Adrenaline [ 4 ]
Title: Adrenaline
Pairing: ot5
Warning: not your average family
Genre: Family Life, Fantasy, Sci-fi
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jinki falls in love with the sky and the people who came with it.
[Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three]
T
he morning had been uneventful and, to Jinki's surprise, completely normal. They woke, had small chats while eating breakfast before getting ready to go outside. He tried his best to distance himself from them but somehow his name would come up and Taemin would try to get his input on the topic they were debating over. He, of course, wouldn't know what they were talking about and would fall back into irrelevancy as Taemin went back to his original conversation.
Then, they all grabbed their Trecks.
"Are...are you all going outside?"
They looked at him simultaneously, eyes wide as if they had forgotten he was here. Jonghyun was the only one who didn't look up, all of his attention devoted to putting his skates on. Key revealed a small smile before it faded and he turned away, slipping and tying his own Trecks.
"You are coming too, chicky." Taemin informed, his Trecks already on. "Go and get ready, hurry."
"I can't," Jinki declined. "I'm not really into skating, s-so it will be alright if I stay here--"
"As if we'd let you stay at our house when we weren't there." Jonghyun scoffed before addressing Key. "If this guy turns out to be a Cowbird, it will fall on you and Taemin. And I will be there - laughing at your failure."
Key and Taemin simultaneously waved their hands dismissively as Jonghyun walked out of the front door. Minho was following close behind but as he reached the porch he hesitated. He looked at the three of them, his eyes lingering on Jinki for a few extra uncomfortable seconds until he turned away. Taemin's expression darkened a bit at the action and without saying anything more, he left too - leaving Jinki alone with Key.
"Are you wondering what Jonghyun meant?" Key said suddenly, slipping Jinki's Treck onto his foot. He flinched, he didn't want Key's help; this was too friendly for him. Key mistook the action as an answer. "Do you already know what a Cowbird is then?"
Jinki shook his head stiffly, still looking at his feet. Key, oblivious to his discomfort, kept speaking. His thin fingers picked up the lace and when he tied it twice, Jinki noticed how graceful he made the action seem. Then, as he watched a bit carefully, he noticed Key do several other unnecessary flips of his wrist, each caught his attention effortlessly.
When Key stood, he tactlessly watched as his hands fell on his hips. Key let out a breath, head turned towards the door and only then did Jinki look away, pretending to check how tightly Key tied them.
"When a cowbird wants to lay an egg, it goes into another species of bird's nest called a Warbler. The Warbler and Cowbird egg look almost exactly alike, so the Cowbird mother steals a Warbler egg and replaces it with her own. The Cowbird egg hatches faster than the Warblers' and it kicks the others out of the nest so that the Warbler mother's attention is only on it."
Despite himself, Jinki couldn't help but ask. "Doesn't the mother realize it wasn't her egg when it hatches? It must look different, right?"
Key smiled, but it was cold and empty. "Of course she does, but it doesn't matter. She loves the Cowbird chick because she was the one who nurtured it and even though it killed her other children, its the only one she has left. The cowbird chick grows larger and stronger than the Warbler due to her constant care and feeding; she feeds it so much she barely has time feed herself. Eventually, the chick flies off and leaves the Warbler mother."
"Cowbirds are what we call Traitors. Spies who get into our family to destroy us are lower than dirt itself." Key spat, furious and glaring at nothing. The sudden rage was gone before Jinki could be bothered by it as Key brushed at his clothing. Somehow, his eyes fell on Key's hands again. Key paused for a moment before giving an analyzing stare at Jinki.
Jinki let out a shuddering laugh as he used his Trecks as a reason to look away. He heard Key chuckle and step away towards the door. Jinki followed unsteadily, having trouble keeping up with the rest as he found his Trecks were even harder to control without using the motor.
He barely made it down the stairs when he heard Jonghyun let out a loud, displeased groan. "That is going to be with us? He can't even--Oh my god..."
Jinki looked up and recoiled. The group of four was staring at him, their Trecks purring in anticipation. Jonghyun shook his head, mouth opening as another round of insults came to mind. He skated towards Jinki intimidatedly. Minho and Key moved a bit, shifting as if they wanted to act against him but they didn't. Then suddenly, Jonghyun had Jinki off the ground by his collar.
"I'm positive Key gave you the speech about what a cowbird is and what it means, right?" Jonghyun growled.
Jinki nodded dumbly, fumbling to turn on his Trecks. He managed to get his left one started before Jonghyun shook him violently to get his attention back.
"That was your cue to leave before we kill you." Jonghyun's eyes narrowed. "Are you really that stupid?"
Jinki opened up his mouth to answer.
"In a way yes, he is." Taemin interrupted, gliding over to Jonghyun. He gave a quick tap to both of Jonghyun's hands and an expectant look. If that meant something, Jonghyun ignored it and continued to grip Jinki's shirt. Taemin's eyes grew dark. "Are you really going to challenge me first thing in the morning?"
Jonghyun sneered, hands finally releasing Jinki. The man fell to the ground, finally turning on his other Treck to skate away from Jonghyun. Said man rolled his eyes.
"If your willing to take the cowbird's place."
"Jonghyun, you're going to get your ass kicked." Minho stated blankly, crossing his arms as if he was against the idea but his tone suggested amuesment. His posture relaxed drastically and it soon became obvious what his intentions were. "Everyone knows you can't fight worth shit."
Jonghyun reeled around. "Shut the fuck up, Minho!"
Minho raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just sayin' "
"I'm just sayin'--shut the fuck up!" Then he was back to Taemin. "So, are we doing this or what?"
Taemin shrugged. "I guess. It might help Jinki find that person inside who knows how to Treck." Taemin gave a sly look to Jinki before kicking his leg back and launching himself down the road.
Jonghyun did the same, chasing Taemin eagerly only to lose him when he made a sharp turn. With an angry yowl, he turned and followed. Minho, of course, was following Jonghyun at a leisurely pace. A smile was drawn on his face and only grew bigger as he watched the other's frustration grow. Key was the one who stayed behind this time, a little too eager to grab Jinki's hips and teach him how to Treck properly.
o o o
They entered from what seemed like a sewer and were forced to skate down a slope down. Key helped him get down the slope without completely humilating himself.
The Arena was a large underground stadium that had a glass dome for a roof. Light shown from outside of that doen and flickered brightly to give merciful light to the participants below. In the center of the battlefield, a single light shown down from the heavens and Jinki felt touched at being able to witness such a work of art.
As they descended, he saw Minho slid into the row closest to the arena and cross his arms. He glanced at Taemin who was casually doing a series of stretches then gave Jonghyun a worried stare. Jonghyun caught it for a second, Jinki saw, and in that moment he witnessed something strange. Jonghyun's eyes darted from side to side, as if he was about to cry before he looked away, more determined than before. Minho leant back and sighed, his eyes closing.
He didn't open them.
"Minho couldn't convince Jonghyun to stop." Key whispered absentmindedly, his hands holding the slope's rail. His eyes were locked on Taemin. He only looked at Jonghyun once. Key moved away from Jinki quickly, trecking down the slide to skid at the end. He brushed past Minho purposely before suddenly deciding to sit in a different seat. He bumped into Minho once more, jostling the younger man into opening his eyes before taking the fathest possible seat in the middle.
Minho's lip curled in a silent growl before he took a heavy breath and settled deeper into the chair. Key did the same, only looking partially satisfied.
Jinki ended up sitting by himself away from both of them. He realized that this fight was over him and something as simple as a seat choice would set either party into a rage. He chose neutrality, for his and their safety.
It was starting.
"I am giving you one last chance to stop this." Taemin called, Trecks whirring warningly as he spoke. "However, the penalty for speaking against me still applies."
Jonghyun scoffed. The noise was buried under the sound of his own Trecks. "Figures you would favor some worthless stranger over your own family."
"This is over pride, you know that Jonghyun."
"Don't fucking lie to me. You and I both know that isn't what this is about."
The arena went silent. The Trecks roaring had ceased.
Taemin frowned. "That's it?"
"That's it." Jonghyun quickly added. "We aren't breaking bones. We aren't killing this--"
"--is merely a fight over submission. I understand." Taemin's Trecks came back to life, the screech making Jinki flinch against his seat. "It's a pity we have to do this when your leg just got better. Accidents do happen."
And then Taemin was gone.
Jonghyun let out a curse, crouching to start his Trecks before leaning forward and skating forward. He made a sudden turn, jerking toward the right as he kept an eye out around him while searching for Taemin in the sky. His continued to make those sudden turns, but the more he did them, the easier it was to tell when he would make them. Jinki watched intently, as Jonghyun seemed to wait seven seconds before going in the direction he hadn’t been looking in before. The more he watched, the more he understood and recognized Jonghyun’s pattern. He didn’t turn around and protect his blind spot. He would always look either left or right before turning. He moved in straight lines. His only focus was finding Taemin.
Jinki broke away from the searching man to stare at the two watching the match. It was slightly mundane but they watched with silent, serious enthusiasm. Minho was leaning across the bars, gritting his teeth and murmuring something as he watched Jonghyun lose his patience. His eyes darted feverishly. He, too, was looking for Taemin.
Kibum was calmer than the younger man, reclined against his chair. His eyes, unlike Minho’s, moved with precision. He knew what he was looking at. He knew were Taemin was and, if the grim smile was any indication, he was loving every second of Jonghyun and Minho’s anticipation.
Taemin was too, probably. Jinki looked back at the stage. Jonghyun was slowly coming to a stop, moving to the center-the center!-of the arena. No. Jinki wanted to say. Keep moving, don’t stop. Whatever you do, don’t stop. He couldn’t. He shook his head, watching with horror as Jonghyun took his time to look around him, obviously frustrated and fed up with the delay.
Key huffed from the side, but Jinki knew it was to hide that delighted laugh that would have surfaced. Minho didn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied with watching around Jonghuyn. He hands reached forward and clenched the metal bars. There was too much tension for this to just be a fight between quarrelling friends. Fights, when fought over pride, never ended well. They never would.
Jinki knew this from when he was firced to watch videos about Treck gangs before with Yunho.
Jonghyun’s head whipped around, hearing something they could not before he swiveled around and slowly skated to the side.
One involved in a pride fight not only was fighting for their pride, but for their honor, their position and their right to be in the gang. Civil Wars were brutal because those who lost were not only kicked out of the gang, but their family and possibly murdered afterwards. Ironically, wars between two gangs ended with little to no casualties.
Jonghyun’s trecks were leaving a large cloud of dust as he picked up speed; it was obvious he thought he had found Taemin.That’s why it was important to not offend anyone in your gang. That’s why it was important to obey and respect your leader, no matter how young or disabled they may be.
"You better hope I don’t find you, Taemin!” Jonghyun hollered. “When I do, you will wish you’d listened to me and dumped that flightless failure where you found him.”
Because usually they were leader for a reason, despite how deceiving their appearance may be. A whirlwind of dust flew up from behind Jonghyun, giving him seconds to turn around and watch the dust storm approach him at unbelievable speed. And misinterpreting something as important as that could be--
Jonghyun flinched, arms coming up to protect his head.
Very.
Taemin appeared through the wind, hand reaching through the faulty protection and snatching his hair.
Very.
Taemin, using the momentum he had built before, spun while grabbing Jonghyun’s hair, bringing the man with him. He then used his free hand to grab and reinforce the already placed right before slamming Jonghyun’s face into the concrete.
Dangerous.
Pairing: ot5
Warning: not your average family
Genre: Family Life, Fantasy, Sci-fi
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jinki falls in love with the sky and the people who came with it.
[Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three]
T
he morning had been uneventful and, to Jinki's surprise, completely normal. They woke, had small chats while eating breakfast before getting ready to go outside. He tried his best to distance himself from them but somehow his name would come up and Taemin would try to get his input on the topic they were debating over. He, of course, wouldn't know what they were talking about and would fall back into irrelevancy as Taemin went back to his original conversation.
Then, they all grabbed their Trecks.
"Are...are you all going outside?"
They looked at him simultaneously, eyes wide as if they had forgotten he was here. Jonghyun was the only one who didn't look up, all of his attention devoted to putting his skates on. Key revealed a small smile before it faded and he turned away, slipping and tying his own Trecks.
"You are coming too, chicky." Taemin informed, his Trecks already on. "Go and get ready, hurry."
"I can't," Jinki declined. "I'm not really into skating, s-so it will be alright if I stay here--"
"As if we'd let you stay at our house when we weren't there." Jonghyun scoffed before addressing Key. "If this guy turns out to be a Cowbird, it will fall on you and Taemin. And I will be there - laughing at your failure."
Key and Taemin simultaneously waved their hands dismissively as Jonghyun walked out of the front door. Minho was following close behind but as he reached the porch he hesitated. He looked at the three of them, his eyes lingering on Jinki for a few extra uncomfortable seconds until he turned away. Taemin's expression darkened a bit at the action and without saying anything more, he left too - leaving Jinki alone with Key.
"Are you wondering what Jonghyun meant?" Key said suddenly, slipping Jinki's Treck onto his foot. He flinched, he didn't want Key's help; this was too friendly for him. Key mistook the action as an answer. "Do you already know what a Cowbird is then?"
Jinki shook his head stiffly, still looking at his feet. Key, oblivious to his discomfort, kept speaking. His thin fingers picked up the lace and when he tied it twice, Jinki noticed how graceful he made the action seem. Then, as he watched a bit carefully, he noticed Key do several other unnecessary flips of his wrist, each caught his attention effortlessly.
When Key stood, he tactlessly watched as his hands fell on his hips. Key let out a breath, head turned towards the door and only then did Jinki look away, pretending to check how tightly Key tied them.
"When a cowbird wants to lay an egg, it goes into another species of bird's nest called a Warbler. The Warbler and Cowbird egg look almost exactly alike, so the Cowbird mother steals a Warbler egg and replaces it with her own. The Cowbird egg hatches faster than the Warblers' and it kicks the others out of the nest so that the Warbler mother's attention is only on it."
Despite himself, Jinki couldn't help but ask. "Doesn't the mother realize it wasn't her egg when it hatches? It must look different, right?"
Key smiled, but it was cold and empty. "Of course she does, but it doesn't matter. She loves the Cowbird chick because she was the one who nurtured it and even though it killed her other children, its the only one she has left. The cowbird chick grows larger and stronger than the Warbler due to her constant care and feeding; she feeds it so much she barely has time feed herself. Eventually, the chick flies off and leaves the Warbler mother."
"Cowbirds are what we call Traitors. Spies who get into our family to destroy us are lower than dirt itself." Key spat, furious and glaring at nothing. The sudden rage was gone before Jinki could be bothered by it as Key brushed at his clothing. Somehow, his eyes fell on Key's hands again. Key paused for a moment before giving an analyzing stare at Jinki.
Jinki let out a shuddering laugh as he used his Trecks as a reason to look away. He heard Key chuckle and step away towards the door. Jinki followed unsteadily, having trouble keeping up with the rest as he found his Trecks were even harder to control without using the motor.
He barely made it down the stairs when he heard Jonghyun let out a loud, displeased groan. "That is going to be with us? He can't even--Oh my god..."
Jinki looked up and recoiled. The group of four was staring at him, their Trecks purring in anticipation. Jonghyun shook his head, mouth opening as another round of insults came to mind. He skated towards Jinki intimidatedly. Minho and Key moved a bit, shifting as if they wanted to act against him but they didn't. Then suddenly, Jonghyun had Jinki off the ground by his collar.
"I'm positive Key gave you the speech about what a cowbird is and what it means, right?" Jonghyun growled.
Jinki nodded dumbly, fumbling to turn on his Trecks. He managed to get his left one started before Jonghyun shook him violently to get his attention back.
"That was your cue to leave before we kill you." Jonghyun's eyes narrowed. "Are you really that stupid?"
Jinki opened up his mouth to answer.
"In a way yes, he is." Taemin interrupted, gliding over to Jonghyun. He gave a quick tap to both of Jonghyun's hands and an expectant look. If that meant something, Jonghyun ignored it and continued to grip Jinki's shirt. Taemin's eyes grew dark. "Are you really going to challenge me first thing in the morning?"
Jonghyun sneered, hands finally releasing Jinki. The man fell to the ground, finally turning on his other Treck to skate away from Jonghyun. Said man rolled his eyes.
"If your willing to take the cowbird's place."
"Jonghyun, you're going to get your ass kicked." Minho stated blankly, crossing his arms as if he was against the idea but his tone suggested amuesment. His posture relaxed drastically and it soon became obvious what his intentions were. "Everyone knows you can't fight worth shit."
Jonghyun reeled around. "Shut the fuck up, Minho!"
Minho raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just sayin' "
"I'm just sayin'--shut the fuck up!" Then he was back to Taemin. "So, are we doing this or what?"
Taemin shrugged. "I guess. It might help Jinki find that person inside who knows how to Treck." Taemin gave a sly look to Jinki before kicking his leg back and launching himself down the road.
Jonghyun did the same, chasing Taemin eagerly only to lose him when he made a sharp turn. With an angry yowl, he turned and followed. Minho, of course, was following Jonghyun at a leisurely pace. A smile was drawn on his face and only grew bigger as he watched the other's frustration grow. Key was the one who stayed behind this time, a little too eager to grab Jinki's hips and teach him how to Treck properly.
o o o
They entered from what seemed like a sewer and were forced to skate down a slope down. Key helped him get down the slope without completely humilating himself.
The Arena was a large underground stadium that had a glass dome for a roof. Light shown from outside of that doen and flickered brightly to give merciful light to the participants below. In the center of the battlefield, a single light shown down from the heavens and Jinki felt touched at being able to witness such a work of art.
As they descended, he saw Minho slid into the row closest to the arena and cross his arms. He glanced at Taemin who was casually doing a series of stretches then gave Jonghyun a worried stare. Jonghyun caught it for a second, Jinki saw, and in that moment he witnessed something strange. Jonghyun's eyes darted from side to side, as if he was about to cry before he looked away, more determined than before. Minho leant back and sighed, his eyes closing.
He didn't open them.
"Minho couldn't convince Jonghyun to stop." Key whispered absentmindedly, his hands holding the slope's rail. His eyes were locked on Taemin. He only looked at Jonghyun once. Key moved away from Jinki quickly, trecking down the slide to skid at the end. He brushed past Minho purposely before suddenly deciding to sit in a different seat. He bumped into Minho once more, jostling the younger man into opening his eyes before taking the fathest possible seat in the middle.
Minho's lip curled in a silent growl before he took a heavy breath and settled deeper into the chair. Key did the same, only looking partially satisfied.
Jinki ended up sitting by himself away from both of them. He realized that this fight was over him and something as simple as a seat choice would set either party into a rage. He chose neutrality, for his and their safety.
It was starting.
"I am giving you one last chance to stop this." Taemin called, Trecks whirring warningly as he spoke. "However, the penalty for speaking against me still applies."
Jonghyun scoffed. The noise was buried under the sound of his own Trecks. "Figures you would favor some worthless stranger over your own family."
"This is over pride, you know that Jonghyun."
"Don't fucking lie to me. You and I both know that isn't what this is about."
The arena went silent. The Trecks roaring had ceased.
Taemin frowned. "That's it?"
"That's it." Jonghyun quickly added. "We aren't breaking bones. We aren't killing this--"
"--is merely a fight over submission. I understand." Taemin's Trecks came back to life, the screech making Jinki flinch against his seat. "It's a pity we have to do this when your leg just got better. Accidents do happen."
And then Taemin was gone.
Jonghyun let out a curse, crouching to start his Trecks before leaning forward and skating forward. He made a sudden turn, jerking toward the right as he kept an eye out around him while searching for Taemin in the sky. His continued to make those sudden turns, but the more he did them, the easier it was to tell when he would make them. Jinki watched intently, as Jonghyun seemed to wait seven seconds before going in the direction he hadn’t been looking in before. The more he watched, the more he understood and recognized Jonghyun’s pattern. He didn’t turn around and protect his blind spot. He would always look either left or right before turning. He moved in straight lines. His only focus was finding Taemin.
Jinki broke away from the searching man to stare at the two watching the match. It was slightly mundane but they watched with silent, serious enthusiasm. Minho was leaning across the bars, gritting his teeth and murmuring something as he watched Jonghyun lose his patience. His eyes darted feverishly. He, too, was looking for Taemin.
Kibum was calmer than the younger man, reclined against his chair. His eyes, unlike Minho’s, moved with precision. He knew what he was looking at. He knew were Taemin was and, if the grim smile was any indication, he was loving every second of Jonghyun and Minho’s anticipation.
Taemin was too, probably. Jinki looked back at the stage. Jonghyun was slowly coming to a stop, moving to the center-the center!-of the arena. No. Jinki wanted to say. Keep moving, don’t stop. Whatever you do, don’t stop. He couldn’t. He shook his head, watching with horror as Jonghyun took his time to look around him, obviously frustrated and fed up with the delay.
Key huffed from the side, but Jinki knew it was to hide that delighted laugh that would have surfaced. Minho didn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied with watching around Jonghuyn. He hands reached forward and clenched the metal bars. There was too much tension for this to just be a fight between quarrelling friends. Fights, when fought over pride, never ended well. They never would.
Jinki knew this from when he was firced to watch videos about Treck gangs before with Yunho.
Jonghyun’s head whipped around, hearing something they could not before he swiveled around and slowly skated to the side.
One involved in a pride fight not only was fighting for their pride, but for their honor, their position and their right to be in the gang. Civil Wars were brutal because those who lost were not only kicked out of the gang, but their family and possibly murdered afterwards. Ironically, wars between two gangs ended with little to no casualties.
Jonghyun’s trecks were leaving a large cloud of dust as he picked up speed; it was obvious he thought he had found Taemin.That’s why it was important to not offend anyone in your gang. That’s why it was important to obey and respect your leader, no matter how young or disabled they may be.
"You better hope I don’t find you, Taemin!” Jonghyun hollered. “When I do, you will wish you’d listened to me and dumped that flightless failure where you found him.”
Because usually they were leader for a reason, despite how deceiving their appearance may be. A whirlwind of dust flew up from behind Jonghyun, giving him seconds to turn around and watch the dust storm approach him at unbelievable speed. And misinterpreting something as important as that could be--
Jonghyun flinched, arms coming up to protect his head.
Very.
Taemin appeared through the wind, hand reaching through the faulty protection and snatching his hair.
Very.
Taemin, using the momentum he had built before, spun while grabbing Jonghyun’s hair, bringing the man with him. He then used his free hand to grab and reinforce the already placed right before slamming Jonghyun’s face into the concrete.
Dangerous.