Love Knows No Boundaries (28.3/36)
Title: Love Knows No Boundaries (28.3/36)
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO (minus Jongdae, Wufan, and Minseok), BAP (minus Junhong), VIXX (Jaehwan),
Word Count: 2278
Genre: College, Drama, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: College students: Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like roller coasters. They find relationships and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: How the group will deal their first day of exam week without Jongdae.
Masterlist
Monday rolls in with a partly cloudy morning, and the group senses a gloomy mood within themselves. However, it does not last long, for as they enter the school, some of the dancers are approached with fans and admirers congratulating them on their successful dance auditions. It is hard to believe that the dance auditions had happened only a couple days ago, since they had had an important emergency to deal with the whole weekend. Nonetheless, most of them voice their meaningful thanks with half-smiles.
“Oh yeah, the dance recital was last Saturday…” Chanyeol receives several nods in response. “I mean, obviously I wasn’t there, but still…” He mutters at one point amidst the congratulatory remarks.
However, among the dancers, Yixing hardly acknowledges the praises nor thanks the people as he passes by. It hurts him to remember the dance audition because it reminds him of the tragedy that followed.
On the other hand, the students who have received the cold shoulder feel insulted and confused by this sort of reaction. Some of the group members explained to them carefully that Yixing’s had a terribly rough weekend after the audition, or simply that he is not feeling well at the moment.
It hurts Yixing even more to see that not one person, among the many that have congratulated them, has been able to acknowledge the fact that there is someone missing from the group, someone with a walking stick. Jongdae’s been part of the whole group for so long, and the two of them have been seen together for even longer. It should have been obvious, but not one person outside of the group has noticed it. Not even a murmur of “Jongdae” has escaped from a person’s mouth since Yixing and the group stepped into the school that morning.
Classes have not started yet, as the group has arrived half an hour prior to the first school bell. Lounging around in the open courtyard of their school, they go over once again the visiting plans that they had discussed yesterday.
“Alright…let’s just…try to make it through the day…and some of you will be visiting Jongdae afterwards today, right?” Joonmyeon is met with several nods from the group. He nods back in acknowledgement.
“Well then, we’ll be seeing you tomorrow, if not later today.”
- - - -
“Good morning, class. Nice to see you all again. I’m…sure you’ve had a productive weekend…studying for the final exams.”
Zitao watches the professor intently, wondering if the latter has received any notice about Jongdae’s condition. To his surprise, the professor looks straight at him and his lips twitches in a sad smile.
“I’ll be going through the roster just to see if people are absent, because this week will be your last week before the break.”
Zitao glances over to the familiar desk where it has a sign both in writing and in Braille, “Reserved for Lee Jongdae.” He stares at it for a while, brooding over what had happened over the weekend. If Zitao takes the time to look around, he will see some people surrounding Jongdae’s seat leaning close to each other and wondering where their blind classmate is.
The “G”s and “B”s have taken a while for the professor to check through his list, but the “N”s and “S”s have been quick. After months of hearing the roster list, Zitao knows that the professor is moving onto the “Y/L/I”s. He does not know why, but his heart starts to pound heavily in his chest as the professor checks off the Lee’s one by one, getting closer to his friend’s name.
“Lee, Jaehwan?”
“Here!”
“Lee, Jisoo?”
“Here!”
“Lee, Joa?”
“…”
“Lee, Joa?”
“She’s not here, professor.”
“Ah, okay…” There is a quiet scribble on the roster list.
“Lee, Jomin?”
“Here!”
There is a moment of silence when the professor stares at his roster. Zitao swears that it was not even a second when he catches the professor’s brief glance, and in those eyes were sadness, before these eyes return to the list.
“Lee, Jonghyun?”
Zitao widens his eyes in surprise, not entirely sure if he has just heard a different name. There is a faint murmur within the classroom.
“…Here!”
“Im, Gyura?”
“…Here!”
Suddenly, the noises become louder among the students as a young man voices out his presence.
“…Where’s Jongdae?” A female voice behind Zitao’s left is heard, just as the professor calls a “Jang, Seunghyun” and a “Here!” replies back.
“Did the professor skip his name on purpose?” Another female voice, somewhere to Zitao’s far right.
“Jo, Haneul?”
The professor continues on with his roster undisturbed, but is well aware of a stir in the classroom.
“Yah, Jongdae’s seat is still empty…why hasn’t he showed up yet? He’s one of our top classmates, it’s not like him to be this late or absent…” A whispering voice belonging to a young male comes from somewhere in front of Zitao.
Another “Here!” is heard.
“Say…Jongdae-hyungnim’s often with Tao or Yixing-sshi whenever he goes to class, right?” Zitao recognizes the voice belonging to Lee Jaehwan, one of the few classmates that hold Jongdae in respect. “…Look over there… How come only Tao showed up this morning and not with hyungnim? As a matter of fact, I didn’t see him this morning with the group he and Tao are usually with…”
“Yah, Tao, where’s Jongdae? Is he not coming today? He’s never missed a day…”
“Do you know what’s wrong with Jongdae?”
The students surrounding Zitao have their eyes suddenly on him, causing him to shift anxiously in his seat. He feels a mixture of fear and sadness in his chest, not wanting to deal with the attention.
Fortunately for Zitao, the professor has caught on with the class’ behavior and decides to take the matter into his hands.
“Class, please calm down. Jongdae’s…not well at the moment. I’ve been notified by his…family.”
“Not feeling well? But it’s finals week! He wasn’t sick at all last week. What could he possi…” A female student stops in the middle of her sentence. “…Did Jongdae get hurt…?”
Zitao whips his head around to stare at the female student, his face expressing disbelief. He recognizes her to be Park Chorong. …She’s just guessing…there were no other witnesses at the scene other than Dongwoon-hyung and Kikwang-hyung…
…Unless…there were others…?
“Yeah, I think I heard something about a hit-and-run in the late night news.” Zitao turns again to the other student who is talking. “It happened somewhere close by in the middle of the night last Saturday. Rain was pouring that night, remember? Rumors said it was a college student who got hit; some said it was a high schooler. We don’t know who it was, but it was a young male as far as the rumors go, and he got immediately rushed to our university hospital.”
“Oh yeah, my sister works there, and she told me yesterday that there was a man related to one of the recently admitted patients - I think it was one from the hit-and-run, I don’t know - at the hospital over the weekend. She said he made…quite a scene early yesterday morning, startling her and some of her colleagues. Said he was a wreck…”
“…Could that have been him?”
“I don’t know…”
Heart beating heavily in his chest, Zitao then anxiously side-eyes the professor, hoping that he does not reveal the real reason behind Jongdae’s condition.
The professor lets out a sigh, making eye contact with Zitao once again. Zitao wordlessly pleads with him, giving a faint shake of his head.
“…Jongdae’s…contracted with food poisoning last night. Something he ate. It’s…quite serious, we won’t know how long it will take for him to recover.”
There is a sigh of mixed emotions, of both relief and sympathy.
“The professors have been notified, so we’ll let him take the exams after winter vacation. Don’t worry, you’ll have your classmate back with you when he’s fully recovered.”
With that, the professor looks at Zitao with a hint of worry. There is a faint buzzing in the classroom, and Zitao averts his gaze, biting on his lower lip.
“Let’s continue with the roster; we have a lengthy lesson to cover today. Han, Sungjoon?”
“Here…”
“…Hwang, Zitao?”
Zitao notices how the classroom goes dead silent, and he looks back up at the man who called his name, raising his hand slowly into the air.
The professor smiles sadly, and he glances over to Jongdae’s desk. He stares at it for a few seconds, before clearing his throat.
“Now that’s out of the way…let’s go ahead with our final lesson.”
- - -
When Zitao’s morning class ends, he has never felt so glad to leave. He exits the classroom in a hurry, and is already making his way to another class when Jaehwan calls out to him.
“Zitao, wait!”
A little surprised at the call of his name, Zitao looks around to see one of his classmates hastily making his way over to him.
“Tao, hold up, please!”
Dressed with a woolen sweater and denim jeans, the slightly tanned male with a youthful and handsome face, and brunet hair, slows to a stop in front of the mute young man. He then adjusts his backpack that has been a little disheveled from his run.
“Can we…” Jaehwan says, breathing heavily. “Can we ta- er… I need to ask you something.”
Zitao looks a little puzzled but he nods, waiting for Jaehwan to catch his breath.
“Tell…“ Jaehwan stops himself as he realizes his mistake of asking Zitao to speak, “Erm…hold on.” He fumbles in his backpack to retrieve a small notepad and a pen. Zitao raises an eyebrow at this.
He also notices that Jaehwan takes a look around, as if making sure no one is within earshot.
Then those hazel eyes meet with his in a serious gaze.
“This is between us, but…what really happened to Jongdae-hyungnim?”
Zitao blinks with surprise as he hears the soft questioning voice. He is even more surprised at Jaehwan’s determination for the truth.
“I saw how the professor kept glancing at you and how you reacted whenever Jongdae’s name was mentioned in class. I don’t think what the professor said is true…because something tells me from your reaction that it’s a lot more serious than food poisoning.”
Zitao bites on his lower lip, his hand reaching up towards Jaehwan’s notepad, as he maintains his gaze with Jaehwan. Sighing in defeat, he takes the notepad and pen to write a message.
Hands are trembling in a brief moment of silence, as Zitao prepares himself to write the tragic news.
It’s true…that Jongdae is in the hospital.
Zitao is sniffling, and blinking away the emerging tears in his eyes.
…He’s in a coma…
…He was in a hit-and-run accident last Saturday night.
We…almost lost him twice, but he was revived both times…
Doctors say Jongdae’s condition is stable for now…but…as far as what the outcomes are of his condition, we will have to wait and see if when if…for Jongdae to wake up.
A shaky breath escapes from Zitao’s mouth as Zitao stares at the words he wrote; a firm slash across the first phrase before his fickleness follows, and his final conclusion. He then harshly places the notepad in Jaehwan’s hand. He turns away quickly as though seeing the notepad causes him pain, and he leans his head back slightly to withhold the tears from falling.
“…What?! …” Jaehwan looks up in a flash, his eyes wide, before he returns his focus to the note. “Wait, two times? Tao…are you serious?”
Zitao whirls his head to the left, shooting a glare at a disbelieved Jaehwan. Do I look like I’m kidding?
“But…Jongdae-hyungnim… I can’t believe this… A coma…”
Zitao’s brash nature quickly evaporates as his body relaxes and sulks. He averts his eyes to the ground, nodding slowly.
“A-and…the professors, they really do know about this?” Zitao nods.
“When did they know, last night?” Zitao shakes his head, pointing to the ground.
“…Oh,” Jaehwan breathes out in hushed shock. “This morning?” He receives a solemn nod.
“…And how is his family? Are they alr- well, I mean, it’s not that they would be alright now, but…how are they handling this so far?”
Zitao’s eyes glance upwards to meet with Jaehwan’s. Another couple of small nods, this time with a small, emotionless smile.
“Man, this is really…this is terrible. I’m really sorry that you guys have to deal with this…” Jaehwan places a hand on Zitao’s left shoulder and offers a gentle squeeze. “…Have you visited him yet?”
A sad blink of eyes and a shake of head are joined with the same gesture earlier, a hand pointing downwards.
Jaehwan gets the message. “Oh…uhm, would it be okay if I can visit with you then? Are there others also visiting him today, do you know?”
Zitao is not too fazed when he hears the first request, and so he nods. He takes the mini notepad again, the pen still in his other hand.
It’s not a problem that you can come with us. We’ll be at the entrance gates around 3PM. See you there?
Jaehwan waits to see what Zitao holds up, and when he looks at it, he gives his classmate a funny look.
“Erm…Tao, we’re in the same classes…” He chuckles lightly as he watches Zitao taps his own forehead with the notepad with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. Both of them are amused at Zitao’s moment of forgetfulness. “I’ll just sit next to you in our classes today so that we can go meet them as soon we can leave our last class.”
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO (minus Jongdae, Wufan, and Minseok), BAP (minus Junhong), VIXX (Jaehwan),
Word Count: 2278
Genre: College, Drama, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: College students: Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like roller coasters. They find relationships and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: How the group will deal their first day of exam week without Jongdae.
Masterlist
Monday rolls in with a partly cloudy morning, and the group senses a gloomy mood within themselves. However, it does not last long, for as they enter the school, some of the dancers are approached with fans and admirers congratulating them on their successful dance auditions. It is hard to believe that the dance auditions had happened only a couple days ago, since they had had an important emergency to deal with the whole weekend. Nonetheless, most of them voice their meaningful thanks with half-smiles.
“Oh yeah, the dance recital was last Saturday…” Chanyeol receives several nods in response. “I mean, obviously I wasn’t there, but still…” He mutters at one point amidst the congratulatory remarks.
However, among the dancers, Yixing hardly acknowledges the praises nor thanks the people as he passes by. It hurts him to remember the dance audition because it reminds him of the tragedy that followed.
On the other hand, the students who have received the cold shoulder feel insulted and confused by this sort of reaction. Some of the group members explained to them carefully that Yixing’s had a terribly rough weekend after the audition, or simply that he is not feeling well at the moment.
It hurts Yixing even more to see that not one person, among the many that have congratulated them, has been able to acknowledge the fact that there is someone missing from the group, someone with a walking stick. Jongdae’s been part of the whole group for so long, and the two of them have been seen together for even longer. It should have been obvious, but not one person outside of the group has noticed it. Not even a murmur of “Jongdae” has escaped from a person’s mouth since Yixing and the group stepped into the school that morning.
Classes have not started yet, as the group has arrived half an hour prior to the first school bell. Lounging around in the open courtyard of their school, they go over once again the visiting plans that they had discussed yesterday.
“Alright…let’s just…try to make it through the day…and some of you will be visiting Jongdae afterwards today, right?” Joonmyeon is met with several nods from the group. He nods back in acknowledgement.
“Well then, we’ll be seeing you tomorrow, if not later today.”
- - - -
“Good morning, class. Nice to see you all again. I’m…sure you’ve had a productive weekend…studying for the final exams.”
Zitao watches the professor intently, wondering if the latter has received any notice about Jongdae’s condition. To his surprise, the professor looks straight at him and his lips twitches in a sad smile.
“I’ll be going through the roster just to see if people are absent, because this week will be your last week before the break.”
Zitao glances over to the familiar desk where it has a sign both in writing and in Braille, “Reserved for Lee Jongdae.” He stares at it for a while, brooding over what had happened over the weekend. If Zitao takes the time to look around, he will see some people surrounding Jongdae’s seat leaning close to each other and wondering where their blind classmate is.
The “G”s and “B”s have taken a while for the professor to check through his list, but the “N”s and “S”s have been quick. After months of hearing the roster list, Zitao knows that the professor is moving onto the “Y/L/I”s. He does not know why, but his heart starts to pound heavily in his chest as the professor checks off the Lee’s one by one, getting closer to his friend’s name.
“Lee, Jaehwan?”
“Here!”
“Lee, Jisoo?”
“Here!”
“Lee, Joa?”
“…”
“Lee, Joa?”
“She’s not here, professor.”
“Ah, okay…” There is a quiet scribble on the roster list.
“Lee, Jomin?”
“Here!”
There is a moment of silence when the professor stares at his roster. Zitao swears that it was not even a second when he catches the professor’s brief glance, and in those eyes were sadness, before these eyes return to the list.
“Lee, Jonghyun?”
Zitao widens his eyes in surprise, not entirely sure if he has just heard a different name. There is a faint murmur within the classroom.
“…Here!”
“Im, Gyura?”
“…Here!”
Suddenly, the noises become louder among the students as a young man voices out his presence.
“…Where’s Jongdae?” A female voice behind Zitao’s left is heard, just as the professor calls a “Jang, Seunghyun” and a “Here!” replies back.
“Did the professor skip his name on purpose?” Another female voice, somewhere to Zitao’s far right.
“Jo, Haneul?”
The professor continues on with his roster undisturbed, but is well aware of a stir in the classroom.
“Yah, Jongdae’s seat is still empty…why hasn’t he showed up yet? He’s one of our top classmates, it’s not like him to be this late or absent…” A whispering voice belonging to a young male comes from somewhere in front of Zitao.
Another “Here!” is heard.
“Say…Jongdae-hyungnim’s often with Tao or Yixing-sshi whenever he goes to class, right?” Zitao recognizes the voice belonging to Lee Jaehwan, one of the few classmates that hold Jongdae in respect. “…Look over there… How come only Tao showed up this morning and not with hyungnim? As a matter of fact, I didn’t see him this morning with the group he and Tao are usually with…”
“Yah, Tao, where’s Jongdae? Is he not coming today? He’s never missed a day…”
“Do you know what’s wrong with Jongdae?”
The students surrounding Zitao have their eyes suddenly on him, causing him to shift anxiously in his seat. He feels a mixture of fear and sadness in his chest, not wanting to deal with the attention.
Fortunately for Zitao, the professor has caught on with the class’ behavior and decides to take the matter into his hands.
“Class, please calm down. Jongdae’s…not well at the moment. I’ve been notified by his…family.”
“Not feeling well? But it’s finals week! He wasn’t sick at all last week. What could he possi…” A female student stops in the middle of her sentence. “…Did Jongdae get hurt…?”
Zitao whips his head around to stare at the female student, his face expressing disbelief. He recognizes her to be Park Chorong. …She’s just guessing…there were no other witnesses at the scene other than Dongwoon-hyung and Kikwang-hyung…
…Unless…there were others…?
“Yeah, I think I heard something about a hit-and-run in the late night news.” Zitao turns again to the other student who is talking. “It happened somewhere close by in the middle of the night last Saturday. Rain was pouring that night, remember? Rumors said it was a college student who got hit; some said it was a high schooler. We don’t know who it was, but it was a young male as far as the rumors go, and he got immediately rushed to our university hospital.”
“Oh yeah, my sister works there, and she told me yesterday that there was a man related to one of the recently admitted patients - I think it was one from the hit-and-run, I don’t know - at the hospital over the weekend. She said he made…quite a scene early yesterday morning, startling her and some of her colleagues. Said he was a wreck…”
“…Could that have been him?”
“I don’t know…”
Heart beating heavily in his chest, Zitao then anxiously side-eyes the professor, hoping that he does not reveal the real reason behind Jongdae’s condition.
The professor lets out a sigh, making eye contact with Zitao once again. Zitao wordlessly pleads with him, giving a faint shake of his head.
“…Jongdae’s…contracted with food poisoning last night. Something he ate. It’s…quite serious, we won’t know how long it will take for him to recover.”
There is a sigh of mixed emotions, of both relief and sympathy.
“The professors have been notified, so we’ll let him take the exams after winter vacation. Don’t worry, you’ll have your classmate back with you when he’s fully recovered.”
With that, the professor looks at Zitao with a hint of worry. There is a faint buzzing in the classroom, and Zitao averts his gaze, biting on his lower lip.
“Let’s continue with the roster; we have a lengthy lesson to cover today. Han, Sungjoon?”
“Here…”
“…Hwang, Zitao?”
Zitao notices how the classroom goes dead silent, and he looks back up at the man who called his name, raising his hand slowly into the air.
The professor smiles sadly, and he glances over to Jongdae’s desk. He stares at it for a few seconds, before clearing his throat.
“Now that’s out of the way…let’s go ahead with our final lesson.”
- - -
When Zitao’s morning class ends, he has never felt so glad to leave. He exits the classroom in a hurry, and is already making his way to another class when Jaehwan calls out to him.
“Zitao, wait!”
A little surprised at the call of his name, Zitao looks around to see one of his classmates hastily making his way over to him.
“Tao, hold up, please!”
Dressed with a woolen sweater and denim jeans, the slightly tanned male with a youthful and handsome face, and brunet hair, slows to a stop in front of the mute young man. He then adjusts his backpack that has been a little disheveled from his run.
“Can we…” Jaehwan says, breathing heavily. “Can we ta- er… I need to ask you something.”
Zitao looks a little puzzled but he nods, waiting for Jaehwan to catch his breath.
“Tell…“ Jaehwan stops himself as he realizes his mistake of asking Zitao to speak, “Erm…hold on.” He fumbles in his backpack to retrieve a small notepad and a pen. Zitao raises an eyebrow at this.
He also notices that Jaehwan takes a look around, as if making sure no one is within earshot.
Then those hazel eyes meet with his in a serious gaze.
“This is between us, but…what really happened to Jongdae-hyungnim?”
Zitao blinks with surprise as he hears the soft questioning voice. He is even more surprised at Jaehwan’s determination for the truth.
“I saw how the professor kept glancing at you and how you reacted whenever Jongdae’s name was mentioned in class. I don’t think what the professor said is true…because something tells me from your reaction that it’s a lot more serious than food poisoning.”
Zitao bites on his lower lip, his hand reaching up towards Jaehwan’s notepad, as he maintains his gaze with Jaehwan. Sighing in defeat, he takes the notepad and pen to write a message.
Hands are trembling in a brief moment of silence, as Zitao prepares himself to write the tragic news.
It’s true…that Jongdae is in the hospital.
Zitao is sniffling, and blinking away the emerging tears in his eyes.
…He’s in a coma…
…He was in a hit-and-run accident last Saturday night.
We…almost lost him twice, but he was revived both times…
Doctors say Jongdae’s condition is stable for now…but…as far as what the outcomes are of his condition, we will have to wait and see if when if…for Jongdae to wake up.
A shaky breath escapes from Zitao’s mouth as Zitao stares at the words he wrote; a firm slash across the first phrase before his fickleness follows, and his final conclusion. He then harshly places the notepad in Jaehwan’s hand. He turns away quickly as though seeing the notepad causes him pain, and he leans his head back slightly to withhold the tears from falling.
“…What?! …” Jaehwan looks up in a flash, his eyes wide, before he returns his focus to the note. “Wait, two times? Tao…are you serious?”
Zitao whirls his head to the left, shooting a glare at a disbelieved Jaehwan. Do I look like I’m kidding?
“But…Jongdae-hyungnim… I can’t believe this… A coma…”
Zitao’s brash nature quickly evaporates as his body relaxes and sulks. He averts his eyes to the ground, nodding slowly.
“A-and…the professors, they really do know about this?” Zitao nods.
“When did they know, last night?” Zitao shakes his head, pointing to the ground.
“…Oh,” Jaehwan breathes out in hushed shock. “This morning?” He receives a solemn nod.
“…And how is his family? Are they alr- well, I mean, it’s not that they would be alright now, but…how are they handling this so far?”
Zitao’s eyes glance upwards to meet with Jaehwan’s. Another couple of small nods, this time with a small, emotionless smile.
“Man, this is really…this is terrible. I’m really sorry that you guys have to deal with this…” Jaehwan places a hand on Zitao’s left shoulder and offers a gentle squeeze. “…Have you visited him yet?”
A sad blink of eyes and a shake of head are joined with the same gesture earlier, a hand pointing downwards.
Jaehwan gets the message. “Oh…uhm, would it be okay if I can visit with you then? Are there others also visiting him today, do you know?”
Zitao is not too fazed when he hears the first request, and so he nods. He takes the mini notepad again, the pen still in his other hand.
It’s not a problem that you can come with us. We’ll be at the entrance gates around 3PM. See you there?
Jaehwan waits to see what Zitao holds up, and when he looks at it, he gives his classmate a funny look.
“Erm…Tao, we’re in the same classes…” He chuckles lightly as he watches Zitao taps his own forehead with the notepad with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. Both of them are amused at Zitao’s moment of forgetfulness. “I’ll just sit next to you in our classes today so that we can go meet them as soon we can leave our last class.”