title: No Show Fee : 15. Stand-by
author:
yumeyanafandom: dong bang shin ki / super junior
pairs: JaeMin, JaeHae, YehHae (YooSu, KangTeuk, etc.)
rating/genre: PG-13 - NC-17 / drama, angst, humor, romance
summary: They say love waits. But the question always is, until when? When Jaejoong appears before everyone, Changmin looks for ways to escape their inevitable confrontation. But even if Kibum wants nothing but to rescue Changmin, Kyuhyun steps in. And while everyone in Korea is bound to have a heart attack, Heechul deals with a headache and another actor missing.
[crossposted at
hug______,
miracle______,
_starcandy.]
Author’s Notes: I’m sorry this took longer than planned but some things needed to be done. That, and I was experiencing a little writer’s block. Hehe. I hope no one’s planning to kill me yet. :D
Disclaimers: None of the Dong Bang Shin Ki and Super Junior boys are mine, only the plot is.
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No Show Fee : Stand-by
Donghae clutched his mobile phone close to his chest, plopping on his bed. I’m here, Hae, JaeJoong had said. He smiled at the sound of JaeJoong’s voice; it seemed like months since he last heard him. Had a nice trip, he had asked and Donghae almost laughed at the snort JaeJoong made. As nice as it could get; I didn’t bring much cash. And Miwha-sshi’s house isn’t exactly in Seoul or near it. So it’s a good two more hours before I get there. He shook his head, remembering how JaeJoong had rushed out of the hotel without even checking if he had enough money; the good thing was the older one always had his passport with him. Maybe I should’ve gone there with you, he said; it was something, perhaps, he shouldn’t have said. He sounded needy, sounded as if he was unsure of his place in JaeJoong’s life. As if he feared he could lose him with that single phone call.
Maybe you should’ve, hon.
The little endearment made him smile-the memory of how soft JaeJoong’s voice was, everything about that single moment when that sentence was said. In one sentence, JaeJoong had assured him that he shouldn’t be afraid of his role in JaeJoong’s life. He fingered the silver chain JaeJoong gave him on his birthday, letting his eyes close. He hadn’t slept for more than twenty-four hours and his body wasn’t as young as it was before. It was taking a toll on him, he thought, yawning. He could sleep for a while, sleep until JaeJoong called him again.
Maybe you should’ve, hon.
His eyes snapped open.
*
JaeJoong watched YooChun try to compose himself, try to stop gaping at him. Clearly, the older one thought, his presence was not expected. He could hear JunSu’s footsteps from afar, tiptoeing as if he was treading on dangerous grounds. He cleared his throat and nodded at JunSu’s direction; YooChun suddenly awoke from his daze and followed JaeJoong’s gaze. JunSu smiled sheepishly-“Hey, hyung.”-before cowering at YooChun’s glare.
“Are you two just going to stand there or will you let me see Miwha-sshi?”
YooChun tensed at the sound of JaeJoong’s voice-tired and irritated, a JaeJoong he never wanted to mess up with-and stepped aside, letting the older one in. JunSu looked smaller now, JaeJoong thought as he walked closer. There was something afoot, he thought as he passed by and saw Hyukjae wave at him (he waved back, grinning at the sleeping YunHo on the other’s lap); something that told him that he was in for a surprise.
And JaeJoong wasn’t a fan of those kinds of surprises.
“She’s in her room?” he asked YooChun who was trailing behind him. The latter nodded, still unable to find his voice. JaeJoong raised an eyebrow but YooChun didn’t seem to want to say anything at the moment. He nodded at Kyuhyun and Kibum as they poked their heads from the kitchen door; Kyuhyun had smiled warmly at him. Kibum, however, had just nodded back. Dismissing all the weirdness around him-sans YunHo sleeping peacefully on Hyukjae’s lap-as something he could all confront later, he went up to her room.
*
ChangMin sat beside his mother’s bed, reading a book. He knew she was still awake and he promised he wouldn’t leave her side until she fell asleep. But, he thought as he flipped the page, it didn’t seem as if his mother wanted to sleep. It was as if she was waiting for something. Lunch perhaps, he thought, grinning; well, he had to get his bottomless stomach from someone in the family.
There was a soft knock from the other side of the door and his mother suddenly sat up. He glanced at her, eyes widening at what she did. The doctor had told them that she was not to have any sudden movements or emotions. The nurse was immediately at her side, fussing over his mother. Miwha glared at the nurse-“Oh do stop it; I’m not invalid. And come in~.”
ChangMin was almost convinced that his mother’s heart attack was just something she made up, what with the amount of energy she had. He was about to stand and help the nurse calm her down when he saw the door open.
He dropped the book he was holding, eyes widening.
*
Miwha watched as JaeJoong’s eyes widened, jaw dropping a few centimeters. She could see that he was getting frustrated-torn between leaving the room and staying because of her-and she could only smile. Apparently, she was right all along. Her stupid son had done something, well, stupid again.
“JaeJoong ah,” she said, gesturing for the young man to approach her. “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?” In the corner of her eyes, she could see ChangMin gape at her. She almost wanted to grin. She focused on JaeJoong. The young man approached her, shrugging off all the tension that had suddenly built up. “Oh, you know. Traffic.” JaeJoong was grinning but his eyes were soft. He took her hand in his. “I’m sorry I took so long. How are you, Miwha-sshi?”
Miwha swatted his hand away, pouting like a young girl. “Miwha-sshi? Since when have you stopped calling me ummanim, huh JaeJoong?” The young man smiled, laughter spilling over his lips. “Mianhe, ummanim.” Miwha grinned. “Now that’s more like it.” She turned to her son, not the slightest bit amused when she found him reading again. “Get me something to eat, ChangMin. I’m sure YooChun and the others are finished murdering my kitchen by now.” ChangMin rolled his eyes but did not say anything. He bowed and took his leave, taking the nurse with him; he knew she’d want her away anyway.
Sure that her son was now too far to hear, she turned her attention back to JaeJoong, eyes curious. She grinned. “Now tell me, Jae. What did my stupid son do now? Or didn’t do?” JaeJoong’s eyes widened. “Umma, what made you think that he did something? Or didn’t do something?” She shrugged in that all-knowing way that made JaeJoong remember just whose mother this was.
“Just a feeling. Now spill.”
*
“Why didn’t anyone tell me JaeJoong hyung was coming here?”
ChangMin looked around the living room where he had gathered all of his friends. He told the nurse to salvage whatever YooChun, Kibum and Kyuhyun had murdered in the kitchen. He needed a powwow with the people he considered his friends. YunHo was snuggling on Hyukjae’s side, trying to sleep again; he raised an eyebrow but did not say anything else. Getting YunHo mad at him for something other than his situation with JaeJoong was something he’d rather not do at the moment.
“I didn’t know he was coming,” came YooChun’s voice. Kyuhyun echoed the same thing; Kibum snorted his answer. YunHo snored. Hyukjae looked at JunSu. ChangMin glared at the singer. “You knew? You knew all along and you never told me?” Kyuhyun laughed. “You sound like Harry Potter in-shutting up now, yes.” JunSu tried making himself as invisible as possible, hiding himself behind YooChun, but ChangMin’s glare was something he knew he couldn’t escape.
“Miwha-sshi asked Jiyun and Sooyun to call JaeJoong hyung. They asked me. And I didn’t know how to tell you that he was coming, ok? Your hands were already full with everything’s that has been happening these past few hours. He didn’t even know you were here until, well, a few minutes ago.”
JunSu was speaking so fast that YooChun was sure only a handful of people who knew his boyfriend would really understand him. He looked at ChangMin; the younger one was trying his best to understand the situation but YooChun knew better. This was something even logic wouldn’t be able to comprehend.
“Why not just make the best out of the situation,” he said. Everyone’s eyes turned to him; well, except YunHo’s. “Talk to him.” When ChangMin didn’t say anything, he added, “Although I doubt you can change his mind about Donghae, at least tell him why you never called. You owe him that, Min.” ChangMin held his gaze; it wasn’t anger, YooChun thought, that had their magnae all worked up. It was the fact that he was unprepared for this confrontation. And that it had to come at the most inappropriate of times.
Kibum watched as ChangMin looked away, the latter sighing heavily. He wanted to take ChangMin away from this, to save him from anything that could possibly hurt him because of this inevitable confrontation but Kyuhyun was holding his hand, preventing him from doing anything but snort. He wanted to get mad at Kyuhyun but he couldn’t. Kyuhyun was doing what a best friend should be doing.
“Shim-sshi?”
ChangMin turned around, the tension disappearing with that one move. “Yes,” he asked the nurse. The latter seemed to have second thoughts on approaching the man of the house but she proceeded anyway. “Your mother needs some medicines,” she said, giving him a piece of paper. “She needs to drink that after lunch.” ChangMin nodded, understanding the situation. But before he could stand and excuse himself from the group, Kyuhyun stood up and took the paper from him. ChangMin blinked. “Kyu?”
“Stay here. Your mom needs you. Kibummie and I can get them for you,” he said, shushing all protest from ChangMin. This was the opportunity that ChangMin was looking for; a way to escape confronting JaeJoong. And he couldn’t let that happen. He turned to the other one. “Right, Kibum?”
Kibum snorted.
*
“The ratings have been very high, I heard,” Saitoh said, plopping down on the seat next to Heechul. The latter glared at him but did not say anything. Saitoh smiled as if Heechul didn’t do anything bad and ordered a drink for himself. They shouldn’t drink in the middle of the day but he had a feeling this was something that required liquor. “What’s bothering you?”
“You are,” Heechul spat out before he could bite back the remark. Dammit, he thought; he was supposed to be mature and polite and-Dammit. Why was he losing his cool so easily again? Hadn’t the years with thirteen-fifteen if Zhou Mi and Henry were around-men (no, they were kids) make him a little more patient? And Siwon always said that patience was a virtue or something that sounded like that. The important thing was, he was supposed to be better than this.
“Well, yeah,” Saitoh said, sipping his brandy (Heechul almost laughed; were they that old already to be drinking brandy?). “But I’m not the one bothering you now. Really, Heechul, what’s up?”
“Donghae went to Korea.”
“I know. I saw him leave.”
Heechul sighed, leaning on the back of his chair. There were a lot of other things that bothered him, he wanted to say, and well, Saitoh was the least of his problems. If Leeteuk ever got wind that he let all these things happen right under his nose, their former leader would kill him.
“My boss called,” he began, twirling his glass. “And he said that the writer wants to make some changes in the script.” It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, really. “You see, the writer of the novel we’re basing this drama on is in Korea and she wants to add some things.”
“Not that bad.”
Heechul rolled his eyes. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Ah.”
*
ChangMin paced around the kitchen, trying to remember why no one was with him. A few minutes after Kibum and Kyuhyun had gone to buy medicines for his mother, Hyukjae had excused YunHo and himself, telling everyone that they still had a class to teach. YooChun and JunSu decided to accompany JaeJoong and Miwha upstairs, leaving ChangMin and the nurse to fix their lunch.
His mother’s nurse was so nervous, he could feel it radiating from her even though she was at least a meter away from him. He tried to calm himself down, reminding himself that he should keep his head and not lose his sanity just because JaeJoong was upstairs with his mother and two of his former band mates.
“Han-sshi.”
Both ChangMin and the nurse turned around in surprise; Han, the nurse, clutched the chopsticks she was holding close to her chest, her eyes as wide as plates. ChangMin was holding a knife, hand shaking. He looked at the older man, eyes taking in his appearance for the first time since he showed up in the Shim household. He was wearing a white shirt with silver-polka-dots on the side (ChangMin could’ve sworn didn’t belong to Jaejoong) and dark tight-fitting jeans. His hair was longer than usual and JaeJoong had tied it loosely behind him. And, ChangMin gulped, sexily.
“Han-sshi,” came JaeJoong’s voice once again and ChangMin noted that it was several notches lower than he remembered. The nurse made a noise of assent. “Miwha-sshi is asking for her lunch. Is it ready?” Han nodded. “I will bring it up at once, Kim-sshi,” she said, scurrying out of the kitchen.
ChangMin gulped again, realizing that for the first time since JaeJoong arrived, they were alone.
Dammit.
tbc.
14 |
16 Check-in. Check-out.No Show Fee:
o1 |
o2 |
o3 |
o4 |
o5.a |
o5.b |
o6 |
st, boarding pass |
o7.a |
o7.b. |
o7.c |
o7.d |
o8.a |
o8.b |
o8.c |
o8.d |
o8.e |
o9 |
1o |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14