Chapter 17 - Wandering amidst a whirl of stormy emotions.
Please, please, please, don’t be gone…
Yoochun felt each jolting step tremor through his pumping legs, his throbbing heart pounding a steady boom boom boom within his tightened chest, as he rushed towards a sliver of wavering light slicing past a slit between the grand double doors to fall upon the darkened oak flooring. The hush that silenced the still lounge with a heavy, smother pressed against his senses- an uncomfortable pressure against his ears. Little miniature clouds of spiralling motes kicked up an enraged flurry with each frantic step, leaving behind a glinting trail of sparkling dust in his wake.
With a grunt, he flung the doors wide open, falling abruptly into the awaiting embrace of muted dusk, harsh pants echoing eerily in loneliness along the paved sidewalk. Dirty rainwater pooled about the grimy gutters, their glassy mirrors reflecting the pure anguish contorting Yoochun's features in a mask of misery, his earnest gaze flitting anxiously about the gloomy entrance for any sign, any hint of his beloved. A brisk wind blew through the street, picking up tatters of wet newspaper to flap around lethargically, black letters scrawled across the dog eared corners, seeping ink blurring into an incomprehensible grey mass that settled forlornly in a soaking heap at his feet.
A flash of burnished bronze caught his eye, Yoochun whipping his head about to stare at a gilded wind chime, its various wrought ornaments of masks and flowers attached to a single strand of fish gut line emitting a sorrowful tinkle with the winds caress that rebounded across the tarred road to reach Yoochun's disappointed droop of his shoulders. It seemed to mock at his efforts, reflecting the stark emptiness that wound its fingers around his solemn frame, its dry cackle sounding hollowly within his ears in the path of the whispering wind.
“Junsu,” Yoochun whispered haltingly. “Where are you?” He murmured hoarsely, stuffing his cold hands into his jeans pocket, as he tottered unsteadily towards a sleek black sedan, his gaze burning fierce and desperate- licking flames of molten gold mirroring the last streaks of rich ochre sun that lined the wispy clouds.
***
He breathed out a tremulous sniffle, sighing wearily as he tilted his head to the heavens, a sombre smile pulling at the tightened corner of his drawn lips as he felt the wind ruffle giggling fingers through his short locks, tossing and whipping wilful strands to lash against his soft cheeks. She danced about him in a maddened sway of her hips, tossing and tugging at his flimsy cotton clothes, winding through the gap at his collar and sleeves to shiver down his skinny frame. He shifted around, bits of roughened slate shingles biting into his flattened palms, a gravelly groan sounding as he shuffled his legs. He settled his back into the mossy ledge, bracing his feet against a lone rock, peeking out from the stone ledge jutting out above a sloping cliff.
The wind skipped lightly over the tousled waves, damp and heavy with the tang of brine and sea salt, bringing him back cherished memories of breezy, summer nights spent upon this sole ledge of rock, their pale limbs entangled into a dishevelled mess, tucked gently away like a slumbering babe into a swath of fluffy blankets. This was their spot, a cosy alcove tucked far away from the trod of humanity, secreting away their clandestine moments stolen beneath the moons benevolent gaze. They had found it one night, whilst they had explored the woods across the park’s river- a menacing dense pack of trees that discouraged humans from treading forth- and they had chanced upon this gemstone.
Junsu suppressed a weighty sigh of regret, bringing his trembling palms up to meet his sorrowful gaze, his brow furrowed in a frustrated scrunch, staring dejectedly at the red welts as shards of steely gray gravel had embedded painfully into the skin of his palm. He flicked a slim finger at them in annoyance, an ugly sneer twisting his lips as he watched them tumble upon the flat rock surface, a faint ping drifting up to his ears. The tears were gone. But the ache in his heart lingered, a steady painful prick against a side of his chest, shooting a flash of piercing pain with each wheezing breath.
Junsu lowered his head to slump forward into his strangled fingers, cradling his mess of hair in a gnarly embrace, thin greenish blue veins standing out against his pale skin in protest. A shiver passed through him as he considered the rude awakening and bleary details of the situation within their common room. How easily the damning name fell past Yoochun's lips, his charming smile morphing back into a hazed resemblance of his haunting past, the same cheeky quirk at one side that Junsu had come to love. It had sent a bolt of stricken fear to pulse through his quivering body. “Leader of Gangpyo,” Junsu rolled the syllables around his tongue, the familiar curl of his lips ending in an O. He snorted humourlessly. “and just like that, I fall. Your old life will chase us till I finally lose you for good…” Junsu squeezed his eyes tightly shut, closing the world off from his shattered amber orbs, swallowing back his hot tears with a resolute clench of his fists.
“You will not lose me, Junsu. Not ever again.” A deep voice uttered firmly, gone husky with choked emotions. “I thought I would find you here…” Yoochun murmured gently.
Junsu's lids flew open in shock, his compact body whirling around in a single fluid motion to crouch defensively in fear at the silhouetted shadow hovering between two reedy tree trunks, their bark silvered and peeling away in curled strips, white resin seeping through the cracks, like blood dripping from a cut. Yoochun stood motionless beneath the interlaced canopy of leafed crowns- an intricate mesh of branches tangled together in knotted brambles- his darkened pits of ochre whiskey staring back earnestly at Junsu's startled orbs of iridescent copper. The moon chose that precise moment to step away from the shelter of her gauzy curtains, spilling her milky light to pool forth and cast their long limbs in moulded porcelain, luminescent and shimmering.
“What’s makes you so sure about that?” Junsu hissed out in a sudden spurt of hot, livid anger, spurred on by a crest of irrational fear. He turned his body about, facing Yoochun with his rigid back, the lines of his lithe frame strung taut and tense beneath the moons caress. Junsu trembled slightly, breathing in a querulous gasp that sought to quell his shaken nerves. “How can I be sure you won’t get killed for good this time!?” Junsu bit out the harsh words, hating himself for doing so, but slightly relieved at finally flinging the dregs of his nightmares out in the open, laying them bare and vulnerable under Yoochun's still gaze.
The ground was littered with winter’s season of shed leaves, their crinkled surfaces browned and tapered into slim needles that carpeted the undergrowth with a downy layer of soft mulch. They clung wetly to the underside of his shoes, but thankfully muffled his stealthy approach with surprising efficiency. Yoochun crept closer to his volatile lover with bated breaths, noting the slight trembles that wracked Junsu's lean frame, rattling through his lungs into rapid gasps. A pang of distress coursed through his fractured heart as he watched Junsu bring his arms unconsciously up to wrap around his huddled body, rocking slightly from side to side in numbed fright. Yoochun bit down ruthlessly upon his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes in apprehension, halting just a breadth away from the hunched shoulders of his lover. A frail sob bubbled past Junsu's pursed lips.
“Fuck. Junsu.” Yoochun swore hotly. To heck with it.
Yoochun threw his arms forward, embracing Junsu in a sudden rush of warmth, sliding his hands around to lie flat upon Junsu's stomach, pulling the shocked man back into the circle of his arms. Junsu let out a startled gasp, his limbs stumbling slightly as he was tugged abruptly into Yoochun's limber body, feeling warmth spread from Yoochun's open palms to seep through his body, thrilling with each pounding heartbeat. He tensed within Yoochun's encircling arms, placing a half-hearted palm upon the interlaced fingers beneath his chest, trying in vain to struggle out of the gripping clinch of limbs. “Chun…” Junsu whined suddenly.
Yoochun chuckled lowly, a resounding rumble that thrummed through Junsu's body loosening a delighted thrill to arc momentarily through his erratic heart. He felt the man relax into his embrace, leaning back heavily to rest his head upon Yoochun's broad chest, a fatigued sigh escaping past his plump lips. “Nothing will happen to me, Su…” Yoochun whispered fervently into Junsu's ear. “Just because I'm revisiting an old ‘friend’ from my- our past… doesn’t mean we’ll be going through that ordeal ever again. You will not lose me a second time. I will never do that to you. You have to put your faith and trust in me…” Yoochun murmured softly, nuzzling gently against a pale exposed stretch of Junsu's nape, feeling the tip of his lover’s hazel locks tickle against his nose.
Junsu took in a full breath, glancing upwards at an ominous gathering of pregnant clouds at a distance, their billowy forms milling and ruminating into a dark, sooty smudge against the inky expanse of the heavens. He brought his hands up to trail absentmindedly at Yoochun's strong arms wrapped firmly around his stomach that pressed their bodies tightly together, with a slim fingertip. “I do trust you Yoochun. You are strong, beautiful and everything that I want. I just can’t stand the thought of anything happening now that will snatch you away from me… sometimes, when I look at you,” Junsu shifted around and stared back at Yoochun's glistening orbs of auburn blond. “I can’t help but think that I don’t deserve you and that someday, something will happen that will take you away from me as punishment for being too greedy.” Junsu whispered in frail tones, his softly murmured words echoing like poisonous darts amidst the uneasy hush that fallen over their stilled limbs.
Yoochun closed his eyes in barely concealed anguish, tightening his arms instinctively around Junsu's slim waist. “You will never lose me. Never. Ever. I’ll be with you as long as you want me to be. If ever, I should be the one who’s being the greedy one for wanting you all for myself whenever I see you attending to your clients. I can’t help but feel jealous…” Yoochun grinned ruefully, a cracked lift of his lips that never reached his eyes. “Yes, I'm strong- much stronger than before and that’s why nothing will ever happen that will make you lose me. I love you, Junsu. I won’t let anything get in the way of that.” Yoochun said softly.
Junsu went unnaturally still, before prying Yoochun's arms away and turning around fully to face his lover. He spoke not a word, choosing instead to express his burgeoning emotions in a simple gesture of gratefulness. He stepped forward, clasping a tender hand at Yoochun's cheeks, tilting his head wordlessly forward as he leaned inwards for a chaste kiss- sweet and infinitely more loving. “Thank you. I love you too…” Junsu whispered against Yoochun's lips before pulling the man in for another kiss, threading his fingers through his lover’s shorter cropped bob, tugging slightly at the roots as the kiss deepened.
A needy mewl escaped his lips as Yoochun delved his tongue past parted lips to entangle hotly with Junsu in a battling dance. They broke apart briefly, staring at each other with lucid orbs of blackened irises, glossed over with flushed heat and desire creeping through their lax limbs in delightful tendrils, harsh pants mingling together between their bent heads. Yoochun placed one last kiss upon Junsu's lips, before leaving a bitten trail of reddened marks along Junsu's snowy expanse of skin, pausing briefly to suckle at a jutting collarbone, his teeth scraping along the bony ridge, eliciting a frustrated moan to hiss past Junsu's plump lips.
The sudden, unbidden, throes of passion gripped them in its paralysing grip in an abrupt rush, leaving them with a raging inferno of unbanked embers roiling heatedly within a pool of desire settled at the pit of their bellies. Somehow, a somewhat innocent kiss had escalated into a maddened twirl of tongues, competing for dominance. The faint trickle of voices as people strolled along the leave strewn paths within Seoul Forest Park faded away to an insignificant murmur, giving way to the observing rustle of the trees and muted slap of water against the sheer sides of a stone embankment.
Cotton fabric snagged against crooked roots jutting out from the undergrowth, a plain shirt hanging comically along a stubby branch, their harsh pants and longing moans thrown carelessly around their little cocoon of heated desire, a soft thrush crackling beneath their joined embrace as they thudded clumsily to the soft bed of leaves. Junsu flung his head, a short toss of his hair to flip chaotically backwards, a keening groan slipping past his reddened lips to colour the electric air. Yoochun grinned mischievously, flicking out a devious tongue to lick at a pearled slit, the hardening length of Junsu's member twitching appreciatively.
Shadows roiled around their pale naked limbs, weaving an inky blanket to swath over their writhing bodies- sheltering them from prying eyes. Spring’s night still carried the frosty bite of winter, a last feeble effort at freezing the world over in a half-hearted smattering of glacial winds that howled and shrieked through the swaying trunks before tattering apart in an exhausted bellow. Yoochun felt the same wind whisper across his back, shivering down his spine in a tantalising trail, its fingers clawing through his short locks in a vain effort to dampen the fiery inferno that raged within his belly. He shifted his body to block Junsu from the brunt of the wind, reaching up a hand to caress up his lovers side and entwine their fingers in a firm grip.
Yoochun ran his tongue along a rigid vein standing out upon Junsu's sensitive member, swirling around the head once, twice, before dabbing tentatively at the weeping slit, all the while eyeing Junsu's face, contorted into a picture of blissful agony. “Tease.” Junsu grunted in effort, before swallowing a strangled cry when Yoochun slipped his entire hardened member past his lips. Junsu watched through heavily lidded eyes in wonder as his length disappeared past those sinfully curved lips to be gripped in searing ecstasy, a lazy gulp tightening the back of Yoochun's throat to convulse uncomfortably hot against Junsu's throbbing head. “Hnn…” He whined in agony.
His fumbling hands threaded through Yoochun's silky hair, gripping the roots painfully as Yoochun bobbed his mouth along his throbbing shaft with torturous patience, slowly escalating Junsu's haze of ecstasy to an entirely new tantalising level with each soothing rasp of his tongue against the ridge of his pulsating vein. “Please, enough!” He pleaded through gritted teeth, spreading his legs wider apart in an open indication of his supplication. Yoochun laid a steadying hand upon the inner expanse of smooth skin of Junsu's thigh, as he released his hardened member with a loud pop.
Junsu gasped in shock, his widened orbs of burnished sienna swirling languidly around dilated irises of pitch tar, wriggling his body in discomfort as Yoochun slipped a finger past the tight ring of contracting muscles. “Relax, babe.” Yoochun breathed heavily, his other hand pumping his own neglected shaft with strong, steady strokes, his orbs of caramelised saffron glossed over with heady lust thrumming through his veins with each thudding heartbeat. Junsu held himself still, feeling his body adjust around the intrusion with familiar ease, his slickened entrance sucking greedily at Yoochun's fingers, his heated core begging for mercy. “Now. Please! Nng…” Junsu panted impatiently, jerking his hips in an involuntary shudder as he felt Yoochun's probing fingers brush lightly at a certain spot deep within his searing core.
Yoochun let out a huff, hooking Junsu's lanky legs over his shoulder, before leaning forward to slip his needy cock past the tight ring, squeezing his eyes shut in bliss as a sudden rush of blistering warmth wrapped snugly around his weeping shaft. He rocked slowly, fitting his body into the curve of Junsu's hip, propping himself up on his straining elbows, exchanging a flurried kiss with his lover, their moans urgent and wanting. With one quick thrust, Junsu cried out incoherently, a thrill of lightning arcing through his frenzied nerves to blast his numbed consciousness into oblivion, feeling himself totter precariously over the edge, hovering above an alluring abyss of pure, animalistic pleasure. Yoochun grunted an incomprehensible stream of profanities, quickening his pace to delve repeatedly into Junsu's tightened core of tantalising heat, a familiar pull tugging at the base of his belly to pool into the tip of his throbbing shaft.
Bloated clouds pitched dangerously above their joined bodies, an undulating swell of clotted fog curling and roiling in acrobatic swirls, flashes of lightning rippling across their violent surface. Thunder clapped in symphony with each gasp, a resounding bass that echoed their roughened breaths across the top of the pitching canopy, brief strikes of lightning momentarily illuminating a tangle of sweaty limbs upon the mossy undergrowth. “Shit, chun!” Junsu called out, before willingly tipping over and falling down, down, down into the welcoming embrace of his climax, a gulf of purest ecstasy rushing up to meet him in a sinful envelop of bliss. A wet, sticky mess spurted between their flat stomachs, clinging stubbornly to their heaving chests, as Junsu felt Yoochun spill his own seed within his tightened core, the ring of muscles rimming his slick entrance constricting convulsively around Yoochun's hardened member, milking the last few drops.
Yoochun fell down abruptly upon Junsu, burrowing his flushed face into the crook of Junsu's nape, dragging in heaving gasps of cold, frosty air. Junsu breathed out slowly, shivering slightly as the heat gradually seeped away from their glistening limbs covered with a layer of sweat, to settle comfortably within their sated bellies of desire, leaving them worn and satisfied, crooking soft smiles stupidly within their cocoon of deep breaths and flitting shadows. “I love you,” Yoochun sighed out contentedly, nuzzling the tip of his nose against the side of Junsu's rosy cheeks. “and I always love our make-up sex… You know you can be quite sexy when you’re angry…” Yoochun observed mischievously, laughing freely as Junsu smacked his ass in annoyance, before grinning widely as Junsu's shy giggle floated melodiously into his sensitive ears.
“You know I still love you…” Yoochun leered smugly, placing a chaste kiss upon Junsu's unsuspecting lips before scampering childishly away from his lover’s indignant glare and threatening hand, ready to land a solid blow to the side of his head. Within a heartbeat, Yoochun's lean form had melted into the shadows, vanishing along with the chill wind whispering through silvered trunks of thin birch. Junsu huffed in annoyance, brushing away stray leaves that had somehow entangled themselves into his mess of dishevelled hair, resting a palm upon his hips as he waited in bored silence for his lover to return. He did not have to wait long.
With a jubilant whoop that trailed away on the blustery wind, Yoochun bounded from a creaking branch to land skilfully upon the balls of his feet in a crouch, straightening up sinuously to grin defiantly at Junsu's raised eyebrows. “Oh so you came back?” Junsu observed drily, his thinned lips fighting desperately against a giggle tickling its way up his throat. Yoochun shook his head indulgently with an insolent grin stretching across his smug visage. “No, no, no,” Yoochun corrected slowly. “I came back for my boyfriends perky ass.” He eyed appreciatively at Junsu's rounded behind, his eyes crinkling in mirth as Junsu burst out in boisterous laughter- carefree and boundless, it danced an intricate weave through the shuffling trees, filling their little bubble with happiness.
A menacing groan bellowed suddenly through the bending trunks, their dense crowns bowing sorrowfully to the brunt of the imposing wind, a light drizzle pattering against their naked skin as the heavens finally began their campaign of torrential rain. Chuckling and giggling like a pair of school children, Yoochun ran forward to help Junsu into their already wet clothes, before running in a maddened dash through the trees, expertly dodging hidden brambles and thickets that loomed around crevices along the treacherous ground, lying in wait for a chance to ensnare both men. They vaulted over the park’s locked gates, creeping stealthily past the miserable guards that were entrenched within a dingy cubicle, watching with a morose twist of their lips at the steady downpour whilst sipping at steaming mugs of vending machine coffee. It was a dreary day, but both men had never felt happier.
***
Yoochun hummed tunelessly as his black sedan shot down the slickened highway, the constant whump whump whump of the wiper blades forming a soothing melody in the background. Junsu peered quietly at the individual drops of rain dotting the windows, watching a crystallised diamond grow heavy with each sudden glomp of water droplets fusing together, before freefalling down the glass pane to leave minute slivers of tears in its gleaming wake. Streetlights flashed overhead, throwing skewed shadows to creep across their lax limbs. Junsu's thumb moved absentmindedly over Yoochun's hand in small, soothing circles, feeling his lovers many rings press comfortably between their intertwined fingers.
The car purred quietly in the relaxed silence, the powerful engine cruising an inky streak that bolted through the narrowing streets of downtown Seoul. Rain pattered steadily across its sleek lines- a darting panther of darkness. A flash of silver just out of Yoochun's periphery cause him to glance out of the tinted windows to settle upon a drenched figure, the man’s shoulder pitted against the storm that raged a tempest outside. Burgundy stained hair plastered in dripping strands to porcelain skin. Eternally pouted lips flushed a rosy crimson. Sharp cheekbones angling water to stream down the smooth sides of his face. Yoochun slammed his foot upon the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching stop, a discordant scream that echoed hauntingly off the brick buildings that lined the paved street.
“Yoochun?” Junsu inquired immediately, staring in confusion as his lover jammed the door roughly open to sprint in a maddened dash across the street, leaving rain to splatter the warm interior with a gust of wind. Burning asphalt trudged at his flurried heels, its acrid stench stinging his sensitive nose as Yoochun hurried into an alleyway, trailing after the elusive scent of Jaejoong. He was sure it was Jaejoong. That simple glimpse had piqued venomous dread to drag down at his pursed lips. The flash of silver glinting off the many rings that had adorned the man’s fingers had confirmed his suspicions.
“Jaejoong?” Yoochun called out tentatively, unheeding of the slosh of muddied water seeping its slimy fingers into his pant legs. He stood beneath the arched alleyway, the brunt of the rain lessening beneath the scant shelter, the crown of the crumbled buildings leaning heavily towards each other in an intimate embrace, their walls marked crudely with graffiti and grime. “Damn!” Yoochun swore, punching a frustrated fist into a flaking brick. The alleyway was empty, devoid of the slim silhouette of his friend. The scent was almost gone, Yoochun's senses filled with only the pungent smells of the city, all trace of Jaejoong erased with each glistening drop of water. He was so sure that it was Jaejoong. Yoochun furrowed his brows in annoyance, shoving his wet hands into his jacket pockets.
Junsu's querulous call, almost lost under a thunderous boom, called Yoochun back to his lover, still seated within the car, his brows furrowed together in bewildered concern. Yoochun lifted a hand, starting his slow trek back to the cosy interior of his awaiting car. “Yoochun!” A frantic shout stalled his movements, freezing him in place as Yoochun turned slowly around to rest his incredulous gaze upon Yunho's doubled over frame, his panicked fingers gripping tightly at his knees. Yunho was still clad in only a flimsy shirt of cotton, English phrases printed across his chest in large capitals, accompanied with a pair of black track pants. It was obvious the man had been running. Competing in a marathon more like it. Yoochun frowned, it had been some time since Yunho's last feeding.
“Yunho?” Yoochun questioned disbelievingly. “What are you doing here?” The steady thrum of the engine abruptly died, a very disorientated and irritated Junsu slamming the doors resolutely shut before striding over the street to join at his lover’s side, staring with wide eyes at the soaked visage of Yunho. He was sopping wet, his clothes turned transparent with water, clinging to every curve of the man’s tall, lanky frame. Yunho wheezed a tremulous breath, straightening up with difficulty before facing the lost pair.
“Jaejoong's gone.” He said.