FIC: "A Bathtub at 3 a.m." (Yamapi/Yoochun)
Konbanwa, minnasan, I hope everyone out there in Cyberland is doing well! It was an uber busy day at work with EBT, the motorcycle rally and people just needing groceries. I'm glad it's done for today and that I have a later shift tomorrow.
My dental appointment took a bit longer than expected but I was happy to find out they were able to just fill the teeth and I didn't need to have a root canal. On Thursday I head to Rapid and get a consultation about getting an implant to replace a "hollow" tooth. If it looks like they can do it, I'll have a brand new tooth in place before the trip to Tokyo next year.
In the mean time, I wrote this odd little YamaChun fic. This was actually inspired completely by an LJ icon Ladybird (renichifreak) had, which has nothing to do with either Yamapi or Yoochun, but just seemed to fit. It's strange and far different from what I normally write, but it was a nice stretch for me. I hope everyone enjoys!
"A Bathtub at 3 a.m."
By: Miracle Shining
PAIRING: YamaChun (Yamapi/Yoochun)
RATING: G
GENRE: Angst/Friendship/Slight Romance
LEGAL JUNK: Don't own, just borrowing
SUMMARY: 3 a.m., an empty bathtub and a lot of unanswered questions.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Inspired by a SS501 Youngsaeng icon of Ladybird's renichifreak and it just kinda' took off from there! =O.o=
*****
Yoochun rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked at the red numbers glaring at him from across the bedroom. He swore it should have been later than 3 a.m., but after checking the watch he was still wearing, he concluded the numbers were correct.
The youth rolled on his back and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Jaejoong, Junsu and himself were still residing in Japan. The media hadn't let up much and the impending lawsuits weighed heavily on his mind. He missed Changmin. He missed Yunho. He missed the friendship and brotherhood and love that all five of them could only share together.
Despite that, Jaejoong had been bringing home quite a few of his Japanese friends recently. Most of them were from Johnny's Entertainment, a recording group similiar to their soon to be ex company. Jaejoong had taken a real liking to two in particular, a young man named Junpei and his older brother like companion, Yamashita Tomohisa. Before Yoochun had retired, he caught a glimpse of Jaejoong talking to Yamapi at the doorway. He wondered in the back of his mind why the young man always seemed to look just a little lost.
A sound from the hallyway caused Yoochun's eyes to turn that direction. He could hear the faintest of footsteps and then the nearby door open and close. He sighed softly, wondering if Junsu's nervous stomach was bothering him again. His friend had gotten in the habit of getting up around this time and becoming a little ill. Yoochun instinctively rose from his bed. He grabbed a nearby white t-shirt and pulled it over his messy short hair.
He quietly slipped out of his room and headed the short distance to the end of the hall. The door to the bathroom was open part ways. He half smiled, wondering if he was going to find Junsu leaning over the toilet, his face all white once again.
Yoochun pushed open the door carefully and stepped inside. The lights were unusually dim. He deduced that Junsu's head must be hurting. He side stepped a towel that had fallen on the floor and turned to see if his friend was okay.
"Junsu, are you feeling all..."
Yoochun didn't finish his sentence. The words died on his tongue as he looked at the slender Japanese man sitting in the empty bath tub. His wavy blonded hair was pushed back from his forehead. His gray button up shirt was wrinkled and his arms were dangling aimlessly over the sides. One of his black denim covered knees was propped up. His head lulled to the side and Yoochun almost jumped out of his skin when the man's eyes opened and stared straight at him.
"Y-y-yamapisama?" Yoochun stuttered out in his accented Japanese.
Yamapi blinked once and then simply turned his head and focused his attention upwards. Yoochun glanced back and forth. He wasn't sure if he should step out of the bathroom and just close the door or call out for Jaejoong.
"I'm tired." Yamapi suddenly said.
"Pardon?" Yoochun responded, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I'm tired." he repeated.
"Uh, well, there's a spare bed. Do... Do you need some help getting there?" Yoochun questioned.
He wondered if perhaps Jaejoong, Junpei and Yamapi had been out drinking a little too much the previous night. He hadn't actually seen the Japanese man leave after talking to Jaejoong.
"No." the older youth replied.
"Okay..." Yoochun said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I must have woke you up."
"No, I usually wake up right now. Habit." the Korean man returned.
"Ah."
Yoochun waited for Yamapi to say something else. Instead, the young man continued to stare straight up, his eyes going a little unfocused. Yoochun was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't go and find Jaejoong. The Japanese man seemed to be as distant as the media made him out to be. He began to slowly step backwards when Yamapi turned his head and caught Yoochun's gaze.
"Come and sit with me." he said simply.
Yoochun wondered if his face looked as shocked as he felt. He paused before approaching the empty bathtub. He rubbed the back of his neck in an unconcious nervous display. Yamapi simply just waited.
"I don't think there is really enough room for me to..."
Once again, Yoochun's words were cut short as Yamapi drew his long legs back toward himself, giving more room for another body. Yoochun felt a strange flutter in his stomach as he stepped over the rim and settled down into the cold porcelain base. He shifted a bit back and forth, unsure of where to stretch his legs. Yamapi simply slid his long limbs forward, easily framing Yoochun's thighs and waist. The slightly smaller youth felt a little saliva catch in his throat. He moved his hips around until his knees were semi bent but not really touching either Yamapi or the sides of the bathtub.
"Nervous?"
"Yes, I mean no, I mean..." Yoochun shook his head and gathered his scattering thoughts. "Do you often stay in someone else's bathtub?"
"It's a safe place." Yamapi replied very softly.
"Safe?"
"A bathtub is where you can come and get clean. Not only your skin but your mind. I just didn't feel much like shedding my clothes this time around."
"Oh."
Silence fell over the two men. Yoochun tried his best to get comfortable in the tightly folded position he settled himself into. Yamapi was all elegant limbs and he seemed to just move into the tub the way flowing water would. Despite the very peculiar situation, Yoochun was a little envious of how strangely natural his companion looked.
"Have you ever been in love, Yoochunsan?" the Japanese man questioned.
"Just call me Yoochun, please." Yoochun said quietly.
"Then have you ever been in love, Yoochun?"
"I have."
"What was it like?"
Yoochun's eyebrows furrowed at the odd question. He allowed his back to relax a little as he leaned against the bathtub's rim. He didn't know how to explain it exactly in words. He had barely been fifteen when he felt the first real pangs of love. But it never lasted, the girl would move on and his heart would be broken. After a while, Yoochun just gave up on a lasting relationship. When he became a member of TVXQ, he finally felt like he had something real and forever. But now as he sat contemplating the question of love, he realized how fragile that "forever" had become.
"It was the most beautiful and horrible thing I have ever experienced." he finally answered.
"Then it was perfection."
"Perfection?" Yoochun's eyebrow's were raised in suprise.
"Isn't something that is perfect have to be two halves of something else? Doesn't there have to be a good and a bad?"
Yoochun gave a slight nod in agreement. The Japanese man moved his head a little and then brought himself forward. The younger man looked at Yamapi. Yoochun saw someone teetering on the edge of a great decision. It touched some part of him and he leaned a bit forward.
"Why are you asking me this, Yamapi?" Yoochun pressed. "Why here? Why in this bathtub? Why at 3 a.m.?"
"Because nothing can be hidden at 3 a.m. in a place where you're supposed to be made clean." the other replied simply.
Yoochun wasn't sure he understood the answer. He wasn't sure he even understood the conversation they were having. But he moved a bit more forward and rested his palm on Yamapi's cheek.
"Did someone hurt you, Tomohisa?" Yoochun asked, using the youth's full first name. "Is that why you're here?"
"Someone did crush me, Yoochun. But that's not quite the reason I'm sitting here."
"Then what is?"
"I wanted to be with someone who understood 3 a.m. and an empty tub."
Yoochun paused and then gave a little smile. He settled back then, letting his spine rest against the rim. Neither youth said anything then, just mutually listened the buzz of the dimmed light above their heads and the noises of the outside. He didn't know when he drifted off but the sound of voices in the hallway caused his eyes to fly open.
He yawned and looked in front of him. The bathtub was empty. He somehow knew that would be the case. Yoochun carefully pushed himself away from the sides of the tub and drew himself out. His back stung and his neck was stiff from remaining in that position. He rolled his head as the door to the bathroom pushed open.
Jaejoong stuck his head in and looked at Yoochun curiously.
"Chunnie, how long have you been in here? We've been looking for you since early this morning."
"Morning?" Yoochun asked curiously.
"Yeah, Junsu said you left your room at about 3 a.m. and then you never came back. Did you fall asleep in here?"
Yoochun nodded as he stretched his arms upwards, feeling his shoulders protest against the movements.
"I was talking to Yamapi and then ended up nodding off in the tub with him."
Jaejoong's expression made Yoochun lower his arms immediately. The dark haired young man shook his head and then let out a laugh.
"You must have been dreaming then, Yoochun."
"What do you mean?"
"Yamapi went home at about 11 p.m. last night. He even called from his cell phone to let me know he and Junpei made it back to the apartment safely."
"That can't be right. I found him sitting in the bathtub at 3 a.m. this morning."
"And I'm telling you, he wasn't here." Jaejoong firmly replied. "Now get moving, we've got a television show we need to be at."
Jaejoong closed the door. Yoochun waited a few moments before turning and looking at the empty bathtub. Had Yamapi even been there? Had he been dreaming? Had he wandered into the bathroom out of habit?
Yoochun paused and looked into the tub. There, sitting against the white was a small scrap of paper. Yoochun reached down and fished it upwards, unfolding it with his fingers.
Yoochun,
It's nice to know that I'll never be lonely again at 3 a.m. I can sit in my empty bathtub and stare at the ceiling and never find answers to all my questions. Except the one I asked you. I have my answer for that now. Maybe someday, I can share it with you.
Love,
Tomohisa (Yamapi)
Yoochun folded the scrap of paper up and tucked in into his sweatpants pocket. Whether Yamapi had been there or whether it was some strange twist of fate, Yoochun knew he would never know. But he did have three simple things to look forward too.
3 a.m., an empty bathtub and something that was just beginning to look like forever.
END?
My dental appointment took a bit longer than expected but I was happy to find out they were able to just fill the teeth and I didn't need to have a root canal. On Thursday I head to Rapid and get a consultation about getting an implant to replace a "hollow" tooth. If it looks like they can do it, I'll have a brand new tooth in place before the trip to Tokyo next year.
In the mean time, I wrote this odd little YamaChun fic. This was actually inspired completely by an LJ icon Ladybird (renichifreak) had, which has nothing to do with either Yamapi or Yoochun, but just seemed to fit. It's strange and far different from what I normally write, but it was a nice stretch for me. I hope everyone enjoys!
"A Bathtub at 3 a.m."
By: Miracle Shining
PAIRING: YamaChun (Yamapi/Yoochun)
RATING: G
GENRE: Angst/Friendship/Slight Romance
LEGAL JUNK: Don't own, just borrowing
SUMMARY: 3 a.m., an empty bathtub and a lot of unanswered questions.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Inspired by a SS501 Youngsaeng icon of Ladybird's renichifreak and it just kinda' took off from there! =O.o=
*****
Yoochun rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked at the red numbers glaring at him from across the bedroom. He swore it should have been later than 3 a.m., but after checking the watch he was still wearing, he concluded the numbers were correct.
The youth rolled on his back and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Jaejoong, Junsu and himself were still residing in Japan. The media hadn't let up much and the impending lawsuits weighed heavily on his mind. He missed Changmin. He missed Yunho. He missed the friendship and brotherhood and love that all five of them could only share together.
Despite that, Jaejoong had been bringing home quite a few of his Japanese friends recently. Most of them were from Johnny's Entertainment, a recording group similiar to their soon to be ex company. Jaejoong had taken a real liking to two in particular, a young man named Junpei and his older brother like companion, Yamashita Tomohisa. Before Yoochun had retired, he caught a glimpse of Jaejoong talking to Yamapi at the doorway. He wondered in the back of his mind why the young man always seemed to look just a little lost.
A sound from the hallyway caused Yoochun's eyes to turn that direction. He could hear the faintest of footsteps and then the nearby door open and close. He sighed softly, wondering if Junsu's nervous stomach was bothering him again. His friend had gotten in the habit of getting up around this time and becoming a little ill. Yoochun instinctively rose from his bed. He grabbed a nearby white t-shirt and pulled it over his messy short hair.
He quietly slipped out of his room and headed the short distance to the end of the hall. The door to the bathroom was open part ways. He half smiled, wondering if he was going to find Junsu leaning over the toilet, his face all white once again.
Yoochun pushed open the door carefully and stepped inside. The lights were unusually dim. He deduced that Junsu's head must be hurting. He side stepped a towel that had fallen on the floor and turned to see if his friend was okay.
"Junsu, are you feeling all..."
Yoochun didn't finish his sentence. The words died on his tongue as he looked at the slender Japanese man sitting in the empty bath tub. His wavy blonded hair was pushed back from his forehead. His gray button up shirt was wrinkled and his arms were dangling aimlessly over the sides. One of his black denim covered knees was propped up. His head lulled to the side and Yoochun almost jumped out of his skin when the man's eyes opened and stared straight at him.
"Y-y-yamapisama?" Yoochun stuttered out in his accented Japanese.
Yamapi blinked once and then simply turned his head and focused his attention upwards. Yoochun glanced back and forth. He wasn't sure if he should step out of the bathroom and just close the door or call out for Jaejoong.
"I'm tired." Yamapi suddenly said.
"Pardon?" Yoochun responded, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I'm tired." he repeated.
"Uh, well, there's a spare bed. Do... Do you need some help getting there?" Yoochun questioned.
He wondered if perhaps Jaejoong, Junpei and Yamapi had been out drinking a little too much the previous night. He hadn't actually seen the Japanese man leave after talking to Jaejoong.
"No." the older youth replied.
"Okay..." Yoochun said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I must have woke you up."
"No, I usually wake up right now. Habit." the Korean man returned.
"Ah."
Yoochun waited for Yamapi to say something else. Instead, the young man continued to stare straight up, his eyes going a little unfocused. Yoochun was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't go and find Jaejoong. The Japanese man seemed to be as distant as the media made him out to be. He began to slowly step backwards when Yamapi turned his head and caught Yoochun's gaze.
"Come and sit with me." he said simply.
Yoochun wondered if his face looked as shocked as he felt. He paused before approaching the empty bathtub. He rubbed the back of his neck in an unconcious nervous display. Yamapi simply just waited.
"I don't think there is really enough room for me to..."
Once again, Yoochun's words were cut short as Yamapi drew his long legs back toward himself, giving more room for another body. Yoochun felt a strange flutter in his stomach as he stepped over the rim and settled down into the cold porcelain base. He shifted a bit back and forth, unsure of where to stretch his legs. Yamapi simply slid his long limbs forward, easily framing Yoochun's thighs and waist. The slightly smaller youth felt a little saliva catch in his throat. He moved his hips around until his knees were semi bent but not really touching either Yamapi or the sides of the bathtub.
"Nervous?"
"Yes, I mean no, I mean..." Yoochun shook his head and gathered his scattering thoughts. "Do you often stay in someone else's bathtub?"
"It's a safe place." Yamapi replied very softly.
"Safe?"
"A bathtub is where you can come and get clean. Not only your skin but your mind. I just didn't feel much like shedding my clothes this time around."
"Oh."
Silence fell over the two men. Yoochun tried his best to get comfortable in the tightly folded position he settled himself into. Yamapi was all elegant limbs and he seemed to just move into the tub the way flowing water would. Despite the very peculiar situation, Yoochun was a little envious of how strangely natural his companion looked.
"Have you ever been in love, Yoochunsan?" the Japanese man questioned.
"Just call me Yoochun, please." Yoochun said quietly.
"Then have you ever been in love, Yoochun?"
"I have."
"What was it like?"
Yoochun's eyebrows furrowed at the odd question. He allowed his back to relax a little as he leaned against the bathtub's rim. He didn't know how to explain it exactly in words. He had barely been fifteen when he felt the first real pangs of love. But it never lasted, the girl would move on and his heart would be broken. After a while, Yoochun just gave up on a lasting relationship. When he became a member of TVXQ, he finally felt like he had something real and forever. But now as he sat contemplating the question of love, he realized how fragile that "forever" had become.
"It was the most beautiful and horrible thing I have ever experienced." he finally answered.
"Then it was perfection."
"Perfection?" Yoochun's eyebrow's were raised in suprise.
"Isn't something that is perfect have to be two halves of something else? Doesn't there have to be a good and a bad?"
Yoochun gave a slight nod in agreement. The Japanese man moved his head a little and then brought himself forward. The younger man looked at Yamapi. Yoochun saw someone teetering on the edge of a great decision. It touched some part of him and he leaned a bit forward.
"Why are you asking me this, Yamapi?" Yoochun pressed. "Why here? Why in this bathtub? Why at 3 a.m.?"
"Because nothing can be hidden at 3 a.m. in a place where you're supposed to be made clean." the other replied simply.
Yoochun wasn't sure he understood the answer. He wasn't sure he even understood the conversation they were having. But he moved a bit more forward and rested his palm on Yamapi's cheek.
"Did someone hurt you, Tomohisa?" Yoochun asked, using the youth's full first name. "Is that why you're here?"
"Someone did crush me, Yoochun. But that's not quite the reason I'm sitting here."
"Then what is?"
"I wanted to be with someone who understood 3 a.m. and an empty tub."
Yoochun paused and then gave a little smile. He settled back then, letting his spine rest against the rim. Neither youth said anything then, just mutually listened the buzz of the dimmed light above their heads and the noises of the outside. He didn't know when he drifted off but the sound of voices in the hallway caused his eyes to fly open.
He yawned and looked in front of him. The bathtub was empty. He somehow knew that would be the case. Yoochun carefully pushed himself away from the sides of the tub and drew himself out. His back stung and his neck was stiff from remaining in that position. He rolled his head as the door to the bathroom pushed open.
Jaejoong stuck his head in and looked at Yoochun curiously.
"Chunnie, how long have you been in here? We've been looking for you since early this morning."
"Morning?" Yoochun asked curiously.
"Yeah, Junsu said you left your room at about 3 a.m. and then you never came back. Did you fall asleep in here?"
Yoochun nodded as he stretched his arms upwards, feeling his shoulders protest against the movements.
"I was talking to Yamapi and then ended up nodding off in the tub with him."
Jaejoong's expression made Yoochun lower his arms immediately. The dark haired young man shook his head and then let out a laugh.
"You must have been dreaming then, Yoochun."
"What do you mean?"
"Yamapi went home at about 11 p.m. last night. He even called from his cell phone to let me know he and Junpei made it back to the apartment safely."
"That can't be right. I found him sitting in the bathtub at 3 a.m. this morning."
"And I'm telling you, he wasn't here." Jaejoong firmly replied. "Now get moving, we've got a television show we need to be at."
Jaejoong closed the door. Yoochun waited a few moments before turning and looking at the empty bathtub. Had Yamapi even been there? Had he been dreaming? Had he wandered into the bathroom out of habit?
Yoochun paused and looked into the tub. There, sitting against the white was a small scrap of paper. Yoochun reached down and fished it upwards, unfolding it with his fingers.
Yoochun,
It's nice to know that I'll never be lonely again at 3 a.m. I can sit in my empty bathtub and stare at the ceiling and never find answers to all my questions. Except the one I asked you. I have my answer for that now. Maybe someday, I can share it with you.
Love,
Tomohisa (Yamapi)
Yoochun folded the scrap of paper up and tucked in into his sweatpants pocket. Whether Yamapi had been there or whether it was some strange twist of fate, Yoochun knew he would never know. But he did have three simple things to look forward too.
3 a.m., an empty bathtub and something that was just beginning to look like forever.
END?