FIC: Impasse (Chapter Eleven)
Konbanwa, minnasan! I'm back with chapter eleven of "Impasse!" I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, it's a bit of a "transitional" chapter as we're going from the "wall" concept to "flood water" concept. It's a little shorter than my other chapters also. Oddly enough, my two favorite parts in this story are the HanHae moment and the short YeTeuk moment.
On a health note, I ended up pinching my cyatica nerve in my lower back and thus can't sit at the computer for more than 20 minutes at a time. So needless to say, I'm off work until Wednesday. Hopefull though I'll be back up and running soon! For now, I'm on some darn good pain pills and muscle relaxers. Thanks and ja ne for now! =~.^=V
"Impasse"
By: Miracle Shining
PAIRINGS: HanHae, HanTeuk, TeukHae, HanTeukHae, SiHan (past tense), KyuMin, ShinChul, etc.
RATINGS: PG-13 to NC-17 (will be notated if NC-17)
GROUPS: Super Junior, DBSK, Kitty GYM, KAT-TUN
GENRE: Action/Romance/Angst
WARNINGS: Violence, Sexual Situations, Dark Themes, Character Death
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Don't own them, never will, but thanks for reading!
SUMMARY: AU Storyline~In the South Korean underworld, a popular form of entertainment is fighting matches. Men are judged by the fighters they own. A troubled fighter with a past catches the attention of two long time friends and may lead them both to the brink of obsession.
*****
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Flooding
Donghae stirred quietly and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He flinched and then moved upwards, trying his best to cradle his bad shoulder. He could smell the strangest blend of blood and sex on him. For some reason, the mixed fragrances brought a small smile to his face. It was only then did he realize that he was sitting up in bed alone. He felt his blood run cold and willed himself to calm his racing heartbeat. He looked around the sparsely decorated room and could not see Hankyung anywhere. Donghae drew his bottom lip between his teeth. He felt tears rising up into his throat and his eyes moisten. Taking a deep, slow breath, he turned to look over the bed. His eyes widened in surprise.
Hankyung was laying on the floor. He was curled up slightly on his side, fingers trailing light, jerky patterns on the rich wood. He was murmuring softly and then his hands clenched a couple times. Donghae watched silently as the man seemed to be struggling against something in his sleep. The smaller man slid out from underneath the tan blanket. He lowered himself down and knelt carefully beside the fighter. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched Hankyung's shoulder. With an unseen amount of speed, the white haired man's eyes flew open. In shock, Donghae fell back on his rear. The impact caused him to wrench his bad arm and he gritted his teeth. Just as rapidly, a set of arms embraced him.
"I'm sorry." Hankyung whispered softly into his ear. "I'm sorry."
Donghae instinctively buried his face into the other man's neck. He forced himself to refrain from openly crying. Instead, he rested his head against Hankyung's soft skin.
"I thought you left me." Donghae choked out.
"No, I wouldn't do that. I couldn't." Hankyung replied.
The dark haired youth nodded slightly and then drew back to look up at Hankyung. The worry was evident in the older man's eyes. Donghae barely smiled.
"I'm sorry, I'm just being really dumb." he said.
Donghae used the back of his hand to wipe away the wet in his eyes. The saline smeared over the top of his hand, making the little droplets shimmer in the quiet light.
Hankyung shook his head and stroked a little of the other's dark hair. He pressed a kiss to his forehead and then eased back against the bed frame, pulling Donghae forward with him. The young man rested comfortably against Hankyung's strong chest. He brought his hand up, resting it over Hankyung's heart. The soothing rythmn of the man's heartbeat began to lull Donghae toward sleep again. His fingers somehow found the puckered scar that graced the Chinese man's chest. His index finger brushed over the marring gently. Hankyung sucked in his air but made himself relax. Donghae's eyes were beginning to close.
"Hannieah?" he said softly, using Hankyung's shortened name.
"Yes?"
"What were you dreaming about?"
"Dreaming?"
"Mmm-hmm, you were dreaming about something and it must have been scary."
Hankyung felt a frown tug at the corners of his lips. The dream played over in his head. It was an almost abstract blend of Siwon's death, Donghae's near death and then a moment of bittersweet joy he had felt being with Donghae last night. There had been confusion and guilt. But there had also been so much acceptance and a feeling of relief. Hankyung found he couldn't explain the emotions in words.
"It's okay." Donghae murmured as he yawned.
"What is?"
"To not talk about it."
Hankyung half smiled at those words. It was as if the young man was somehow tapping into his inner sense. He nodded slightly and spoke the same words in Mandarin that he had earlier in the night.
"You still haven't told me what that means." Donghae whispered, almost asleep.
"I will tell you soon, just not yet." Hankyung noted.
Donghae nodded slightly before pressing closer into Hankyung's warmth. The taller man pulled the tan blanket downwards and wrapped it around them. He leaned back against the side of the bed and listened to the rain. The thunder and lightning had died down, leaving the room almost eerily quiet. Hankyung's eyes darted back to the picture window. He had crawled out of bed not because he wanted to leave Donghae alone, but because he was intent on protecting him. It was much easier for him to disable an intruder when he wasn't caught up in tight sheets. The Chinese man sighed softly and tried to rest. Yet some part of him felt at unease.
*****
The clock indicated that night was coming to a close and dawn would be fast approaching. Kangin walked aimlessly around the training center. He had not seen Hankyung since they had talked in the private room. Kangin knew Hankyung had taken one of Junsu's cars to go and visit both Jin and Donghae at the hospital. The car had returned earlier that night with Hankyung and the young man, Donghae. Since then, the fighter and his friend had not been seen. Kangin felt a small smirk pull at his lips.
"Maybe that kid really does have something the Dancer needs."
The sound of another set of footsteps drew the man's attention. Kangin tilted his head as the man came in shaking water out of his hair. He looked as if he had been standing out in the rain for a very long time.
"Do you normally just wander around outside?" Kangin questioned.
"Rain is good for you, don't you think?" the other responded.
"As long as it looks like you stood out there, I think you probably caught cold."
"I'm a little heartier than that."
Kangin shrugged mildly.
"You want to get a drink?" the other asked.
"Probably shouldn't. I'm trying to quit."
"One isn't going to hurt you, is it?"
Kangin rubbed the back of his head and blew out a slow breath of air. The temptation for just a drop of liquor was a strong pull. He turned to look at the other man in the room when KyuHyun and Sungmin popped their heads through the training door.
"Boss?" KyuHyun asked. He then saw the other man standing with him. "Oh, didn't see you there! Minnieah and I were just looking for Kangin."
"It's okay." the man said.
Kangin looked relieved to see KyuHyun and Sungmin. He gestured for the duo to come over and join the two of them.
"I thought you two were sleeping."
"We were." Sungmin said brightly. "But then Kyunnieah got hungry and we wanted to get a snack. We heard you two talking in here and thought we'd see if you wanted something to eat too."
Kangin smiled and nodded. He looked at the other man.
"You want to get dried off and join us?"
The man shook his head.
"Nah, I'm good. Just going to check in with my other half."
"Sounds like a plan." Kangin responded.
"Oh, you might want to tell Hankyung he needs to stop sleeping on the floor. It scares Donghae."
Kangin froze. He looked at the other man warily.
"What did you just say?"
"Just an observation." the other said lightly. He then made a gracious bow to KyuHyun and Sungmin. The young fighter and trainer looked mildly uncomfortable as the man left through the heavy door leading to the hallways.
"Boss?' Sungmin asked softly. "What was that all about?"
"Be on your toes, boys." Kangin responded, his eyebrows knitting together. "Something smells like a wet rat to me."
The two men looked where the other has exited. Without thought, KyuHyun and Sungmin laced their fingers together, sensing the strange tension in the air.
*****
Eeteuk looked quietly out the window. He rubbed his hands up and down over his chilled arms. He glanced over his shoulder as he felt a blanket draped over his frame. Yesung moved to sit beside him. The apartment his previous
partner was residing in smelt old and like mildew. Despite this, there was an almost familiar calm that Eeteuk found himself clinging too.
"I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear on the phone." Yesung said softly.
Eeteuk nodded mutely. He had answered his cell phone earlier in the day at the coffee shop. It had been the doctor of the hospital letting Eeteuk know that Donghae had been discharged and picked up by another person. It didn't take Eeteuk much thought to guess which person it was. He then had looked over his phone to find a number of missed messages from Donghae. The older man felt a jab of guilt. He had been so focused on his meeting with Yesung that he had completely ignored his cell phone until then. Perhaps it was justice that Hankyung had been there to rescue Donghae.
"You're brooding."
The older man looked to see Yesung gazing at him. The raven haired man barely smiled and slid his arm around Eeteuk's waist, pulling him closer. At first Eeteuk resisted. But the warmth that Yesung was offering was too tempting. He finally scooted closer and allowed himself to rest against Yesung's smaller frame. The other man began to hum softly.
"Do you always have to hum that song?"
"What? I like to paint the roses red."
"Could you hum something else, please?"
"I thought my humming always annoyed you."
"It does." Eeteuk responded flatly. "Just please do something else, I don't care, just anything."
Yesung nodded and then began to hum a currently popular pop song. After a few moments he began to sing softly, his voice sweet and lilting. Eeteuk closed his eyes and focused on each soft strain. The words and melodies seem to meld in with the pattering rain above their heads. Everything felt almost surrealistically perfect to the taller man.
And for the briefest moment in what felt like years, Eeteuk was Jungsu again.
*****
Junsu rolled his head slowly. He then rested his forehead against the window of his private bedroom. He swirled the brandy that was in his glass back and forth slowly. The rich liquid danced in the barely lit room. The rain created swirling images that he couldn't quite focus on. His brain was pleasantly hazed with a liquor tint. He felt a giggle rising in his throat that somehow came out as a sob when it left his lips. A hand came around his and drew the glass out of his grip.
"You need to get some sleep, Junsu." Eunhyuk said softly. "And no more of this for the next few days."
"I can't sleep." Junsu lamented. "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't do anything. I just see it breaking down around me, Hyukjae. I see everything that I fought for coming undone and collapsing around me. Like the floodgates have fallen and I'm already up to my knees in rising water."
"Maybe it's time to call it quits then."
"And do what?!" Junsu shouted as he spun around. His eyes were painfully bloodshot and his skin had gone swallow. The dark rings under his eyes indicated the lack of sleep he had over the past couple days. "All I know is this!! I only know how do this!! It's my life, it's who I am!!"
Eunhyuk surged forward and grabbed Junsu by the shoulders. He shook the man a couple times before pulling him tight against his chest. Junsu fought for a few moments before breaking down into a number of soul shattering sobs. He felt his strength leave him and became a dead weight against Eunhyuk's slender frame. The man slowly lowered the both of them down to the ground. Eunhyuk stroked Junsu's back, trying his best to ease the tension out his wracked body.
"It's not who you are." Eunhyuk whispered into his ear. "It's who you became. We weren't always like this. It used to be just you and me and your knack at betting. It used to be fun, we used to be fun. You have to still remember, don't you?"
Junsu sniffled a little against Eunhyuk's chest and then forced himself back to gaze at the slightly taller man.
"I do remember, Hyukjae. But is it so awful of me not to want to go back? I like knowing there will be food on my plate and a warm roof over my head."
"But does it have to be filet mignon and a chandelier covered ceiling?" Eunhyuk questioned.
Junsu let out a shuddered sigh and rubbed his burning eyes. He tried to think why he needed all this oppulence. For the life of him, he just couldn't find a good reason. He shook his head and then looked at his long time friend.
"Are you asking me then to give this all up?"
"I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want too, Junsu. But I know some of the fighters want out after what happened with Hankyung and Jin. I can't say I blame them either. I know Changmin and Yoochun's trio especially want to go. Yamapi misses Tokyo and Golf and Mike will go with him no matter where he chooses."
"What about Yunho?" Junsu was almost afraid to ask.
"I'm not sure. He seems more than content to stay here. Though with Yunho, some times it's hard to tell what's going on in his head."
"What do you think I should do?"
"I think maybe tomorrow you should gather the fighters and trainers together for an announcement. Just let them know that they have the option to either stay or go. Those who stay will keep fighting under your sponsorship, those who want to go will be let out of their contractual agreements, no questions asked."
Junsu paused for a long time before nodding slowly. He then turned pained eyes to Eunhyuk.
"What about you?"
Eunhyuk's expression softened dramatically and he pulled Junsu tight against him. He buried his face briefly into the other man's hair.
"Angel, I love you. I will stay with you no matter what may come. Even if the flood waters pull us all the way under."
Junsu's eyes closed tight at that and he made himself not shed any more tears. Tomorrow, he would attempt to set things right.
*****
Minwoo tapped his fingers impatiently on his shiny desk. His contact was supposed to have called him over four hours ago. He frowned deeply as he flipped open his phone once again. There were no messages or texts left for him to read. Minwoo crossed around his desk and cursed at the rain pouring outside. The walkways leading up to his expensive home were almost unseeable thanks to the flowing water. He turned to look at his desk when his cell finally jingled. He quickly flipped it open and then felt a sneer pull at his lips.
"Took you long enough." Minwoo snapped into the phone.
"Calm down." came the mild reply. "I just spent a good part of the night standing outside in the pouring rain watching the Chinese man and his new lover."
"And who is that?"
"Donghae."
Minwoo paused and then a wicked smile formed.
"Well, well. He's the one who messed up what should have been a perfect hit from that useless Yesung. That's very convenient."
"I'm guessing you want me to take him out too?"
"Remember, I said no witnesses."
"Give me a few days to make preperations."
"I'm not a patient man." Minwoo stated.
"Do you want it done right?"
The bleached blonde man growled into the phone and snapped it shut. He looked out into the fading night sky, the rising sun desperately trying to push it's way through the thick storm clouds.
"Go back to sleep, sun." Minwoo smirked viciously. "There's no room for your light in this dark place."
On a health note, I ended up pinching my cyatica nerve in my lower back and thus can't sit at the computer for more than 20 minutes at a time. So needless to say, I'm off work until Wednesday. Hopefull though I'll be back up and running soon! For now, I'm on some darn good pain pills and muscle relaxers. Thanks and ja ne for now! =~.^=V
"Impasse"
By: Miracle Shining
PAIRINGS: HanHae, HanTeuk, TeukHae, HanTeukHae, SiHan (past tense), KyuMin, ShinChul, etc.
RATINGS: PG-13 to NC-17 (will be notated if NC-17)
GROUPS: Super Junior, DBSK, Kitty GYM, KAT-TUN
GENRE: Action/Romance/Angst
WARNINGS: Violence, Sexual Situations, Dark Themes, Character Death
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Don't own them, never will, but thanks for reading!
SUMMARY: AU Storyline~In the South Korean underworld, a popular form of entertainment is fighting matches. Men are judged by the fighters they own. A troubled fighter with a past catches the attention of two long time friends and may lead them both to the brink of obsession.
*****
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Flooding
Donghae stirred quietly and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He flinched and then moved upwards, trying his best to cradle his bad shoulder. He could smell the strangest blend of blood and sex on him. For some reason, the mixed fragrances brought a small smile to his face. It was only then did he realize that he was sitting up in bed alone. He felt his blood run cold and willed himself to calm his racing heartbeat. He looked around the sparsely decorated room and could not see Hankyung anywhere. Donghae drew his bottom lip between his teeth. He felt tears rising up into his throat and his eyes moisten. Taking a deep, slow breath, he turned to look over the bed. His eyes widened in surprise.
Hankyung was laying on the floor. He was curled up slightly on his side, fingers trailing light, jerky patterns on the rich wood. He was murmuring softly and then his hands clenched a couple times. Donghae watched silently as the man seemed to be struggling against something in his sleep. The smaller man slid out from underneath the tan blanket. He lowered himself down and knelt carefully beside the fighter. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched Hankyung's shoulder. With an unseen amount of speed, the white haired man's eyes flew open. In shock, Donghae fell back on his rear. The impact caused him to wrench his bad arm and he gritted his teeth. Just as rapidly, a set of arms embraced him.
"I'm sorry." Hankyung whispered softly into his ear. "I'm sorry."
Donghae instinctively buried his face into the other man's neck. He forced himself to refrain from openly crying. Instead, he rested his head against Hankyung's soft skin.
"I thought you left me." Donghae choked out.
"No, I wouldn't do that. I couldn't." Hankyung replied.
The dark haired youth nodded slightly and then drew back to look up at Hankyung. The worry was evident in the older man's eyes. Donghae barely smiled.
"I'm sorry, I'm just being really dumb." he said.
Donghae used the back of his hand to wipe away the wet in his eyes. The saline smeared over the top of his hand, making the little droplets shimmer in the quiet light.
Hankyung shook his head and stroked a little of the other's dark hair. He pressed a kiss to his forehead and then eased back against the bed frame, pulling Donghae forward with him. The young man rested comfortably against Hankyung's strong chest. He brought his hand up, resting it over Hankyung's heart. The soothing rythmn of the man's heartbeat began to lull Donghae toward sleep again. His fingers somehow found the puckered scar that graced the Chinese man's chest. His index finger brushed over the marring gently. Hankyung sucked in his air but made himself relax. Donghae's eyes were beginning to close.
"Hannieah?" he said softly, using Hankyung's shortened name.
"Yes?"
"What were you dreaming about?"
"Dreaming?"
"Mmm-hmm, you were dreaming about something and it must have been scary."
Hankyung felt a frown tug at the corners of his lips. The dream played over in his head. It was an almost abstract blend of Siwon's death, Donghae's near death and then a moment of bittersweet joy he had felt being with Donghae last night. There had been confusion and guilt. But there had also been so much acceptance and a feeling of relief. Hankyung found he couldn't explain the emotions in words.
"It's okay." Donghae murmured as he yawned.
"What is?"
"To not talk about it."
Hankyung half smiled at those words. It was as if the young man was somehow tapping into his inner sense. He nodded slightly and spoke the same words in Mandarin that he had earlier in the night.
"You still haven't told me what that means." Donghae whispered, almost asleep.
"I will tell you soon, just not yet." Hankyung noted.
Donghae nodded slightly before pressing closer into Hankyung's warmth. The taller man pulled the tan blanket downwards and wrapped it around them. He leaned back against the side of the bed and listened to the rain. The thunder and lightning had died down, leaving the room almost eerily quiet. Hankyung's eyes darted back to the picture window. He had crawled out of bed not because he wanted to leave Donghae alone, but because he was intent on protecting him. It was much easier for him to disable an intruder when he wasn't caught up in tight sheets. The Chinese man sighed softly and tried to rest. Yet some part of him felt at unease.
*****
The clock indicated that night was coming to a close and dawn would be fast approaching. Kangin walked aimlessly around the training center. He had not seen Hankyung since they had talked in the private room. Kangin knew Hankyung had taken one of Junsu's cars to go and visit both Jin and Donghae at the hospital. The car had returned earlier that night with Hankyung and the young man, Donghae. Since then, the fighter and his friend had not been seen. Kangin felt a small smirk pull at his lips.
"Maybe that kid really does have something the Dancer needs."
The sound of another set of footsteps drew the man's attention. Kangin tilted his head as the man came in shaking water out of his hair. He looked as if he had been standing out in the rain for a very long time.
"Do you normally just wander around outside?" Kangin questioned.
"Rain is good for you, don't you think?" the other responded.
"As long as it looks like you stood out there, I think you probably caught cold."
"I'm a little heartier than that."
Kangin shrugged mildly.
"You want to get a drink?" the other asked.
"Probably shouldn't. I'm trying to quit."
"One isn't going to hurt you, is it?"
Kangin rubbed the back of his head and blew out a slow breath of air. The temptation for just a drop of liquor was a strong pull. He turned to look at the other man in the room when KyuHyun and Sungmin popped their heads through the training door.
"Boss?" KyuHyun asked. He then saw the other man standing with him. "Oh, didn't see you there! Minnieah and I were just looking for Kangin."
"It's okay." the man said.
Kangin looked relieved to see KyuHyun and Sungmin. He gestured for the duo to come over and join the two of them.
"I thought you two were sleeping."
"We were." Sungmin said brightly. "But then Kyunnieah got hungry and we wanted to get a snack. We heard you two talking in here and thought we'd see if you wanted something to eat too."
Kangin smiled and nodded. He looked at the other man.
"You want to get dried off and join us?"
The man shook his head.
"Nah, I'm good. Just going to check in with my other half."
"Sounds like a plan." Kangin responded.
"Oh, you might want to tell Hankyung he needs to stop sleeping on the floor. It scares Donghae."
Kangin froze. He looked at the other man warily.
"What did you just say?"
"Just an observation." the other said lightly. He then made a gracious bow to KyuHyun and Sungmin. The young fighter and trainer looked mildly uncomfortable as the man left through the heavy door leading to the hallways.
"Boss?' Sungmin asked softly. "What was that all about?"
"Be on your toes, boys." Kangin responded, his eyebrows knitting together. "Something smells like a wet rat to me."
The two men looked where the other has exited. Without thought, KyuHyun and Sungmin laced their fingers together, sensing the strange tension in the air.
*****
Eeteuk looked quietly out the window. He rubbed his hands up and down over his chilled arms. He glanced over his shoulder as he felt a blanket draped over his frame. Yesung moved to sit beside him. The apartment his previous
partner was residing in smelt old and like mildew. Despite this, there was an almost familiar calm that Eeteuk found himself clinging too.
"I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear on the phone." Yesung said softly.
Eeteuk nodded mutely. He had answered his cell phone earlier in the day at the coffee shop. It had been the doctor of the hospital letting Eeteuk know that Donghae had been discharged and picked up by another person. It didn't take Eeteuk much thought to guess which person it was. He then had looked over his phone to find a number of missed messages from Donghae. The older man felt a jab of guilt. He had been so focused on his meeting with Yesung that he had completely ignored his cell phone until then. Perhaps it was justice that Hankyung had been there to rescue Donghae.
"You're brooding."
The older man looked to see Yesung gazing at him. The raven haired man barely smiled and slid his arm around Eeteuk's waist, pulling him closer. At first Eeteuk resisted. But the warmth that Yesung was offering was too tempting. He finally scooted closer and allowed himself to rest against Yesung's smaller frame. The other man began to hum softly.
"Do you always have to hum that song?"
"What? I like to paint the roses red."
"Could you hum something else, please?"
"I thought my humming always annoyed you."
"It does." Eeteuk responded flatly. "Just please do something else, I don't care, just anything."
Yesung nodded and then began to hum a currently popular pop song. After a few moments he began to sing softly, his voice sweet and lilting. Eeteuk closed his eyes and focused on each soft strain. The words and melodies seem to meld in with the pattering rain above their heads. Everything felt almost surrealistically perfect to the taller man.
And for the briefest moment in what felt like years, Eeteuk was Jungsu again.
*****
Junsu rolled his head slowly. He then rested his forehead against the window of his private bedroom. He swirled the brandy that was in his glass back and forth slowly. The rich liquid danced in the barely lit room. The rain created swirling images that he couldn't quite focus on. His brain was pleasantly hazed with a liquor tint. He felt a giggle rising in his throat that somehow came out as a sob when it left his lips. A hand came around his and drew the glass out of his grip.
"You need to get some sleep, Junsu." Eunhyuk said softly. "And no more of this for the next few days."
"I can't sleep." Junsu lamented. "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't do anything. I just see it breaking down around me, Hyukjae. I see everything that I fought for coming undone and collapsing around me. Like the floodgates have fallen and I'm already up to my knees in rising water."
"Maybe it's time to call it quits then."
"And do what?!" Junsu shouted as he spun around. His eyes were painfully bloodshot and his skin had gone swallow. The dark rings under his eyes indicated the lack of sleep he had over the past couple days. "All I know is this!! I only know how do this!! It's my life, it's who I am!!"
Eunhyuk surged forward and grabbed Junsu by the shoulders. He shook the man a couple times before pulling him tight against his chest. Junsu fought for a few moments before breaking down into a number of soul shattering sobs. He felt his strength leave him and became a dead weight against Eunhyuk's slender frame. The man slowly lowered the both of them down to the ground. Eunhyuk stroked Junsu's back, trying his best to ease the tension out his wracked body.
"It's not who you are." Eunhyuk whispered into his ear. "It's who you became. We weren't always like this. It used to be just you and me and your knack at betting. It used to be fun, we used to be fun. You have to still remember, don't you?"
Junsu sniffled a little against Eunhyuk's chest and then forced himself back to gaze at the slightly taller man.
"I do remember, Hyukjae. But is it so awful of me not to want to go back? I like knowing there will be food on my plate and a warm roof over my head."
"But does it have to be filet mignon and a chandelier covered ceiling?" Eunhyuk questioned.
Junsu let out a shuddered sigh and rubbed his burning eyes. He tried to think why he needed all this oppulence. For the life of him, he just couldn't find a good reason. He shook his head and then looked at his long time friend.
"Are you asking me then to give this all up?"
"I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want too, Junsu. But I know some of the fighters want out after what happened with Hankyung and Jin. I can't say I blame them either. I know Changmin and Yoochun's trio especially want to go. Yamapi misses Tokyo and Golf and Mike will go with him no matter where he chooses."
"What about Yunho?" Junsu was almost afraid to ask.
"I'm not sure. He seems more than content to stay here. Though with Yunho, some times it's hard to tell what's going on in his head."
"What do you think I should do?"
"I think maybe tomorrow you should gather the fighters and trainers together for an announcement. Just let them know that they have the option to either stay or go. Those who stay will keep fighting under your sponsorship, those who want to go will be let out of their contractual agreements, no questions asked."
Junsu paused for a long time before nodding slowly. He then turned pained eyes to Eunhyuk.
"What about you?"
Eunhyuk's expression softened dramatically and he pulled Junsu tight against him. He buried his face briefly into the other man's hair.
"Angel, I love you. I will stay with you no matter what may come. Even if the flood waters pull us all the way under."
Junsu's eyes closed tight at that and he made himself not shed any more tears. Tomorrow, he would attempt to set things right.
*****
Minwoo tapped his fingers impatiently on his shiny desk. His contact was supposed to have called him over four hours ago. He frowned deeply as he flipped open his phone once again. There were no messages or texts left for him to read. Minwoo crossed around his desk and cursed at the rain pouring outside. The walkways leading up to his expensive home were almost unseeable thanks to the flowing water. He turned to look at his desk when his cell finally jingled. He quickly flipped it open and then felt a sneer pull at his lips.
"Took you long enough." Minwoo snapped into the phone.
"Calm down." came the mild reply. "I just spent a good part of the night standing outside in the pouring rain watching the Chinese man and his new lover."
"And who is that?"
"Donghae."
Minwoo paused and then a wicked smile formed.
"Well, well. He's the one who messed up what should have been a perfect hit from that useless Yesung. That's very convenient."
"I'm guessing you want me to take him out too?"
"Remember, I said no witnesses."
"Give me a few days to make preperations."
"I'm not a patient man." Minwoo stated.
"Do you want it done right?"
The bleached blonde man growled into the phone and snapped it shut. He looked out into the fading night sky, the rising sun desperately trying to push it's way through the thick storm clouds.
"Go back to sleep, sun." Minwoo smirked viciously. "There's no room for your light in this dark place."