When the Nightingale Sings
Title: When the Nightingale Sings
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Jaejoong/Yunho, (slight) Jaejoong/Junsu, (slight) Jaejoong/Yoochun, (slight) Jaejoong/Changmin
Word Count: 1429
Summary: Yoochun stares straight into the endless, depressed eyes of the nightingale and suddenly, he kind of understands what Yunho and Junsu saw in the creature.
Warning: Character(s) death, slut!jaeJK
It’s a cloudy morning when Jung Yunho steps foot within the palace walls for the first time in his life. His eyes light up in awe at all the elegant people, dressed up in fine clothing and seemingly “floating” about with their business.
Nobody even gives him a glance until he accidentally steps into the room of four beautiful undressing maidens. That’s when he is almost thrown out.
-
“Is this where I’ll be staying?” He asks the man who had saved him.
“Yes, yes,” the man nods, waving a hand in the air. “You can have that bed, Junsu and I already have these.” His hands fly about in gestures as he spoke, and Yunho finds interest in them. He stifles a laugh, but the man doesn’t notice. “My name is Park Yoochun, by the way, I’m the head of the kitchen.”
The man pauses for a second.
“You do know you are to work in the kitchen, right?” Yoochun asks. It is hard to believe that a man who waltzed into a ladies’ room is going to be hired anywhere at the royal palace.
-
Yunho meets Kim Junsu a bit later, and he turns out to be a giant ball of fur and rainbows. Yunho takes a liking to him immediately.
-
“What’s that sound?” Yunho asks when everyone is settled in for a long night’s worth of sleep. His ears strain to hear the soft, floating melody that come from beyond the windows and hallways. “Listen, do you hear it?”
“It’s Emperor Changmin’s nightingale.” Yoochun murmurs; Yunho learns that Junsu is already fast asleep. “Pay him no mind, or pay your innocent life. The emperor is possessive.”
Yunho lays in bed, listening to the beautiful song of the nightingale and the soft breathing of his roommates. When he falls asleep, he dreams of home-of fresh baked bread and the warmth of a family.
-
“Where is the nightingale? During the day, I mean,” Yunho asks. After a bit over two weeks at the palace, he has become more or less accustomed to his job, but has yet to succeed at ignoring the bird. “I’ve only heard of his song during the pitch blackness of the night.”
“He’s in his cage of course, is there reason for him not to be?” Junsu replies uninterestedly. He sets a plate of broiled fish onto the table. When he tries to take a chunk of the fish and eat it, Yoochun smacks his hand away.
“The nightingale may seem interesting at first, Yunho, but he’s nothing more than Emperor Changmin’s pet bird. You really should not pay him any mind.” Yoochun advises, ignoring Junsu’s little shouts of “I must taste it to know what it tastes like!”
Yunho only sighs. He knows he can’t stay away from the voice any longer.
-
It is a night only half a week later that Yunho finds himself unable to disregard the need for the nightingale. The bird’s sweet voice pulls him out of his bed and into the hallways, to a place he doesn’t even know himself. Before long, he is standing in front of a massive door, at least three times the size of himself.
The door is left slightly ajar, letting the bird’s song go through to Yunho’s ears. Only a step inside, and he sets sight on the bird’s features for the first time. It is truly a beautiful creature.
The bird has chocolate brown hair that nearly comes down to its shoulders and bloody red lips that stands out from his pale, white skin. Just a glance into his dark eyes leaves Yunho unable to look away. The nightingale’s eyes are something Yunho has never seen before. It is of an inky black color with no ends and no beginnings.
Yunho can’t finish admiring the bird, but he hears footsteps come up from behind him. Once he turns around, he is met by the cold eyes of the emperor.
“Kill him,” the emperor orders. He doesn’t even glance at the man, and instead hurries over to his bird. He pets it and holds it close to him; Yunho can only watch. Oh, how much he wants to wrap his arms around the nightingale and kiss its lips and hear it’s voice sing for him and only-
“Kill him,” the emperor repeats, and Yunho is whisked off within seconds.
-
Yunho is nowhere to be seen the next day. Yoochun is disturbingly unsurprised; Junsu is silent for the first time in a while.
The nightingale refuses to sing.
The emperor isn’t all that excited about that. He threatens the bird, beats it until it’s bruised and broken, but he never opens his mouth. He never even utters a sound; the emperor doesn’t give up.
He wants the nightingale to sing for him, and only him. He needs the notes of the beautiful melodies that flow out of the bird’s mouth; the deep feelings and emotions that pour out with every word.
Junsu is the one that listens to it cry at the oddest times of the morning, the one who patches it up after the emperor leaves. The nightingale sings for him, soft, almost silent notes that only his ears can hear. It’s enough to satisfy him; he’s satisfied that it is only him who can hear the beauty’s voice. It is when the nightingale sings to him that he can almost taste the freedom he has always wanted.
Eventually, Junsu is the one that opens its cage wide, and he’s also the one that watches it fly away in the wind. It’s Junsu’s heart that wrenches in pain when the bird departs. But Junsu is the one that sets the nightingale free.
He smiles because he knows that the bird was hurting, and now it’s free from its chains, but he cries because he can see where the bird is headed. He cries because he wishes to be the one the nightingale loves. He cries because he isn’t.
-
Jaejoong soars over the castle and he lands in a field of grass not far away. He knows where this is; of course he does. His dark eyes dart about the field and only stop when he spots what he has been looking for. He swoops down with a cry that flies about the wind and travels to the emperor’s ears.
When he lands safely on the ground, the nightingale bursts into tears at the sight before him. He shivers at the image of Yunho’s severed head, and he cries at the frailty in the man’s fingertips. He cringes at the putrid smell of death and he wails at the lost of an innocent man.
The nightingale is one of peace. He is one of harmony, and he is also one of love.
Being directly connected to the emperor, Jaejoong is used to hearing gossip and even talks of political affairs from both the emperor and his servants. He remembers the tales of the new chef-of how he is so cute, and how he treats everyone with respect. He remembers how his food was sometimes hours late because, apparently, the man had scorched a pancake, or overcooked pasta.
Without noticing it, it seems like Jaejoong too, has fallen in love with the man he never knew. And now he never will.
He starts a new song now. It’s a song of mourning and grief, and this too, reaches past the acres of land and into Emperor Changmin’s ear.
Junsu is gone the next day.
-
The days go by, and suddenly months are gone. Yoochun finds himself wandering into the field of dead bodies. He nearly throws up at the smell and the sight of corpses lying about. The cawing of ravens gives him a fright, and he considers heading back to the castle. He shakes his head though, and continues through the field.
He eventually spots his target after a few minutes of walking. The nightingale is lying by the side of what seems like Yunho’s dead body. In his hand, he holds a deteriorating skull, hair still intact, and it takes Yoochun only a few moments to realize that it’s Junsu’s head that the bird is stroking.
Once again, he fights back the urge to throw up, but he stumbles and falls upon a dead body. He immediately scrambles up while covering his mouth, gagging. When he looks up, Yoochun stares straight into the endless, depressed eyes of the nightingale and suddenly, he kind of understands what Yunho and Junsu saw in the creature.
A/N: Umm, I think I like killing off characters OTL When I said Jaejoong was a "nightingale", I didn't really mean he was a miniature bird lol. I just thought of him as a human-like thing with wings that people called the nightingale.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Jaejoong/Yunho, (slight) Jaejoong/Junsu, (slight) Jaejoong/Yoochun, (slight) Jaejoong/Changmin
Word Count: 1429
Summary: Yoochun stares straight into the endless, depressed eyes of the nightingale and suddenly, he kind of understands what Yunho and Junsu saw in the creature.
Warning: Character(s) death, slut!jaeJK
It’s a cloudy morning when Jung Yunho steps foot within the palace walls for the first time in his life. His eyes light up in awe at all the elegant people, dressed up in fine clothing and seemingly “floating” about with their business.
Nobody even gives him a glance until he accidentally steps into the room of four beautiful undressing maidens. That’s when he is almost thrown out.
-
“Is this where I’ll be staying?” He asks the man who had saved him.
“Yes, yes,” the man nods, waving a hand in the air. “You can have that bed, Junsu and I already have these.” His hands fly about in gestures as he spoke, and Yunho finds interest in them. He stifles a laugh, but the man doesn’t notice. “My name is Park Yoochun, by the way, I’m the head of the kitchen.”
The man pauses for a second.
“You do know you are to work in the kitchen, right?” Yoochun asks. It is hard to believe that a man who waltzed into a ladies’ room is going to be hired anywhere at the royal palace.
-
Yunho meets Kim Junsu a bit later, and he turns out to be a giant ball of fur and rainbows. Yunho takes a liking to him immediately.
-
“What’s that sound?” Yunho asks when everyone is settled in for a long night’s worth of sleep. His ears strain to hear the soft, floating melody that come from beyond the windows and hallways. “Listen, do you hear it?”
“It’s Emperor Changmin’s nightingale.” Yoochun murmurs; Yunho learns that Junsu is already fast asleep. “Pay him no mind, or pay your innocent life. The emperor is possessive.”
Yunho lays in bed, listening to the beautiful song of the nightingale and the soft breathing of his roommates. When he falls asleep, he dreams of home-of fresh baked bread and the warmth of a family.
-
“Where is the nightingale? During the day, I mean,” Yunho asks. After a bit over two weeks at the palace, he has become more or less accustomed to his job, but has yet to succeed at ignoring the bird. “I’ve only heard of his song during the pitch blackness of the night.”
“He’s in his cage of course, is there reason for him not to be?” Junsu replies uninterestedly. He sets a plate of broiled fish onto the table. When he tries to take a chunk of the fish and eat it, Yoochun smacks his hand away.
“The nightingale may seem interesting at first, Yunho, but he’s nothing more than Emperor Changmin’s pet bird. You really should not pay him any mind.” Yoochun advises, ignoring Junsu’s little shouts of “I must taste it to know what it tastes like!”
Yunho only sighs. He knows he can’t stay away from the voice any longer.
-
It is a night only half a week later that Yunho finds himself unable to disregard the need for the nightingale. The bird’s sweet voice pulls him out of his bed and into the hallways, to a place he doesn’t even know himself. Before long, he is standing in front of a massive door, at least three times the size of himself.
The door is left slightly ajar, letting the bird’s song go through to Yunho’s ears. Only a step inside, and he sets sight on the bird’s features for the first time. It is truly a beautiful creature.
The bird has chocolate brown hair that nearly comes down to its shoulders and bloody red lips that stands out from his pale, white skin. Just a glance into his dark eyes leaves Yunho unable to look away. The nightingale’s eyes are something Yunho has never seen before. It is of an inky black color with no ends and no beginnings.
Yunho can’t finish admiring the bird, but he hears footsteps come up from behind him. Once he turns around, he is met by the cold eyes of the emperor.
“Kill him,” the emperor orders. He doesn’t even glance at the man, and instead hurries over to his bird. He pets it and holds it close to him; Yunho can only watch. Oh, how much he wants to wrap his arms around the nightingale and kiss its lips and hear it’s voice sing for him and only-
“Kill him,” the emperor repeats, and Yunho is whisked off within seconds.
-
Yunho is nowhere to be seen the next day. Yoochun is disturbingly unsurprised; Junsu is silent for the first time in a while.
The nightingale refuses to sing.
The emperor isn’t all that excited about that. He threatens the bird, beats it until it’s bruised and broken, but he never opens his mouth. He never even utters a sound; the emperor doesn’t give up.
He wants the nightingale to sing for him, and only him. He needs the notes of the beautiful melodies that flow out of the bird’s mouth; the deep feelings and emotions that pour out with every word.
Junsu is the one that listens to it cry at the oddest times of the morning, the one who patches it up after the emperor leaves. The nightingale sings for him, soft, almost silent notes that only his ears can hear. It’s enough to satisfy him; he’s satisfied that it is only him who can hear the beauty’s voice. It is when the nightingale sings to him that he can almost taste the freedom he has always wanted.
Eventually, Junsu is the one that opens its cage wide, and he’s also the one that watches it fly away in the wind. It’s Junsu’s heart that wrenches in pain when the bird departs. But Junsu is the one that sets the nightingale free.
He smiles because he knows that the bird was hurting, and now it’s free from its chains, but he cries because he can see where the bird is headed. He cries because he wishes to be the one the nightingale loves. He cries because he isn’t.
-
Jaejoong soars over the castle and he lands in a field of grass not far away. He knows where this is; of course he does. His dark eyes dart about the field and only stop when he spots what he has been looking for. He swoops down with a cry that flies about the wind and travels to the emperor’s ears.
When he lands safely on the ground, the nightingale bursts into tears at the sight before him. He shivers at the image of Yunho’s severed head, and he cries at the frailty in the man’s fingertips. He cringes at the putrid smell of death and he wails at the lost of an innocent man.
The nightingale is one of peace. He is one of harmony, and he is also one of love.
Being directly connected to the emperor, Jaejoong is used to hearing gossip and even talks of political affairs from both the emperor and his servants. He remembers the tales of the new chef-of how he is so cute, and how he treats everyone with respect. He remembers how his food was sometimes hours late because, apparently, the man had scorched a pancake, or overcooked pasta.
Without noticing it, it seems like Jaejoong too, has fallen in love with the man he never knew. And now he never will.
He starts a new song now. It’s a song of mourning and grief, and this too, reaches past the acres of land and into Emperor Changmin’s ear.
Junsu is gone the next day.
-
The days go by, and suddenly months are gone. Yoochun finds himself wandering into the field of dead bodies. He nearly throws up at the smell and the sight of corpses lying about. The cawing of ravens gives him a fright, and he considers heading back to the castle. He shakes his head though, and continues through the field.
He eventually spots his target after a few minutes of walking. The nightingale is lying by the side of what seems like Yunho’s dead body. In his hand, he holds a deteriorating skull, hair still intact, and it takes Yoochun only a few moments to realize that it’s Junsu’s head that the bird is stroking.
Once again, he fights back the urge to throw up, but he stumbles and falls upon a dead body. He immediately scrambles up while covering his mouth, gagging. When he looks up, Yoochun stares straight into the endless, depressed eyes of the nightingale and suddenly, he kind of understands what Yunho and Junsu saw in the creature.
A/N: Umm, I think I like killing off characters OTL When I said Jaejoong was a "nightingale", I didn't really mean he was a miniature bird lol. I just thought of him as a human-like thing with wings that people called the nightingale.