[Fic] Ashes! Ashes! We All Fall Down
Title: Ashes! Ashes! We All Fall Down
Pairing: Yunjae
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, tragedy
Summary: 5 men. 5 guns. In a case of do or die, how far would you go to secure the outcome you want?
There were guns pointing at him.
There was also a gun in his hand.
There was only one rule to this cruel game; only one way out: only one of the five of them could leave this place alive. Changmin willed, even begged, his racing heart to calm down as his brain vaguely registered the feeling of the cold metal pressed tightly between his palms. He swallowed, hoping to sooth his nerves and get some air into his lungs to clear his head. It was all in vain; a drop of perspiration made its torturous descend down the side of his head. He swallowed again, hard.
Changmin’s eyes darted around the space surrounding him, fleeting from one pair of eyes before him to the next. Those eyes that he once knew so well were now cold, wild, and calculating. In this madness where they all had arms outstretched and were pointing guns at one another so that only one of them would survive, Changmin could no longer tell if he was facing his friends or foes, brothers or traitors.
Yunho. Where was Yunho? Changmin needed him to be there, to reassure him that everything was going to be alright and that he was not facing this crazed world alone. Alas, Changmin spotted Yunho standing too far away, his piercing eyes marred by an unrecognisable coldness. His leader might as well have been an entire universe away. Changmin gulped hard and tightened his grip on his weapon, hoping to mask the fear coursing through his system. He hated the way his hands were trembling beyond his control. It was a sign of weakness to his enemies (friends?).
A soft sigh from Jaejoong echoed unnaturally loud in the stillness. Changmin forced his drifting mind to focus on their eldest, eyeing him nervously as Jaejoong lowered his arms to his sides, shoulders slouched. He watched Jaejoong take one step, two steps, three, towards Yunho, gun hanging loosely by his side, unarmed and defenceless. Jaejoong was saying something to their leader, whose expression remained hard and stoic as ever as his grip tightened around the trigger of his gun. Changmin strained his ears to try to hear the words spilling from Jaejoong’s chapped lips, but he was just too far away.
A loud, ominous bang rang out, and Changmin watched, stunned, as a scarlet carnation bloomed on Jaejoong’s once-crisp white shirt. He thought he heard someone scream. He saw Yunho step forward and calmly closed the distance between the two of them, wrapping both arms around the petite man to catch him as he fell forward limply. Yunho staggered under the sudden weight upon him and they both fell to the ground, mimicking the movement that their abandoned guns had earlier made with a sickening thud.
The two eldest fell out of Changmin’s line of sight and he was rudely made aware of Yoochun’s and Junsu’s reactions. They were moving; he could tell that much, but whether they were rushing to Jaejoong’s side or doing something more sinister, Changmin’s brain refused to make sense of it all. Then there were a few more loud bangs and bodies swayed lifelessly before losing their final breaths, dropping heavily to the ground like lead. Silence ensued and all Changmin could hear was his own panting and his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he sank to his knees.
Was it him? Changmin was not sure. The only thing his senses were telling him was that the air reeked of gunpowder and blood. The easiest way to identify the culprit of this carnage was to check if his gun was smoking. But as much as Changmin craved to know the truth, he did not want to look. He couldn’t.
~*~*~*~*~
Jaejoong exhaled softly as he shut his eyes momentarily, his hands falling to his sides. When he opened his doe-like orbs again, all Yunho could see in them were resignation and exhaustion.
“Yunho,” he began, taking slow steps towards the younger man. Yunho felt his heart flinch, but he forced his legs to hold their ground, gun still trained at Jaejoong.
If the other man felt threatened by the deadly weapon pointed at him, he did nothing to show it. “Yunho,” his voice was soft, yet determined, “only one of us can make it out of here alive. And that person is going to be you.”
Yunho narrowed his eyes, not quite sure of what he was hearing. The current set up with Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu outnumbering him and Changmin most certainly did not look the way Jaejoong spoke of.
“Listen,” there was a hint of desperation in Jaejoong’s voice now as he quickened his steps towards Yunho, eyes wide and frantic, “I’m going to make sure you get out of here; trust me. I’ll get Changmin, and then I'll settle Junsu and Yoo-”
There was a bang and Jaejoong’s words died in his throat as his body stiffened and fell forward. Yunho instinctively dropped whatever was in his hands and reached out, collecting Jaejoong into his chest and they both sank down onto the ground together. His body knew how to react even before his brain could make sense of the situation. A warm, sticky liquid was pooling between his and Jaejoong’s chests. Yunho didn’t think he wanted to know what it was; instead he pulled Jaejoong tighter against him, hoping to apply pressure to the bleeding, not liking how the other’s laboured breathing felt against his chest. The feeling of Jaejoong slipping away was wrecking havoc to his sanity and he could not help but wonder how he managed to not break and cry.
“Yun… you’ve got to survive,” Jaejoong wheezed, clutching Yunho’s arms with whatever strength he had left in a bid to convince the younger man. “It’s got to be you.”
“Shh… It’s okay, Jaejoong; it’s going to be okay,” he stroked the matted raven locks soothingly, a sob choking him. Yunho could feel the ragged breathing of Jaejoong against his neck. It was not okay.
Only when the feeble rise and fall of Jaejoong’s chest came to a complete halt did Yunho realise that all movement in his world had ceased along with it. His hand stopped in its path up Jaejoong’s scalp, and he finally noticed how badly it was shaking. Everything was so silent he swore he could hear his heart wailing in his chest. Without warning, all his senses started to feedback and Yunho had to summon every ounce of strength he had to not scream as reality sunk in.
“Yunho?”
Changmin. At least now he was assured of some normalcy amidst this chaos. His hand resumed its ministrations on Jaejoong’s silky head. Somehow this simple action calmed him.
“Yeah, Min? I’m over here.”
“Oh God, hyung, I am so, so glad to hear your voice.”
Yunho could not see the youngest boy’s face from where he laid on the ground, but he noted that the boy was crying. Changmin was not even bothering to conceal his loud, terrified sobs.
“I’m right here, Min; it’s okay. How are Yoochun and Junsu? ”
There was a pause. “I don’t know, hyung… They aren’t moving…”
Yunho shut his eyes and shuddered, groaning inwardly. His hand paused for a moment before continuing to let his fingers thread through Jaejoong’s hair. They were coated with some sticky substance now.
“It’s okay, Min.” Yunho scared himself when he heard his voice, wondering how it could still sound so cool and collected even as he lied. “Listen to me, Changmin-ah; I need you to get out of here.”
“But, hyung-”
“Changmin,” Yunho said firmly, “I want you out of here now. Run, and don’t ever turn back.”
There was silence, probably Changmin contemplating his options, and then Yunho could hear the shuffling of feet before it broke into a full out run, the sound of footsteps growing further and fainter.
Yunho sighed, shutting his eyes and shifting to make himself more comfortable on the hard ground. The coppery tang of blood was really overwhelming his senses now. He finally allowed himself to look at Jaejoong’s face, feeling brave, marvelling at how peaceful the older man looked with his face pressed against Yunho’s shoulder, doe eyes shut for eternity. Yunho thought he could still feel the ghost of his last breath lingering on those crimson lips.
With another small sigh he leaned his head back, stretching tired muscles and enjoying the feel of the dull weight on him that was Jaejoong. Gazing at the night sky above him, he though he spotted a silver ‘W’ twinkling at him amidst the darkness. Hugging Jaejoong closer to his chest, Yunho felt his lips curve up in a smile as a tear began its hopeless journey from his eye.
*~*~*~*~*
*master fic list
A/N: Inspiration for this piece came from Takami Koushun's Battle Royale and the Wrong Number performances during their Mirotic tour.
Another drabble that took a life of its own and became too lengthy. =.= Fact: I am weird. :/ This whole piece is just so... weird. Lol all I actually wanted was the scene where Yunho caught Jaejoong as the other fell, and for it to be written from Changmin's perspective. Somehow it ended up like... this. But ohmygosh I would never, ever pit JYJ against Homin. Can't believe I wrote something about that. (>.<) I didn't want to focus on emotions in this piece (oh gosh, Yunho's part when Jaejoong got shot would probably take up 3 pages by itself) because I prefer to leave it all weird ambiguous cause well... the characters here are supposed to not know what one another are thinking and they may or may not have ulterior motives in a battle royale face-off and... yeah. So... in case you're wondering, Changmin may or may not have shot someone. *wink*
Just had my biopsych midterms and well... I passed, but not good enough. Siriusly, nutrition + biopsych = a repeat of my JC bio nightmare. And instead of reviewing my work like a good student should, what do I end up doing? Writing a damn fanfic. =.= I wish I could post the I REGRET NOTHING chicken gif, but my conscience won't let me. Wanted to cram in another drabble before the week starts, but nooooooooooooo my lecturer had to post quizzes that are due on Monday so my weekend's gone. I'll probably get that drabble done at the end of the month after my finals.
Please do comment! And feel free to clarify anything that got too messy! Thank you! :D
Pairing: Yunjae
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, tragedy
Summary: 5 men. 5 guns. In a case of do or die, how far would you go to secure the outcome you want?
There were guns pointing at him.
There was also a gun in his hand.
There was only one rule to this cruel game; only one way out: only one of the five of them could leave this place alive. Changmin willed, even begged, his racing heart to calm down as his brain vaguely registered the feeling of the cold metal pressed tightly between his palms. He swallowed, hoping to sooth his nerves and get some air into his lungs to clear his head. It was all in vain; a drop of perspiration made its torturous descend down the side of his head. He swallowed again, hard.
Changmin’s eyes darted around the space surrounding him, fleeting from one pair of eyes before him to the next. Those eyes that he once knew so well were now cold, wild, and calculating. In this madness where they all had arms outstretched and were pointing guns at one another so that only one of them would survive, Changmin could no longer tell if he was facing his friends or foes, brothers or traitors.
Yunho. Where was Yunho? Changmin needed him to be there, to reassure him that everything was going to be alright and that he was not facing this crazed world alone. Alas, Changmin spotted Yunho standing too far away, his piercing eyes marred by an unrecognisable coldness. His leader might as well have been an entire universe away. Changmin gulped hard and tightened his grip on his weapon, hoping to mask the fear coursing through his system. He hated the way his hands were trembling beyond his control. It was a sign of weakness to his enemies (friends?).
A soft sigh from Jaejoong echoed unnaturally loud in the stillness. Changmin forced his drifting mind to focus on their eldest, eyeing him nervously as Jaejoong lowered his arms to his sides, shoulders slouched. He watched Jaejoong take one step, two steps, three, towards Yunho, gun hanging loosely by his side, unarmed and defenceless. Jaejoong was saying something to their leader, whose expression remained hard and stoic as ever as his grip tightened around the trigger of his gun. Changmin strained his ears to try to hear the words spilling from Jaejoong’s chapped lips, but he was just too far away.
A loud, ominous bang rang out, and Changmin watched, stunned, as a scarlet carnation bloomed on Jaejoong’s once-crisp white shirt. He thought he heard someone scream. He saw Yunho step forward and calmly closed the distance between the two of them, wrapping both arms around the petite man to catch him as he fell forward limply. Yunho staggered under the sudden weight upon him and they both fell to the ground, mimicking the movement that their abandoned guns had earlier made with a sickening thud.
The two eldest fell out of Changmin’s line of sight and he was rudely made aware of Yoochun’s and Junsu’s reactions. They were moving; he could tell that much, but whether they were rushing to Jaejoong’s side or doing something more sinister, Changmin’s brain refused to make sense of it all. Then there were a few more loud bangs and bodies swayed lifelessly before losing their final breaths, dropping heavily to the ground like lead. Silence ensued and all Changmin could hear was his own panting and his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he sank to his knees.
Was it him? Changmin was not sure. The only thing his senses were telling him was that the air reeked of gunpowder and blood. The easiest way to identify the culprit of this carnage was to check if his gun was smoking. But as much as Changmin craved to know the truth, he did not want to look. He couldn’t.
~*~*~*~*~
Jaejoong exhaled softly as he shut his eyes momentarily, his hands falling to his sides. When he opened his doe-like orbs again, all Yunho could see in them were resignation and exhaustion.
“Yunho,” he began, taking slow steps towards the younger man. Yunho felt his heart flinch, but he forced his legs to hold their ground, gun still trained at Jaejoong.
If the other man felt threatened by the deadly weapon pointed at him, he did nothing to show it. “Yunho,” his voice was soft, yet determined, “only one of us can make it out of here alive. And that person is going to be you.”
Yunho narrowed his eyes, not quite sure of what he was hearing. The current set up with Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu outnumbering him and Changmin most certainly did not look the way Jaejoong spoke of.
“Listen,” there was a hint of desperation in Jaejoong’s voice now as he quickened his steps towards Yunho, eyes wide and frantic, “I’m going to make sure you get out of here; trust me. I’ll get Changmin, and then I'll settle Junsu and Yoo-”
There was a bang and Jaejoong’s words died in his throat as his body stiffened and fell forward. Yunho instinctively dropped whatever was in his hands and reached out, collecting Jaejoong into his chest and they both sank down onto the ground together. His body knew how to react even before his brain could make sense of the situation. A warm, sticky liquid was pooling between his and Jaejoong’s chests. Yunho didn’t think he wanted to know what it was; instead he pulled Jaejoong tighter against him, hoping to apply pressure to the bleeding, not liking how the other’s laboured breathing felt against his chest. The feeling of Jaejoong slipping away was wrecking havoc to his sanity and he could not help but wonder how he managed to not break and cry.
“Yun… you’ve got to survive,” Jaejoong wheezed, clutching Yunho’s arms with whatever strength he had left in a bid to convince the younger man. “It’s got to be you.”
“Shh… It’s okay, Jaejoong; it’s going to be okay,” he stroked the matted raven locks soothingly, a sob choking him. Yunho could feel the ragged breathing of Jaejoong against his neck. It was not okay.
Only when the feeble rise and fall of Jaejoong’s chest came to a complete halt did Yunho realise that all movement in his world had ceased along with it. His hand stopped in its path up Jaejoong’s scalp, and he finally noticed how badly it was shaking. Everything was so silent he swore he could hear his heart wailing in his chest. Without warning, all his senses started to feedback and Yunho had to summon every ounce of strength he had to not scream as reality sunk in.
“Yunho?”
Changmin. At least now he was assured of some normalcy amidst this chaos. His hand resumed its ministrations on Jaejoong’s silky head. Somehow this simple action calmed him.
“Yeah, Min? I’m over here.”
“Oh God, hyung, I am so, so glad to hear your voice.”
Yunho could not see the youngest boy’s face from where he laid on the ground, but he noted that the boy was crying. Changmin was not even bothering to conceal his loud, terrified sobs.
“I’m right here, Min; it’s okay. How are Yoochun and Junsu? ”
There was a pause. “I don’t know, hyung… They aren’t moving…”
Yunho shut his eyes and shuddered, groaning inwardly. His hand paused for a moment before continuing to let his fingers thread through Jaejoong’s hair. They were coated with some sticky substance now.
“It’s okay, Min.” Yunho scared himself when he heard his voice, wondering how it could still sound so cool and collected even as he lied. “Listen to me, Changmin-ah; I need you to get out of here.”
“But, hyung-”
“Changmin,” Yunho said firmly, “I want you out of here now. Run, and don’t ever turn back.”
There was silence, probably Changmin contemplating his options, and then Yunho could hear the shuffling of feet before it broke into a full out run, the sound of footsteps growing further and fainter.
Yunho sighed, shutting his eyes and shifting to make himself more comfortable on the hard ground. The coppery tang of blood was really overwhelming his senses now. He finally allowed himself to look at Jaejoong’s face, feeling brave, marvelling at how peaceful the older man looked with his face pressed against Yunho’s shoulder, doe eyes shut for eternity. Yunho thought he could still feel the ghost of his last breath lingering on those crimson lips.
With another small sigh he leaned his head back, stretching tired muscles and enjoying the feel of the dull weight on him that was Jaejoong. Gazing at the night sky above him, he though he spotted a silver ‘W’ twinkling at him amidst the darkness. Hugging Jaejoong closer to his chest, Yunho felt his lips curve up in a smile as a tear began its hopeless journey from his eye.
*~*~*~*~*
*master fic list
A/N: Inspiration for this piece came from Takami Koushun's Battle Royale and the Wrong Number performances during their Mirotic tour.
Another drabble that took a life of its own and became too lengthy. =.= Fact: I am weird. :/ This whole piece is just so... weird. Lol all I actually wanted was the scene where Yunho caught Jaejoong as the other fell, and for it to be written from Changmin's perspective. Somehow it ended up like... this. But ohmygosh I would never, ever pit JYJ against Homin. Can't believe I wrote something about that. (>.<) I didn't want to focus on emotions in this piece (oh gosh, Yunho's part when Jaejoong got shot would probably take up 3 pages by itself) because I prefer to leave it all weird ambiguous cause well... the characters here are supposed to not know what one another are thinking and they may or may not have ulterior motives in a battle royale face-off and... yeah. So... in case you're wondering, Changmin may or may not have shot someone. *wink*
Just had my biopsych midterms and well... I passed, but not good enough. Siriusly, nutrition + biopsych = a repeat of my JC bio nightmare. And instead of reviewing my work like a good student should, what do I end up doing? Writing a damn fanfic. =.= I wish I could post the I REGRET NOTHING chicken gif, but my conscience won't let me. Wanted to cram in another drabble before the week starts, but nooooooooooooo my lecturer had to post quizzes that are due on Monday so my weekend's gone. I'll probably get that drabble done at the end of the month after my finals.
Please do comment! And feel free to clarify anything that got too messy! Thank you! :D