Adrenaline [ 2 ]
Title: Adrenaline
Pairing: ot5
Warnings: not your average family
Genre: Family Life, Fantasy, Sci-fi
Rating: T
Summary: Jinki has fallen in love with the sky and the people who came with it.
[ Chapter One ]
Jinki had been writing for the last three hours. The report he had been reluctant to write was slowly being completed. His pencil slowly scratching over the paper as he wrote about what he saw the week prior. It was his duty to compete this. For the good of all the people who were depending on his honesty, he must complete this report and have those delinquents taken off the streets. Nodding, he felt justified in his actions as he came to the last sentence and then, all too soon the last period. He was done.
He sighed, stretching his arms over his head and leaning down to stack the papers. Placing it in a manila folder, he sealed his package and placed it in the mail. Even though he had omitted their names in an act of guilt, there were several other ways for them to find out their identity. Then again, he had also chosen to overlook the fact about him having the Trecks. Holding his head in his hands, he let out a ragged sigh. He was no better than them.
He went back to his room and sat, his damning forbidden fruit resting in a box. A reminder of what he had done the week before. This couldn't get out. For the millionth time that week, he picked up the box and walked it to the garbage can. He paused just above the can and once again lost his will to give up his only chance. They were his only chance to be free.
"Jinki,"
Jinki turned, his eyes becoming light at the familiar voice, a masquerade to hide his troubles.
"Jinki, Yunho wanted me to show you something." Kyuhyun, his older co-worker told him softly. His tone was gentle, a bit too gentle for Jinki's liking.
"What's wrong?" He said carefully, standing up from his seat - his hands left the box reluctantly and hovered over the sides. He was so close to being caught right now but Kyuhyun was his friend. He wouldn't... "Kyuhyun?"
Said man turned his head slightly away from Jinki, in an act of shame and said "Yunho caught another one today."
Without another word, he began walking out of Jinki's office obviously expecting the latter to follow. He did, but his steps were heavy and filled with regret. When they reached the Cages, the prisoner had already had his Air Trecks confiscated and was intensely distressed about it.
The man paced, kicking out his legs as if he expected his Trecks to appear back onto his feet. He was muttering something to himself and scoffing, looking at the one-way windows into Jinki's eyes and even though he knew the man couldn't see him he had to look away. Their prisoner looked so broken already - without his wings he was nothing. Trapped in a small, dull room the man was alone with only his thoughts and yet he decided to be as loud as possible with his time.
Jinki took a break, backing away from the window. This would be him. If he continued like this he would end up just like that man down there; broken just because his Air Trecks were taken away. This couldn't happen. He clenched his fists. He wouldn't let it.
"Lee Jinki-shi." Yunho called brightly, his hand landing heavily on Jinki's shoulder. Jinki held back a huge flinch and settled on focusing on the sting of the blow. It hurt; he covered it up with a wide smile. Yunho smiled back, completely oblivious to what he had just done and walked him back to the torture zone. His long fingers pointed at the figure below them. "Do you see this, Jinki?"
"Yes." Jinki replied at monotone.
"This is the garbage of our city. That man is one of the many diseases we have to purge out of our city. For the good of everyone..." Yunho paused, as it was Jinki's cue.
"...the good of everyone."
"Good! Good." Yunho shook Jinki by his shoulder in a strange hug before elaborating further. "This is Lee Joon, if I remember his name correctly. He used to be a part of Mblaq. That wild guy has made a lot of trouble for us - he's the one who has been breaking into our information banks - but now we have him." Yunho let out a dark chuckle, the hand on Jinki's shoulder squeezed tightly.
"Hey!" Lee Joon called from his Cage. Yunho went silent and his jaw tightened. "This won’t hold me forever - they will be coming any second now to get me out." The last part was added in a loud yell as the man let out a vicious kick to the wall.
Jinki couldn't help but smile at that. They had both heard similar statements from people in the Cage before. They will be coming for me any day now. They told me they wouldn't leave me. We never leave anyone behind. But when was that ever true? When did frightened birds fly into the mouth of the predator to save their own? They never did because the concept of self-sacrifice only belongs to those who were human. These people were animals.
Yunho saw his smile and pressed a button on the wall in front of him. The Cage crackled as the intercom became alive and gained Lee Joon's attention. "You've been away for three days already. How does it feel to be abandoned by your gang?"
A snarl found its way to the prisoner's face. "We aren't a gang! We're--"
"A family?" Yunho snorted. "I've heard that before - you aren't the first Bird to be brought to the Cage. You can't be considered people - you can't have families. You can't love! It's ridiculous to even think you could form such a thing. Mindless, thoughtless, selfish Birds!" With that, Yunho lifted his hand off of the button and stomped away. He hesitated a bit, before exiting to give an awkward 'good-bye' wave to Jinki and was gone.
Hesitantly, Jinki approached the window himself. Lee Joon didn’t seem affected at all by Yunho’s rant and took a seat on the floor. Gazing into space, the man began to play with the emblem on his shoulder. Even at his perch, Jinki could see the letters spelling out: MBLAQ. The dark letters had strength.
Feeling as if he was intruding on something personal, Jinki left the holding room and began walking back to his cubicle. The urge to fly was stronger than ever despite the fact he had just seen a caged bird - it did something to him. Set a fire in his heart that made him want to break out and rebel; it made him feel great.
Smiling, he reached the corner to his space and paused. The lights flickered. Jinki took a curious glance at the ceiling as several of the lights turned off and on before stepping into his cubicle. Everyone was silent. There weren’t any phone calls, no one was typing, there wasn’t anyone talking - what was everyone doing? Did they all leave? The questions floated around in his mind before being cast into his stomach, making uneasy nausea bubble about. He reached for the box caring his Air Trecks and when he touched the smooth surface of the wheel the sick feelings faded away.
He let out a sigh, rolling the wheels with his fingers. The soft purr of the wheels calming him, he rolled them around while watching a few figures walk briskly past his room. He blinked once, twice, thrice, before standing up and seeing where they were going. The three of them were dressed in the faded grey colors that the Electricians wore - the company name was on the back of their uniform, their heads were covered by ugly looking hats. He took a step towards them; box still in hand when someone snatched his arm away.
He was jerked back to a brutal stare. There was a smile on the man’s face, but his eyes looked piercing and alert and made his smile seem deceiving and equally vicious.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where the main office is.” The man asked.
Jinki took a look down the hall to see the three he was about to follow gone. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “No, but shouldn’t you already know where that is?”
“Should I? I just started today.”
“If that were true, Yunho or one of the other Overseers would have informed you on where you were allowed to go. This place isn’t one of them.”
The man had a moment’s pause before he spoke again, smile stubbornly in place. “Is that so?” His eyes flickered toward Jinki’s box, which made the other flinch and move it away a little. “You’re smart,”
He reached over, snatching one of Jinki’s Air Trecks out of the box and giving a knowing stare. Jinki opened his mouth to defend himself, but suddenly it all seemed futile and his mouth slowly shut. He settled for looking at the ground guiltily; like a child.
“It seemed we have much more in common than you’d like to think, Dog. Do you belong to anyone?” The man asked smoothly, probing but when Jinki gave him a blank look he retreated. “I know you’re secret, and now…” The man lifted his jumpsuit’s sleeve up, revealing the MBLAQ emblem. Jinki’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth and closed it again; losing the words he wanted to say in an instant.
“Let’s make a deal: You don’t say anything about me and I won’t say anything about your little defect to the bigger Dogs. Agreed?”
Jinki gave a half nod, half shake of the head but the imposter took it as a yes. The man smiled and placed the Treck back into the box. There was a long pause.
“To seal our deal, we have to exchange names…” The man trailed a bit, giving Jinki that familiar look. That look Taemin had given him before; the look that he should know this. It stung a bit to see it twice. With his hesitation, the man started first.
“Seungho.”
“Onew,” Jinki said, hoping that the other wouldn’t see through his lie.'
He didn’t. Seungho looked pleased and began walking down the hallway; he gave a three finger way over his shoulder before disappearing around the turn at the end. Jinki clutched the box and quickly went back into his cubicle. He put it back on its place in the shelf and set his head down on his desk. What had he done? What had he gotten himself into?
There were distressed and angry shouts from the outside as people realized the prisoner had escaped. He strained, trying to hear Yunho’s voiced but the yells mixed together in a plethora of chaos. He doubted Yunho would vocally show his frustration at losing a captive. To avoid his wrath, Jinki stayed in his cubicle for the rest of the day - ignoring all the calls and messages he got from other employees. His lesson plan, the one he was supposed to be sending in that day, was forgotten. He couldn’t find the strength to betray Seungho’s trust.
Instead, Jinki went home with that box - guilt trudging along beside him.
The next morning, Jinki awoke in his bed with the sounds of Air Trecks running round in his skull. The box was still in its place but today when Jinki got up to take a peek it taunted him. He had a gateway to the exciting and free life Seungho and Lee Joon lived everyday but he chose to stay and work in a cubicle? He chose to teach children and adolescents the evils of the Air Trecks when he didn’t believe a word he spoke?
Hair a mess and sleeping clothes wrinkled, he stumbled over to the phone. He dialed the number to his work, hung up and then decided to call Yunho personally. As the tone rang, Jinki went over what he was going to say in his head.
It’s been really nice working with you, Yunho and I still think we should be friends but…I can’t work there anymore. Yunho would then reply: Why are you leaving, Jinki? Did something happen? Forcing Jinki to make up a lie and stutter: I…I just don’t feel safe in this line of work anymore - you know the escape? Yunho would sigh and pace around thinking of an alternative before his voice would get deep and dark and angry and he would say: Is there something else you want to tell me? And Jinki would panic and think of the Air Trecks. He wouldn’t be able to keep that secret from Yunho and he would get his wings taken away; he would get punished and-
“Hello?”
Jinki inhaled sharply and he began rambling nonsense before taking a pause to gather his breath. He could hear Yunho give a confused noise before he whispered out “I think I need to take a few days off.”
“It really shocked you, didn’t it? It’s alright, Jinki. Go ahead and take a week.” Yunho replied and then said a hasty good-bye before hanging up the phone.
Jinki put the phone back on the hook and slowly went back to his bed, taking the box when he passed its shelf. He took off the lid and carefully placed his Air Trecks on the sheets. They were still new, unworn since the night he had been attacked. Sighing, he ran a hand down the design and the metal. He would fly during the week he had - it was official. He would get out of his cage for a week, and then he would come back and work like before. Everything would be fine.
Jinki took a shower, put his clothes on and ate; his Air Trecks by his side through most of it. He grabbed his back-pack, placed his wings inside them and ran outside. The path was blurry, but he knew where he had to go. It would be a chore to find it, since his memory only recognized it at night and it was in the morning but he would search until he found the same spot. He wouldn’t just sit and wait for them to recognize he wanted them.
When he got far enough away from his house and the immaculate district that surrounded it, he felt the air around him change. It felt dirty and unnatural; he felt like he had just taken a step into a new world. As he walked further into the foreign territory, he saw the people who lived there. Their clothing was interesting, to say the least. They were simple and orderly, like they were back home. They were flamboyantly colorful and different - each person had their own style.
Looking at his own attire, he knew he would stand out. In an attempt to make himself look at least a bit different, he took off his tie and discarded it on the ground. When people stared at him, he pretended it wasn’t his and increased his pace.
Deeper and deeper he went and the changes kept going until just stopped. The air didn’t feel dirty, but worked and manipulated. The wind blew gently, caressing Jinki’s body. The clouds above hid the sun in a cotton shroud. The murmurs of people had long ceased and he felt very alone. He turned back, only to realize he didn’t know how to find his way back.
This was a mistake.
Jinki took off his backpack and slipped his Trecks on. Perhaps if he gave a Call, they would come? He pressed his heel gentle on his right foot, it purred contently. Encouraged, he added more pressure and in doing so, lost his balance. The extra pressure made his skate roar - a violent screech echoed across the walls around him.
The air got tense and Jinki immediately knew he did something wrong. He went still, frozen as the tense air began to rush and crowd around him. The answering call was loud and equally vicious as his accidental one and it was rushing toward him. He felt his heart beat race, the adrenaline kicking in as the noise grew closer. He managed to stand, trying to look as intimidating as possible.
He saw the figure for a moment, then in a rush of wind he was being grabbed and slammed on the ground. The air flew out of his lungs, making the scream that wouldn’t surfaced turn into a pathetic wheeze. He was shaking, but it wasn’t from fear - it was from excitement. His eyes were wide, and though it pained him to move he was struggling against the hold.
His attacker sneered, before pausing. The sneer fell and his attacker tiled his head in confusing before laughing. “It’s you!”
Jinki felt the pressure of being held lift off of him, but stayed on the ground. He was still struggling to force air into his lungs.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what you were trying to do but that wasn’t the right thing” The voice sounded familiar. Jinki lifted himself up, took a small breath and sighed as he recognized the speaker.
“Taemin…”
“I’m glad you remember me. What are you doing here?” Taemin squatted and raised a hand toward Jinki. Jinki took it and Taemin made a complete show of helping him up. His movements seemed so delicate, his stare so understanding as if he was a child.
“I got a week off.” Jinki said nothing more but Taemin understood. He skated around Jinki once before moving away and slowly drifting off down an alley.
“Follow me, Jinki and remember to skate carefully.” Taemin’s tone was both teasing and anxious. He took several glances behind him, occasionally going behind him to guide him through a difficult path and it didn’t take long for the patient boy to become exasperated.
“What happened to that skilled guy I saw being chased by Bots?” The thick of his palms were pressed against the flat of Jinki’s back, pushing him up an exceptionally steep hill.
Jinki had the decency to look shocked, before answering softly - almost embarrassed. “I don’t know - that…it didn’t feel like me.”
Taemin let out a huff and a small sound. He didn’t say anything else as he pushed Jinki up the hill. When they reached the top, Taemin’s hidden mirth shown in his soft humming - Jinki couldn’t understand why the mood had suddenly changed.
As they began to skate again, he heard the younger boy softly chuckle,
“It wasn’t you, huh?”
Note: Sorry for the wait! I’ve been struggling with school lately and I just finished typing this fifth page. I hope you enjoyed reading it.