#06 [BLOCK B, ZICO-CENTRIC]
Fandom: Block B
Title: Uncertainty and Confidence
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/Focus: Zico Centric (mostly, with a bit of Taewoon)
Length: 1559
Summary: Zico turns to his brother for reassurance before their comeback after the Thailand fiasco.
Warnings: None
Notes: This was fun! Thanks for letting me play.
Remixee author: renichifreak
Title of work you remixed: Uncertainty
Link to work you remixed: http://renichifreak.livejournal.com/162427.html
Jiho ran his hand over his hair while he paced, a nervous habit he'd picked up after the fiasco with Thailand. He'd always paced, and most of that in the front room of his parents apartment. The familiarity of his surroundings didn't help this time. "I... This is such a bad idea," he said, glancing at his brother. Jiseok watched him from the couch as he usually did, relaxed but listening. Jiho would give anything to feel that relaxed. "I'm not sure Jihoonie's completely recovered, no matter what he says. MinHyuk is still a mess from his break up...." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and then pulled him back out, not sure what to do with them. "What if we mess up? It's a possibility, right? What if the stage collapses, or I open my mouth and spew out word vomit or something?" Another turn took him closer to the couch. "Kwonnie's sick, too. What if he gets dizzy and falls off the stage and breaks his leg or cracks his head open? What if..." He'd finally gotten close enough to the couch to collapse on it next to Jiseok. Then he lay across his brother's legs. "I can't do this," he said, all his despair in four words. "We're not ready to do this, Hyung...." More thoughts of the things that could happen ran through his mind, eyes wide as he tried to think of something else, get past it, but the nightmare of the last few months wouldn't let him.
Just before it got too much, Jiseok stroked over his hair, the gesture as soothing now as he'd found it as a child. "You need to calm down, Ji," Jiseok said. Jiho wished he could bottle that calm and keep it with him for times like this. He knew he'd have more of them between now and their comeback. "You all have worked hard for this comeback, and you're more than ready." He stroked over Jiho's hair again. "You'll be fine, Jiho."
It helped some, but not enough. He turned onto his back to look up at his brother. "Do you promise?" He knew he sounded like a child, but he needed that right now, something none of the others seemed to understand. He had SO much pressure and he just wasn't ready for this.
Jiseok smiled and tugged gently on a lock of Jiho's hair. "Of course. Have I ever lied to you?"
His hysteria or whatever had finally started to recede, allowing him to think. "Well, there was that one time when I was five and you told me that if I got up, the monster under the bed would eat me," he said. His lips curved up just enough to help him feel a little better.
"How do you know I was lying? You never got up, did you?"
Jiho sat up all the way, eyes narrowed. "There aren't monsters under the bed," he said.
"So far as you know," Jiseok said, smirking.
It took a while, and a few more jabs, but by the time he had to get back, Jiho felt better. "Thanks," he said, hugging Jiseok at the door to the building. "Have fun whipping those guys into shape."
Jiseok laughed. "You gave me a much needed break," he said, tousling Jiho's hair, if not quite as hard as he might have. "I might not kill SungMin for another couple of days." He glanced down the street. "That's my bus. Call if you need anything. I mean it."
"I will," Jiho said, and watched his brother run down the street toward the bus stop. He took a deep breath and turned the other way, toward the corner and his own bus stop. He could do this. They could do this. They could.
Taewoon's phone sounded just as the music quit. SeJoon dashed for the player as fast as SungMin ran for the phone, snatching it off the top of Taewoon's bag. "I know I turned that off," Taewoon said, holding out his hand for his phone.
SungMin grinned at him and dropped the phone in his hand. "I turned it back on," he said, unrepentant. "We didn't want you to miss any texts. Who is this one from?"
Taewoon stared at him, then the rest of the group as they gathered around. After a second he gave in to the inevitable and checked the text. "This one is from YuKwon," he said, and chuckled, remembering what Jiho had said about YuKwon. He sent back a quick text.
"What did it say?" TaeHa asked.
Taewoon smiled. "That he's sure Jiho would like to see me there tonight."
Jungwoo snickered, trying to hide it and failing miserably. "Are you going tonight?" he asked, not wilting at all under Taewoon's glare.
"I haven't decided yet," Taewoon said. "We have a lot of work...."
"And we have time," YooHwan interrupted. "Just go. We can spare you for this evening, too."
Taewoon looked at him, then narrowed his eyes. "Why? what did you do last time?"
The innocence in the six faces that looked back at him didn't fool him, but he sighed and relented. He wanted to go, and they knew it. "I guess it's only fair, if I get some time off, so do you. This means serious work tomorrow," he added, and raised his eyebrows when no one groaned at him. "For all of us. Don't get in trouble."
"Would we do that?" JongKook asked, trying for innocent and failing.
"In half a heartbeat," Taewoon told him.
Jungwoo shoved him gently toward his bag. "You have to leave now, if you're going to have time for a shower and get there in time to see the taping," he said. "Let them know we're all pulling for them."
Taewoon hesitated, then nodded his thanks and grabbed up his bag on the way out. He carefully didn't hear SeJoon's over-enthusiastic "party at the dorm!" as the door shut behind him.
He didn't know if the rest of the group had kept track, but he knew that YuKwon's text meant all of them had texted him, so he sent a text to Kyung, letting him know he was on his way. Kyung had texted him back by the time he got out of the shower, and he headed out, armed with a way into the taping.
Jiseok got there in time to actually see the performance (thanks to Kyung's somewhat-panicked text on his way in). He stood incognito in the back of the auditorium. He could see none of the uncertainty Jiho had shown in the many conversations that had led up to this point. It didn't go perfectly, but they did well. Jiho had a lot to be proud of.
The impromptu pile-up after they left the stage made Jiseok laugh. If he ever needed proof of how the group felt about Jiho, the fact that he lay at the bottom of the pile delivered that proof. He almost worried about them smashing his younger brother, but that passed soon enough. They knew better. As they pulled themselves back together and brushed the costumes off, he slipped past them and down the hall to find their dressing room. He'd just leaned against the wall to wait when he heard them - Jiho hadn't joked when he said they couldn't be quiet if they tried - sounding happy and upbeat and enthusiastic. He couldn't hear Jiho, but considering the expression on his younger brother's face at the end of the taping, he could understand. He watched them with a smile, getting a thumbs-up from Kyung and almost a hug from JiHoon - Taeil pulled him off - as they filed into the dressing room. "Congrats, brat," he said as Jiho started in after them.
Jiho froze, then turned to look at him. "What are... I mean, why are...."
Jiseok shrugged when he didn't go on. "Your group had the same idea I did," he said. "I got six spastic texts telling me I should 'get my ass down here and support my little brother,' or so Taeil said, anyway."
Jiho just stared at him, looking so close to tears it hurt. Jiseok shook his head with a fond smile and tugged him into a hug. Jiho held onto him like a drowning man. "I told you that you'd be fine," Jiseok said, not surprised to feel the shoulder of his shirt get damp.
Movement behind Jiho caught Jiseok's attention, and he looked up to see the other six peeking around the door, grinning widely (and with justifiable pride). Jiseok waved them off. "I'll have to show you what your guys said," he murmured, and Jiho gasped a laugh. "Not to mention tell you about my sneaky maknae and how the whole group wanted to know what the texts said."
Jiho's shoulders stopped shaking a few minutes later. He let out a sigh and straightened to look Jiseok in the eyes. "We survived," he said.
"You did great," Jiseok said softly. "You really did." He smiled wryly. "But you'll want to change out of that before the cordi-noonas see you and get mad.
This time, Jiho laughed a real laugh, and eased the death grip he had on Jiseok. "Don't go anywhere," he said.
"Never," Jiseok said, and let him go so he could change.
Title: Uncertainty and Confidence
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/Focus: Zico Centric (mostly, with a bit of Taewoon)
Length: 1559
Summary: Zico turns to his brother for reassurance before their comeback after the Thailand fiasco.
Warnings: None
Notes: This was fun! Thanks for letting me play.
Remixee author: renichifreak
Title of work you remixed: Uncertainty
Link to work you remixed: http://renichifreak.livejournal.com/162427.html
Jiho ran his hand over his hair while he paced, a nervous habit he'd picked up after the fiasco with Thailand. He'd always paced, and most of that in the front room of his parents apartment. The familiarity of his surroundings didn't help this time. "I... This is such a bad idea," he said, glancing at his brother. Jiseok watched him from the couch as he usually did, relaxed but listening. Jiho would give anything to feel that relaxed. "I'm not sure Jihoonie's completely recovered, no matter what he says. MinHyuk is still a mess from his break up...." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and then pulled him back out, not sure what to do with them. "What if we mess up? It's a possibility, right? What if the stage collapses, or I open my mouth and spew out word vomit or something?" Another turn took him closer to the couch. "Kwonnie's sick, too. What if he gets dizzy and falls off the stage and breaks his leg or cracks his head open? What if..." He'd finally gotten close enough to the couch to collapse on it next to Jiseok. Then he lay across his brother's legs. "I can't do this," he said, all his despair in four words. "We're not ready to do this, Hyung...." More thoughts of the things that could happen ran through his mind, eyes wide as he tried to think of something else, get past it, but the nightmare of the last few months wouldn't let him.
Just before it got too much, Jiseok stroked over his hair, the gesture as soothing now as he'd found it as a child. "You need to calm down, Ji," Jiseok said. Jiho wished he could bottle that calm and keep it with him for times like this. He knew he'd have more of them between now and their comeback. "You all have worked hard for this comeback, and you're more than ready." He stroked over Jiho's hair again. "You'll be fine, Jiho."
It helped some, but not enough. He turned onto his back to look up at his brother. "Do you promise?" He knew he sounded like a child, but he needed that right now, something none of the others seemed to understand. He had SO much pressure and he just wasn't ready for this.
Jiseok smiled and tugged gently on a lock of Jiho's hair. "Of course. Have I ever lied to you?"
His hysteria or whatever had finally started to recede, allowing him to think. "Well, there was that one time when I was five and you told me that if I got up, the monster under the bed would eat me," he said. His lips curved up just enough to help him feel a little better.
"How do you know I was lying? You never got up, did you?"
Jiho sat up all the way, eyes narrowed. "There aren't monsters under the bed," he said.
"So far as you know," Jiseok said, smirking.
It took a while, and a few more jabs, but by the time he had to get back, Jiho felt better. "Thanks," he said, hugging Jiseok at the door to the building. "Have fun whipping those guys into shape."
Jiseok laughed. "You gave me a much needed break," he said, tousling Jiho's hair, if not quite as hard as he might have. "I might not kill SungMin for another couple of days." He glanced down the street. "That's my bus. Call if you need anything. I mean it."
"I will," Jiho said, and watched his brother run down the street toward the bus stop. He took a deep breath and turned the other way, toward the corner and his own bus stop. He could do this. They could do this. They could.
Taewoon's phone sounded just as the music quit. SeJoon dashed for the player as fast as SungMin ran for the phone, snatching it off the top of Taewoon's bag. "I know I turned that off," Taewoon said, holding out his hand for his phone.
SungMin grinned at him and dropped the phone in his hand. "I turned it back on," he said, unrepentant. "We didn't want you to miss any texts. Who is this one from?"
Taewoon stared at him, then the rest of the group as they gathered around. After a second he gave in to the inevitable and checked the text. "This one is from YuKwon," he said, and chuckled, remembering what Jiho had said about YuKwon. He sent back a quick text.
"What did it say?" TaeHa asked.
Taewoon smiled. "That he's sure Jiho would like to see me there tonight."
Jungwoo snickered, trying to hide it and failing miserably. "Are you going tonight?" he asked, not wilting at all under Taewoon's glare.
"I haven't decided yet," Taewoon said. "We have a lot of work...."
"And we have time," YooHwan interrupted. "Just go. We can spare you for this evening, too."
Taewoon looked at him, then narrowed his eyes. "Why? what did you do last time?"
The innocence in the six faces that looked back at him didn't fool him, but he sighed and relented. He wanted to go, and they knew it. "I guess it's only fair, if I get some time off, so do you. This means serious work tomorrow," he added, and raised his eyebrows when no one groaned at him. "For all of us. Don't get in trouble."
"Would we do that?" JongKook asked, trying for innocent and failing.
"In half a heartbeat," Taewoon told him.
Jungwoo shoved him gently toward his bag. "You have to leave now, if you're going to have time for a shower and get there in time to see the taping," he said. "Let them know we're all pulling for them."
Taewoon hesitated, then nodded his thanks and grabbed up his bag on the way out. He carefully didn't hear SeJoon's over-enthusiastic "party at the dorm!" as the door shut behind him.
He didn't know if the rest of the group had kept track, but he knew that YuKwon's text meant all of them had texted him, so he sent a text to Kyung, letting him know he was on his way. Kyung had texted him back by the time he got out of the shower, and he headed out, armed with a way into the taping.
Jiseok got there in time to actually see the performance (thanks to Kyung's somewhat-panicked text on his way in). He stood incognito in the back of the auditorium. He could see none of the uncertainty Jiho had shown in the many conversations that had led up to this point. It didn't go perfectly, but they did well. Jiho had a lot to be proud of.
The impromptu pile-up after they left the stage made Jiseok laugh. If he ever needed proof of how the group felt about Jiho, the fact that he lay at the bottom of the pile delivered that proof. He almost worried about them smashing his younger brother, but that passed soon enough. They knew better. As they pulled themselves back together and brushed the costumes off, he slipped past them and down the hall to find their dressing room. He'd just leaned against the wall to wait when he heard them - Jiho hadn't joked when he said they couldn't be quiet if they tried - sounding happy and upbeat and enthusiastic. He couldn't hear Jiho, but considering the expression on his younger brother's face at the end of the taping, he could understand. He watched them with a smile, getting a thumbs-up from Kyung and almost a hug from JiHoon - Taeil pulled him off - as they filed into the dressing room. "Congrats, brat," he said as Jiho started in after them.
Jiho froze, then turned to look at him. "What are... I mean, why are...."
Jiseok shrugged when he didn't go on. "Your group had the same idea I did," he said. "I got six spastic texts telling me I should 'get my ass down here and support my little brother,' or so Taeil said, anyway."
Jiho just stared at him, looking so close to tears it hurt. Jiseok shook his head with a fond smile and tugged him into a hug. Jiho held onto him like a drowning man. "I told you that you'd be fine," Jiseok said, not surprised to feel the shoulder of his shirt get damp.
Movement behind Jiho caught Jiseok's attention, and he looked up to see the other six peeking around the door, grinning widely (and with justifiable pride). Jiseok waved them off. "I'll have to show you what your guys said," he murmured, and Jiho gasped a laugh. "Not to mention tell you about my sneaky maknae and how the whole group wanted to know what the texts said."
Jiho's shoulders stopped shaking a few minutes later. He let out a sigh and straightened to look Jiseok in the eyes. "We survived," he said.
"You did great," Jiseok said softly. "You really did." He smiled wryly. "But you'll want to change out of that before the cordi-noonas see you and get mad.
This time, Jiho laughed a real laugh, and eased the death grip he had on Jiseok. "Don't go anywhere," he said.
"Never," Jiseok said, and let him go so he could change.