b.a.p and exo flashfics
Friends on Earth
The waiting period between their dress fitting and Show Time has always seemed awkward to Youngjae. PRE!B.A.P. Live on Earth SEOUL concert. ~400wc. G. Daejae BrOTP.
The waiting period between their dress fitting and Show Time has always seemed awkward to Youngjae. Sometimes he tweets while their stylist fixes his hair. Sometimes he watches Jongup and Junhong have mini dance battles in the corner of the room. Most of the times, he sits next to Daehyun as they do vocal warm ups.
Daehyun has always been an enigma. Some days Youngjae feels like they are the best of friends. Other days, when Daehyun pulls his lips into a tight line and says nothing, Youngjae feels completely lost. Despite Daehyun's occasional bouts of contemplation, he was always steady-- hitting the right notes, never missing a beat, and always with a smile on his face.
Today, Daehyun is pacing around the dressing room, fingers clenched. After a while, even the mini clips in Daehyun's hair lose their comedic effect, leaving behind someone Youngjae still remembers as the new kid with the Busan accent.
It's not their first performance, and it won't be their last. There is, however, something monumental about their first concert. The air feels different-- daunting yet exciting. Youngjae understands the feeling all too well, excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach. "Hey," Youngjae says eventually, patting the spot on the couch next to him. "Relax."
Daehyun takes a seat but says nothing.
"Why so blue, Panda Bear?" Youngjae asks, grinning when Daehyun gives him a small smile.
Yongguk-hyung is talking to Himchan-hyung in the hallway, where Junhong had bounced in excitement after finding his parents backstage. Youngjae would like to think he's past that age, but he had beamed regardless when his mother appeared in the dressing room an hour ago.
"I just don't know what to expect," Daehyun says at last.
This insecurity is something Youngjae has only glimpsed a handful of times during his friendship with Daehyun. "Just be your normally loud self," Youngjae offers, to which Daehyun laughs.
What Youngjae doesn't says is that Daehyun is the best vocalist Youngjae has ever met and that he would feel completely overwhelmed without Daehyun here, handling the high notes and doing all the sweet talking for him. This appreciation is not something Youngjae plans on vocalizing, but when he squeezes Daehyun's knee, Youngjae thinks Daehyun gets it.
Everything is an exciting blur after doors to the venue open. Junhong laughs at the amount of gel in his hair and Jongup stops marking the moves to NO MERCY. Yongguk-hyung's signal is not exactly subtle, but when Manager Kang leads Daehyun's old vocal coach and classmates into the room with a "surprise!", Daehyun cries anyways.
Because Dae's Mirotic friends came to the concert ;;
You And Me And Withdraw
Written in response to the rumors that Himchan is MIA from B.A.P. b/c saesang anti-fans slashed open his hand and threatened him. Banghim. ~500wc PG.
Yongguk thinks the worst part about loving an encompassing group of people is having to accept them in their entirety: students who wait patiently outside of recordings in their uniforms, girls who wave rabbit-shaped glowsticks like it's the ultimate form of joy, Babys who cheer and laugh and cry with them, and people who wait and whisper outside of their dorm in the dead of the night.
Fame has turned Yongguk's life into a game of extremes. It has made him incredibly happy and incredibly sad, but Yongguk knows that Himchan has always been leaning towards the latter. It's not Himchan's sadness but the projection of his insecurities that grows day and night, playing cruel and twisted games.
They've always found their footing after minor stumbles. Everything becomes water under the bridge eventually. Terrible comments and heart-wrenching insults have only made Youngjae more focused and Daehyun more forward looking.
But this time, when Himchan falls, he doesn't get up. He curls forward and buries his face in his knees, breathing deeply until their manager screams something and pulls him up. The group scatters and disappears into the darkness. The commotion is anticlimactic at best, but Youngguk knows defeat when he sees it.
The worst part about loving Babys is the extremity of their possessiveness and the subsequent anti-fans. The worst part about loving Himchan is having to watching him fall apart.
TSENT is not big enough, resourceful enough, or influential enough. Everything is hush-hush and swept under the rug: fake stories about broken fingers and rest. When Himchan leaves, Yongguk acts like his heart isn't caving in. If he pretends everything is okay, then maybe the kids will feel like it too.
"Please pray for Himchan's recovery," Yongguk says in public and hopes that Himchan is doing his best to get better.
In the weeks that Himchan withdraws from the world, Yongguk thinks a lot. He thinks about Yongnam, his mother's cooking, and predebut days when Youngjae sang nonsense while Junhong danced. He thinks about Jongup's unexpected anger and Daehyun repeating, "Hyung, Hyung you can't leave." Mostly, Yongguk thinks about this thing between them and draws a blank.
Yongguk is finally grasping the words he wants to tell Himchan, but his biggest fear is that Himchan has already given up.
They're so swamped with promotions, appearances, and preparations for the concert that Himchan's appearance backstage is a total surprise. When Jongup finally lets go and Daehyun stops bouncing in excitement, they're whisked away for hair and makeup. Yongguk stays behind and loses the list of words he's been carefully saving for this day.
Himchan looks different-Mellower, maybe.
"You came back," Yongguk says lamely.
Himchan regards him, his face soft. Something monumental shifts in those seconds of silence. "Maybe I'm just trying to find my way back to you," Himchan says, and Yongguk knows exactly what he means.
Sparkles In the Sky
BaekTao written for Nico. Originally posted on tumblr here. G. ~1500 wc
When Baekhyun says “let’s go for a walk,” Zitao removes his earphones and thinks that can’t be it. No one ever means exactly what they say. A trip to the local store was really a mission to get emergency ramyun, “tiredness” was a code for everyone to leave Lu Han alone, and “the common cold” really meant a serious case of influenza. At least that’s what Zitao has deduced, from the quarantined state of Kris’s room. Even Yixing, who insisted that he could give Duizhang food without being infected, has temporarily gone down, causing Lu Han to fulminate the entire dorm with basins of boiled vinegar to fight off the germs. That was Zitao’s cue to leave and camp out at K’s dorm, where Chanyeol and Sehun played videogames at random hours and Baekhyun liked to sit sweetly by Zitao just to steal his blankets.
They’re in the down stages between promotions and the release of a new single, when Lu Han and Jongdae spend most of their days in the recording studio and nursing cups of tea at night. Zitao knows because he has gotten excellent at steeping-Lu Han likes decaffeinated green tea at night while Jongdae likes spiced chai with a splash of milk and honey. Baekhyun, though, is a mystery. Zitao does not know what types of tea Baekhyun drinks, and he doesn’t know why the information is even important. It’s not a vacation or a break, but somehow it feels like it. This is especially true in the moments when Baekhyun comes back from the studio and wedges himself between Zitao and the arm of the couch, half leaning and half sleeping on Zitao while they watch Sehun kick Chanyeol’s ass in their game.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Baekhyun says again, and Zitao follows him to the doorway where Baekhyun spends five minutes waiting for Zitao to tie up the laces of his combat boots. “So fashionable,” Baekhyun tsks fondly. “Who is going to see you?”
“You are,” Zitao replies simply. Baekhyun just laughs and leads them to the elevator. They descend to the first floor and around the corner of the building to the local grocery store, Zitao sidestepping around a swarm of balloons at the entrance.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Zitao thinks about old crushes and friends. He thinks about his mother setting out a vase of fresh lilies and his grandmother eating pistachios by the television set. Mostly, though, he thinks about Baekhyun and the way his lips curl in amusement.
Zitao follows as they weave through the shelves, ducking a little into his overlarge scarf. He watches as Baekhyun dumps various chocolate bars into their cart. “Joonmyun won’t admit it, but he really likes milk chocolate with gross caramel on the inside,” Baekhyun explains.
“Are you… buying everyone chocolate?”
Baekhyun turns to him and grins. In the early days of their friendship, Zitao used to wonder if that grin was a sign of amusement or jest. Nowadays, he has stopped questioning Baekhyun. Zitao knows he is a bit of a romantic. Even though he can only understand half of the things Baekhyun says, Zitao would like to think there is a whole world of possibilities between them-unsaid words and secret smiles.
“Do you want one?” Baekhyun asks, shrugging when Zitao shakes his head. The cashier doesn’t question their large chocolate purchase, but Baekhyun still says something random about having many girlfriends. They laugh while exiting the store, Zitao pausing on the steps as Baekhyun pats his pockets for something.
Seoul is unexpectedly cold these days, and Zitao thinks about annual spring field trips to Mount Lao he used to take in middle school. He blinks when Baekhyun tugs on his elbow, turning to find a box of pepero in his face. Attached is a cut out of a selca they took pre-debut, when Zitao followed Baekhyun everywhere and thought he had no friends.
“Happy Valentine’s Day! I heard today is also po wu, the 5th day of the Chinese New Year,” Baekhyun says cleverly. His pronunciation of 破五 is two tones off. “It’s the God of Wealth's birthday so we should all eat dumplings and set off firecrackers for good fortune and economic luck.”
Zitao opens the pepero box to find mini sticks of firecrackers. “This is so unromantic.”
Baekhyun just grins, snatching Zitao’s scarf and wrapping it around himself. “Say ‘thank you, hyung.’”
“Thank you, hyung.”
They walk back to the dorm like that, Baekhyun looping an arm through Zitao’s. Lu Han, Jongdae, Minseok, and Yixing are also there when they get back. Yixing is cooking frozen dumplings and laughs when Baekhyun gives him a chocolate.
“Why are you being so nice?” Chanyeol asks from the hallway, halfway through his chocolate.
“Love is in the air today,” Baekhyun announces, winking at Zitao.
They eat so many dumplings that half of them are reduced to lying around in their food coma. Later, they crowd around Baekhyun’s mysterious supply of firecrackers and light them on the roof of the building, Chanyeol cackling when he nearly sets Jongin’s sleeves on fire. It’s the weirdest hybrid of Valentine’s Day and po wo that Zitao has ever experienced, but when Baekhyun smiles at him through the sparkles of light, Zitao smiles back.
♥ Want to talk B.A.P? Meta? B.A.P. Meta?? Talk to me on twitter!
The waiting period between their dress fitting and Show Time has always seemed awkward to Youngjae. PRE!B.A.P. Live on Earth SEOUL concert. ~400wc. G. Daejae BrOTP.
The waiting period between their dress fitting and Show Time has always seemed awkward to Youngjae. Sometimes he tweets while their stylist fixes his hair. Sometimes he watches Jongup and Junhong have mini dance battles in the corner of the room. Most of the times, he sits next to Daehyun as they do vocal warm ups.
Daehyun has always been an enigma. Some days Youngjae feels like they are the best of friends. Other days, when Daehyun pulls his lips into a tight line and says nothing, Youngjae feels completely lost. Despite Daehyun's occasional bouts of contemplation, he was always steady-- hitting the right notes, never missing a beat, and always with a smile on his face.
Today, Daehyun is pacing around the dressing room, fingers clenched. After a while, even the mini clips in Daehyun's hair lose their comedic effect, leaving behind someone Youngjae still remembers as the new kid with the Busan accent.
It's not their first performance, and it won't be their last. There is, however, something monumental about their first concert. The air feels different-- daunting yet exciting. Youngjae understands the feeling all too well, excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach. "Hey," Youngjae says eventually, patting the spot on the couch next to him. "Relax."
Daehyun takes a seat but says nothing.
"Why so blue, Panda Bear?" Youngjae asks, grinning when Daehyun gives him a small smile.
Yongguk-hyung is talking to Himchan-hyung in the hallway, where Junhong had bounced in excitement after finding his parents backstage. Youngjae would like to think he's past that age, but he had beamed regardless when his mother appeared in the dressing room an hour ago.
"I just don't know what to expect," Daehyun says at last.
This insecurity is something Youngjae has only glimpsed a handful of times during his friendship with Daehyun. "Just be your normally loud self," Youngjae offers, to which Daehyun laughs.
What Youngjae doesn't says is that Daehyun is the best vocalist Youngjae has ever met and that he would feel completely overwhelmed without Daehyun here, handling the high notes and doing all the sweet talking for him. This appreciation is not something Youngjae plans on vocalizing, but when he squeezes Daehyun's knee, Youngjae thinks Daehyun gets it.
Everything is an exciting blur after doors to the venue open. Junhong laughs at the amount of gel in his hair and Jongup stops marking the moves to NO MERCY. Yongguk-hyung's signal is not exactly subtle, but when Manager Kang leads Daehyun's old vocal coach and classmates into the room with a "surprise!", Daehyun cries anyways.
Because Dae's Mirotic friends came to the concert ;;
You And Me And Withdraw
Written in response to the rumors that Himchan is MIA from B.A.P. b/c saesang anti-fans slashed open his hand and threatened him. Banghim. ~500wc PG.
Yongguk thinks the worst part about loving an encompassing group of people is having to accept them in their entirety: students who wait patiently outside of recordings in their uniforms, girls who wave rabbit-shaped glowsticks like it's the ultimate form of joy, Babys who cheer and laugh and cry with them, and people who wait and whisper outside of their dorm in the dead of the night.
Fame has turned Yongguk's life into a game of extremes. It has made him incredibly happy and incredibly sad, but Yongguk knows that Himchan has always been leaning towards the latter. It's not Himchan's sadness but the projection of his insecurities that grows day and night, playing cruel and twisted games.
They've always found their footing after minor stumbles. Everything becomes water under the bridge eventually. Terrible comments and heart-wrenching insults have only made Youngjae more focused and Daehyun more forward looking.
But this time, when Himchan falls, he doesn't get up. He curls forward and buries his face in his knees, breathing deeply until their manager screams something and pulls him up. The group scatters and disappears into the darkness. The commotion is anticlimactic at best, but Youngguk knows defeat when he sees it.
The worst part about loving Babys is the extremity of their possessiveness and the subsequent anti-fans. The worst part about loving Himchan is having to watching him fall apart.
TSENT is not big enough, resourceful enough, or influential enough. Everything is hush-hush and swept under the rug: fake stories about broken fingers and rest. When Himchan leaves, Yongguk acts like his heart isn't caving in. If he pretends everything is okay, then maybe the kids will feel like it too.
"Please pray for Himchan's recovery," Yongguk says in public and hopes that Himchan is doing his best to get better.
In the weeks that Himchan withdraws from the world, Yongguk thinks a lot. He thinks about Yongnam, his mother's cooking, and predebut days when Youngjae sang nonsense while Junhong danced. He thinks about Jongup's unexpected anger and Daehyun repeating, "Hyung, Hyung you can't leave." Mostly, Yongguk thinks about this thing between them and draws a blank.
Yongguk is finally grasping the words he wants to tell Himchan, but his biggest fear is that Himchan has already given up.
They're so swamped with promotions, appearances, and preparations for the concert that Himchan's appearance backstage is a total surprise. When Jongup finally lets go and Daehyun stops bouncing in excitement, they're whisked away for hair and makeup. Yongguk stays behind and loses the list of words he's been carefully saving for this day.
Himchan looks different-Mellower, maybe.
"You came back," Yongguk says lamely.
Himchan regards him, his face soft. Something monumental shifts in those seconds of silence. "Maybe I'm just trying to find my way back to you," Himchan says, and Yongguk knows exactly what he means.
Sparkles In the Sky
BaekTao written for Nico. Originally posted on tumblr here. G. ~1500 wc
When Baekhyun says “let’s go for a walk,” Zitao removes his earphones and thinks that can’t be it. No one ever means exactly what they say. A trip to the local store was really a mission to get emergency ramyun, “tiredness” was a code for everyone to leave Lu Han alone, and “the common cold” really meant a serious case of influenza. At least that’s what Zitao has deduced, from the quarantined state of Kris’s room. Even Yixing, who insisted that he could give Duizhang food without being infected, has temporarily gone down, causing Lu Han to fulminate the entire dorm with basins of boiled vinegar to fight off the germs. That was Zitao’s cue to leave and camp out at K’s dorm, where Chanyeol and Sehun played videogames at random hours and Baekhyun liked to sit sweetly by Zitao just to steal his blankets.
They’re in the down stages between promotions and the release of a new single, when Lu Han and Jongdae spend most of their days in the recording studio and nursing cups of tea at night. Zitao knows because he has gotten excellent at steeping-Lu Han likes decaffeinated green tea at night while Jongdae likes spiced chai with a splash of milk and honey. Baekhyun, though, is a mystery. Zitao does not know what types of tea Baekhyun drinks, and he doesn’t know why the information is even important. It’s not a vacation or a break, but somehow it feels like it. This is especially true in the moments when Baekhyun comes back from the studio and wedges himself between Zitao and the arm of the couch, half leaning and half sleeping on Zitao while they watch Sehun kick Chanyeol’s ass in their game.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Baekhyun says again, and Zitao follows him to the doorway where Baekhyun spends five minutes waiting for Zitao to tie up the laces of his combat boots. “So fashionable,” Baekhyun tsks fondly. “Who is going to see you?”
“You are,” Zitao replies simply. Baekhyun just laughs and leads them to the elevator. They descend to the first floor and around the corner of the building to the local grocery store, Zitao sidestepping around a swarm of balloons at the entrance.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Zitao thinks about old crushes and friends. He thinks about his mother setting out a vase of fresh lilies and his grandmother eating pistachios by the television set. Mostly, though, he thinks about Baekhyun and the way his lips curl in amusement.
Zitao follows as they weave through the shelves, ducking a little into his overlarge scarf. He watches as Baekhyun dumps various chocolate bars into their cart. “Joonmyun won’t admit it, but he really likes milk chocolate with gross caramel on the inside,” Baekhyun explains.
“Are you… buying everyone chocolate?”
Baekhyun turns to him and grins. In the early days of their friendship, Zitao used to wonder if that grin was a sign of amusement or jest. Nowadays, he has stopped questioning Baekhyun. Zitao knows he is a bit of a romantic. Even though he can only understand half of the things Baekhyun says, Zitao would like to think there is a whole world of possibilities between them-unsaid words and secret smiles.
“Do you want one?” Baekhyun asks, shrugging when Zitao shakes his head. The cashier doesn’t question their large chocolate purchase, but Baekhyun still says something random about having many girlfriends. They laugh while exiting the store, Zitao pausing on the steps as Baekhyun pats his pockets for something.
Seoul is unexpectedly cold these days, and Zitao thinks about annual spring field trips to Mount Lao he used to take in middle school. He blinks when Baekhyun tugs on his elbow, turning to find a box of pepero in his face. Attached is a cut out of a selca they took pre-debut, when Zitao followed Baekhyun everywhere and thought he had no friends.
“Happy Valentine’s Day! I heard today is also po wu, the 5th day of the Chinese New Year,” Baekhyun says cleverly. His pronunciation of 破五 is two tones off. “It’s the God of Wealth's birthday so we should all eat dumplings and set off firecrackers for good fortune and economic luck.”
Zitao opens the pepero box to find mini sticks of firecrackers. “This is so unromantic.”
Baekhyun just grins, snatching Zitao’s scarf and wrapping it around himself. “Say ‘thank you, hyung.’”
“Thank you, hyung.”
They walk back to the dorm like that, Baekhyun looping an arm through Zitao’s. Lu Han, Jongdae, Minseok, and Yixing are also there when they get back. Yixing is cooking frozen dumplings and laughs when Baekhyun gives him a chocolate.
“Why are you being so nice?” Chanyeol asks from the hallway, halfway through his chocolate.
“Love is in the air today,” Baekhyun announces, winking at Zitao.
They eat so many dumplings that half of them are reduced to lying around in their food coma. Later, they crowd around Baekhyun’s mysterious supply of firecrackers and light them on the roof of the building, Chanyeol cackling when he nearly sets Jongin’s sleeves on fire. It’s the weirdest hybrid of Valentine’s Day and po wo that Zitao has ever experienced, but when Baekhyun smiles at him through the sparkles of light, Zitao smiles back.
♥ Want to talk B.A.P? Meta? B.A.P. Meta?? Talk to me on twitter!