[fic] Shimmering Blue (chapter 7)
Title: Shimmering Blue
Pairing: Jaemin (main)
Genre: AU, supernatural/fantasy/non-human, angst, romance
Warning: underage-went-wrong, WTFs, minor torture/violence, possible annoying!min, angst and sap
Rating: PG-NC-17/R
Summary:
Until some springs ago he still enjoyed being enveloped by the current or leaping from one rock to another without asking things, until a special kind of creature came to distract his joyous lifetime
chapter 7
“Why are you like that? You’re not a kid anymore…” Jaejoong bit his smile upon seeing Changmin securing self inside a pile of comforter and sticking back against the headboard, a childhood habit of his. He flopped into the cowering guy’s side, sitting with legs crossed.
“J-just feeling a bit cold…” Changmin reluctantly answered.
Jaejoong spread his arms and puckered his lips playfully, “Perfect time for cuddling, then!”
Cuddling had always been one of their hobbies, never once they grew tired of it. However this time Changmin flinched and anxiously tightened the comforter around him, implying rejection towards the offer. “D-don’t, you’ll also catch cold…” He reasoned.
The other guy frowned at the unusual response. He shifted closer and massaged Changmin’s back, “What happen…? Are you still thinking about that guy from this afternoon…?”
“N-no!” Changmin shook his head fervently. ”He was just a random flirter, not a big deal really…”
“It’s a big deal if he flirted with you in front of my nose! Damn, if only I saw him…”
“He just walked pass us and smiled, seriously, I overreacted… sorry…”
“Apology only accepted if you let me sneak in and warm you…”Jaejoong pouted.
Changmin chuckled weakly, “Come on, Jae…” He leaned forward and kissed the pout as an amendment attempt.
One second, two seconds, lips parted, tongue slid in, five seconds, and Changmin pulled away before their tongue collided more than just the tip. There were fear and hesitation inside his eyes, clearly visible to Jaejoong, though he hadn’t seen such look for quite a while.
Concluding something, Jaejoong let his forehead rested on Changmin’s and wrapped him inside his arms. “Baby… it’s a bit hard right now, but I’m sure everything will get better.” He moved back and took Changmin’s new cells from his side. “See, in two months we already have this. Soon we can buy TV, and though this place isn’t the best-”
“No no no no!” Changmin shook his head again, harder. “It’s not that, Jae… I like this place! I’m just not feeling well, I… I might have caught germs from this afternoon’s bazaar and if you don’t keep a distance you’ll end up sick and… and… and it sucks.” He delayed the slurred speech to breathe and think. “I mean… nagging for a hug and melon popsicle all day? It sucks.”
Moments passed as Jaejoong narrowed his eyes hatefully, but then he pulled a slime grin. “What a liar… you said it sucks to make me do it again and again, didn’t you…?” He hugged Changmin harder, rubbing his chin on the guy’s crown.
Changmin purred and whined, “Mmh… just get off already…”
“Okay, okay…” Jaejoong released him and sighed, doubting the guy. “You’re not feeling homesick either, are you?”
“Not at all, my home is you, remember…?”
Jaejoong stunned for a while, gawking at the statement. Then he ruffled Changmin’s hair before he got up and turned around, mumbling
“Remind me that greasy line again and I’ll rip that comforter as well as your clothes…”
The tanned guy couldn’t help but smile as Jaejoong walked away with crimson tinted his cheeks. The feeling of being needed, trusted and depended on had always been Jaejoong’s weakness, he loved it more than necessary though he didn’t want to admit it.
Little did he realize that Changmin needed him more than he had imagined.
Right after Jaejoong left the room, Changmin’s smile faltered as he loosened the comforter and slid his feet out, hoping a miracle had somehow occurred.
But it hadn’t. His feet were still transparent like water. He could touch them but couldn’t feel that they existed. The spiral sign had gone.
Then it perfectly made sense to him, the words that a stranger had said earlier that afternoon:
“Long time no see, sweetheart. Meet me at your gate, 1am tonight. It’s about time, isn’t it?”
*
*
Changmin groaned. The apartment door had never been easy to deal with; there was something about the rusty keyhole that burdened whoever wanted to enter more than necessary. Plus, his cell kept vibrating inside his pocket, showing a certain number he didn’t save but recognized very well, and divided his concentration. He had this urge to just snap the cell into two and kicked the door open, however he suppressed such urge and squatted instead, leaning his back against the door and pressed the answer button.
“The grail doesn’t look as pretty as the picture.” A voice complained from across the line even before Changmin said a word.
“So what, it still cost a lot.”
“Hmm… you’ve got a point.” A silence. “Hey, I miss you.”
Knowing what he was about to hear, Changmin massaged his nose bridge and closed his eyes, preparing his mental. “Right.”
“No, seriously… I miss your cute little ass biting me, squirming and shedding blood… and when you silently cried mouthing my cock… ”
The tanned guy massaged his nose bridge harder, before he began to yank his own hair in frustration. “Fuck off, Xiah.” He cursed.
He felt as if he heard Xiah smile; the fox’s voice was dangerously soft as he continued, “God, your throat, clenching… cum all over your face…a lot, and when you opened your eyes, my cum glued your eyelids… oh please, make that sound again, sweetheart… when you gagged on my cock and begged me to stop…”
“Are you that deprived?” Changmin cut him disgustedly. “No little foxy can make you do better than failed phone sex?”
“Onew had passed out. He’s shapeless. I think I accidentally broke a ball. Or two.”
“You can heal him. Make him brand new and fuck him again.”
“I only do that to those who deserves repeated fucking, like you… oh well, another ass is on the way, lets see what he can do…”
Changmin got up, “Good. Happy fucking then.” He hung up the phone.
Some seconds passed with him staring absently at the still-locked door as unpleasant images invaded his sight, then he braced his self and continued trying to unlock the key as silently as he could.
After a while struggling, he finally succeeded. The first thing that his eyes landed onto was Jaejoong, still sleeping on the couch with the same tired face. The blanket was piled up around his legs, layer of hair curtained half of his pale face, touching the tip of his nose.
It was 5am. Time sure flew fast when the job was only barging in to random places, dismantling codes and alarms. Faster when his employer joined in, but mostly Xiah preferred to stay inside his nest and bugged him via phone call, sometimes only to inform random things like how he couldn’t find his favorite cup.
Changmin had lost count on how long he had lived with the humiliation in order to have his human life a day longer. He didn’t know how long he could last, and surely there’d be an end for all the mess, and though it feared him more than anything, he wanted it to be less hard for Jaejoong.
We depend on each other too much. It’s a mistake.
Keeping his move as unnoticed as cat’s, Changmin approached the sleeping guy and fixed his blanket before he sat on the floor, watching the beautiful face right in front of his nose so close that he could feel warm, steady breath on his face.
He decided to delay his sleeping time to witness the sight longer. He rested his head next to Jaejoong’s hips, touching every tip of the guy’s fingers one by one, really slightly, while noting himself not to fall asleep.
The tranquility lasted until ray of sunset timidly peeked from the curtain. A bird chirped noisily, causing Jaejoong to shift a bit and mumbled incoherently inside his sleep. Changmin jerked in surprise and decided to leave, not wanting Jaejoong to catch him there and started questioning things he couldn’t answer. Just like the last time, it might end up with either pool of tears or Jaejoong uncontrollably hugging him, kissing him, straddling him on the floor and striped him, and surely he’d be too weak to say no by then.
And Xiah would creepily fuss about it afterward. Changmin swore, he’d rather kill the fox and discontinued his human life than let him landed a hand on Jaejoong.
Changmin jumped when the door was knocked. His musings shattered. At first he stiffened at the thought of the worst kind of guest, but then he doubted that Xiah would knock the door that soft and politely.
So he headed to the door and opened it.
A guy, about the same height as Jaejoong, was standing by the door, looking unsure. He looked both excited and awkward with suits and arms hanging stiffly by his side, and his extremely smooth skin was what attracted attention aside from a pair of sleepy-looking but cute eyes.
“Can I help you…?” Changmin spoke first when the brown-haired guy only stared at him dumbly.
“Oh… I’m… u-uhm… excuse me, does Kim Jaejoong-sshi live here?” He asked; voice soft and timid.
“That’s right, but he’s…” Changmin turned to see Jaejoong, who was still sleeping. Then he scanned the guest from head to toe, without trying to be disrespectful. “Are you his….?”
The guy blushed and waved his hand, “N-no! I’m just a friend… Kim Hyunjoong…” He took Changmin’s hand and shook it vigorously. “And you’re?“
“Shim Changmin, his cousin. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too…” Hyunjoong sighed and laughed awkwardly, and Changmin felt as if the brown haired was relieved about something.
Instantly knowing the guy’s intention and smelled no vibe of danger, he let him in.
“Jaejoong’s still sleeping…” Changmin said when Hyunjoong’s mouth hung agape seeing Jaejoong sprawled unconsciously on the couch. “You come really early.”
Hyunjoong nodded, pink tinted his cheek. “Sorry… he said the earlier the better… we’re going to go to an old book bazaar in Insa-dong this morning.”
“Ah, old books and bazaar… yeah, he likes it.” Changmin smiled. “Go ahead and wake him up, I’m going to go shower.”
Hyunjoong stuttered something but Changmin didn’t hear it as he had picked up new clothes and hurried to the shower. It might be a problem to leave a stranger in his living room, but it’d be worse if Jaejoong found him in the same clothes as a day before, with face that hardly showed any sleep.
So he let the cold water washed everything away.
Finished showering, he got dressed and returned to the living room to find Jaejoong still sleeping and Hyunjoong sitting on the chair across him, watching with hands stiff on the lap and eyes dazed in child-like astonishment.
“Hyunjoong-sshi?”
Startling a bit, the brown-haired lashed Changmin an S.O.S looks. “Uh… how to… I-I can’t wake him up…”
Changmin chuckled quietly at the confused guy and did the task in his place. He bent forward and rested a hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder, patting it gently. “Jae…?”
He got no answer, so he shook him a bit. “Hyunjoong-sshi is here…”
“No…” Jaejoong mumbled. “…don’t want the milk.”
Hyunjoong’s eyes sparked in amusement. “He hates milk?”
Changmin nodded. “Unless in ice cream.”
How he wanted to touch Jaejoong in a more intimate way if only the guest wasn’t there. Sighing, he called the sleeping guy again, this time making sure that his voice was firm enough.
Finally Jaejoong woke up, startled and bewildered. His sleepy face was blank as he registered the surrounding a bit too slowly. In the end he realized what he had missed and questioned with raspy voice, “Morning… already?”
“You fell asleep.” Changmin said.
“W-why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I did, you were too tired to wake up.”
Jaejoong frowned, regretting how he could easily miss a rare chance over sleeping. He didn’t realize that Hyunjoong was there until that admirer of his waved with uneasy smile, “Jaejoong-ah…”
“… Hyun-“ He looked to Changmin, then to the guest again. Another silence before his brain connected with the situation. “You’re so early…” He stretched his arms and yawned behind his hand.
Hyunjoong immediately slouched in apology, “S-sorry, I can come again later…”
“No, I’m who’s sorry. Be right back.”
The two guys looked at nowhere as Jaejoong hurried to the shower, which, if only Hyunjoong knew, was a shelter to escape from whatever uncomfortable situation in the household.
Trapped in the thick atmosphere, Changmin retreated to the kitchen counter for a tea serving. From there he could see how the guest nervously clutched the fabric on his knees while occasionally threw a glance at him or the bathroom door like a lost cat.
Jaejoong had a soft spot for that kind of guy, Changmin knew that.
“You’re really neat for someone who works in a restaurant.” he commented while bringing a cup of tea.
“Oh, I’m just a customer…”
Changmin handed the cup to the Hyunjoong, and it was obvious that the guy’s mind was nowhere since he instantly gulped the hot beverage without second thought and ended up burning his tongue and spilled a bit of tea to his lap.
“Watch out, it’s hot…” He patted Hyunjoong’s back.
“Sorry, I’m just…”
“Nervous?”
Hyunjoong nodded, rubbing the wet spot on his thigh. “This is the first time I have a chance to go out with Jaejoong…”
“Ah…”
“And, you know… “ The guy looked at Changmin before he looked down again while scratching the back of his head. “I hope you wouldn’t mind, if I… if I…”
“If you dated him?”
“Y-yes...”
Changmin stared at the guy for a while, watching him fidgeting. Then he decided, “Well, I wouldn’t mind, as long as you’re being serious…”
“I’m serious! I have no intention to play around…”
“He needs a settled and long-lasting relationship. He’d been hurt a lot.”
“I can see that…” Hyunjoong looked away, hands clasped and fingers wiggled restlessly. “He had turned me down, actually… we’re regular friends for now, but I want to keep trying...”
Changmin pulled the corner of his lips, forcing a smile. His chest was squeezed, but he knew he didn’t have a right to disagree, furthermore he believed that this might lead to a solution. “That’s good… I guess he’ll eventually fall for you.” He said.
Hyunjoong’s eyes brightened hopefully, “You really think so?”
“Yeah…”
The brown-haired was about to ask something more when Jaejoong came out from the shower, fresh and dressed with half wet T-shirt, showing that he hadn’t dried himself properly. Rubbing head with a towel, he passed between the two guys and commented, “You two get along really fast”.
Changmin managed to catch another high-school girl’s blush when the guest observed Jaejoong using fingers to comb his wet hair a bit too intently. Then Jaejoong suddenly turned around, confronting Hyunjoong’s gaze with a wide smile. “What?” He asked.
“N-nothing…” The brown-haired looked down.
The air got thicker around Changmin’s throat. “Okay guys… have fun.” He prepared to leave, maintaining gesture to be not too obvious.
“Ah, Changmin-sshi, why don’t you come with us?” Hyunjoong suddenly blurted out.
Changmin stopped. “Me? Oh… no thanks, I have…”
“Come on, you have nothing to do, right?”
“Uhm… I’m really tired…” It wasn’t really a lie, after all Changmin hadn’t slept at all and therefore wasn’t sure whether his tired self could be rational enough to let another guy hitting on Jaejoong.
“I’ll drive, you only need to sit nicely, come on!” Hyunjoong insisted, clasping the taller guy’s hand with both hands.
He’s pushy. Should have guessed that.
Changmin threw a glance at Jaejoong, trying to read his reaction, but seemed like the guy was purposely avoiding the problem by pouring too much attention to his shoes.
In the end he didn’t even know why he agreed to come along.
*
*
Changmin regretted his decision less than ten seconds after they got into Hyunjoong’s Subaru, when the apparently-richie-rich asked innocently, “Changmin-sshi, do you have a girlfriend?… or boyfriend?”
Jaejoong quickly escaped his gaze to nowhere outside the window. After all it was a question that even he didn’t dare to ask.
“…. Do I look like someone who chooses girlfriend or boyfriend?” Changmin twisted the question.
“Hmm… girlfriend…?”
Jaejoong interrupted with a forced laugh. “He likes boys, he dates a lot lately. Anyway, don’t call him with sshi, it’s too awkward…”
The accusation felt cold, but Changmin decided not to comment on it. “Well, Hyunjoong-ah-”
“Changmin…” Jaejoong cut him and chuckled. “He’s older than us quite a lot you know.”
“Seriously..!?”
“Ah yeah… I’m 23… but don’t mind about it, I feel like retarded in mental age anyway…”Hyunjoong rubbed his nape, grinning sheepishly.
He’s bloody cute, Changmin thought. Even his face when driving was cute. There’s something about his clumsy gesture, uneasy smile and sleepy-looking narrow eyes, that Changmin wouldn’t be surprised if a guy would sell his life to evil just to see Hyunjoong holding a Teddy Bear.
No logical reason for Jaejoong to turn such guy down.
After a less than an hour trip, with each of them busy with thoughts and unable to melt the stiff atmosphere, finally they arrived at Insa-dong and quickly got off the car to mingle with the book-nerds in the bazaar. The place was crowded and loud with merchants yelling out their items and visitors doing bargains, and the guys blended within them in no time, though it was unclear whether the cause was their excitement or their attempt to get away from the previous stiff atmosphere.
Anyway, all that could be seen were books, books and books.
Changmin was too tired to be interested in anything at the moment, so after a while he planned to get away from the bazaar in search of a nearby bench. As he walked he saw Hyunjoong not so far from him, confused and fidgeted, trapped between persuasive merchants and whiny teens. He wobbled as rude visitors kept bumping his shoulders. The guy clearly wasn’t used to such place.
What kind of world he lives at?.
Seeing the reserved-looking guy so hopeless, he walked towards him to offer a company.
His steps halted when he saw Jaejoong approached the brown-haired, took his hand and leaded him the way. They walked hand-in-hand, and Changmin caught Hyunjoong smiled shyly at their connected hands.
He quickly looked away and whistled a cheerful tune for a distraction.
Old comic. Old comic. Old comic. Old, funny, comic.
He grabbed the nearest volume of Doraemon and drowned himself, hoping that time would fly fast.
And apparently it didn’t, because after his third volume, barely half an hour had passed. And so he decided to stroll along the stands, scanning book colors and titles with hazy minds.
His eyes stopped at a familiar book cover.
A Happy Dog.
“Wanna buy that, kid?” The seller appear from behind a stack of books.
“Definitely.” Changmin answered without second thought.
He gave more than the price tag and got away from the crowd, hastily looking for a less noisy place and slouched as he concentrated on the book. His heart thumped when he flipped the pages open as the illustrations revealed so many memories.
Jaejoong lost the book quite a long time ago. While it was one of the few things he brought with him to the orphanage, seemed like a kid took it without permission and never returned it.
“…How precious it was, to be able to spend the short span of life witnessing a beloved smiled happily, hence why he had been a happy dog.”
The closing line of the story always made little Jaejoong bawled like crazy and promoted how great the book was again and again.
Changmin sighed as some memories popped up more than necessary. His chest constricted, and his sight watered.
In the end he gave a second thought whether it was a good idea to show Jaejoong the specific attention now, by giving something related to their past when he wanted the guy to move on.
But Jaejoong had been looking for this for years…
“Changmin-ah, I was looking for you…” A hand patted his shoulder and shattered his cloud of thoughts. It was Hyunjoong, looking hesitated in his always-so-cute nervous smile. “What kind of books Jaejoong likes to read?”
A bit surprised at the sudden appearance, there was silence before Changmin answered, “….Anything unrealistic?”
“Do you think he might like this?” Hyunjoong showed a poetry book titled ‘Tranquility for Everyday’s life’. “Because it’s so noisy in his work place, right…”
Changmin chuckled quietly at the reason. “Well, why don’t you ask him?”
“I want to give him a present.”
“Hm… Give him this then.” He handed the 'A Happy Dog' to Hyunjoong, thinking that maybe it’d be easier if it wasn’t him who gave Jaejoong the book.
“You sure he’ll like this?” Hyunjoong examined the book in his hand.
“He’ll be excited. Just don’t let him know I told you this.”
“Oh, how much should I…”
“No need, it’s really cheap.”
“Really? Thank you so much!” Hyunjoong exclaimed.
Side by side, they made their way through the noisy crowd and found Jaejoong, looking relief upon seeing them together. A big plastic bag was in his hand. Apparently the guy had been having too much fun.
By Hyunjoong’s request, they stopped at a nearby noodle stall before heading home. Seemed like the brown haired had somehow began to get rid of his shyness, especially after he saw Jaejoong and Changmin unconsciously exchanged the topping of their noodles -Jaejoong moved his carrots to Changmin’s bowl while Changmin moved his beef chops to Jaejoong’s.
“That’s unfair!” Hyunjoong commented and laughed.
The two guys realized what they had been doing and laughed crookedly. It had been a while since they ate the same meal side by side like that, and old habit died hard.
“Changmin doesn’t eat living beings… and I hate carrots.” Jaejoong reasoned while concentrating on his noodles.
“Really? You guys are really cute… all of my cousins are a lot older than me, so it’s hard to get really close…” Hyunjoong said, too dense to read the meaning behind the crooked laughter.
Thinking that it was a perfect situation, he decided to hand the gift.
“Oh, Jaejoong… I found something for you…”
Changmin choked on his orange juice and looked away. Of all occasions, why should he give it now!?
Jaejoong didn’t fail to catch the reaction, but he smiled and showed a courtesy of interest as Hyunjoong took something from a plastic bag, only for a quick moment before the smile faltered seeing what it was.
Then his eyes softened. “T-this is….”
“You don’t like it?” Hyunjoong asked warily.
“I love this, this is my favorite book when I was a kid…”
“Really?”
“Yes.“ Jaejoong said. He glanced at Changmin from the corner of his eyes. The tanned guy was busy eating. “Thank you so much, Hyung…”
Luckily, starting from that moment the tension seemed to gradually melt -between Jaejoong and Hyunjoong, at least.
It was when they were heading back to the parking lot that Changmin began to feel the familiar light, numb and uncomfortable feeling on both of his feet.
Fuck. Filthy fox. He cursed. He didn’t need to check on his feet to know what was going on.
Trying to keep composed, he waved a hand to the rest of the guys. “I'm sorry, I can't go with you guys, I have to go.” He nodded and smiled at Hyunjoong, “Thanks for the ride.”, and turned away.
He heard Jaejoong said something to Hyunjoong, something around “I’ll be right back.”
He walked as fast as he could.
Within few steps Jaejoong managed to catch up and walked by his side. “Thanks for the book.” He said quietly.
Changmin stopped. “I’m not the one who gave you that.” He locked his gaze at the direction on the bus stop while talking.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “Where are you going?”
“I have something to do.”
“A lucky guy somewhere?”
The question sounded bitter. Changmin didn’t answer.
*
*
“Please, sir… S-stop it…”
The tears should have run out since a while ago, but seemed like they were just as endless as his weeping. Long, pulsating hardness forced its way into his body again and again, tearing him apart, soaking his skin, clothes and the bed with sweat, blood and semen; nauseating smells blended with the cedar scent in the air. Changmin’s hands were tied with his own brief and his legs were too painful to move. He had scratches, wounds and bite marks all over his body, all oozing blood; a belt had left long streaks along his back and ass, and now it was tied around his neck, being yanked whenever he screamed too hard. His face was all red and purple as the torturer relentlessly crashed his head against the headboard while fucking him.
“You’ve enjoyed human world, haven’t you? I only ask for few hours to pay your six years of happiness… it’s not even equal…”
He pulled himself out of Changmin and slid between Changmin’s face and the headboard, shoving him his crotch.
Changmin had lost count on how many times he had to put the thing inside his mouth, how many times he gagged on the sticky liquid, as his face was full of it already. His member was limp, not at all everything excited him, but the other guy didn’t even care.
“N-not again, p-please sir…”
“Come on, sweetheart… “
Xiah pulled down Changmin’s jaw with his thumbs to part the stubborn mouth and shoved himself. Changmin shut his eyes and kept his mouth stiff, only to get more slaps and yanks in the hair, nails on the back of his head and impatient cock bumping his throat forcefully, forcing him to lie on his back and had his head between the stranger’s legs. He couldn’t even sob freely, only sounds of cough and gag could he make as the stranger fucked his mouth non-stop.
“You’re perfect, you know what? The heat of a human and endurance of a fox…And you’re freaking beautiful… who would’ve guessed that the corpse turns out to be like this?”
Another orgasm.
Changmin always thought of orgasm as the most beautiful moment in his love-making with Jaejoong, because it was when Jaejoong would lose all layers and resistances of his, when Changmin could see the purest crimson -pleasure and emotion, and nothing else. It was when Jaejoong would hug him the hardest and kiss him the hardest, and when those sweet nothings were uttered as if there’d be no tomorrow.
But this was nothing like that, not at all.
“Sir… Jaejoong will be very worried if he sees me like this….”
The fox smirked. Then he dragged a hand all over Changmin’s body. The wounds instantly closed, the bruised and streaks disappeared. The human guy was brand new.
“He wouldn’t know, unless you return to him crying and hysterical.” Xiah said, still stroking Changmin’s inner thigh. “Well, I don’t care whether you’ll tell him or not, just think about his reaction after knowing what kind of thing you are.”
Changmin cried. He no longer felt the physical pain, yet the pain of somewhere else lingered, and it was far more unbearable.
“Face it, sweetheart. Your time is up. I can let you live a day longer, or many days longer, it’s up to me. But of course I won’t do it for free.”
Changmin cried non-stop. He had promised Jaejoong that only Jaejoong was allowed to touch him and invade him, yet the stranger had invaded him more than Jaejoong had ever done.
Still, how could he just give everything up?
[to be continued]
Pairing: Jaemin (main)
Genre: AU, supernatural/fantasy/non-human, angst, romance
Warning: underage-went-wrong, WTFs, minor torture/violence, possible annoying!min, angst and sap
Rating: PG-NC-17/R
Summary:
Until some springs ago he still enjoyed being enveloped by the current or leaping from one rock to another without asking things, until a special kind of creature came to distract his joyous lifetime
chapter 7
“Why are you like that? You’re not a kid anymore…” Jaejoong bit his smile upon seeing Changmin securing self inside a pile of comforter and sticking back against the headboard, a childhood habit of his. He flopped into the cowering guy’s side, sitting with legs crossed.
“J-just feeling a bit cold…” Changmin reluctantly answered.
Jaejoong spread his arms and puckered his lips playfully, “Perfect time for cuddling, then!”
Cuddling had always been one of their hobbies, never once they grew tired of it. However this time Changmin flinched and anxiously tightened the comforter around him, implying rejection towards the offer. “D-don’t, you’ll also catch cold…” He reasoned.
The other guy frowned at the unusual response. He shifted closer and massaged Changmin’s back, “What happen…? Are you still thinking about that guy from this afternoon…?”
“N-no!” Changmin shook his head fervently. ”He was just a random flirter, not a big deal really…”
“It’s a big deal if he flirted with you in front of my nose! Damn, if only I saw him…”
“He just walked pass us and smiled, seriously, I overreacted… sorry…”
“Apology only accepted if you let me sneak in and warm you…”Jaejoong pouted.
Changmin chuckled weakly, “Come on, Jae…” He leaned forward and kissed the pout as an amendment attempt.
One second, two seconds, lips parted, tongue slid in, five seconds, and Changmin pulled away before their tongue collided more than just the tip. There were fear and hesitation inside his eyes, clearly visible to Jaejoong, though he hadn’t seen such look for quite a while.
Concluding something, Jaejoong let his forehead rested on Changmin’s and wrapped him inside his arms. “Baby… it’s a bit hard right now, but I’m sure everything will get better.” He moved back and took Changmin’s new cells from his side. “See, in two months we already have this. Soon we can buy TV, and though this place isn’t the best-”
“No no no no!” Changmin shook his head again, harder. “It’s not that, Jae… I like this place! I’m just not feeling well, I… I might have caught germs from this afternoon’s bazaar and if you don’t keep a distance you’ll end up sick and… and… and it sucks.” He delayed the slurred speech to breathe and think. “I mean… nagging for a hug and melon popsicle all day? It sucks.”
Moments passed as Jaejoong narrowed his eyes hatefully, but then he pulled a slime grin. “What a liar… you said it sucks to make me do it again and again, didn’t you…?” He hugged Changmin harder, rubbing his chin on the guy’s crown.
Changmin purred and whined, “Mmh… just get off already…”
“Okay, okay…” Jaejoong released him and sighed, doubting the guy. “You’re not feeling homesick either, are you?”
“Not at all, my home is you, remember…?”
Jaejoong stunned for a while, gawking at the statement. Then he ruffled Changmin’s hair before he got up and turned around, mumbling
“Remind me that greasy line again and I’ll rip that comforter as well as your clothes…”
The tanned guy couldn’t help but smile as Jaejoong walked away with crimson tinted his cheeks. The feeling of being needed, trusted and depended on had always been Jaejoong’s weakness, he loved it more than necessary though he didn’t want to admit it.
Little did he realize that Changmin needed him more than he had imagined.
Right after Jaejoong left the room, Changmin’s smile faltered as he loosened the comforter and slid his feet out, hoping a miracle had somehow occurred.
But it hadn’t. His feet were still transparent like water. He could touch them but couldn’t feel that they existed. The spiral sign had gone.
Then it perfectly made sense to him, the words that a stranger had said earlier that afternoon:
“Long time no see, sweetheart. Meet me at your gate, 1am tonight. It’s about time, isn’t it?”
*
*
Changmin groaned. The apartment door had never been easy to deal with; there was something about the rusty keyhole that burdened whoever wanted to enter more than necessary. Plus, his cell kept vibrating inside his pocket, showing a certain number he didn’t save but recognized very well, and divided his concentration. He had this urge to just snap the cell into two and kicked the door open, however he suppressed such urge and squatted instead, leaning his back against the door and pressed the answer button.
“The grail doesn’t look as pretty as the picture.” A voice complained from across the line even before Changmin said a word.
“So what, it still cost a lot.”
“Hmm… you’ve got a point.” A silence. “Hey, I miss you.”
Knowing what he was about to hear, Changmin massaged his nose bridge and closed his eyes, preparing his mental. “Right.”
“No, seriously… I miss your cute little ass biting me, squirming and shedding blood… and when you silently cried mouthing my cock… ”
The tanned guy massaged his nose bridge harder, before he began to yank his own hair in frustration. “Fuck off, Xiah.” He cursed.
He felt as if he heard Xiah smile; the fox’s voice was dangerously soft as he continued, “God, your throat, clenching… cum all over your face…a lot, and when you opened your eyes, my cum glued your eyelids… oh please, make that sound again, sweetheart… when you gagged on my cock and begged me to stop…”
“Are you that deprived?” Changmin cut him disgustedly. “No little foxy can make you do better than failed phone sex?”
“Onew had passed out. He’s shapeless. I think I accidentally broke a ball. Or two.”
“You can heal him. Make him brand new and fuck him again.”
“I only do that to those who deserves repeated fucking, like you… oh well, another ass is on the way, lets see what he can do…”
Changmin got up, “Good. Happy fucking then.” He hung up the phone.
Some seconds passed with him staring absently at the still-locked door as unpleasant images invaded his sight, then he braced his self and continued trying to unlock the key as silently as he could.
After a while struggling, he finally succeeded. The first thing that his eyes landed onto was Jaejoong, still sleeping on the couch with the same tired face. The blanket was piled up around his legs, layer of hair curtained half of his pale face, touching the tip of his nose.
It was 5am. Time sure flew fast when the job was only barging in to random places, dismantling codes and alarms. Faster when his employer joined in, but mostly Xiah preferred to stay inside his nest and bugged him via phone call, sometimes only to inform random things like how he couldn’t find his favorite cup.
Changmin had lost count on how long he had lived with the humiliation in order to have his human life a day longer. He didn’t know how long he could last, and surely there’d be an end for all the mess, and though it feared him more than anything, he wanted it to be less hard for Jaejoong.
We depend on each other too much. It’s a mistake.
Keeping his move as unnoticed as cat’s, Changmin approached the sleeping guy and fixed his blanket before he sat on the floor, watching the beautiful face right in front of his nose so close that he could feel warm, steady breath on his face.
He decided to delay his sleeping time to witness the sight longer. He rested his head next to Jaejoong’s hips, touching every tip of the guy’s fingers one by one, really slightly, while noting himself not to fall asleep.
The tranquility lasted until ray of sunset timidly peeked from the curtain. A bird chirped noisily, causing Jaejoong to shift a bit and mumbled incoherently inside his sleep. Changmin jerked in surprise and decided to leave, not wanting Jaejoong to catch him there and started questioning things he couldn’t answer. Just like the last time, it might end up with either pool of tears or Jaejoong uncontrollably hugging him, kissing him, straddling him on the floor and striped him, and surely he’d be too weak to say no by then.
And Xiah would creepily fuss about it afterward. Changmin swore, he’d rather kill the fox and discontinued his human life than let him landed a hand on Jaejoong.
Changmin jumped when the door was knocked. His musings shattered. At first he stiffened at the thought of the worst kind of guest, but then he doubted that Xiah would knock the door that soft and politely.
So he headed to the door and opened it.
A guy, about the same height as Jaejoong, was standing by the door, looking unsure. He looked both excited and awkward with suits and arms hanging stiffly by his side, and his extremely smooth skin was what attracted attention aside from a pair of sleepy-looking but cute eyes.
“Can I help you…?” Changmin spoke first when the brown-haired guy only stared at him dumbly.
“Oh… I’m… u-uhm… excuse me, does Kim Jaejoong-sshi live here?” He asked; voice soft and timid.
“That’s right, but he’s…” Changmin turned to see Jaejoong, who was still sleeping. Then he scanned the guest from head to toe, without trying to be disrespectful. “Are you his….?”
The guy blushed and waved his hand, “N-no! I’m just a friend… Kim Hyunjoong…” He took Changmin’s hand and shook it vigorously. “And you’re?“
“Shim Changmin, his cousin. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too…” Hyunjoong sighed and laughed awkwardly, and Changmin felt as if the brown haired was relieved about something.
Instantly knowing the guy’s intention and smelled no vibe of danger, he let him in.
“Jaejoong’s still sleeping…” Changmin said when Hyunjoong’s mouth hung agape seeing Jaejoong sprawled unconsciously on the couch. “You come really early.”
Hyunjoong nodded, pink tinted his cheek. “Sorry… he said the earlier the better… we’re going to go to an old book bazaar in Insa-dong this morning.”
“Ah, old books and bazaar… yeah, he likes it.” Changmin smiled. “Go ahead and wake him up, I’m going to go shower.”
Hyunjoong stuttered something but Changmin didn’t hear it as he had picked up new clothes and hurried to the shower. It might be a problem to leave a stranger in his living room, but it’d be worse if Jaejoong found him in the same clothes as a day before, with face that hardly showed any sleep.
So he let the cold water washed everything away.
Finished showering, he got dressed and returned to the living room to find Jaejoong still sleeping and Hyunjoong sitting on the chair across him, watching with hands stiff on the lap and eyes dazed in child-like astonishment.
“Hyunjoong-sshi?”
Startling a bit, the brown-haired lashed Changmin an S.O.S looks. “Uh… how to… I-I can’t wake him up…”
Changmin chuckled quietly at the confused guy and did the task in his place. He bent forward and rested a hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder, patting it gently. “Jae…?”
He got no answer, so he shook him a bit. “Hyunjoong-sshi is here…”
“No…” Jaejoong mumbled. “…don’t want the milk.”
Hyunjoong’s eyes sparked in amusement. “He hates milk?”
Changmin nodded. “Unless in ice cream.”
How he wanted to touch Jaejoong in a more intimate way if only the guest wasn’t there. Sighing, he called the sleeping guy again, this time making sure that his voice was firm enough.
Finally Jaejoong woke up, startled and bewildered. His sleepy face was blank as he registered the surrounding a bit too slowly. In the end he realized what he had missed and questioned with raspy voice, “Morning… already?”
“You fell asleep.” Changmin said.
“W-why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I did, you were too tired to wake up.”
Jaejoong frowned, regretting how he could easily miss a rare chance over sleeping. He didn’t realize that Hyunjoong was there until that admirer of his waved with uneasy smile, “Jaejoong-ah…”
“… Hyun-“ He looked to Changmin, then to the guest again. Another silence before his brain connected with the situation. “You’re so early…” He stretched his arms and yawned behind his hand.
Hyunjoong immediately slouched in apology, “S-sorry, I can come again later…”
“No, I’m who’s sorry. Be right back.”
The two guys looked at nowhere as Jaejoong hurried to the shower, which, if only Hyunjoong knew, was a shelter to escape from whatever uncomfortable situation in the household.
Trapped in the thick atmosphere, Changmin retreated to the kitchen counter for a tea serving. From there he could see how the guest nervously clutched the fabric on his knees while occasionally threw a glance at him or the bathroom door like a lost cat.
Jaejoong had a soft spot for that kind of guy, Changmin knew that.
“You’re really neat for someone who works in a restaurant.” he commented while bringing a cup of tea.
“Oh, I’m just a customer…”
Changmin handed the cup to the Hyunjoong, and it was obvious that the guy’s mind was nowhere since he instantly gulped the hot beverage without second thought and ended up burning his tongue and spilled a bit of tea to his lap.
“Watch out, it’s hot…” He patted Hyunjoong’s back.
“Sorry, I’m just…”
“Nervous?”
Hyunjoong nodded, rubbing the wet spot on his thigh. “This is the first time I have a chance to go out with Jaejoong…”
“Ah…”
“And, you know… “ The guy looked at Changmin before he looked down again while scratching the back of his head. “I hope you wouldn’t mind, if I… if I…”
“If you dated him?”
“Y-yes...”
Changmin stared at the guy for a while, watching him fidgeting. Then he decided, “Well, I wouldn’t mind, as long as you’re being serious…”
“I’m serious! I have no intention to play around…”
“He needs a settled and long-lasting relationship. He’d been hurt a lot.”
“I can see that…” Hyunjoong looked away, hands clasped and fingers wiggled restlessly. “He had turned me down, actually… we’re regular friends for now, but I want to keep trying...”
Changmin pulled the corner of his lips, forcing a smile. His chest was squeezed, but he knew he didn’t have a right to disagree, furthermore he believed that this might lead to a solution. “That’s good… I guess he’ll eventually fall for you.” He said.
Hyunjoong’s eyes brightened hopefully, “You really think so?”
“Yeah…”
The brown-haired was about to ask something more when Jaejoong came out from the shower, fresh and dressed with half wet T-shirt, showing that he hadn’t dried himself properly. Rubbing head with a towel, he passed between the two guys and commented, “You two get along really fast”.
Changmin managed to catch another high-school girl’s blush when the guest observed Jaejoong using fingers to comb his wet hair a bit too intently. Then Jaejoong suddenly turned around, confronting Hyunjoong’s gaze with a wide smile. “What?” He asked.
“N-nothing…” The brown-haired looked down.
The air got thicker around Changmin’s throat. “Okay guys… have fun.” He prepared to leave, maintaining gesture to be not too obvious.
“Ah, Changmin-sshi, why don’t you come with us?” Hyunjoong suddenly blurted out.
Changmin stopped. “Me? Oh… no thanks, I have…”
“Come on, you have nothing to do, right?”
“Uhm… I’m really tired…” It wasn’t really a lie, after all Changmin hadn’t slept at all and therefore wasn’t sure whether his tired self could be rational enough to let another guy hitting on Jaejoong.
“I’ll drive, you only need to sit nicely, come on!” Hyunjoong insisted, clasping the taller guy’s hand with both hands.
He’s pushy. Should have guessed that.
Changmin threw a glance at Jaejoong, trying to read his reaction, but seemed like the guy was purposely avoiding the problem by pouring too much attention to his shoes.
In the end he didn’t even know why he agreed to come along.
*
*
Changmin regretted his decision less than ten seconds after they got into Hyunjoong’s Subaru, when the apparently-richie-rich asked innocently, “Changmin-sshi, do you have a girlfriend?… or boyfriend?”
Jaejoong quickly escaped his gaze to nowhere outside the window. After all it was a question that even he didn’t dare to ask.
“…. Do I look like someone who chooses girlfriend or boyfriend?” Changmin twisted the question.
“Hmm… girlfriend…?”
Jaejoong interrupted with a forced laugh. “He likes boys, he dates a lot lately. Anyway, don’t call him with sshi, it’s too awkward…”
The accusation felt cold, but Changmin decided not to comment on it. “Well, Hyunjoong-ah-”
“Changmin…” Jaejoong cut him and chuckled. “He’s older than us quite a lot you know.”
“Seriously..!?”
“Ah yeah… I’m 23… but don’t mind about it, I feel like retarded in mental age anyway…”Hyunjoong rubbed his nape, grinning sheepishly.
He’s bloody cute, Changmin thought. Even his face when driving was cute. There’s something about his clumsy gesture, uneasy smile and sleepy-looking narrow eyes, that Changmin wouldn’t be surprised if a guy would sell his life to evil just to see Hyunjoong holding a Teddy Bear.
No logical reason for Jaejoong to turn such guy down.
After a less than an hour trip, with each of them busy with thoughts and unable to melt the stiff atmosphere, finally they arrived at Insa-dong and quickly got off the car to mingle with the book-nerds in the bazaar. The place was crowded and loud with merchants yelling out their items and visitors doing bargains, and the guys blended within them in no time, though it was unclear whether the cause was their excitement or their attempt to get away from the previous stiff atmosphere.
Anyway, all that could be seen were books, books and books.
Changmin was too tired to be interested in anything at the moment, so after a while he planned to get away from the bazaar in search of a nearby bench. As he walked he saw Hyunjoong not so far from him, confused and fidgeted, trapped between persuasive merchants and whiny teens. He wobbled as rude visitors kept bumping his shoulders. The guy clearly wasn’t used to such place.
What kind of world he lives at?.
Seeing the reserved-looking guy so hopeless, he walked towards him to offer a company.
His steps halted when he saw Jaejoong approached the brown-haired, took his hand and leaded him the way. They walked hand-in-hand, and Changmin caught Hyunjoong smiled shyly at their connected hands.
He quickly looked away and whistled a cheerful tune for a distraction.
Old comic. Old comic. Old comic. Old, funny, comic.
He grabbed the nearest volume of Doraemon and drowned himself, hoping that time would fly fast.
And apparently it didn’t, because after his third volume, barely half an hour had passed. And so he decided to stroll along the stands, scanning book colors and titles with hazy minds.
His eyes stopped at a familiar book cover.
A Happy Dog.
“Wanna buy that, kid?” The seller appear from behind a stack of books.
“Definitely.” Changmin answered without second thought.
He gave more than the price tag and got away from the crowd, hastily looking for a less noisy place and slouched as he concentrated on the book. His heart thumped when he flipped the pages open as the illustrations revealed so many memories.
Jaejoong lost the book quite a long time ago. While it was one of the few things he brought with him to the orphanage, seemed like a kid took it without permission and never returned it.
“…How precious it was, to be able to spend the short span of life witnessing a beloved smiled happily, hence why he had been a happy dog.”
The closing line of the story always made little Jaejoong bawled like crazy and promoted how great the book was again and again.
Changmin sighed as some memories popped up more than necessary. His chest constricted, and his sight watered.
In the end he gave a second thought whether it was a good idea to show Jaejoong the specific attention now, by giving something related to their past when he wanted the guy to move on.
But Jaejoong had been looking for this for years…
“Changmin-ah, I was looking for you…” A hand patted his shoulder and shattered his cloud of thoughts. It was Hyunjoong, looking hesitated in his always-so-cute nervous smile. “What kind of books Jaejoong likes to read?”
A bit surprised at the sudden appearance, there was silence before Changmin answered, “….Anything unrealistic?”
“Do you think he might like this?” Hyunjoong showed a poetry book titled ‘Tranquility for Everyday’s life’. “Because it’s so noisy in his work place, right…”
Changmin chuckled quietly at the reason. “Well, why don’t you ask him?”
“I want to give him a present.”
“Hm… Give him this then.” He handed the 'A Happy Dog' to Hyunjoong, thinking that maybe it’d be easier if it wasn’t him who gave Jaejoong the book.
“You sure he’ll like this?” Hyunjoong examined the book in his hand.
“He’ll be excited. Just don’t let him know I told you this.”
“Oh, how much should I…”
“No need, it’s really cheap.”
“Really? Thank you so much!” Hyunjoong exclaimed.
Side by side, they made their way through the noisy crowd and found Jaejoong, looking relief upon seeing them together. A big plastic bag was in his hand. Apparently the guy had been having too much fun.
By Hyunjoong’s request, they stopped at a nearby noodle stall before heading home. Seemed like the brown haired had somehow began to get rid of his shyness, especially after he saw Jaejoong and Changmin unconsciously exchanged the topping of their noodles -Jaejoong moved his carrots to Changmin’s bowl while Changmin moved his beef chops to Jaejoong’s.
“That’s unfair!” Hyunjoong commented and laughed.
The two guys realized what they had been doing and laughed crookedly. It had been a while since they ate the same meal side by side like that, and old habit died hard.
“Changmin doesn’t eat living beings… and I hate carrots.” Jaejoong reasoned while concentrating on his noodles.
“Really? You guys are really cute… all of my cousins are a lot older than me, so it’s hard to get really close…” Hyunjoong said, too dense to read the meaning behind the crooked laughter.
Thinking that it was a perfect situation, he decided to hand the gift.
“Oh, Jaejoong… I found something for you…”
Changmin choked on his orange juice and looked away. Of all occasions, why should he give it now!?
Jaejoong didn’t fail to catch the reaction, but he smiled and showed a courtesy of interest as Hyunjoong took something from a plastic bag, only for a quick moment before the smile faltered seeing what it was.
Then his eyes softened. “T-this is….”
“You don’t like it?” Hyunjoong asked warily.
“I love this, this is my favorite book when I was a kid…”
“Really?”
“Yes.“ Jaejoong said. He glanced at Changmin from the corner of his eyes. The tanned guy was busy eating. “Thank you so much, Hyung…”
Luckily, starting from that moment the tension seemed to gradually melt -between Jaejoong and Hyunjoong, at least.
It was when they were heading back to the parking lot that Changmin began to feel the familiar light, numb and uncomfortable feeling on both of his feet.
Fuck. Filthy fox. He cursed. He didn’t need to check on his feet to know what was going on.
Trying to keep composed, he waved a hand to the rest of the guys. “I'm sorry, I can't go with you guys, I have to go.” He nodded and smiled at Hyunjoong, “Thanks for the ride.”, and turned away.
He heard Jaejoong said something to Hyunjoong, something around “I’ll be right back.”
He walked as fast as he could.
Within few steps Jaejoong managed to catch up and walked by his side. “Thanks for the book.” He said quietly.
Changmin stopped. “I’m not the one who gave you that.” He locked his gaze at the direction on the bus stop while talking.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “Where are you going?”
“I have something to do.”
“A lucky guy somewhere?”
The question sounded bitter. Changmin didn’t answer.
*
*
“Please, sir… S-stop it…”
The tears should have run out since a while ago, but seemed like they were just as endless as his weeping. Long, pulsating hardness forced its way into his body again and again, tearing him apart, soaking his skin, clothes and the bed with sweat, blood and semen; nauseating smells blended with the cedar scent in the air. Changmin’s hands were tied with his own brief and his legs were too painful to move. He had scratches, wounds and bite marks all over his body, all oozing blood; a belt had left long streaks along his back and ass, and now it was tied around his neck, being yanked whenever he screamed too hard. His face was all red and purple as the torturer relentlessly crashed his head against the headboard while fucking him.
“You’ve enjoyed human world, haven’t you? I only ask for few hours to pay your six years of happiness… it’s not even equal…”
He pulled himself out of Changmin and slid between Changmin’s face and the headboard, shoving him his crotch.
Changmin had lost count on how many times he had to put the thing inside his mouth, how many times he gagged on the sticky liquid, as his face was full of it already. His member was limp, not at all everything excited him, but the other guy didn’t even care.
“N-not again, p-please sir…”
“Come on, sweetheart… “
Xiah pulled down Changmin’s jaw with his thumbs to part the stubborn mouth and shoved himself. Changmin shut his eyes and kept his mouth stiff, only to get more slaps and yanks in the hair, nails on the back of his head and impatient cock bumping his throat forcefully, forcing him to lie on his back and had his head between the stranger’s legs. He couldn’t even sob freely, only sounds of cough and gag could he make as the stranger fucked his mouth non-stop.
“You’re perfect, you know what? The heat of a human and endurance of a fox…And you’re freaking beautiful… who would’ve guessed that the corpse turns out to be like this?”
Another orgasm.
Changmin always thought of orgasm as the most beautiful moment in his love-making with Jaejoong, because it was when Jaejoong would lose all layers and resistances of his, when Changmin could see the purest crimson -pleasure and emotion, and nothing else. It was when Jaejoong would hug him the hardest and kiss him the hardest, and when those sweet nothings were uttered as if there’d be no tomorrow.
But this was nothing like that, not at all.
“Sir… Jaejoong will be very worried if he sees me like this….”
The fox smirked. Then he dragged a hand all over Changmin’s body. The wounds instantly closed, the bruised and streaks disappeared. The human guy was brand new.
“He wouldn’t know, unless you return to him crying and hysterical.” Xiah said, still stroking Changmin’s inner thigh. “Well, I don’t care whether you’ll tell him or not, just think about his reaction after knowing what kind of thing you are.”
Changmin cried. He no longer felt the physical pain, yet the pain of somewhere else lingered, and it was far more unbearable.
“Face it, sweetheart. Your time is up. I can let you live a day longer, or many days longer, it’s up to me. But of course I won’t do it for free.”
Changmin cried non-stop. He had promised Jaejoong that only Jaejoong was allowed to touch him and invade him, yet the stranger had invaded him more than Jaejoong had ever done.
Still, how could he just give everything up?
[to be continued]