Pedestrian Crossings - 07: Red Ballons [DBSK; JaeMin; PG]
title: Pedestrian Crossings - 07: Red Balloons
author: yumeyana
fandom: dbsk
pairing: jaejoong x changmin (jaechun, hosu, yunjae, yoosu)
rating/genre: PG / drama, angst, sap, romance, humor
chapter: 7 of 10
summary: The effect of JaeJoong's injury takes toll and everyone pays the price. YunHo protects him; JunSu runs to HyukJae. YooChun is left to pick up the pieces of a broken ChangMin... until one night changes everything and the red balloons fly again.
Previous Chapters can be found here.
[crossposted at _starcandy and at hug______.]
Author’s Notes: Ok. I’ll get back to writing in third person, thus releasing us from the character’s inner thoughts all the time. I need to write this way because the events that follow will not always involve the same person and I can’t use him as my storyteller. Ok? Ok. ^^
Disclaimers: None of the Dong Bang Shin Ki boys are mine no matter how much I wish they would be. The events below are purely a figment of my over-active imagination. The plot is mine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pedestrian Crossings
07 : Red Balloons
Amidst the screaming and crying fans, the home where Dong Bang Shin Ki lives is as quiet as a convent. JaeJoong is barely seen out of the room, barely even talking to anyone but YunHo. Everyone has tried to approach him-JunSu tries to talk to him about food, YooChun tries to talk about his latest song, ChangMin sits beside him and reads to him-but none of them has produced a favorable response.
All JaeJoong does is stare at the wall or the ceiling until YunHo comes and carries him off to another part of the house.
YooChun walks around the house, abandoning the very thought of playing the computer game by himself. It’s not as fun, he thinks, playing alone; his usual playmate, JunSu, is out with his best friend. The kitchen is unusually bare, what with no JaeJoong cooking and no ChangMin making him laugh while the group’s mom copped through the ingredients.
Speaking of his little brother…
He trudged on to their room, trying not to be too noisy or too quiet. ChangMin hates being surprised and being disturbed and YooChun isn’t sure of what he doesn’t want at this moment. He peeks into their room and finds their youngest in Yun-JaeJoong’s bed.
Min…
ChangMin tries to cover up whatever he’s been doing and gets up immediately at the sound of YooChun’s voice. But it is not as quickly as he had probably hoped for; YooChun could still see tears stains in ChangMin’s eyes.
Hyung! I-I wasn’t-
He approached the younger one, sitting on the same bed-You weren’t doing anything bad, I know.
Deep in YooChun’s heart, he knows he must’ve failed sometime between caring for JunSu, worrying for JaeJoong and balancing all his work. He has forgotten that beneath his usual child-like smile is a person who needs care and that is what ChangMin needs now. Especially now that JaeJoong has decided to shun all of them out of his life.
He can’t ignore us forever, Min. He’s bound to get out of that depression.
A sigh-I know, hyung. I understand that he needs YunHo hyung and that I’m-I’m just-
He watches the tears that fall down ChangMin’s eyes, the younger one’s hands trying desperately to wipe them away. All three of them know that it is but natural that JaeJoong is holding onto YunHo like a lifeline-they are, after all, best of friends. Yet understanding such things doesn’t mean they have to accept it.
It doesn’t mean that ChangMin just has to let JaeJoong go.
*
Jae. BooJae.
What.
You need to stop acting like this. Talk to them.
I don’t want to.
JaeJoong-
Look, YunHo. Do you want me or not? If you don’t want me holding onto you like this then-
No, Jae. I didn’t mean that. I just mean that we’re a group, a family. JunSu and the others want to help you get better. Stop being difficult!
I’m not!
Yes, you are! I know that we’re best friends and I’m glad that you need me so much. But we are also a band and we need you; you’re our lead singer, Jae.
I-
We have a concert in a few days and we can’t practice like this. Act like the professional like you are.
*
There are times, YunHo thinks, where he hates his job. It is not often, but he is sure that there are times like those because it is at those times that he doubts himself, doubts his capacity in being the leader that he is supposed to be.
Getting JaeJoong to talk to other people proves to be harder than he thinks it should be; getting JunSu to stop talking to HyukJae is harder than making him smile. He tries to talk to ChangMin and YooChun, tries to get them to help him but he senses a tension far heavier than they need right now.
Yet amidst all these, he tries to act as if nothing is wrong; they are all just on pins and needles.
They only have two days left.
He needs to put them back together, get all the pieces to fit. He needs to stop thinking about his feelings, about JaeJoong. About how he just wishes he could stop being the leader and grab this opportunity with JaeJoong. About how he secretly wants this.
All of this.
**
Hyung, I need to talk to you.
YooChun blinks. Thirty minutes before the performance and ChangMin wants to talk to him? With that serious look on his face? He nods-Sure; what’s it about? But ChangMin pulls him away from the rest of the production team and whispers in his ear. His eyes go wide-You want to what? ChangMin repeats it, again in a whisper.
Are you sure?
Yes.
*
The crowd erupts in cheers and applauses as he calls ChangMin out to the stage. The latter’s voice is a little hesitant but more confident than he thinks ChangMin could be at that exact moment. Every English word is said with learned pronunciation, something that tells him that their little one has been practicing for quite some time.
A smile escapes YooChun’s lips. ChangMin has never given up after all.
I knew I loved you before I met you-Their voices blend together as if they’ve been practicing for months. YooChun knows that there will be write-ups-various speculations and hundreds of fan fictions-about him and ChangMin and their little love song duet but he knows that only little of them will hit the mark. Only two people will know what the song is about and who the song really is for.
And as ChangMin looks at him, he hopes that the other’s wish would come true.
That another person-some small lead singer-would understand its true meaning as well.
*
There is peace amidst the hustle and bustle in the backstage.
JunSu finds it unusual that no one is fussing over their lead singer but then again, JaeJoong has made it quite clear these past few days that no one can approach him without permission. Especially now that his eyes are closed and his lips are moving in a way that tells a lot people that he is in the middle of thinking. What that is, they will never ask and never know.
ChangMin’s voice reaches his ears and JunSu smiles.
Perhaps, only those who will watch JaeJoong closely will know.
*
He hears JunSu’s heart break with every word, with every note he hits.
He wants to go out there and hug him, hold me close and tell him that he is still here-that he will never leave him. But he knows that he hasn’t exactly shown JunSu all those things; in fact, he has done quite the opposite. Perhaps the younger singer should understand-JaeJoong needs him most now-but still, he knows it is not enough an explanation to put his everything there and forget JunSu.
Thirty seconds, YunHo-The floor director pats his back-and then the stage is yours.
He nods.
And then after that, he thinks, he swears he will try and mend JunSu’s heart.
*
There is an undeniable dolphin-sounding squeak from the back stage that makes every one of them turn around to find out what caused it. They find JunSu and YunHo, the latter holding the younger one in his arms. They hear a little protest-HYUNG!-but it is soon drowned by YunHo’s words, strings of apologies and promises. They can’t hear the words, they don’t really know what is being said but they can surmise as much.
After all, JunSu’s tears and that little curve on his lips are enough to tell the story.
*
Even in this distance, they can hear the crowd’s tears fall.
YunHo encourages the fans to support them, to pray for JaeJoong’s fast recovery. There is a pause-a heartbreaking silence-and more tears fall. JaeJoong tries to smile, tries to remain strong in front of everyone.
No. He can’t possibly break down now.
ChangMin sshi-One of the hosts calls their youngest-what about you?
Today, JaeJoong hyung is hurt so we can’t perform together-ChangMin starts in the gentlest of voices. But the greatest and best gift I could get is for JaeJoong hyung to get better.
There’s nothing else I’d really want.
And then the curve on JaeJoong’s lips vanishes.
*
ChangMin.
Their youngest turns around and faces JaeJoong, blinking. There are a million questions in his eyes and hope amidst them; this is, after all, the first time ever since the injury that the lead singer has called his name. JaeJoong wheels towards him, ignoring YunHo’s attempts to help him get where ChangMin is.
He doesn’t need YunHo now. Not with this.
He struggles to get there and hates the fact that he can’t get there as fast as he wants to, as fast as he needs to. But then ChangMin walks towards him and meets him in the middle.
And JaeJoong thinks, perhaps this is one of those many reasons why ChangMin is so dear to him.
He grabs ChangMin’s hands and pulls him down. He is the stupid one, JaeJoong thinks as he puts his arms around the younger one. I am the stupid one, he tells himself and he tells ChangMin. He doesn’t say anything else-he doesn’t apologize or promise anything.
Then perhaps-ChangMin puts his arms around him as well-you should’ve sung most of Bah Boh.
Aa-A chuckle escapes JaeJoong’s lips. Perhaps.
***
tbc.
author: yumeyana
fandom: dbsk
pairing: jaejoong x changmin (jaechun, hosu, yunjae, yoosu)
rating/genre: PG / drama, angst, sap, romance, humor
chapter: 7 of 10
summary: The effect of JaeJoong's injury takes toll and everyone pays the price. YunHo protects him; JunSu runs to HyukJae. YooChun is left to pick up the pieces of a broken ChangMin... until one night changes everything and the red balloons fly again.
Previous Chapters can be found here.
[crossposted at _starcandy and at hug______.]
Author’s Notes: Ok. I’ll get back to writing in third person, thus releasing us from the character’s inner thoughts all the time. I need to write this way because the events that follow will not always involve the same person and I can’t use him as my storyteller. Ok? Ok. ^^
Disclaimers: None of the Dong Bang Shin Ki boys are mine no matter how much I wish they would be. The events below are purely a figment of my over-active imagination. The plot is mine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pedestrian Crossings
07 : Red Balloons
Amidst the screaming and crying fans, the home where Dong Bang Shin Ki lives is as quiet as a convent. JaeJoong is barely seen out of the room, barely even talking to anyone but YunHo. Everyone has tried to approach him-JunSu tries to talk to him about food, YooChun tries to talk about his latest song, ChangMin sits beside him and reads to him-but none of them has produced a favorable response.
All JaeJoong does is stare at the wall or the ceiling until YunHo comes and carries him off to another part of the house.
YooChun walks around the house, abandoning the very thought of playing the computer game by himself. It’s not as fun, he thinks, playing alone; his usual playmate, JunSu, is out with his best friend. The kitchen is unusually bare, what with no JaeJoong cooking and no ChangMin making him laugh while the group’s mom copped through the ingredients.
Speaking of his little brother…
He trudged on to their room, trying not to be too noisy or too quiet. ChangMin hates being surprised and being disturbed and YooChun isn’t sure of what he doesn’t want at this moment. He peeks into their room and finds their youngest in Yun-JaeJoong’s bed.
Min…
ChangMin tries to cover up whatever he’s been doing and gets up immediately at the sound of YooChun’s voice. But it is not as quickly as he had probably hoped for; YooChun could still see tears stains in ChangMin’s eyes.
Hyung! I-I wasn’t-
He approached the younger one, sitting on the same bed-You weren’t doing anything bad, I know.
Deep in YooChun’s heart, he knows he must’ve failed sometime between caring for JunSu, worrying for JaeJoong and balancing all his work. He has forgotten that beneath his usual child-like smile is a person who needs care and that is what ChangMin needs now. Especially now that JaeJoong has decided to shun all of them out of his life.
He can’t ignore us forever, Min. He’s bound to get out of that depression.
A sigh-I know, hyung. I understand that he needs YunHo hyung and that I’m-I’m just-
He watches the tears that fall down ChangMin’s eyes, the younger one’s hands trying desperately to wipe them away. All three of them know that it is but natural that JaeJoong is holding onto YunHo like a lifeline-they are, after all, best of friends. Yet understanding such things doesn’t mean they have to accept it.
It doesn’t mean that ChangMin just has to let JaeJoong go.
*
Jae. BooJae.
What.
You need to stop acting like this. Talk to them.
I don’t want to.
JaeJoong-
Look, YunHo. Do you want me or not? If you don’t want me holding onto you like this then-
No, Jae. I didn’t mean that. I just mean that we’re a group, a family. JunSu and the others want to help you get better. Stop being difficult!
I’m not!
Yes, you are! I know that we’re best friends and I’m glad that you need me so much. But we are also a band and we need you; you’re our lead singer, Jae.
I-
We have a concert in a few days and we can’t practice like this. Act like the professional like you are.
*
There are times, YunHo thinks, where he hates his job. It is not often, but he is sure that there are times like those because it is at those times that he doubts himself, doubts his capacity in being the leader that he is supposed to be.
Getting JaeJoong to talk to other people proves to be harder than he thinks it should be; getting JunSu to stop talking to HyukJae is harder than making him smile. He tries to talk to ChangMin and YooChun, tries to get them to help him but he senses a tension far heavier than they need right now.
Yet amidst all these, he tries to act as if nothing is wrong; they are all just on pins and needles.
They only have two days left.
He needs to put them back together, get all the pieces to fit. He needs to stop thinking about his feelings, about JaeJoong. About how he just wishes he could stop being the leader and grab this opportunity with JaeJoong. About how he secretly wants this.
All of this.
**
Hyung, I need to talk to you.
YooChun blinks. Thirty minutes before the performance and ChangMin wants to talk to him? With that serious look on his face? He nods-Sure; what’s it about? But ChangMin pulls him away from the rest of the production team and whispers in his ear. His eyes go wide-You want to what? ChangMin repeats it, again in a whisper.
Are you sure?
Yes.
*
The crowd erupts in cheers and applauses as he calls ChangMin out to the stage. The latter’s voice is a little hesitant but more confident than he thinks ChangMin could be at that exact moment. Every English word is said with learned pronunciation, something that tells him that their little one has been practicing for quite some time.
A smile escapes YooChun’s lips. ChangMin has never given up after all.
I knew I loved you before I met you-Their voices blend together as if they’ve been practicing for months. YooChun knows that there will be write-ups-various speculations and hundreds of fan fictions-about him and ChangMin and their little love song duet but he knows that only little of them will hit the mark. Only two people will know what the song is about and who the song really is for.
And as ChangMin looks at him, he hopes that the other’s wish would come true.
That another person-some small lead singer-would understand its true meaning as well.
*
There is peace amidst the hustle and bustle in the backstage.
JunSu finds it unusual that no one is fussing over their lead singer but then again, JaeJoong has made it quite clear these past few days that no one can approach him without permission. Especially now that his eyes are closed and his lips are moving in a way that tells a lot people that he is in the middle of thinking. What that is, they will never ask and never know.
ChangMin’s voice reaches his ears and JunSu smiles.
Perhaps, only those who will watch JaeJoong closely will know.
*
He hears JunSu’s heart break with every word, with every note he hits.
He wants to go out there and hug him, hold me close and tell him that he is still here-that he will never leave him. But he knows that he hasn’t exactly shown JunSu all those things; in fact, he has done quite the opposite. Perhaps the younger singer should understand-JaeJoong needs him most now-but still, he knows it is not enough an explanation to put his everything there and forget JunSu.
Thirty seconds, YunHo-The floor director pats his back-and then the stage is yours.
He nods.
And then after that, he thinks, he swears he will try and mend JunSu’s heart.
*
There is an undeniable dolphin-sounding squeak from the back stage that makes every one of them turn around to find out what caused it. They find JunSu and YunHo, the latter holding the younger one in his arms. They hear a little protest-HYUNG!-but it is soon drowned by YunHo’s words, strings of apologies and promises. They can’t hear the words, they don’t really know what is being said but they can surmise as much.
After all, JunSu’s tears and that little curve on his lips are enough to tell the story.
*
Even in this distance, they can hear the crowd’s tears fall.
YunHo encourages the fans to support them, to pray for JaeJoong’s fast recovery. There is a pause-a heartbreaking silence-and more tears fall. JaeJoong tries to smile, tries to remain strong in front of everyone.
No. He can’t possibly break down now.
ChangMin sshi-One of the hosts calls their youngest-what about you?
Today, JaeJoong hyung is hurt so we can’t perform together-ChangMin starts in the gentlest of voices. But the greatest and best gift I could get is for JaeJoong hyung to get better.
There’s nothing else I’d really want.
And then the curve on JaeJoong’s lips vanishes.
*
ChangMin.
Their youngest turns around and faces JaeJoong, blinking. There are a million questions in his eyes and hope amidst them; this is, after all, the first time ever since the injury that the lead singer has called his name. JaeJoong wheels towards him, ignoring YunHo’s attempts to help him get where ChangMin is.
He doesn’t need YunHo now. Not with this.
He struggles to get there and hates the fact that he can’t get there as fast as he wants to, as fast as he needs to. But then ChangMin walks towards him and meets him in the middle.
And JaeJoong thinks, perhaps this is one of those many reasons why ChangMin is so dear to him.
He grabs ChangMin’s hands and pulls him down. He is the stupid one, JaeJoong thinks as he puts his arms around the younger one. I am the stupid one, he tells himself and he tells ChangMin. He doesn’t say anything else-he doesn’t apologize or promise anything.
Then perhaps-ChangMin puts his arms around him as well-you should’ve sung most of Bah Boh.
Aa-A chuckle escapes JaeJoong’s lips. Perhaps.
***
tbc.