Round 2, Challenge #1: "The Art of Drowning and Falling (in Love)"
Title: The Art of Drowning and Falling (in Love)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1130
Summary: Jaejoong’s sure he’s drowning in Yunho’s eyes. He never knew he jumped into the water.
Warnings: None
Absentmindedly, Jaejoong tugs on the sleeves of his too-thick shirt with his ring and pinky fingers, pulling them up past his elbows. His face is stoic, but inside he burns with unease and irritation. The sun blazes down angrily, scorching his delicate skin, and he inwardly curses their production team for such a stupid idea.
“This is stupid,” Jaejoong voices aloud, though many have learned to ignore him. When he receives silence in reply, he says louder, “I’m hot.”
A few people stop and glance at him, but no one replies. Their manager stares at him with stern, disapproving eyes and his arms folded across his chest.
“If I burn, I won’t look the best,” Jaejoong says quickly. “And then the photos won’t be nice.”
“You’ll survive, I’m sure,” he responds dryly.
Pouting, Jaejoong points to his flush skin. “This is not natural. If I get skin cancer and die, what will the fans do?? They won’t be happy, hyung, not at all.”
Smoothly, warm hands slide around his waist, and a chin lands on his shoulder. A familiar scent envelops him, and he closes his eyes in bliss as he inhales the musky fragrance.
“Leave hyung alone,” Yunho murmurs, voice heavy in his ear. “You know he can’t match your intellect.”
Ignoring the flattering compliment, Jaejoong merely pouts and laces his fingers with Yunho, pulling him closer despite the heat.
“Yunho-ah, I’m hot,” he whines, fluttering his eyelashes.
Yunho shifts subtly behind him and clears his throat.
“It’s your turn, Jaejoong,” the manager says, watching Changmin as the younger man fans himself profusely and gestures to the air conditioned van.
Reluctantly, Jaejoong slides himself out of Yunho’s grasp as the make-up artists step forward to retouch his face. Immediately, he mourns the loss of Yunho’s body even though the heat still soaks through to his skin angrily. As the photographers gesture him to stand by a rather large cacti, he glances back and frowns at Yunho’s sudden absence.
-----
Jaejoong collapses into the seat with a huff of air. Scowling, Changmin recoils from the heat radiating from his body and moves closer to the air conditioning.
“Stop heating up my cold,” Changmin accuses.
Jaejoong flings a hand at his face, but Changmin deftly avoids it.
“Yunho was lost without you,” continues Changmin smoothly.
“Oh yeah?”
Before he can elaborate, the car door opens again, and Yunho slides in beside Jaejoong. Changmin slides to the backseat to make room for him.
“Finished?” Jaejoong asks awkwardly.
Yunho nods into his shoulder, and Jaejoong curls his arm around the leader soothingly. Gently, he runs his fingers through soft strands of hair, allowing Yunho to recline back in his lap.
“Hot,” Yunho murmurs.
Flirtatiously, Jaejoong replies, “Is that a compliment?”
-----
“I want to go gamble,” Jaejoong says, looking directly at their manager with wide eyes.
“Absolutely not,” he replies smoothly, jerking the newspaper in his hands.
Jaejoong pouts, and beside him Yoochun gesticulates wildly with his hands as he talks with Junsu.
“You’re not fluent enough in English,” the older man soothes tactlessly.
Nervously, Jaejoong glances around the hotel room for assistance. He grabs onto Yoochun’s arm and pulls him forward. “I’ll take Yoochun with me! He speaks English.”
“You and Yoochun will just get into trouble.”
Flailing a little bit, Jaejoong launches off the bed and tackles Yunho, who is innocently passing by and running a towel through his damp hair. He straddles Yunho’s towel clad hips and cries, “Yunho will come with us!! Yunho can keep us out of trouble!!” He clings onto the leader despite the fact that Yunho’s skin is dampening the fabric of his clothes.
“I will?” Yunho says, blinking repeatedly. He shifts slightly underneath the older man and then stills suddenly. “Uh, Jaejoong? Can you get off me?”
“Oh,” Jaejoong says and slides off absentmindedly. “Right. Now, can we go, hyung?”
The manager eyes them with wary eyes before he turns to Yunho and says, “You’ll watch out for them, right?”
Without taking his eyes from Jaejoong’s smiling face, Yunho manages to nod slightly before Jaejoong is tugging him toward the door.
“I have to dress first, Jaejoong!”
-----
“I’m sorry, hyung!” Yunho cries, bowing his head profusely. “I turned away for a second!”
Their manager inclines his head and says, “I should have expected something like this. You stay here. We’ll find them.”
Dejectedly, Yunho falls onto a bed and sighs as the others leave the room. He should have been more careful. Yoochun and Jaejoong were like little kids, bound to wander off if your eyes strayed for just a moment.
There is a muffled sound outside the room, followed by a squeak undeniably Junsu’s. Yunho slips to his feet and walks toward the door.
“What-did you guys forget your keycard?” he says loudly as he opens the door. But instead of Changmin and Junsu, as he expected, Jaejoong slides through the opening and shuts the door behind him.
“Hey,” Yunho scolds. “People are looking for you.”
Slyly, Jaejoong slides his hand around the back of Yunho’s neck and pulls him closer. He presses a lingering kiss on Yunho’s lips, shy and bold at the same time, and coaxes the younger man’s mouth open. He delves in confidently, assured by Yunho’s tongue dipping out to meet his.
Jaejoong pulls back with wide eyes and an expression so open that Yunho’s knees almost buckle.
Instead, he lowers his lips to Jaejoong’s neck and laves his tongue over delicate skin.
“Hide me?” Jaejoong asks softly. From the world, is left unsaid.
Yunho looks up and meets Jaejoong’s piercing gaze with soft eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
-----
Jaejoong stands tentatively on the edge and looks down. He immediately regrets it when he’s hit by a sudden wave of vertigo, and he sways dangerously. Warm arms pull him back to safety.
“Hey,” Yunho says. “Be careful.”
“Worried about me?” Jaejoong teases to squash the strange feeling bubbling up inside him-a feeling of wanting to fly.
“The fans would be upset,” Yunho says nonchalantly. He continues after seeing Jaejoong pout,” And I suppose I would be too.”
“You only suppose?”
Yunho smiles and presses a kiss to Jaejoong’s muscled shoulder. “Ok, I’ll admit it: I’d be lost without you.”
“That’s better,” Jaejoong says, turning his head to capture Yunho’s lips discreetly, away from the prying eyes of the crew. He pulls away to stare into the depths of Yunho’s eyes.
Jaejoong’s sure he’s drowning in them. He never knew he jumped into the water.
“Hey,” Yunho mumbles. “You would never jump, right?”
Without hesitation, Jaejoong replies, “Only with you.”
Yunho stares at him for several long moments, and Jaejoong almost regrets his words. Then, the leader smiles softly and kisses him firmly on the mouth.
“Yeah… me too.”
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1130
Summary: Jaejoong’s sure he’s drowning in Yunho’s eyes. He never knew he jumped into the water.
Warnings: None
Absentmindedly, Jaejoong tugs on the sleeves of his too-thick shirt with his ring and pinky fingers, pulling them up past his elbows. His face is stoic, but inside he burns with unease and irritation. The sun blazes down angrily, scorching his delicate skin, and he inwardly curses their production team for such a stupid idea.
“This is stupid,” Jaejoong voices aloud, though many have learned to ignore him. When he receives silence in reply, he says louder, “I’m hot.”
A few people stop and glance at him, but no one replies. Their manager stares at him with stern, disapproving eyes and his arms folded across his chest.
“If I burn, I won’t look the best,” Jaejoong says quickly. “And then the photos won’t be nice.”
“You’ll survive, I’m sure,” he responds dryly.
Pouting, Jaejoong points to his flush skin. “This is not natural. If I get skin cancer and die, what will the fans do?? They won’t be happy, hyung, not at all.”
Smoothly, warm hands slide around his waist, and a chin lands on his shoulder. A familiar scent envelops him, and he closes his eyes in bliss as he inhales the musky fragrance.
“Leave hyung alone,” Yunho murmurs, voice heavy in his ear. “You know he can’t match your intellect.”
Ignoring the flattering compliment, Jaejoong merely pouts and laces his fingers with Yunho, pulling him closer despite the heat.
“Yunho-ah, I’m hot,” he whines, fluttering his eyelashes.
Yunho shifts subtly behind him and clears his throat.
“It’s your turn, Jaejoong,” the manager says, watching Changmin as the younger man fans himself profusely and gestures to the air conditioned van.
Reluctantly, Jaejoong slides himself out of Yunho’s grasp as the make-up artists step forward to retouch his face. Immediately, he mourns the loss of Yunho’s body even though the heat still soaks through to his skin angrily. As the photographers gesture him to stand by a rather large cacti, he glances back and frowns at Yunho’s sudden absence.
-----
Jaejoong collapses into the seat with a huff of air. Scowling, Changmin recoils from the heat radiating from his body and moves closer to the air conditioning.
“Stop heating up my cold,” Changmin accuses.
Jaejoong flings a hand at his face, but Changmin deftly avoids it.
“Yunho was lost without you,” continues Changmin smoothly.
“Oh yeah?”
Before he can elaborate, the car door opens again, and Yunho slides in beside Jaejoong. Changmin slides to the backseat to make room for him.
“Finished?” Jaejoong asks awkwardly.
Yunho nods into his shoulder, and Jaejoong curls his arm around the leader soothingly. Gently, he runs his fingers through soft strands of hair, allowing Yunho to recline back in his lap.
“Hot,” Yunho murmurs.
Flirtatiously, Jaejoong replies, “Is that a compliment?”
-----
“I want to go gamble,” Jaejoong says, looking directly at their manager with wide eyes.
“Absolutely not,” he replies smoothly, jerking the newspaper in his hands.
Jaejoong pouts, and beside him Yoochun gesticulates wildly with his hands as he talks with Junsu.
“You’re not fluent enough in English,” the older man soothes tactlessly.
Nervously, Jaejoong glances around the hotel room for assistance. He grabs onto Yoochun’s arm and pulls him forward. “I’ll take Yoochun with me! He speaks English.”
“You and Yoochun will just get into trouble.”
Flailing a little bit, Jaejoong launches off the bed and tackles Yunho, who is innocently passing by and running a towel through his damp hair. He straddles Yunho’s towel clad hips and cries, “Yunho will come with us!! Yunho can keep us out of trouble!!” He clings onto the leader despite the fact that Yunho’s skin is dampening the fabric of his clothes.
“I will?” Yunho says, blinking repeatedly. He shifts slightly underneath the older man and then stills suddenly. “Uh, Jaejoong? Can you get off me?”
“Oh,” Jaejoong says and slides off absentmindedly. “Right. Now, can we go, hyung?”
The manager eyes them with wary eyes before he turns to Yunho and says, “You’ll watch out for them, right?”
Without taking his eyes from Jaejoong’s smiling face, Yunho manages to nod slightly before Jaejoong is tugging him toward the door.
“I have to dress first, Jaejoong!”
-----
“I’m sorry, hyung!” Yunho cries, bowing his head profusely. “I turned away for a second!”
Their manager inclines his head and says, “I should have expected something like this. You stay here. We’ll find them.”
Dejectedly, Yunho falls onto a bed and sighs as the others leave the room. He should have been more careful. Yoochun and Jaejoong were like little kids, bound to wander off if your eyes strayed for just a moment.
There is a muffled sound outside the room, followed by a squeak undeniably Junsu’s. Yunho slips to his feet and walks toward the door.
“What-did you guys forget your keycard?” he says loudly as he opens the door. But instead of Changmin and Junsu, as he expected, Jaejoong slides through the opening and shuts the door behind him.
“Hey,” Yunho scolds. “People are looking for you.”
Slyly, Jaejoong slides his hand around the back of Yunho’s neck and pulls him closer. He presses a lingering kiss on Yunho’s lips, shy and bold at the same time, and coaxes the younger man’s mouth open. He delves in confidently, assured by Yunho’s tongue dipping out to meet his.
Jaejoong pulls back with wide eyes and an expression so open that Yunho’s knees almost buckle.
Instead, he lowers his lips to Jaejoong’s neck and laves his tongue over delicate skin.
“Hide me?” Jaejoong asks softly. From the world, is left unsaid.
Yunho looks up and meets Jaejoong’s piercing gaze with soft eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
-----
Jaejoong stands tentatively on the edge and looks down. He immediately regrets it when he’s hit by a sudden wave of vertigo, and he sways dangerously. Warm arms pull him back to safety.
“Hey,” Yunho says. “Be careful.”
“Worried about me?” Jaejoong teases to squash the strange feeling bubbling up inside him-a feeling of wanting to fly.
“The fans would be upset,” Yunho says nonchalantly. He continues after seeing Jaejoong pout,” And I suppose I would be too.”
“You only suppose?”
Yunho smiles and presses a kiss to Jaejoong’s muscled shoulder. “Ok, I’ll admit it: I’d be lost without you.”
“That’s better,” Jaejoong says, turning his head to capture Yunho’s lips discreetly, away from the prying eyes of the crew. He pulls away to stare into the depths of Yunho’s eyes.
Jaejoong’s sure he’s drowning in them. He never knew he jumped into the water.
“Hey,” Yunho mumbles. “You would never jump, right?”
Without hesitation, Jaejoong replies, “Only with you.”
Yunho stares at him for several long moments, and Jaejoong almost regrets his words. Then, the leader smiles softly and kisses him firmly on the mouth.
“Yeah… me too.”