Cracked Surfaces
Title: Cracked Surfaces
Pairing: OnHo [Onew/Minho]
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff. Ish. But not really. D;
Summary: Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
Notes: Beta'd and dedicated to my lovely eter_loves_yaoi because this is how much ilu lulz <3
He was doing it again.
He was closing his eyes and rubbing them lightly with his knuckles, his eyelids drooping ever so slightly then re-opening, but with visible effort. The occasional yawn was quickly smothered discreetly, and a ready smile was given to the passing stylists and managers with a respectful bow in tow. Those shoulders would then droop even more, and it was more and more of a struggle to stay awake.
Jinki-hyung was tired.
Taemin comes along and relates a funny incident, and Jinki laughs along, but his smile is not as bright as it usually is. When the maknae leaves he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes slightly for temporary relief, but it was quickly short-lived with the arrival of a squabbling Key and Jonghyun, which Jinki quickly mediates in his usual gentle manner.
The two eventually leave, dispute resolved, and Jinki sits back down his seat, shuddering a little in his thin jacket and leaning back against the wall.
Slowly, his eyelids droop against his will, and he drifts off in exhaustion. The short nap is quickly interrupted by the arrival of one of the managers, unceremoniously shaking Jinki awake and asking a few questions.
Jinki's eyes are a bit red, but he still has a ready smile, nodding in understanding to the quick instructions given to him. When the manager finally left, Jinki rummages into his bag and takes out a few mints, quickly popping a few into his mouth and chewing them.
Anything to stay awake. The effort is costing, but that smile is still visible on his lips.
Jinki looks up when a warm blanket is placed on his shoulders.
"Oh? Hello, Minho-ah." The older boy's smile was still fixed, but Minho's keen scrutiny could easily reveal the cracks under the surface.
"You haven't slept for a few days, have you, hyung." Jinki laughed softly, then heaved a deep sigh.
"It's been quite hectic, these past few days." Jinki rubs his palm on his face, and Minho doesn't say a word, simply waits.
Slowly, Jinki's eyes drift shut again, and he slumps forward in his seat - but Minho is there, gently guiding his hyung's head to rest on his shoulder. He tucks the blanket more securely around the older boy.
This time, Jinki's sleep goes uninterrupted.
--------------------------------------------------
In terms of first impressions, Minho was always seen as the quiet, mysterious type, the one who didn't speak unless he had something relevant to say, the one who usually kept to himself. Cool and secretive.
Jinki, on the other hand, was the smiling leader, the gentle older brother who suffered the occasional bouts of clumsiness, but nevertheless had a lot of charm and enough gags to keep people entertained.
Minho thought these impressions were reasonably fair; but on the scale of things, Jinki was a lot more mysterious than he was.
It wasn't all laughs and smiles for Jinki. Quite a few times he would be hurt, physically and emotionally, but nobody ever knew, because Jinki wasn't the type to let his true feelings show.
When he falls on the stairs or slides on a slippery surface, his automatic reaction would be to laugh it off, and the others would laugh with him.
Only Minho would notice the older boy quietly picking himself up afterwards, an obvious expression of pain etched on those gentle features, quickly transforming into a smile if someone turned to look at him.
When Jinki would get scolded by the management for something poorly done, whether it be in a performance or on his leadership skills, he would bear the pain quietly; after the ordeal, and all the boys swarm around him, he simply says that everything's okay, it wasn't too bad, we just need to practice some more, and that permanent gentle smile would fool them all.
Only Minho would notice the older boy would notice the older boy waking up in the middle of the night and not coming back till the early hours of dawn.
"How was it again...? Step, turn, twist around, jump one step...?"
"It's step, turn, twist around, jump to the left."
Jinki jumped in surprise, and whirled around to face the unknown visitor.
"Minho-ah. Why are you still awake?"
"I'd ask you the same question, hyung."
Jinki massaged the muscles at the back of his neck. "Well, I just thought I'd practice the new steps a bit more."
This was Jinki, the hyung who practiced dance steps at three in the morning, never mind that his next schedule was four hours from now and he'd had very little sleep. Before he'd started practicing, Minho had already been watching, and he watched Jinki sit on the floor, just staring at the full moon outside the window. Even alone, he was utterly silent, never revealing his thoughts for anybody, constantly bottling the supressed feelings inside.
"You should go to sleep, Minho-ah. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Minho knew this was a lie - Jinki would keep practicing until dawn if he had to, and this would leave him with barely enough sleep until the other boys wake up and berate him about staying in bed too long. But this was the same hyung who wanted him to rest, because Minho had been filming Dream Team and he was quite exhausted.
"I'll go over the steps with you, hyung." If Jinki was going to be admonished about staying in bed too long, Minho would willingly get admonished with him.
They practiced the steps until the early hours of dawn, not filling the silence with small conversation. The sun was beginning to rise and illuminate the sky when they finally went to bed, and it seemed they had only closed their eyes for five minutes when Key arrived to shake them awake, grumbling in his usual manner how they shouldn't stay in bed so long and that breakfast was turning cold.
Their eyes were red with exhaustion at the dining table, but as Minho looked up and caught Jinki's eye, he saw his hyung give him a small smile.
And it was a genuine one.
--------------------------------------------------
"Aish, this is why you shouldn't overwork yourself. See, this is what happens. Aish, Jinki-hyung, I wish you took care of yourself more."
It was inevitable, the pressure finally taking its toll on Jinki's health, and he fainted in exhaustion in the dressing room while getting ready for a photoshoot. Everyone was concerned, of course, and the managers immediately ordered him to take at least a day's rest, admonishing him at the same time that he should take more care of himself.
Key was comfortably in the role of the group's umma, fussing over the eldest as he lay motionlessly in the bed, fluffing the pillows and checking Jinki's temperature while at the same time berating Jinki about not taking care of his health. Jinki accepted it all in good grace, nodding in agreement to the grumbles while patting a worried Taemin's arm, reassuring that he was going to be okay in no time.
"Boys, we've got to go," one of their managers called out, but Key was not pleased.
"Hyung, someone's got to stay and take care of Jinki-hyung."
"I'll be okay on my own--" Jinki interjected, but Minho held up a hand.
"I'll stay with him." After a short debate, the others finally agreed, and the boys filed out one by one, Key leaving final instructions to Minho as to which medication to take.
Finally, it was blissful silence.
"Minho-ah, you really don't need to stay, I'll be okay on my own."
Jinki's complexion was pale and it was clear that he wasn't feeling very well, but as usual, he hid behind the plastic facade of his smile. Even in his poor health, he worried about disrupting the groups' activities, and Minho knew that after his recovery, Jinki would only work harder than before to make up for his failings.
"Don't worry about it hyung, just rest."
But Jinki couldn't rest, his mind constantly worrying about little things, his brow furrowed with the turmoil raging inside him. If only he could, Minho wanted to take off the heavy burden from his hyung's shoulders and carry it for him, if only to see his hyung have an unburdened rest.
"Hyung, tell me what's wrong."
Jinki blinked, and his slight surprise was clear. Minho knew that Jinki was the one everyone confided in; if they had problems, they went to Jinki, and Jinki would give them advice.
But who did Jinki turn to, if he had a problem? Nobody. Most of the time, he kept it to himself, hiding the cracked surface under the superficial veneer of his gentle smile.
If anything, Minho wanted to be the one to break that barrier. If anything, Minho wanted to see Jinki give him a genuine smile.
"I'm just...tired." Jinki smiled softly, and it had a hint of sadness. "Sometimes, the pressure is a bit...too much. But..." Then that fake smile was back, and Jinki shifted in the bed. "I'll go to sleep, okay?" His eyes closed, and he drifted off into sleep.
It was short, but Minho saw a brief glimpse of the mysterious boy, the real Jinki, the one hiding behind the mask. He leaned closer and brushed the hair away from Jinki's forehead.
It might take him a while, but Minho wanted to be there long enough to see the rest of him.
And he was willing to wait.
--------------------------------------------------
Yeah. Well. I don't have anything to say lulz. Enjoy? xD
*expects a huge reaction from rikli*
So far everyone (who's bothered to comment anyway, lulz) wants a sequel, and atm no, I'm not writing one, because I haven't got ideas for it yet, but I'll probably write one eventually, so. Yeah.
Comments are loved <333
Pairing: OnHo [Onew/Minho]
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff. Ish. But not really. D;
Summary: Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
Notes: Beta'd and dedicated to my lovely eter_loves_yaoi because this is how much ilu lulz <3
He was doing it again.
He was closing his eyes and rubbing them lightly with his knuckles, his eyelids drooping ever so slightly then re-opening, but with visible effort. The occasional yawn was quickly smothered discreetly, and a ready smile was given to the passing stylists and managers with a respectful bow in tow. Those shoulders would then droop even more, and it was more and more of a struggle to stay awake.
Jinki-hyung was tired.
Taemin comes along and relates a funny incident, and Jinki laughs along, but his smile is not as bright as it usually is. When the maknae leaves he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes slightly for temporary relief, but it was quickly short-lived with the arrival of a squabbling Key and Jonghyun, which Jinki quickly mediates in his usual gentle manner.
The two eventually leave, dispute resolved, and Jinki sits back down his seat, shuddering a little in his thin jacket and leaning back against the wall.
Slowly, his eyelids droop against his will, and he drifts off in exhaustion. The short nap is quickly interrupted by the arrival of one of the managers, unceremoniously shaking Jinki awake and asking a few questions.
Jinki's eyes are a bit red, but he still has a ready smile, nodding in understanding to the quick instructions given to him. When the manager finally left, Jinki rummages into his bag and takes out a few mints, quickly popping a few into his mouth and chewing them.
Anything to stay awake. The effort is costing, but that smile is still visible on his lips.
Jinki looks up when a warm blanket is placed on his shoulders.
"Oh? Hello, Minho-ah." The older boy's smile was still fixed, but Minho's keen scrutiny could easily reveal the cracks under the surface.
"You haven't slept for a few days, have you, hyung." Jinki laughed softly, then heaved a deep sigh.
"It's been quite hectic, these past few days." Jinki rubs his palm on his face, and Minho doesn't say a word, simply waits.
Slowly, Jinki's eyes drift shut again, and he slumps forward in his seat - but Minho is there, gently guiding his hyung's head to rest on his shoulder. He tucks the blanket more securely around the older boy.
This time, Jinki's sleep goes uninterrupted.
--------------------------------------------------
In terms of first impressions, Minho was always seen as the quiet, mysterious type, the one who didn't speak unless he had something relevant to say, the one who usually kept to himself. Cool and secretive.
Jinki, on the other hand, was the smiling leader, the gentle older brother who suffered the occasional bouts of clumsiness, but nevertheless had a lot of charm and enough gags to keep people entertained.
Minho thought these impressions were reasonably fair; but on the scale of things, Jinki was a lot more mysterious than he was.
It wasn't all laughs and smiles for Jinki. Quite a few times he would be hurt, physically and emotionally, but nobody ever knew, because Jinki wasn't the type to let his true feelings show.
When he falls on the stairs or slides on a slippery surface, his automatic reaction would be to laugh it off, and the others would laugh with him.
Only Minho would notice the older boy quietly picking himself up afterwards, an obvious expression of pain etched on those gentle features, quickly transforming into a smile if someone turned to look at him.
When Jinki would get scolded by the management for something poorly done, whether it be in a performance or on his leadership skills, he would bear the pain quietly; after the ordeal, and all the boys swarm around him, he simply says that everything's okay, it wasn't too bad, we just need to practice some more, and that permanent gentle smile would fool them all.
Only Minho would notice the older boy would notice the older boy waking up in the middle of the night and not coming back till the early hours of dawn.
"How was it again...? Step, turn, twist around, jump one step...?"
"It's step, turn, twist around, jump to the left."
Jinki jumped in surprise, and whirled around to face the unknown visitor.
"Minho-ah. Why are you still awake?"
"I'd ask you the same question, hyung."
Jinki massaged the muscles at the back of his neck. "Well, I just thought I'd practice the new steps a bit more."
This was Jinki, the hyung who practiced dance steps at three in the morning, never mind that his next schedule was four hours from now and he'd had very little sleep. Before he'd started practicing, Minho had already been watching, and he watched Jinki sit on the floor, just staring at the full moon outside the window. Even alone, he was utterly silent, never revealing his thoughts for anybody, constantly bottling the supressed feelings inside.
"You should go to sleep, Minho-ah. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Minho knew this was a lie - Jinki would keep practicing until dawn if he had to, and this would leave him with barely enough sleep until the other boys wake up and berate him about staying in bed too long. But this was the same hyung who wanted him to rest, because Minho had been filming Dream Team and he was quite exhausted.
"I'll go over the steps with you, hyung." If Jinki was going to be admonished about staying in bed too long, Minho would willingly get admonished with him.
They practiced the steps until the early hours of dawn, not filling the silence with small conversation. The sun was beginning to rise and illuminate the sky when they finally went to bed, and it seemed they had only closed their eyes for five minutes when Key arrived to shake them awake, grumbling in his usual manner how they shouldn't stay in bed so long and that breakfast was turning cold.
Their eyes were red with exhaustion at the dining table, but as Minho looked up and caught Jinki's eye, he saw his hyung give him a small smile.
And it was a genuine one.
--------------------------------------------------
"Aish, this is why you shouldn't overwork yourself. See, this is what happens. Aish, Jinki-hyung, I wish you took care of yourself more."
It was inevitable, the pressure finally taking its toll on Jinki's health, and he fainted in exhaustion in the dressing room while getting ready for a photoshoot. Everyone was concerned, of course, and the managers immediately ordered him to take at least a day's rest, admonishing him at the same time that he should take more care of himself.
Key was comfortably in the role of the group's umma, fussing over the eldest as he lay motionlessly in the bed, fluffing the pillows and checking Jinki's temperature while at the same time berating Jinki about not taking care of his health. Jinki accepted it all in good grace, nodding in agreement to the grumbles while patting a worried Taemin's arm, reassuring that he was going to be okay in no time.
"Boys, we've got to go," one of their managers called out, but Key was not pleased.
"Hyung, someone's got to stay and take care of Jinki-hyung."
"I'll be okay on my own--" Jinki interjected, but Minho held up a hand.
"I'll stay with him." After a short debate, the others finally agreed, and the boys filed out one by one, Key leaving final instructions to Minho as to which medication to take.
Finally, it was blissful silence.
"Minho-ah, you really don't need to stay, I'll be okay on my own."
Jinki's complexion was pale and it was clear that he wasn't feeling very well, but as usual, he hid behind the plastic facade of his smile. Even in his poor health, he worried about disrupting the groups' activities, and Minho knew that after his recovery, Jinki would only work harder than before to make up for his failings.
"Don't worry about it hyung, just rest."
But Jinki couldn't rest, his mind constantly worrying about little things, his brow furrowed with the turmoil raging inside him. If only he could, Minho wanted to take off the heavy burden from his hyung's shoulders and carry it for him, if only to see his hyung have an unburdened rest.
"Hyung, tell me what's wrong."
Jinki blinked, and his slight surprise was clear. Minho knew that Jinki was the one everyone confided in; if they had problems, they went to Jinki, and Jinki would give them advice.
But who did Jinki turn to, if he had a problem? Nobody. Most of the time, he kept it to himself, hiding the cracked surface under the superficial veneer of his gentle smile.
If anything, Minho wanted to be the one to break that barrier. If anything, Minho wanted to see Jinki give him a genuine smile.
"I'm just...tired." Jinki smiled softly, and it had a hint of sadness. "Sometimes, the pressure is a bit...too much. But..." Then that fake smile was back, and Jinki shifted in the bed. "I'll go to sleep, okay?" His eyes closed, and he drifted off into sleep.
It was short, but Minho saw a brief glimpse of the mysterious boy, the real Jinki, the one hiding behind the mask. He leaned closer and brushed the hair away from Jinki's forehead.
It might take him a while, but Minho wanted to be there long enough to see the rest of him.
And he was willing to wait.
--------------------------------------------------
Yeah. Well. I don't have anything to say lulz. Enjoy? xD
*expects a huge reaction from rikli*
So far everyone (who's bothered to comment anyway, lulz) wants a sequel, and atm no, I'm not writing one, because I haven't got ideas for it yet, but I'll probably write one eventually, so. Yeah.
Comments are loved <333