To sleep, perchance to dream ; Yoochun/Changmin
I'll be going on holiday to Japan on 13 November, and I'll only be back on the 24th. I will try my best to get the fourth part of The Sound of Flight up before I leave, but no guarantees, I'm really sorry.
To make up for it, here's something I wrote. The title is taken from Shakepeare's Hamlet. For my younger sister, redcottonstar, so she'll stop asking. ♥
Title: To sleep, perchance to dream
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Dong Bang Shin Ki
Pairing(s): Changmin-centric, Yoochun/Changmin
Disclaimer: The boys do not belong to me. This is also nothing but pure fiction.
Summary: Changmin gets visits from four of his friends.
To sleep, perchance to dream
The transition between day and night is Changmin's favourite time of the day. He likes watching sunlight slip by, decorating the sky with the train of its long skirt, brilliantly coloured in oranges and pinks; the evolution of afternoon to evening to nightfall, marked by the arc of the sun.
He captures moments with his camera, and lines up the polaroid pictures along the windowsill. Two sparrows on the telephone lines, heads bent together, silhouetted by the afternoon sun. The shadow of his coffee cup, elongated and distorted. The reflective edge of a butter knife, slashing sunlight into bright ribbons. His own fingers, creeping slowly along the edge of the table like a lonely spider that has lost its ability to spin a web, build a home.
There is nothing much to do, so he takes photographs, one after another. They are littered everywhere, on the floor, taped to the walls, stacked on the table.
Rectangular cut-outs of dreams, forgotten puzzle pieces.
On Tuesday mornings, Jaejoong visits. He brings with him new packets of film, so Changmin will not run out of them. He looks through the photographs that Changmin has taken, armed with a black permanent marker, writing short comments at the bottom for Changmin to read when he gets bored. He cleans the room, tries to get the mess of photographs into some semblance of order.
While Jaejoong cleans, Changmin slots some of his favourite pictures into an envelope for Jaejoong to take home. He always wonders what Jaejoong does with them. Does he stick them on a wall? Keep them in a drawer? Throw them away? Changmin never asks.
He tells Changmin all about his week, and before he leaves, he also sings to Changmin- fragments of song, because Jaejoong can never remember all the lyrics, so he skips to the next song when he forgets.
Jaejoong stays with Changmin until lunch. He waits until it is time for Changmin to take his medicine, and then he leaves. He always makes excuses, but Changmin knows that it is because Jaejoong cannot bear to watch.
Yunho comes on Thursdays in the afternoon, after three o'clock. He always enters the room, smiling awkwardly as though he is intruding on something. He brings baskets of fruits, or flowers, things to brighten up the room. He sits with Changmin by the window, watching the world outside, the way Changmin always does in the late afternoon. Changmin sneaks sideways looks at Yunho, wonders if he notices the change in the shadows cast on the ground, or the crisp smell that marks the arrival of evening.
Yunho talks to Changmin about things that are happening- so-and-so is getting married, so-and-so is pregnant, so-and-so just got divorced.
Yunho never talks about himself. Or about Jaejoong.
Changmin supposes Yunho doesn't want to upset him by talking about such things. He lets Yunho avoid these topics, he doesn't tell Yunho that he already knows. He already knows that he and Jaejoong have bought a beautiful penthouse in the city, have two dogs and are looking after a gorgeous baby girl.
Sometimes, Yunho holds his hand. He doesn't say anything, just holds onto Changmin's hand tightly. Changmin always wonders if it is a kind of silent apology for what happened, or Yunho just wants to let Changmin know that he will always be here.
Yunho leaves between six and seven, when dinner is served. He never says, Jaejoong is waiting for me at home, or I have to meet Jaejoong for dinner. He always tells Changmin, it's getting late, I should get going. Changmin always takes a photograph of him as he is walking out the door, and hides them inside his pillowcase. He takes them out at night, and can never figure out what he wants to do with them, or why he took them in the first place.
Fridays belong to Junsu.
Junsu is always punctual. He arrives right before lunch, and stays with Changmin for as long as he can- until he has to go off to some other place, or until they chase him out, telling him that visiting hours are over. Junsu lets Changmin takes lots of pictures of him- pictures of him with his mouth hanging open mid-sentence, of him laughing and smiling, posing shamelessly.
Junsu tells Changmin everything he wants to know. He is the one who tells Changmin that Yunho and Jaejoong are running into a few legal problems with the little girl they are taking care of, or that Yunho and Jaejoong have bought a new house, or Yunho is getting promoted. Junsu sits next to Changmin on his bed, and tells Changmin these things. Changmin knows that Junsu tells him because he thinks that Changmin has a right to know, and that Changmin will not fall to pieces when he hears such things.
Like Jaejoong, Junsu sings to Changmin. Listening to Junsu sing breaks Changmin's heart. It reminds him of everything that used to be. Changmin never lets Junsu see how much it hurts to hear him sing, his voice rising beautiful and pitch-perfect above the quiet sound of voices from the corridor or the chirping of birds outside.
Junsu makes a lot of promises to Changmin: I'll take you to Paris, Germany, Egypt. I won't laugh at you any more. I will definitely not say something so stupid next time, I swear. I'll always be here for you.
You'll walk again.
Changmin has no idea which ones will hold true, but what matters is that Junsu says all of them like he sincerely believes in every single one of them. When Junsu leaves, taking the sound of his laughter and his endless energy with him, Changmin is left with a room full of memories, strewn around haphazardly like the photographs lying around the room.
He escapes from them, quickly wheels himself out of his room, but they chase after him like slithering snakes. They curl up his wheelchair, tighten around his elbows and chest, unforgiving.
The memory of opening the bedroom door and finding Jaejoong pressed under Yunho, eyes blissfully shut. His lover. One of his best friends.
Junsu calling, calling and calling him non-stop as he got into the car. There were forty-six missed calls from Junsu when he crashed.
Waking up in hospital to white-hot pain, and then unbearable numbness. The doctor saying you must be prepared to never walk again. Jaejoong sitting next to him on the bed, sobbing as Changmin stares at him blankly. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Not seeing Yunho for months, and then watching him break apart when he walks into the hospital ward for the first time and sees Changmin sitting on his wheelchair. For the first time in his life, seeing Junsu struggle for a smile.
And Yoochun.
Yoochun who always comes out of the blue. He brings with him the strangest things. On some days it is a new book, a magazine, a cup of yoghurt, a CD.
Yoochun who pushes him down the corridor so quickly Changmin feels like he's flying. Yoochun who ignores the nurses when they shout at him, who takes Changmin to his physiotherapy appointments and cries together with Changmin when it gets too much to bear.
Yoochun who was with him the night the knowledge that he may never walk again hit full force. Yoochun who said I love you either way, who kissed him, thumb brushing gently across the bandages around Changmin's head.
Yoochun never wants Changmin to take pictures of him. You will always have me right here, Yoochun says, you don't need a photograph.
This might be my last post for a little while, see you guys soon ♥
MASTERLIST OF FICS HERE
To make up for it, here's something I wrote. The title is taken from Shakepeare's Hamlet. For my younger sister, redcottonstar, so she'll stop asking. ♥
Title: To sleep, perchance to dream
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Dong Bang Shin Ki
Pairing(s): Changmin-centric, Yoochun/Changmin
Disclaimer: The boys do not belong to me. This is also nothing but pure fiction.
Summary: Changmin gets visits from four of his friends.
To sleep, perchance to dream
The transition between day and night is Changmin's favourite time of the day. He likes watching sunlight slip by, decorating the sky with the train of its long skirt, brilliantly coloured in oranges and pinks; the evolution of afternoon to evening to nightfall, marked by the arc of the sun.
He captures moments with his camera, and lines up the polaroid pictures along the windowsill. Two sparrows on the telephone lines, heads bent together, silhouetted by the afternoon sun. The shadow of his coffee cup, elongated and distorted. The reflective edge of a butter knife, slashing sunlight into bright ribbons. His own fingers, creeping slowly along the edge of the table like a lonely spider that has lost its ability to spin a web, build a home.
There is nothing much to do, so he takes photographs, one after another. They are littered everywhere, on the floor, taped to the walls, stacked on the table.
Rectangular cut-outs of dreams, forgotten puzzle pieces.
On Tuesday mornings, Jaejoong visits. He brings with him new packets of film, so Changmin will not run out of them. He looks through the photographs that Changmin has taken, armed with a black permanent marker, writing short comments at the bottom for Changmin to read when he gets bored. He cleans the room, tries to get the mess of photographs into some semblance of order.
While Jaejoong cleans, Changmin slots some of his favourite pictures into an envelope for Jaejoong to take home. He always wonders what Jaejoong does with them. Does he stick them on a wall? Keep them in a drawer? Throw them away? Changmin never asks.
He tells Changmin all about his week, and before he leaves, he also sings to Changmin- fragments of song, because Jaejoong can never remember all the lyrics, so he skips to the next song when he forgets.
Jaejoong stays with Changmin until lunch. He waits until it is time for Changmin to take his medicine, and then he leaves. He always makes excuses, but Changmin knows that it is because Jaejoong cannot bear to watch.
Yunho comes on Thursdays in the afternoon, after three o'clock. He always enters the room, smiling awkwardly as though he is intruding on something. He brings baskets of fruits, or flowers, things to brighten up the room. He sits with Changmin by the window, watching the world outside, the way Changmin always does in the late afternoon. Changmin sneaks sideways looks at Yunho, wonders if he notices the change in the shadows cast on the ground, or the crisp smell that marks the arrival of evening.
Yunho talks to Changmin about things that are happening- so-and-so is getting married, so-and-so is pregnant, so-and-so just got divorced.
Yunho never talks about himself. Or about Jaejoong.
Changmin supposes Yunho doesn't want to upset him by talking about such things. He lets Yunho avoid these topics, he doesn't tell Yunho that he already knows. He already knows that he and Jaejoong have bought a beautiful penthouse in the city, have two dogs and are looking after a gorgeous baby girl.
Sometimes, Yunho holds his hand. He doesn't say anything, just holds onto Changmin's hand tightly. Changmin always wonders if it is a kind of silent apology for what happened, or Yunho just wants to let Changmin know that he will always be here.
Yunho leaves between six and seven, when dinner is served. He never says, Jaejoong is waiting for me at home, or I have to meet Jaejoong for dinner. He always tells Changmin, it's getting late, I should get going. Changmin always takes a photograph of him as he is walking out the door, and hides them inside his pillowcase. He takes them out at night, and can never figure out what he wants to do with them, or why he took them in the first place.
Fridays belong to Junsu.
Junsu is always punctual. He arrives right before lunch, and stays with Changmin for as long as he can- until he has to go off to some other place, or until they chase him out, telling him that visiting hours are over. Junsu lets Changmin takes lots of pictures of him- pictures of him with his mouth hanging open mid-sentence, of him laughing and smiling, posing shamelessly.
Junsu tells Changmin everything he wants to know. He is the one who tells Changmin that Yunho and Jaejoong are running into a few legal problems with the little girl they are taking care of, or that Yunho and Jaejoong have bought a new house, or Yunho is getting promoted. Junsu sits next to Changmin on his bed, and tells Changmin these things. Changmin knows that Junsu tells him because he thinks that Changmin has a right to know, and that Changmin will not fall to pieces when he hears such things.
Like Jaejoong, Junsu sings to Changmin. Listening to Junsu sing breaks Changmin's heart. It reminds him of everything that used to be. Changmin never lets Junsu see how much it hurts to hear him sing, his voice rising beautiful and pitch-perfect above the quiet sound of voices from the corridor or the chirping of birds outside.
Junsu makes a lot of promises to Changmin: I'll take you to Paris, Germany, Egypt. I won't laugh at you any more. I will definitely not say something so stupid next time, I swear. I'll always be here for you.
You'll walk again.
Changmin has no idea which ones will hold true, but what matters is that Junsu says all of them like he sincerely believes in every single one of them. When Junsu leaves, taking the sound of his laughter and his endless energy with him, Changmin is left with a room full of memories, strewn around haphazardly like the photographs lying around the room.
He escapes from them, quickly wheels himself out of his room, but they chase after him like slithering snakes. They curl up his wheelchair, tighten around his elbows and chest, unforgiving.
The memory of opening the bedroom door and finding Jaejoong pressed under Yunho, eyes blissfully shut. His lover. One of his best friends.
Junsu calling, calling and calling him non-stop as he got into the car. There were forty-six missed calls from Junsu when he crashed.
Waking up in hospital to white-hot pain, and then unbearable numbness. The doctor saying you must be prepared to never walk again. Jaejoong sitting next to him on the bed, sobbing as Changmin stares at him blankly. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Not seeing Yunho for months, and then watching him break apart when he walks into the hospital ward for the first time and sees Changmin sitting on his wheelchair. For the first time in his life, seeing Junsu struggle for a smile.
And Yoochun.
Yoochun who always comes out of the blue. He brings with him the strangest things. On some days it is a new book, a magazine, a cup of yoghurt, a CD.
Yoochun who pushes him down the corridor so quickly Changmin feels like he's flying. Yoochun who ignores the nurses when they shout at him, who takes Changmin to his physiotherapy appointments and cries together with Changmin when it gets too much to bear.
Yoochun who was with him the night the knowledge that he may never walk again hit full force. Yoochun who said I love you either way, who kissed him, thumb brushing gently across the bandages around Changmin's head.
Yoochun never wants Changmin to take pictures of him. You will always have me right here, Yoochun says, you don't need a photograph.
This might be my last post for a little while, see you guys soon ♥
MASTERLIST OF FICS HERE