Bonus to Jealous and Forgiveness
Author: ichigotabetai
Title: Helping out the neighbours
Pairing: Yoosu, Minsu
Rating: Rated for themes
Warnings: Trigger abuse and disfunctional relatioships
Summary: Changmin is going to do something about his neighbour.
Note: While I was trying to finish Forgiving - sequel to Jealous or the Ultimate Betrayal - I asked Ichi to write me some scenes with broken Su that Changmin decides to "fix".
She sent me this gem. Decided not to include this inside my sequel. It's amazing on its own.
Changmin knew his neighbour was not at home. He knew because he himself had been the cause of that. An anonymous tip about domestic violence. It hadn't been enough to send the police rushing to the door but some form of a social worker had turned up to investigate and given his neighbour's foul mood lately, things had escalated a tad quicker than he anticipated. Regardless, his end was achieved. Park had not had the time to inform his boyfriend and Thursdays were their regular days.
In happier days, days when Changmin was busy imitating a fly on the wall, his target was a happier man. When Park called out his boyfriend's name, it was with a smile, one which was reciprocated whole heartedly. It was difficult not to see the love between them. But then again, Changmin realized - he had never really been looking at his neighbour. The love that he saw was only in Junsu's features because when had he looked at Yoochun ? Never. The adoring looks, the bright smiles - all of them were Junsu's. Those memories were what the stalkerish part of Changmin's soul had hoarded. And coveted.
And now, they would be his. While Park Yoochun was doing the role of a good boyfriend, Changmin knew he never stood a chance. But Park had let go of the ball, recently. Their shouting matches, muffled by the walls, were enough of an indication. Sometimes the fights spilled into the hall, and more than once, Junsu had been shoved out onto the hallway and fallen on his backside. His low-voiced pleading to be allowed back in, his air of resignation when he was denied, Changmin had seen it all and heard it all.
At times, it surprised him, this utter lack of fight in Junsu. No one deserved to be this unhappy and yet, Junsu kept coming back for more.
So Changmin decided for the man he had never exchanged a word with. That he deserved better, and Changmin would be the one to help him see that. It had taken some nerve to come up with what he did, but now that the die was cast, he would grab his chance. Accordingly, he lounged, outside his door. His methods were going to be direct, but then again, he couldn't see any other way to achieve his goals. This was not a soap where he could bump into the man of his dreams and lock eyes with him. Reality was harsher and Junsu would need something more jarring than a simple bump on the shoulder.
Like clockwork, near eight pm, Junsu trudged up the stairs. His footsteps sounded bleak, as they came closer, and then Changmin saw the top of his head. The smiles - they were never there these days, he noticed with a pang. Yoochun had stolen them all. Near the head of the stairs, Junsu paused, and closed his eyes, as if composing himself, and then went upto Yoochun's door and rang the bell. He threw a polite half-smile at Changmin and continued to ring the bell. Changmin took a deep breath.
"He's not in." Changmin said quietly. "The squad car took him away."
Slowly Junsu turned around, looking blank. "Sorry ?"
"Someone complained about the noises of crying and hitting coming from the apartment, I guess. A social worker came by and I think he got violent with her. Or something. So the cops came."
Junsu's eyes darted up at those words but he dropped his gaze to the floor almost immediately. His hands went to his pocket, fumbling for his phone, no doubt to call his boyfriend.
"Don't do that. He'll not be in a good mood."
Again Junsu looked up at him, and comprehension was dawning on his features. "You...you made the report."
"I am sorry for interfering. But I couldn't stand by and just watch. You deserve better. Even if it's none of my business." Changmin said emphatically.
"It is none of your business !" The anger, the barest hint of it became evident in Junsu's voice. "How could you do that ? The police. He might end up in jail." And the anger was giving away to panic. Yet he didn't dial the number. Changmin knew in that moment that he had him. If he played his cards correctly.
"The social worker only came to warn him. If he had been convincing enough, then the matter would have ended there. But it didn't. Doesn't say much, does it ?"
"And you poking your nose in other people's domestic matters, snooping in fact, does it say much about you ?" Junsu fired back. Righteous anger, coming from the victims of violence. Changmin sighed. That was nothing new. Changmin's own sister was ever hotly defending her abusive husband and he was ten times worse.
"I am sorry. But the number of times he pushed you and you stumbled and fell against my door, disturbing me, sort of makes it my business, wouldn't you agree ?" He replied, more snidely than he had intended. It was a mistake. Junsu looked enraged and then mortified. Then he turned and ran down the stairs.
Biting his tongue, Changmin rushed down the stairs after him. He almost didn't catch up with him - but Junsu's long muffler somehow unwound itself and he stumbled upon the length. It was all Changmin needed. He reached just as Junsu was cursing the muffler freely and trying to untangle it from his legs.
"Listen, I am so sorry. I should not have said that." Changmin gasped out and waved his hands wildly. "I just...I had enough of seeing him do...so...sorry...need...to....breathe."
Changmin flopped down on the ground, gasping. Junsu stood for a moment and then leaned down and rubbed his back, ignoring Changmin's disconnected assurances that he was fine. A minute and a lungful of air later, Changmin looked up to see Junsu was still there.
"You okay ?"
He did a thumbs-up in reply. And then, managed to stand up.
"Sorry. Not to used to sprinting around. By the way, are you an athlete ? That's some excellent running right there."
A reluctant smile. "I was on the track team." Junsu replied. "Which clearly you were not."
Changmin gave a sheepish smile. They stood on the pavement, smiling awkwardly at eachother.
"I am sorry. I truly am." Changmin tried again.
Junsu sighed. "No. It's...fine. I'd appreciate it if you didn't do this again. And I'll try to ensure that our disagreements....don't spill over."
"It takes two to try and make a change. I believe in you one hundred percent, but him ? No. If I had someone special in my life, I wouldn't treat them this way. And if I was with someone like this, I run far far away."
"Relationships are not so easy....I am sorry, I don't know your name." Junsu sighed.
"Changmin. And yes, I know that. I see my sister suffering everyday. But once you've convinced yourself that you don't have a choice, then yes, you can't walk away. That I do understand. I did try for her, and I...tried for you. My apologies for interfering once again, and good night."
If he had hoped to be stopped, he was disappointed. But Changmin himself felt bitter. Not for the fact that his attempt failed but because he saw the same gaze he had seen a thousand times. Was it so easy to be in an abusive relationship then ? He couldn't think of such a thing, and yet, there were two people he now knew who would rather go through hell than leave.
Shrugging, Changmin turned the corner and entered the supermarket. He stocked up on some cold coffee cans and then took them outside to where some plastic chairs and tables were set up. Opening up the first of the cans, he carefully poured some sugar sachets into the coffee and then stuck a straw in it and began to sip.
It was a quiet evening. The usual, mostly familiar faces walking past him. He sometimes sat there and spun theories about the lives of people who passed him by. It was an inexpensive and entertaining hobby except that today his thoughts tended towards the bleaker side of life. Soon he was imagining that Mrs. Choi's makeup probably hid a dark circle, a gift from Mr. Choi and Mr. Jung's perpetually exhausted look was due to his wife's constant nagging (she seemed the type). Suddenly everyone around him seemed to be embroiled in some defeating miserable saga, but he couldn't change the channel of doom. He finished four cans that way and just when he was starting on a fifth, a large raindrop startled him. It was followed by what seemed to be an entire deluge and though he was only a few steps away from his building, he was drenched by the time he entered it. Climbing up the stairs, two at a time, Changmin started cursing the world pretty freely. He didn't particularly care if the old disapproving bachelors on the first floor heard him. He was mad, and he was damn well going to acknowledge it.
Near the head of the stairs to his own floor, he spotted someone seated. Someone, turned out to be Junsu. No doubt waiting for Yoochun to come and suck some more soul out of him. Changmin wanted to go past him without acknowledging his existence but he couldn't. So he settled for a polite smile as he crossed him and went to his own door. It was still ajar, thanks to his impulsive dash. Shaking his head at his own folly, Changmin stepped inside and closed the door.
He finished a bath, and then a beer before he finally felt more like himself. Sometime during the next hour, Yoochun returned home and from the raised voices, it was obvious what was going on. More than once, Changmin found himself near the door, hand on the knob. Every fibre in him urged him to intervene but Junsu had asked him not to. An adult had asked him not to. He would have ignored it if he had the right, but he didn't. And he learned a lesson from his sister's life - namely, interfering made things worse for the victim. Or so they told themselves - they who could not be helped.
So everytime he wanted to, he took a step backward and then another, and took deep breaths. It was nearly midnight when the voices reached their peak. He looked at the clock assessing the situation. Any moment now, there would be that familiar thud against his doorway.
It didn't come. As the voices had risen, they died away. Rather abruptly. He heard the door bang. Probably Yoochun had been content to merely turn his boyfriend out instead of the usual pushing and shoving. That was an improvement. Changmin steeled himself against watching through the spyglass. It didn't lead to anything good. He stayed in his seat infront of the television.
Then the bell rang.
Confused, Changmin looked at the clock again, as he slowly walked to the door. A familiar person stood facing his spyglass. Changmin threw open the door in a hurry.
"What's wrong ?" He asked, unable to disguise the worry he felt.
Junsu looked past his shoulder, at Yoochun's door and then turned to face Changmin.
"Thanks." He said quietly and turned to leave
Changmin let him go. He knew when to push the issue, and when not. This was one of the 'not' moments. Inside he was jubilant. Outwardly, he wished Junsu a good night and closed the door lightly. But not before showing the finger to Yoochun's door.
--
Title: Helping out the neighbours
Pairing: Yoosu, Minsu
Rating: Rated for themes
Warnings: Trigger abuse and disfunctional relatioships
Summary: Changmin is going to do something about his neighbour.
Note: While I was trying to finish Forgiving - sequel to Jealous or the Ultimate Betrayal - I asked Ichi to write me some scenes with broken Su that Changmin decides to "fix".
She sent me this gem. Decided not to include this inside my sequel. It's amazing on its own.
Changmin knew his neighbour was not at home. He knew because he himself had been the cause of that. An anonymous tip about domestic violence. It hadn't been enough to send the police rushing to the door but some form of a social worker had turned up to investigate and given his neighbour's foul mood lately, things had escalated a tad quicker than he anticipated. Regardless, his end was achieved. Park had not had the time to inform his boyfriend and Thursdays were their regular days.
In happier days, days when Changmin was busy imitating a fly on the wall, his target was a happier man. When Park called out his boyfriend's name, it was with a smile, one which was reciprocated whole heartedly. It was difficult not to see the love between them. But then again, Changmin realized - he had never really been looking at his neighbour. The love that he saw was only in Junsu's features because when had he looked at Yoochun ? Never. The adoring looks, the bright smiles - all of them were Junsu's. Those memories were what the stalkerish part of Changmin's soul had hoarded. And coveted.
And now, they would be his. While Park Yoochun was doing the role of a good boyfriend, Changmin knew he never stood a chance. But Park had let go of the ball, recently. Their shouting matches, muffled by the walls, were enough of an indication. Sometimes the fights spilled into the hall, and more than once, Junsu had been shoved out onto the hallway and fallen on his backside. His low-voiced pleading to be allowed back in, his air of resignation when he was denied, Changmin had seen it all and heard it all.
At times, it surprised him, this utter lack of fight in Junsu. No one deserved to be this unhappy and yet, Junsu kept coming back for more.
So Changmin decided for the man he had never exchanged a word with. That he deserved better, and Changmin would be the one to help him see that. It had taken some nerve to come up with what he did, but now that the die was cast, he would grab his chance. Accordingly, he lounged, outside his door. His methods were going to be direct, but then again, he couldn't see any other way to achieve his goals. This was not a soap where he could bump into the man of his dreams and lock eyes with him. Reality was harsher and Junsu would need something more jarring than a simple bump on the shoulder.
Like clockwork, near eight pm, Junsu trudged up the stairs. His footsteps sounded bleak, as they came closer, and then Changmin saw the top of his head. The smiles - they were never there these days, he noticed with a pang. Yoochun had stolen them all. Near the head of the stairs, Junsu paused, and closed his eyes, as if composing himself, and then went upto Yoochun's door and rang the bell. He threw a polite half-smile at Changmin and continued to ring the bell. Changmin took a deep breath.
"He's not in." Changmin said quietly. "The squad car took him away."
Slowly Junsu turned around, looking blank. "Sorry ?"
"Someone complained about the noises of crying and hitting coming from the apartment, I guess. A social worker came by and I think he got violent with her. Or something. So the cops came."
Junsu's eyes darted up at those words but he dropped his gaze to the floor almost immediately. His hands went to his pocket, fumbling for his phone, no doubt to call his boyfriend.
"Don't do that. He'll not be in a good mood."
Again Junsu looked up at him, and comprehension was dawning on his features. "You...you made the report."
"I am sorry for interfering. But I couldn't stand by and just watch. You deserve better. Even if it's none of my business." Changmin said emphatically.
"It is none of your business !" The anger, the barest hint of it became evident in Junsu's voice. "How could you do that ? The police. He might end up in jail." And the anger was giving away to panic. Yet he didn't dial the number. Changmin knew in that moment that he had him. If he played his cards correctly.
"The social worker only came to warn him. If he had been convincing enough, then the matter would have ended there. But it didn't. Doesn't say much, does it ?"
"And you poking your nose in other people's domestic matters, snooping in fact, does it say much about you ?" Junsu fired back. Righteous anger, coming from the victims of violence. Changmin sighed. That was nothing new. Changmin's own sister was ever hotly defending her abusive husband and he was ten times worse.
"I am sorry. But the number of times he pushed you and you stumbled and fell against my door, disturbing me, sort of makes it my business, wouldn't you agree ?" He replied, more snidely than he had intended. It was a mistake. Junsu looked enraged and then mortified. Then he turned and ran down the stairs.
Biting his tongue, Changmin rushed down the stairs after him. He almost didn't catch up with him - but Junsu's long muffler somehow unwound itself and he stumbled upon the length. It was all Changmin needed. He reached just as Junsu was cursing the muffler freely and trying to untangle it from his legs.
"Listen, I am so sorry. I should not have said that." Changmin gasped out and waved his hands wildly. "I just...I had enough of seeing him do...so...sorry...need...to....breathe."
Changmin flopped down on the ground, gasping. Junsu stood for a moment and then leaned down and rubbed his back, ignoring Changmin's disconnected assurances that he was fine. A minute and a lungful of air later, Changmin looked up to see Junsu was still there.
"You okay ?"
He did a thumbs-up in reply. And then, managed to stand up.
"Sorry. Not to used to sprinting around. By the way, are you an athlete ? That's some excellent running right there."
A reluctant smile. "I was on the track team." Junsu replied. "Which clearly you were not."
Changmin gave a sheepish smile. They stood on the pavement, smiling awkwardly at eachother.
"I am sorry. I truly am." Changmin tried again.
Junsu sighed. "No. It's...fine. I'd appreciate it if you didn't do this again. And I'll try to ensure that our disagreements....don't spill over."
"It takes two to try and make a change. I believe in you one hundred percent, but him ? No. If I had someone special in my life, I wouldn't treat them this way. And if I was with someone like this, I run far far away."
"Relationships are not so easy....I am sorry, I don't know your name." Junsu sighed.
"Changmin. And yes, I know that. I see my sister suffering everyday. But once you've convinced yourself that you don't have a choice, then yes, you can't walk away. That I do understand. I did try for her, and I...tried for you. My apologies for interfering once again, and good night."
If he had hoped to be stopped, he was disappointed. But Changmin himself felt bitter. Not for the fact that his attempt failed but because he saw the same gaze he had seen a thousand times. Was it so easy to be in an abusive relationship then ? He couldn't think of such a thing, and yet, there were two people he now knew who would rather go through hell than leave.
Shrugging, Changmin turned the corner and entered the supermarket. He stocked up on some cold coffee cans and then took them outside to where some plastic chairs and tables were set up. Opening up the first of the cans, he carefully poured some sugar sachets into the coffee and then stuck a straw in it and began to sip.
It was a quiet evening. The usual, mostly familiar faces walking past him. He sometimes sat there and spun theories about the lives of people who passed him by. It was an inexpensive and entertaining hobby except that today his thoughts tended towards the bleaker side of life. Soon he was imagining that Mrs. Choi's makeup probably hid a dark circle, a gift from Mr. Choi and Mr. Jung's perpetually exhausted look was due to his wife's constant nagging (she seemed the type). Suddenly everyone around him seemed to be embroiled in some defeating miserable saga, but he couldn't change the channel of doom. He finished four cans that way and just when he was starting on a fifth, a large raindrop startled him. It was followed by what seemed to be an entire deluge and though he was only a few steps away from his building, he was drenched by the time he entered it. Climbing up the stairs, two at a time, Changmin started cursing the world pretty freely. He didn't particularly care if the old disapproving bachelors on the first floor heard him. He was mad, and he was damn well going to acknowledge it.
Near the head of the stairs to his own floor, he spotted someone seated. Someone, turned out to be Junsu. No doubt waiting for Yoochun to come and suck some more soul out of him. Changmin wanted to go past him without acknowledging his existence but he couldn't. So he settled for a polite smile as he crossed him and went to his own door. It was still ajar, thanks to his impulsive dash. Shaking his head at his own folly, Changmin stepped inside and closed the door.
He finished a bath, and then a beer before he finally felt more like himself. Sometime during the next hour, Yoochun returned home and from the raised voices, it was obvious what was going on. More than once, Changmin found himself near the door, hand on the knob. Every fibre in him urged him to intervene but Junsu had asked him not to. An adult had asked him not to. He would have ignored it if he had the right, but he didn't. And he learned a lesson from his sister's life - namely, interfering made things worse for the victim. Or so they told themselves - they who could not be helped.
So everytime he wanted to, he took a step backward and then another, and took deep breaths. It was nearly midnight when the voices reached their peak. He looked at the clock assessing the situation. Any moment now, there would be that familiar thud against his doorway.
It didn't come. As the voices had risen, they died away. Rather abruptly. He heard the door bang. Probably Yoochun had been content to merely turn his boyfriend out instead of the usual pushing and shoving. That was an improvement. Changmin steeled himself against watching through the spyglass. It didn't lead to anything good. He stayed in his seat infront of the television.
Then the bell rang.
Confused, Changmin looked at the clock again, as he slowly walked to the door. A familiar person stood facing his spyglass. Changmin threw open the door in a hurry.
"What's wrong ?" He asked, unable to disguise the worry he felt.
Junsu looked past his shoulder, at Yoochun's door and then turned to face Changmin.
"Thanks." He said quietly and turned to leave
Changmin let him go. He knew when to push the issue, and when not. This was one of the 'not' moments. Inside he was jubilant. Outwardly, he wished Junsu a good night and closed the door lightly. But not before showing the finger to Yoochun's door.
--