanding about the travel demands of work better than most. Her modeling career made her almost as well traveled as Yoseob. Almost. Somehow he doubted models had much call to go tromping around some of the hell holes he occasionally visited.
“All right.” Then she smiled. “You know… all this time and I don’t even know what you do.”
Yoseob hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed. “I’m a chef.”
Gina blinked at the answer before grinning. “Somehow, that wasn’t what I expected. Once you guys make it all official, you should have a dinner party. The kitchen here is lovely.. Well, when it’s cleaned up.”
“I don’t think-”
“Yoseob-sshi…” Gina bit her lip and looked at him over her cup. “I know Doojoon wants to protect Cheon, doesn’t want her to get attached to someone who’s short-term, but… I think you’ve more than proved that you’re going to stick around for the long haul. I like you. I’m sure Gikwang and Cheon will love you. Don’t you think it’s passed time to stop hiding it?”
Yoseob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not that easy.”
“Why? I can tell how much you love him and Doojoon wouldn’t be bringing you home if he didn’t feel the same. He’s already out… Are you… not?”
He wanted to laugh. If only the issue was that easy. Instead he just shook his head and made a show of glancing at his watch. “I really have to go.”
He could tell she wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but she nodded. “All right.” She grabbed his hand before he could stand up. “Talk to him about it when you get back? I just want him - I want both of you - to be happy.”
“I’ll ask him.” It was the first time he’d outright lied to her, but at that point he’d have promised anything if it got her to quit pushing the issue. “Thanks for the tea,” he murmured as he got up, more than ready to escape back to the loft and DW’s more familiar prying.
As he let himself out, grateful that Gikwang’s more regular schedule meant he didn’t have to worry about ducking him, Yoseob paused at the door, leaning back against it with a deep sigh. It was too easy to imagine the picture that Gina so innocently taunted him with.
It was easy to close his eyes and see the kind of relationship he and Doojoon could have had in another time and place, a relationship that involved dinner parties and laughing little girls and Christmas cards filled with smiling faces.
If Yoseob was anyone other than who he was.
He wanted that more than he dared admit, but Yoseob forced himself away from the door. It was getting late and he was way too old to be believing in fairytales.
~*~
fin