FIC: Super Junior/SHINee, Saving the World
Title: Saving the World (One Freak at a Time)
Fandom: Super Junior/SHINee
Pairing: Kibum/Donghae, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, Onew/Key
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2200
Summary: Wherein, certain people are banned from playing with flaming rings.
Notes: Happy Birthday Dec! I hope that, in seven days time, you are having lots of birthday fun! (PS: Only three years until you're legal. To do some things.)
The circus tent was barely a year old, and it looked like it had gone through hell, and back. What had actually happened was a very interesting place-the-blame-on-someone-else game. Involving the ring of fire. As such, it was off limits to certain people.
Sungmin happened to be one of those people. Sungmin also happened to need the ring. That was why he was waiting for Donghae to finish practicing. If anybody could get Sungmin permission to use it, it was Donghae, and his unquestionable skills. He did a particularly difficult midair turn, and spotted Sungmin waiting for him on the ground.
“I need your help, Hae.” Sungmin shouted, as Donghae climbed off the trapeze swing. While he descended the ladder, Sungmin waved at the other airborne member. Eunhyuk waved back, before continuing solo, and Donghae finally came to stand in front of Sungmin. “I need the ring of fire.”
“Ask Kibum.”
“He’s still mad about that whole…”
“Burning the tent down? Yeah, I guessed. What do I get in return?” Donghae pulled Sungmin’s signature pose, the hands on his hips, and the skeptical, I’m-not-easy-like you-think-I-am look. Sungmin had taught him, but only because Donghae had promised to use it for good, and not evil. And Sungmin used the word ‘good’ very loosely. “And what are you going to use it for?”
“Oh come on, as if you don’t enjoy extorting things out of Kibum.” Donghae nodded, there was no point in denying the obvious, but his eyes turned expectant, like he was actually expecting Sungmin to give away his purpose. “Well, if you’re not going to help me, I guess I’ll just have to do it myse…”
“No!” Donghae grabbed his wrist, and pulled. Sungmin flashed him a shit eating grin, and Donghae looked up to the red and white tent top. “I’ll get you your stupid ring. Just, promise that whatever it is that you need it for, will not make Kibum mad? At me. He can be as mad at you as he likes.”
“Promise!” Sungmin said easily, and pulled Donghae in for a quick hug. “Now, get back to work. And… where is Eeteuk?”
“He wandered off, whining about his back, and hips, and god, he’s getting so old.”
Once he’d reached the bottom of the ladder, Sungmin waved pleasantly, and said, “I’m telling on you!” Donghae didn’t appear to hear him, as he’d already started climbing. Heechul appeared from around the corner where he’d been hiding, and grinned.
“It’s cute how he trusts you.” They went off to find their victim.
---
Kyuhyun was doing his job, which was a very rare thing to see. Normally, he was being pinned to a conveniently spinning board, by extremely sharp, very dangerous knives. Which was not in his job description at all. ‘Feed the animals’ was. ‘Submit self to a psycho’s sadistic pleasure’ was not.
Now, for some reason Sungmin was helping Heechul do something stupid, which left Kyuhyun enough time to feed Heechul’s cats. Heebum, Yamchae, and Champagne were generally well behaved, but he remembered very well that they were very large ‘kitty cats’ and had more claws than their owner and Sungmin together.
It was mindless boring work, nothing like watching wide eyed as Sungmin took his time aiming, and holding his breath, just waiting for the one time something would go wrong. The closest they had come to that was a ripped sleeve on Kyuhyun’s part, which wasn’t too horrible, but at least Sungmin had made an actual promise to be more careful.
Eeteuk stumbled upon him then, displaying an odd sort of grace, as he saved himself being eaten by three very large male lions.
“Are you ok?”
“Oh, yes. Fine. If you see Kibum, could you tell him I need to talk to him about something?” Kyuhyun nodded, because there was nothing else to do under the maternal glare of their oldest member. Eeteuk went on his way, practically skipping, and Kyuhyun had no doubts about where he was headed.
“Hi.” The sudden, unexpected intrusion of yet another person made Kyuhyun jump. “Sorry! I’m sorry, I was just coming to see if you needed help.” Taemin was generally harmless, unless he had Key around to make sure nobody was mean to him, so Kyuhyun sent him off with a bucket of food for the elephant.
“Don’t you have to practice?” Kyuhyun asked, making idle conversation.
“Donghae-hyung had to go, and Eeteuk-hyung still thinks it’s too dangerous. Eunhyuk-hyung always threatens to drop me.” Kyuhyun remembers being respectful once, but after months of being in their company the “-hyung” just seemed to fall off naturally. It was bound to happen to the new circus kids as well.
“Eeteuk is just worried. It’s his natural state of existence, but you get it worse because you’re only fifteen.” Once Taemin had shown up, and refused to leave, Eeteuk had moved from fussing about Kyuhyun’s fated death by knives, and onto Taemin falling from so high. “And Eunhyuk wouldn’t ever drop you.”
Taemin looked pleased, and Meo decided right then would be a good time to rub his snotty trunk all over the fifteen year old. Kyuhyun could see disgust and just the tiniest bit of amusement on his face, so he sent him away to get cleaned up.
There was about twenty minutes of peace, but Kyuhyun knew it couldn’t last, so the yelling didn’t really come as a surprise.
---
The screaming was a telltale sign of trouble, and Onew made to walk in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Key had a very different idea, and made this known by pulling him towards the source, despite his wrists being attached by an uncomfortable looking set of handcuffs. Kangin and Heechul always made for a lot of drama, and noise, and just trouble in general, but Heechul had his whip in hand, and Kangin was sporting a very unpleasant looking welt on his arm.
“What the fuck Heechul?”
“Kangin, children.” Eeteuk said from the bleachers, not even moving to stop the two. Onew knew that if he really wanted to, Kangin could pick Heechul up and throw him, quite far, but both of them secretly enjoyed the bickering. If they didn’t have it out every few days, there would have been general chaos, and nobody would get anything done.
Key had disappeared, so Onew assumed he was free to go, and go he did. He passed by Kibum’s trailer, just in time to see Donghae walking out, a familiar hoop in hand.
“Hey, have you seen Sungmin?” Onew only shook his head and practically ran for his own trailer. He was not getting mixed up with Donghae, Sungmin, and a very flammable ring. The equation equaled more trouble than Kangin, Heechul and the lions.
Jonghyun was lying in his bunk, flipping through a magazine, and looking very bored. Heechul was… occupied, which meant there wasn’t much for Jonghyun to do, other than whine and complain about having nothing to do. It would be a nice break from Key, whose role in the whole circus thing came with enough innuendo to fuel Heechul for months on end.
“So, did you have fun tying Key up again?” Onew flopped down on his bed, and groaned, a very obvious answer. “Oh well, I’m sure you’ll get used to it one day. ‘Thanks for tying me up, Jinki.’ You’ll have to tell me the story of how he knows your given name sometime.” Jonghyun said, his impersonation of Key basically perfect.
“Please just leave me alone.” Onew could never figure out why he bothered with Jonghyun, other than his exceptional skills at diverting Heechul’s attention away from him, but he did, and that was all that mattered.
The door creaked open then, and Key came barging in, looking very pleased, with a pair of handcuffs dangling from his finger.
“I think I need something stronger.”
---
Heechul was extremely pleased with Donghae, which was why he allowed him to hold one side of the ring. Sungmin was on the other looking evil, and yet not, while Yesung pointedly refused to look at any of them.
“Do it.” Heechul ordered, keeping his hand tight on Heebum’s leash. They hadn’t set the ring aflame yet, but as soon as Yesung gave in, and decided to provide the nights entertainment, that would come. “You’re a clown, aren’t you? Jump through the ring.”
“Why?” Yesung pleaded, but he knew why. He’d helped Shindong kidnap some of Heechul’s most hideous, and therefore his favorite, shirts. They’d given them to Bada and Meo, who had been pleased as punch, and more than willing to play tug o’ war. It had been a fun idea at the time, but now it just seemed stupid. Heechul had lions for pets. He also had a very firm friend in Sungmin, whose aim was both amazing, and terrifying.
Donghae was starting to look bored, so Heechul gave him permission to light it up. He did, and Yesung knew he didn’t really have a choice. It was either jump, or be sat on by Heechul’s enormous, overweight lion. So, setting his dignity aside, he jumped. And jumped, and jumped again, until Heechul’s amusement was satisfied, and Sungmin was nearly ready to drop the ring from laughing so hard.
Nobody wanted Kibum to have to deal with that again.
---
Damn Donghae, Kibum thought, as he watched Yesung parade around his office, ranting about how unfair it was that Heechul always picked on him. It was unfair, but Heechul had lions, and Yesung had a bright red nose, so it was kind of an easy choice.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not kicking Heechul out.” Kibum said, trying to make Yesung feel better. “I can revoke his whip privileges for a week though.”
“I’m leaving.” Fortunately Ryeowook, the calm and kind, and totally manipulative Ryeowook entered then.
“Don’t people normally run away to the circus?” he asked politely, and pulled Yesung towards the door. “Come on, we need to do your makeup for tonight.” Kibum thanked every known deity for Ryeowook’s presence. He fed them, clothed them, made them up like idiots, and most importantly, drove them everywhere. Once upon a time, that responsibility had belonged to Eeteuk, but after one too many close calls, everyone was glad to have a new driver.
“Hey.” Donghae said, poking his head through the door. He looked sheepish, like he knew that Kibum knew, and he was very sorry. “I can make it up to you?”
“Yes, you can.”
---
“Stop it.” Siwon said, his tone dangerous, and the situation even more so. He was standing on a very thin wire, and Hankyung was shaking it. Shaking it. They didn't even have a net, and Hankyung was bouncing around like a rabbit, not caring that Siwon was going to push him off the opposite ledge if they ever reached it.
“Stop what?” Hankyung asked, just as a very familiar voice yelled, “Oh, boys!” Heechul, their resident drama queen demanded an audience. And Hankyung still hadn’t stopped bouncing.
“Be down in a minute.” That was the truth, especially if one of them happened to fall. Neither of them did, and Siwon wasn’t actually prone to pushing people off of ledges, so they both ended up listening as Heechul regaled them with stories of Yesung’s humiliation.
“Don’t you think you should stop bugging him?” Siwon asked pleasantly, and Hankyung nodded sympathetically. They’d been on the receiving end of Heechul's ruthless teasing, and it wasn’t fun.
“Oh, so you’re volunteering then?” On the other hand, Yesung was all grown up, and didn’t need any protecting.
---
The line up at the ticket booth had just dissipated when Taemin approached it. Minho was reading a comic book, and still managed to look like he was doing more work than most of the other employees. In fact, the last time he’d seen Onew and Key, it hadn’t looked like they were working.
“Hi.” He pulled the door to the booth open, and settled on the counter. Minho was lucky. He had a TV for when the show started, so all he had to do was sell tickets to customers at the very beginning.
“Hi.” he finally responded, putting the comic down, and grabbing blindly for the remote. Taemin’s act didn’t happen until an hour into the show, so sometimes he liked come and hang out, and Minho had quickly gotten used to his presence. As the two youngest in the travelling circus, they stuck together, and it often seemed like they were called upon to be the mature ones in a situation.
“Yesung jumped through the ring of fire.”
“I’m surprised we still have a tent.” It was kind of sad that Minho could guess, without Taemin even having to hint, at who had been in charge of that stunt.
“Well, there’s always next time.”
---
The show, for those interested, went off without a hitch, save for when Sungmin had nearly severed one of Kyuhyun’s fingers.
“Oh, he has ten of them.” he said, raising his glass at the customary celebratory dinner. Besides, cold blooded animals regenerate, don’t they?” Sungmin earned himself a bruise on the arm, but like Donghae, Sungmin knew the proper way to apologize.
Fandom: Super Junior/SHINee
Pairing: Kibum/Donghae, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, Onew/Key
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2200
Summary: Wherein, certain people are banned from playing with flaming rings.
Notes: Happy Birthday Dec! I hope that, in seven days time, you are having lots of birthday fun! (PS: Only three years until you're legal. To do some things.)
The circus tent was barely a year old, and it looked like it had gone through hell, and back. What had actually happened was a very interesting place-the-blame-on-someone-else game. Involving the ring of fire. As such, it was off limits to certain people.
Sungmin happened to be one of those people. Sungmin also happened to need the ring. That was why he was waiting for Donghae to finish practicing. If anybody could get Sungmin permission to use it, it was Donghae, and his unquestionable skills. He did a particularly difficult midair turn, and spotted Sungmin waiting for him on the ground.
“I need your help, Hae.” Sungmin shouted, as Donghae climbed off the trapeze swing. While he descended the ladder, Sungmin waved at the other airborne member. Eunhyuk waved back, before continuing solo, and Donghae finally came to stand in front of Sungmin. “I need the ring of fire.”
“Ask Kibum.”
“He’s still mad about that whole…”
“Burning the tent down? Yeah, I guessed. What do I get in return?” Donghae pulled Sungmin’s signature pose, the hands on his hips, and the skeptical, I’m-not-easy-like you-think-I-am look. Sungmin had taught him, but only because Donghae had promised to use it for good, and not evil. And Sungmin used the word ‘good’ very loosely. “And what are you going to use it for?”
“Oh come on, as if you don’t enjoy extorting things out of Kibum.” Donghae nodded, there was no point in denying the obvious, but his eyes turned expectant, like he was actually expecting Sungmin to give away his purpose. “Well, if you’re not going to help me, I guess I’ll just have to do it myse…”
“No!” Donghae grabbed his wrist, and pulled. Sungmin flashed him a shit eating grin, and Donghae looked up to the red and white tent top. “I’ll get you your stupid ring. Just, promise that whatever it is that you need it for, will not make Kibum mad? At me. He can be as mad at you as he likes.”
“Promise!” Sungmin said easily, and pulled Donghae in for a quick hug. “Now, get back to work. And… where is Eeteuk?”
“He wandered off, whining about his back, and hips, and god, he’s getting so old.”
Once he’d reached the bottom of the ladder, Sungmin waved pleasantly, and said, “I’m telling on you!” Donghae didn’t appear to hear him, as he’d already started climbing. Heechul appeared from around the corner where he’d been hiding, and grinned.
“It’s cute how he trusts you.” They went off to find their victim.
---
Kyuhyun was doing his job, which was a very rare thing to see. Normally, he was being pinned to a conveniently spinning board, by extremely sharp, very dangerous knives. Which was not in his job description at all. ‘Feed the animals’ was. ‘Submit self to a psycho’s sadistic pleasure’ was not.
Now, for some reason Sungmin was helping Heechul do something stupid, which left Kyuhyun enough time to feed Heechul’s cats. Heebum, Yamchae, and Champagne were generally well behaved, but he remembered very well that they were very large ‘kitty cats’ and had more claws than their owner and Sungmin together.
It was mindless boring work, nothing like watching wide eyed as Sungmin took his time aiming, and holding his breath, just waiting for the one time something would go wrong. The closest they had come to that was a ripped sleeve on Kyuhyun’s part, which wasn’t too horrible, but at least Sungmin had made an actual promise to be more careful.
Eeteuk stumbled upon him then, displaying an odd sort of grace, as he saved himself being eaten by three very large male lions.
“Are you ok?”
“Oh, yes. Fine. If you see Kibum, could you tell him I need to talk to him about something?” Kyuhyun nodded, because there was nothing else to do under the maternal glare of their oldest member. Eeteuk went on his way, practically skipping, and Kyuhyun had no doubts about where he was headed.
“Hi.” The sudden, unexpected intrusion of yet another person made Kyuhyun jump. “Sorry! I’m sorry, I was just coming to see if you needed help.” Taemin was generally harmless, unless he had Key around to make sure nobody was mean to him, so Kyuhyun sent him off with a bucket of food for the elephant.
“Don’t you have to practice?” Kyuhyun asked, making idle conversation.
“Donghae-hyung had to go, and Eeteuk-hyung still thinks it’s too dangerous. Eunhyuk-hyung always threatens to drop me.” Kyuhyun remembers being respectful once, but after months of being in their company the “-hyung” just seemed to fall off naturally. It was bound to happen to the new circus kids as well.
“Eeteuk is just worried. It’s his natural state of existence, but you get it worse because you’re only fifteen.” Once Taemin had shown up, and refused to leave, Eeteuk had moved from fussing about Kyuhyun’s fated death by knives, and onto Taemin falling from so high. “And Eunhyuk wouldn’t ever drop you.”
Taemin looked pleased, and Meo decided right then would be a good time to rub his snotty trunk all over the fifteen year old. Kyuhyun could see disgust and just the tiniest bit of amusement on his face, so he sent him away to get cleaned up.
There was about twenty minutes of peace, but Kyuhyun knew it couldn’t last, so the yelling didn’t really come as a surprise.
---
The screaming was a telltale sign of trouble, and Onew made to walk in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Key had a very different idea, and made this known by pulling him towards the source, despite his wrists being attached by an uncomfortable looking set of handcuffs. Kangin and Heechul always made for a lot of drama, and noise, and just trouble in general, but Heechul had his whip in hand, and Kangin was sporting a very unpleasant looking welt on his arm.
“What the fuck Heechul?”
“Kangin, children.” Eeteuk said from the bleachers, not even moving to stop the two. Onew knew that if he really wanted to, Kangin could pick Heechul up and throw him, quite far, but both of them secretly enjoyed the bickering. If they didn’t have it out every few days, there would have been general chaos, and nobody would get anything done.
Key had disappeared, so Onew assumed he was free to go, and go he did. He passed by Kibum’s trailer, just in time to see Donghae walking out, a familiar hoop in hand.
“Hey, have you seen Sungmin?” Onew only shook his head and practically ran for his own trailer. He was not getting mixed up with Donghae, Sungmin, and a very flammable ring. The equation equaled more trouble than Kangin, Heechul and the lions.
Jonghyun was lying in his bunk, flipping through a magazine, and looking very bored. Heechul was… occupied, which meant there wasn’t much for Jonghyun to do, other than whine and complain about having nothing to do. It would be a nice break from Key, whose role in the whole circus thing came with enough innuendo to fuel Heechul for months on end.
“So, did you have fun tying Key up again?” Onew flopped down on his bed, and groaned, a very obvious answer. “Oh well, I’m sure you’ll get used to it one day. ‘Thanks for tying me up, Jinki.’ You’ll have to tell me the story of how he knows your given name sometime.” Jonghyun said, his impersonation of Key basically perfect.
“Please just leave me alone.” Onew could never figure out why he bothered with Jonghyun, other than his exceptional skills at diverting Heechul’s attention away from him, but he did, and that was all that mattered.
The door creaked open then, and Key came barging in, looking very pleased, with a pair of handcuffs dangling from his finger.
“I think I need something stronger.”
---
Heechul was extremely pleased with Donghae, which was why he allowed him to hold one side of the ring. Sungmin was on the other looking evil, and yet not, while Yesung pointedly refused to look at any of them.
“Do it.” Heechul ordered, keeping his hand tight on Heebum’s leash. They hadn’t set the ring aflame yet, but as soon as Yesung gave in, and decided to provide the nights entertainment, that would come. “You’re a clown, aren’t you? Jump through the ring.”
“Why?” Yesung pleaded, but he knew why. He’d helped Shindong kidnap some of Heechul’s most hideous, and therefore his favorite, shirts. They’d given them to Bada and Meo, who had been pleased as punch, and more than willing to play tug o’ war. It had been a fun idea at the time, but now it just seemed stupid. Heechul had lions for pets. He also had a very firm friend in Sungmin, whose aim was both amazing, and terrifying.
Donghae was starting to look bored, so Heechul gave him permission to light it up. He did, and Yesung knew he didn’t really have a choice. It was either jump, or be sat on by Heechul’s enormous, overweight lion. So, setting his dignity aside, he jumped. And jumped, and jumped again, until Heechul’s amusement was satisfied, and Sungmin was nearly ready to drop the ring from laughing so hard.
Nobody wanted Kibum to have to deal with that again.
---
Damn Donghae, Kibum thought, as he watched Yesung parade around his office, ranting about how unfair it was that Heechul always picked on him. It was unfair, but Heechul had lions, and Yesung had a bright red nose, so it was kind of an easy choice.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not kicking Heechul out.” Kibum said, trying to make Yesung feel better. “I can revoke his whip privileges for a week though.”
“I’m leaving.” Fortunately Ryeowook, the calm and kind, and totally manipulative Ryeowook entered then.
“Don’t people normally run away to the circus?” he asked politely, and pulled Yesung towards the door. “Come on, we need to do your makeup for tonight.” Kibum thanked every known deity for Ryeowook’s presence. He fed them, clothed them, made them up like idiots, and most importantly, drove them everywhere. Once upon a time, that responsibility had belonged to Eeteuk, but after one too many close calls, everyone was glad to have a new driver.
“Hey.” Donghae said, poking his head through the door. He looked sheepish, like he knew that Kibum knew, and he was very sorry. “I can make it up to you?”
“Yes, you can.”
---
“Stop it.” Siwon said, his tone dangerous, and the situation even more so. He was standing on a very thin wire, and Hankyung was shaking it. Shaking it. They didn't even have a net, and Hankyung was bouncing around like a rabbit, not caring that Siwon was going to push him off the opposite ledge if they ever reached it.
“Stop what?” Hankyung asked, just as a very familiar voice yelled, “Oh, boys!” Heechul, their resident drama queen demanded an audience. And Hankyung still hadn’t stopped bouncing.
“Be down in a minute.” That was the truth, especially if one of them happened to fall. Neither of them did, and Siwon wasn’t actually prone to pushing people off of ledges, so they both ended up listening as Heechul regaled them with stories of Yesung’s humiliation.
“Don’t you think you should stop bugging him?” Siwon asked pleasantly, and Hankyung nodded sympathetically. They’d been on the receiving end of Heechul's ruthless teasing, and it wasn’t fun.
“Oh, so you’re volunteering then?” On the other hand, Yesung was all grown up, and didn’t need any protecting.
---
The line up at the ticket booth had just dissipated when Taemin approached it. Minho was reading a comic book, and still managed to look like he was doing more work than most of the other employees. In fact, the last time he’d seen Onew and Key, it hadn’t looked like they were working.
“Hi.” He pulled the door to the booth open, and settled on the counter. Minho was lucky. He had a TV for when the show started, so all he had to do was sell tickets to customers at the very beginning.
“Hi.” he finally responded, putting the comic down, and grabbing blindly for the remote. Taemin’s act didn’t happen until an hour into the show, so sometimes he liked come and hang out, and Minho had quickly gotten used to his presence. As the two youngest in the travelling circus, they stuck together, and it often seemed like they were called upon to be the mature ones in a situation.
“Yesung jumped through the ring of fire.”
“I’m surprised we still have a tent.” It was kind of sad that Minho could guess, without Taemin even having to hint, at who had been in charge of that stunt.
“Well, there’s always next time.”
---
The show, for those interested, went off without a hitch, save for when Sungmin had nearly severed one of Kyuhyun’s fingers.
“Oh, he has ten of them.” he said, raising his glass at the customary celebratory dinner. Besides, cold blooded animals regenerate, don’t they?” Sungmin earned himself a bruise on the arm, but like Donghae, Sungmin knew the proper way to apologize.