Through the crown of the sakura tree - 9
Author: hikjang / delsogno
Fandom: DB5K
Pairings: Changmin x Junsu, Changmin x Yuri, Yoochun x Junsu, Yunho x Jaejoong
Genre: Romance, Angst, Psychological
Rating: PG 15
Disclaimer: They are not mine.
Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem
The golden sun casted its light through the the gray glassed windows, illumnating the dark wooden walls. Changmin got his meal card swiped at the door, and walked inside the Commons dining hall of their university.
It was quite noisy inside - the reason why Changmin always preferred to eat at small café’s (also because he was willing to pay much more than other people). Looking around for a while, he finally found the person he was looking for: Junsu, who was sitting at part of a long table near the center of the hall.
Junsu was eating something from his plates, eyes wandering around. It was almost 12pm, so the hall was stuffed with people coming for lunch. Amidst such a large, noisy crowd, Junsu’s calm manners made the area around him somehow seemed inexplicably tranquil.
It was not for no reason that Junsu stood out from the crowd.
In the hall at that time, there were two types of people: Those who were with some company, and those who sat alone. Those who sat with company were chatting and laughing loudly, while in the second group, almost everyone was having their eyes glued at the screens of their phones or some electronic device.
Now, just with a glance Changmin could see that among the first group, quite some number were actually not really happy being with those they were sitting with, but because they fear being seen alone, they’d rather suffer the bad company.
In the second groups, almost all were with electronic devices on their hands. They would occasionally smiled like they had received a funny text or something. Many were actually only pretending, just to show any scrutinying eyes that: Hey, I’m not alone, I’m chatting with someone on the phone, see?
But why the need to justify your being alone to strangers around you?
What caused the fear of being alone may not be aloneness itself, but the judging eyes of other people. You fear other people would think of you as being awkward and friendless - undesirable. So you cling on to anyone to sit with you so you would not have to be by yourself.
When you can’t find anyone, it’s likely that you would have your phone or your laptop with you just to show people that, either you have some work to do , or you are talking or texting with friends over the phone. Anyway the message is this: I’m not alone, I have friends too, I’m not undesirable!
It’s funny how the society has become a place where people measure the value of each other by seeing how many acquaintances one has, how many one keeps company with at meals. That way of thinking makes one feel naked when they are not with someone, like they’re suddenly stripped off of all their self-value.
Even more funny is that, though many are aware of the discomfort they feel when forcing themselves to be with people, they would judge those who are being alone.
Oh human beings! Changmin thought in his head.
But luckily.
There are some people, some very few people, like Junsu, who are loners, but do not try to hide that just for fear of being judged. Those individuals know their own value, a value which exists regardless of whether they are with or without a company. They need no one there to boost their presence, because they themselves are already enough.
Even Changmin felt a bit jealous of that confidence.
Alone, Junsu was sitting in a center table of the dining hall on that particular sunny Spring day. Something like an aura emitted from even the simplest movements he made: from how he used the fork, the knife, eating, eyes wandering around to the head he held high and yet relaxingly. That quiet confidence, that calmness set him out from everyone else. Around him, the world looked like a hurrying, messy rush.
Changmin found himself standing from a distance, admiring the sight.
After a couple minutes, he started walking towards Junsu from behind. As he came closer, Junsu’s nape became clearer in his sight. It was very smooth, with sunlight like honey shining on its milky whiteness. Changmin could almost feel on his fingers the silkiness of that exposed part of skin. Inside him, a desire to touch Junsu’s neck started to become so strong that he had to shut it off by opening his mouth.
“Hi Junsu,” Changmin greeted casually, trying to keep his hands to himself.
“Oh, hi,” Junsu turned back. His eyes were so black, Changmin noticed, like dark mocha that even with sunlight shining upon, their color refused to change.
“Have you waited for long?” Changmin asked, to which Junsu shook his head of silky, soft chocolate brown hair, “Nuh-uh.”
“What are you listening to?” Changmin said as he sat down on a chair at the other side of the table.
What? Junsu’s eyes seemed to ask.
“What are you 'listening' to?” Changmin asked again, pointing one finger at his temple. It took Junsu half a second to understand what Changmin was referring to. Then he bored his eyes into the other guy. “How do you know about it?”
“Well, who doesn’t know Kim Junsu can play music in his head like they use a CD player?” Changmin shrugged. Junsu blinked.
Then he answered, “After the last class, I started playing Brahms’ En Deutsches Requiem. Now it’s the middle of the 5th movement.”
Changmin smiled. “You’re listening to a requiem on such a beautiful day? Quite unique I must say.”
“Thanks a lot,” Junsu answered sarcastically. He helped himself to another bite of cheesecake, totally ignoring Changmin’s presence from then on.
Changmin was sitting casually with one arm on the back of his chair. His legs were too long for the chair so he leaned back, and made the chair sometimes stand on only two back legs. It was a very precarious way of sitting, but he liked it. He cold rock back and forth while observing Junsu.
After seeing Junsu again in the library, he had felt so relieved - at which point had he realized how tense he had been feeling all those weeks, and came along that irresistible need to sleep. He could recall, when he woke up it was amost dark - he had slept for 4 hours straight. Yuri was beside him, not Junsu. Yuri had given him his blazer and said strangely quietly, “Take it. Let’s go.”
Now that Junsu was in front of him, he wanted to ask: Why did you leave me there?
But he didn’t want to break this tranquility, with Junsu sitting right there, sipping soy milk from a mug. It was almost cute. Changmin couldn’t believe it was the same person who was capable of saying the most sardonic mocks on earth.
When Junsu had finished the milk, he took a napkin to wipe his lips and asked, “So now?”
“Let’s go. It will be a good match, I promise,” Changmin smiled.
“Don’t be arrogant.” Junsu’s lips curled up. He stood up from his chair, taking the tray with him to put it on the conveyor belt, then exited from the hall with Changmin.
Junsu did not know much about basketball (he preferred soccer) and had never been to a live basketball match. But this is interesting, he thought.
Their varsity basketball team was playing against University X in the semifinal game of the college tournament. It was, however, considered the toughest game of the whole season, because these two teams were much stronger than the other semifinal teams. It meant that though it was not yet the finale, after this people would be almost sure who would become the champion.
There were 3 minutes left before time’s up, the atmosphere was so tense on the court and on the benches alike. The points were 64-69 for University K. If in the remaining 3 minutes their team couldn’t score 6 points, they would lose.
The gymnasyum was packed. Junsu had never known basketball was such a big deal nowadays.
Or actually, maybe the players were the real big deal here. A bunch of girls near Junsu could not sit still anytime during the game, and especially now. They were shrieking the players’ names in such high-pitched voices - around Eb5 or something, “Changmin-oppa!”, “Minho-oppa!”, “Taecyeon-oppa!”, with some other weird sound. Junsu felt a headache coming. He turned his focus back to the court.
A freshman, Minho - as Changmin had introduced to Junsu earlier, had just threw the ball to Changmin. Changmin drippled the ball between his two legs. He was near the three-point line. Two very large players of the opponent team were standing in front of him. When Changmin was throwing the ball, one of them push his shoulder quite violently. Changmin fell with his face on the court.
People were growling. “Foul shots!”
Changmin stood up with the help of some teammates. He walked towards the three-point line and caught the ball thrown to him by a teammate. They were given three free throws and Changmin was to attempt them.
This is not good, he thought. Though his muscles were not much affected, his face had collided with the floor during the fall. Its impact made him see stars. His sight was not very clear.
Normally, Changmin was about an 70% shooter, but now he wasn’t sure there was even a 50% chance he would make the attempt.
He decided not to think anymore. An official raised his hand, Changmin threw the ball.
The ball fell into the basket. The digital board changed to 67-69.
Changmin’s teammates ran out to hug him and people on the benches roared in excitement. Changmin smiled with his teammates but he was not sure he could make it in the remained two attempts.
Junsu was sitting on the right side of the gym. He saw Changmin’s smile but he knew there was something wrong with it.
The smile Changmin was having on his lips was nothing like normal. It lacked the radiance it always had - the glow that had captured Junsu’s heart from the first time.
The fall must have had a greater impact than what people think. It was not so serious that Changmin could be excused and someone else could do the free throws in his place, but certainly Changmin was not in his best state. Changmin did not look like a good shooter to begin with. Tall players are better at dunks or something like that, but not at free throws. Anyone with some knowledge of Physics could see that.
And what Junsu was thinking turned out to be true. Changmin did not succeed in his second attempt.
67-69. If Changmin missed the last chance to get three more points, the team would lose.
After this last throw, the match would end. The tension in the gymnasium was palpable.
Changmin was trying to focus. He had 10 seconds to throw the ball.
He cursed in his mind. He could not normalize his heart rate when he couldn’t even focus after the fall. He saw stars and could not keep the basket staying still and clear in his sight.
He still had 8s.
He shook his head. When his head turned to the right, he saw Junsu. Junsu’s eyes were wider than normal. Despite all the tension he was feeling, suddenly Changmin felt like laughing because it was the first time he saw such an expression on Junsu’s face.
“Let’s go. It will be a good match, I promise,” Changmin smiled.
“Don’t be arrogant.”
He had promised.
Changmin turned back to look at the basket. He tried to focus again.
But to no avail. This is really not good.
4s left.
Changmin closed his eyes. If they were not helping, he would use something else. Changmin felt the heaviness and the rought feel of the ball in his hand, and adjusted so that his arms would be totally symmetrical during the throw. That way, he would depend less on the sight of the basket. He did some calculation, then jumped up a bit and threw the ball.
2 seconds later, he heard the sound of the ball hitting the court. People were roaring his name.
Changmin opened his eyes and saw Minho and Taecyeon, Chansung, Seungri running towards him, then engulfing him in giant bear hugs.
70-69. They had won.
“Oppa, are you okay?” Yuri massaged Changmin’s shoulder.
“I’m fine Yuri-ah.”
Yuri pecked Changmin on the lips. “I was so worried,” she said. Changmin grinned. He suddenly felt something freezingly cold on his face. “Eeek!” He shrieked.
“You are such a lucky bastard, Changmin-hyung!” Minho sighed. “Having such a beauty worrying for you like that.”
Yuri giggled with her hand over her mouth.
Minho took the icy drink out of Changmin’s face and handed it to him. Changmin received the can, smiled and patted Minho on the shoulder before taking a gulp of the drink inside. He then stood up to walk over where Junsu was chatting with a sophomore girl named Taeyeon.
“Hey, Junsu.”
Junsu turned back. He looked at Changmin, eyes resting for a second at the purple mark visible on Changmin’s forehead - a result of the fall, then smirked. “That hurt quite a bit eh?”
“As much as a mosquito’s bitting. But it was an exciting game wasn’t it? Just like I promised,” he grinned. Red lips, white teeth - brilliantly again.
Junsu smiled.
“Will you come to the celebration tonight? This party starts early, at 8. A night to get waste.” Changmin said.
“I don’t like to get waste.”
“Oh, come on!” Changmin begged with a pout. Junsu sighed.
Changmin yahoo-ed and ran away.
End 9
OMG this is so long... This chap takes forever!
Please read and review. Hugs to you all.
Fandom: DB5K
Pairings: Changmin x Junsu, Changmin x Yuri, Yoochun x Junsu, Yunho x Jaejoong
Genre: Romance, Angst, Psychological
Rating: PG 15
Disclaimer: They are not mine.
Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem
The golden sun casted its light through the the gray glassed windows, illumnating the dark wooden walls. Changmin got his meal card swiped at the door, and walked inside the Commons dining hall of their university.
It was quite noisy inside - the reason why Changmin always preferred to eat at small café’s (also because he was willing to pay much more than other people). Looking around for a while, he finally found the person he was looking for: Junsu, who was sitting at part of a long table near the center of the hall.
Junsu was eating something from his plates, eyes wandering around. It was almost 12pm, so the hall was stuffed with people coming for lunch. Amidst such a large, noisy crowd, Junsu’s calm manners made the area around him somehow seemed inexplicably tranquil.
It was not for no reason that Junsu stood out from the crowd.
In the hall at that time, there were two types of people: Those who were with some company, and those who sat alone. Those who sat with company were chatting and laughing loudly, while in the second group, almost everyone was having their eyes glued at the screens of their phones or some electronic device.
Now, just with a glance Changmin could see that among the first group, quite some number were actually not really happy being with those they were sitting with, but because they fear being seen alone, they’d rather suffer the bad company.
In the second groups, almost all were with electronic devices on their hands. They would occasionally smiled like they had received a funny text or something. Many were actually only pretending, just to show any scrutinying eyes that: Hey, I’m not alone, I’m chatting with someone on the phone, see?
But why the need to justify your being alone to strangers around you?
What caused the fear of being alone may not be aloneness itself, but the judging eyes of other people. You fear other people would think of you as being awkward and friendless - undesirable. So you cling on to anyone to sit with you so you would not have to be by yourself.
When you can’t find anyone, it’s likely that you would have your phone or your laptop with you just to show people that, either you have some work to do , or you are talking or texting with friends over the phone. Anyway the message is this: I’m not alone, I have friends too, I’m not undesirable!
It’s funny how the society has become a place where people measure the value of each other by seeing how many acquaintances one has, how many one keeps company with at meals. That way of thinking makes one feel naked when they are not with someone, like they’re suddenly stripped off of all their self-value.
Even more funny is that, though many are aware of the discomfort they feel when forcing themselves to be with people, they would judge those who are being alone.
Oh human beings! Changmin thought in his head.
But luckily.
There are some people, some very few people, like Junsu, who are loners, but do not try to hide that just for fear of being judged. Those individuals know their own value, a value which exists regardless of whether they are with or without a company. They need no one there to boost their presence, because they themselves are already enough.
Even Changmin felt a bit jealous of that confidence.
Alone, Junsu was sitting in a center table of the dining hall on that particular sunny Spring day. Something like an aura emitted from even the simplest movements he made: from how he used the fork, the knife, eating, eyes wandering around to the head he held high and yet relaxingly. That quiet confidence, that calmness set him out from everyone else. Around him, the world looked like a hurrying, messy rush.
Changmin found himself standing from a distance, admiring the sight.
After a couple minutes, he started walking towards Junsu from behind. As he came closer, Junsu’s nape became clearer in his sight. It was very smooth, with sunlight like honey shining on its milky whiteness. Changmin could almost feel on his fingers the silkiness of that exposed part of skin. Inside him, a desire to touch Junsu’s neck started to become so strong that he had to shut it off by opening his mouth.
“Hi Junsu,” Changmin greeted casually, trying to keep his hands to himself.
“Oh, hi,” Junsu turned back. His eyes were so black, Changmin noticed, like dark mocha that even with sunlight shining upon, their color refused to change.
“Have you waited for long?” Changmin asked, to which Junsu shook his head of silky, soft chocolate brown hair, “Nuh-uh.”
“What are you listening to?” Changmin said as he sat down on a chair at the other side of the table.
What? Junsu’s eyes seemed to ask.
“What are you 'listening' to?” Changmin asked again, pointing one finger at his temple. It took Junsu half a second to understand what Changmin was referring to. Then he bored his eyes into the other guy. “How do you know about it?”
“Well, who doesn’t know Kim Junsu can play music in his head like they use a CD player?” Changmin shrugged. Junsu blinked.
Then he answered, “After the last class, I started playing Brahms’ En Deutsches Requiem. Now it’s the middle of the 5th movement.”
Changmin smiled. “You’re listening to a requiem on such a beautiful day? Quite unique I must say.”
“Thanks a lot,” Junsu answered sarcastically. He helped himself to another bite of cheesecake, totally ignoring Changmin’s presence from then on.
Changmin was sitting casually with one arm on the back of his chair. His legs were too long for the chair so he leaned back, and made the chair sometimes stand on only two back legs. It was a very precarious way of sitting, but he liked it. He cold rock back and forth while observing Junsu.
After seeing Junsu again in the library, he had felt so relieved - at which point had he realized how tense he had been feeling all those weeks, and came along that irresistible need to sleep. He could recall, when he woke up it was amost dark - he had slept for 4 hours straight. Yuri was beside him, not Junsu. Yuri had given him his blazer and said strangely quietly, “Take it. Let’s go.”
Now that Junsu was in front of him, he wanted to ask: Why did you leave me there?
But he didn’t want to break this tranquility, with Junsu sitting right there, sipping soy milk from a mug. It was almost cute. Changmin couldn’t believe it was the same person who was capable of saying the most sardonic mocks on earth.
When Junsu had finished the milk, he took a napkin to wipe his lips and asked, “So now?”
“Let’s go. It will be a good match, I promise,” Changmin smiled.
“Don’t be arrogant.” Junsu’s lips curled up. He stood up from his chair, taking the tray with him to put it on the conveyor belt, then exited from the hall with Changmin.
Junsu did not know much about basketball (he preferred soccer) and had never been to a live basketball match. But this is interesting, he thought.
Their varsity basketball team was playing against University X in the semifinal game of the college tournament. It was, however, considered the toughest game of the whole season, because these two teams were much stronger than the other semifinal teams. It meant that though it was not yet the finale, after this people would be almost sure who would become the champion.
There were 3 minutes left before time’s up, the atmosphere was so tense on the court and on the benches alike. The points were 64-69 for University K. If in the remaining 3 minutes their team couldn’t score 6 points, they would lose.
The gymnasyum was packed. Junsu had never known basketball was such a big deal nowadays.
Or actually, maybe the players were the real big deal here. A bunch of girls near Junsu could not sit still anytime during the game, and especially now. They were shrieking the players’ names in such high-pitched voices - around Eb5 or something, “Changmin-oppa!”, “Minho-oppa!”, “Taecyeon-oppa!”, with some other weird sound. Junsu felt a headache coming. He turned his focus back to the court.
A freshman, Minho - as Changmin had introduced to Junsu earlier, had just threw the ball to Changmin. Changmin drippled the ball between his two legs. He was near the three-point line. Two very large players of the opponent team were standing in front of him. When Changmin was throwing the ball, one of them push his shoulder quite violently. Changmin fell with his face on the court.
People were growling. “Foul shots!”
Changmin stood up with the help of some teammates. He walked towards the three-point line and caught the ball thrown to him by a teammate. They were given three free throws and Changmin was to attempt them.
This is not good, he thought. Though his muscles were not much affected, his face had collided with the floor during the fall. Its impact made him see stars. His sight was not very clear.
Normally, Changmin was about an 70% shooter, but now he wasn’t sure there was even a 50% chance he would make the attempt.
He decided not to think anymore. An official raised his hand, Changmin threw the ball.
The ball fell into the basket. The digital board changed to 67-69.
Changmin’s teammates ran out to hug him and people on the benches roared in excitement. Changmin smiled with his teammates but he was not sure he could make it in the remained two attempts.
Junsu was sitting on the right side of the gym. He saw Changmin’s smile but he knew there was something wrong with it.
The smile Changmin was having on his lips was nothing like normal. It lacked the radiance it always had - the glow that had captured Junsu’s heart from the first time.
The fall must have had a greater impact than what people think. It was not so serious that Changmin could be excused and someone else could do the free throws in his place, but certainly Changmin was not in his best state. Changmin did not look like a good shooter to begin with. Tall players are better at dunks or something like that, but not at free throws. Anyone with some knowledge of Physics could see that.
And what Junsu was thinking turned out to be true. Changmin did not succeed in his second attempt.
67-69. If Changmin missed the last chance to get three more points, the team would lose.
After this last throw, the match would end. The tension in the gymnasium was palpable.
Changmin was trying to focus. He had 10 seconds to throw the ball.
He cursed in his mind. He could not normalize his heart rate when he couldn’t even focus after the fall. He saw stars and could not keep the basket staying still and clear in his sight.
He still had 8s.
He shook his head. When his head turned to the right, he saw Junsu. Junsu’s eyes were wider than normal. Despite all the tension he was feeling, suddenly Changmin felt like laughing because it was the first time he saw such an expression on Junsu’s face.
“Let’s go. It will be a good match, I promise,” Changmin smiled.
“Don’t be arrogant.”
He had promised.
Changmin turned back to look at the basket. He tried to focus again.
But to no avail. This is really not good.
4s left.
Changmin closed his eyes. If they were not helping, he would use something else. Changmin felt the heaviness and the rought feel of the ball in his hand, and adjusted so that his arms would be totally symmetrical during the throw. That way, he would depend less on the sight of the basket. He did some calculation, then jumped up a bit and threw the ball.
2 seconds later, he heard the sound of the ball hitting the court. People were roaring his name.
Changmin opened his eyes and saw Minho and Taecyeon, Chansung, Seungri running towards him, then engulfing him in giant bear hugs.
70-69. They had won.
“Oppa, are you okay?” Yuri massaged Changmin’s shoulder.
“I’m fine Yuri-ah.”
Yuri pecked Changmin on the lips. “I was so worried,” she said. Changmin grinned. He suddenly felt something freezingly cold on his face. “Eeek!” He shrieked.
“You are such a lucky bastard, Changmin-hyung!” Minho sighed. “Having such a beauty worrying for you like that.”
Yuri giggled with her hand over her mouth.
Minho took the icy drink out of Changmin’s face and handed it to him. Changmin received the can, smiled and patted Minho on the shoulder before taking a gulp of the drink inside. He then stood up to walk over where Junsu was chatting with a sophomore girl named Taeyeon.
“Hey, Junsu.”
Junsu turned back. He looked at Changmin, eyes resting for a second at the purple mark visible on Changmin’s forehead - a result of the fall, then smirked. “That hurt quite a bit eh?”
“As much as a mosquito’s bitting. But it was an exciting game wasn’t it? Just like I promised,” he grinned. Red lips, white teeth - brilliantly again.
Junsu smiled.
“Will you come to the celebration tonight? This party starts early, at 8. A night to get waste.” Changmin said.
“I don’t like to get waste.”
“Oh, come on!” Changmin begged with a pout. Junsu sighed.
Changmin yahoo-ed and ran away.
End 9
OMG this is so long... This chap takes forever!
Please read and review. Hugs to you all.