Round 2, Challenge #1: "Bluebird Be"
Title: Bluebird Be
Rating: G
Word Count: 771
Summary: Jaejoong finds that the most beautiful things can't be found in a store.
Warnings: None
The bluebird carries the sky on his back. ~Henry David Thoreau
It’s been fun. More fun then Jaejoong would have thought, when their manager had dashed Jaejoong’s glossy, colourful imaginings of cocktails in the Bellagio and shopping on the strip by telling them they were going camping.
Jaejoong had thought about the dust and the sand and the heat and groaned, but he’d forgotten some important things in his worry about freckles and killer mosquitoes.
He’d forgotten about the way Yoochun smiles, so childishly pleased at the prospect of wading through water in an attempt to catch a slimy fish. Forgotten about Junsu’s loud laugh as he attempts not to tip over his canoe and dump himself in the muddy water. Forgotten about Changmin’s amusing determination to try and actually cook something on the weird, ancient barbeque that’s part of their set. Forgotten Yunho’s beautiful smile of accomplishment as he manages to actually get himself up the small rock ‘mountain’, standing over the rise like the king of the world.
He’d forgotten that he’d be with the ones he held dearest, and that they’d make it a grand adventure. Forgotten that even with the cameras rolling, even in the sun and dust, that they’d be together. That they’d make it fun. Make it the time of their lives where they really got to live. To be somewhere different and new and intriguing and enjoy it, every moment of it. They'd carried everything they needed with them when they'd brought themselves.
And so, despite himself, Jaejoong couldn’t help but enjoy himself, making memories that he’ll cherish forever.
The day before they’re slated to drive back to the bright lights of Vegas, Yunho steals him away. He takes Jaejoong’s hand in his, grip firm and comfortable and comforting, and leads him away from their base camp, winding through the craggy rocks and scraggly bushes.
Everything glows orange, the sinking sun bouncing off the ochre coloured rocks and sand and making the world seem like a bed of fire. Yunho shushes him gently as he asks where they’re going; a knowing, mischievous smile on the leader’s face as he squeezes Jaejoong’s hand in reassurance.
“Trust me?” He asks, face boyishly handsome. Jaejoong gives him a half-exasperated, half-fond look in return.
“Always.” Is the helpless reply, to which Yunho beams and pulls them onward.
They go on, on and up and away so that Jaejoong can’t even hear the noise of their abundant crew anymore. There’s just the sound of the wind, and the great echoing noises of the canyon, somewhere down below them.
And then they round a rock, come over a mount, and the Grand Canyon is stretched out in front of them in all its glory. The ground shimmers, an illusionary Eden snaking over the sands as the sun meets the horizon, splashing an unbelievable palette across the landscape and upwards, echoing over the wispy clouds. Jaejoong’s breath catches at the sight, struck immobile and amazed by the sheer, raw beauty of nature at it’s finest.
“Come on!” Yunho’s voice pulls him from the moment, tugging him forward with both his words and grip on Jaejoong’s hand. Jaejoong’s focus shifts to his lover, and finds his breath catching again.
The sun has come down behind Yunho, who stands on one of the craggy rocks above him. Light seems to burst from his figure, a radiance that reflects what Jaejoong knows is held inside the man’s heart. And for a moment, Jaejoong thinks he can see the impression of wings.
Yunho has no time for his revelations however, and Jaejoong finds himself being manoeuvred onto a flat, smooth rock, dizzyingly high as they sit upon the precipice of the Canyon itself. He might have felt vertigo, but for Yunho settling in beside him, grip and weight beside him a reassuring grounding.
The sun is sinking fast, the last few moments of the day playing out before them in high definition, and Jaejoong can’t keep his eyes from it. And when it’s over, he turns to Yunho, wanting to share his joy of the moment, only to find the man staring at him instead.
Any words are stolen, and all Jaejoong can do is lean over and kiss him. Yunho’s arms surround him, and the sudden chill of the sun-less desert is taken away by his warmth.
Yunho’s lips are familiar as ever, but Jaejoong’s filled with a sort of wonder fuelled by what they’ve just seen, experienced together, that makes his heart fly.
And he thinks, as Yunho kisses him again and again, sweet and beautiful, that this place is perfect. Despite the bugs and the sand and the heat, he wouldn’t trade this trip, these experiences for all the chips in the Bellagio.
There’s no place he’d rather be.
Rating: G
Word Count: 771
Summary: Jaejoong finds that the most beautiful things can't be found in a store.
Warnings: None
The bluebird carries the sky on his back. ~Henry David Thoreau
It’s been fun. More fun then Jaejoong would have thought, when their manager had dashed Jaejoong’s glossy, colourful imaginings of cocktails in the Bellagio and shopping on the strip by telling them they were going camping.
Jaejoong had thought about the dust and the sand and the heat and groaned, but he’d forgotten some important things in his worry about freckles and killer mosquitoes.
He’d forgotten about the way Yoochun smiles, so childishly pleased at the prospect of wading through water in an attempt to catch a slimy fish. Forgotten about Junsu’s loud laugh as he attempts not to tip over his canoe and dump himself in the muddy water. Forgotten about Changmin’s amusing determination to try and actually cook something on the weird, ancient barbeque that’s part of their set. Forgotten Yunho’s beautiful smile of accomplishment as he manages to actually get himself up the small rock ‘mountain’, standing over the rise like the king of the world.
He’d forgotten that he’d be with the ones he held dearest, and that they’d make it a grand adventure. Forgotten that even with the cameras rolling, even in the sun and dust, that they’d be together. That they’d make it fun. Make it the time of their lives where they really got to live. To be somewhere different and new and intriguing and enjoy it, every moment of it. They'd carried everything they needed with them when they'd brought themselves.
And so, despite himself, Jaejoong couldn’t help but enjoy himself, making memories that he’ll cherish forever.
The day before they’re slated to drive back to the bright lights of Vegas, Yunho steals him away. He takes Jaejoong’s hand in his, grip firm and comfortable and comforting, and leads him away from their base camp, winding through the craggy rocks and scraggly bushes.
Everything glows orange, the sinking sun bouncing off the ochre coloured rocks and sand and making the world seem like a bed of fire. Yunho shushes him gently as he asks where they’re going; a knowing, mischievous smile on the leader’s face as he squeezes Jaejoong’s hand in reassurance.
“Trust me?” He asks, face boyishly handsome. Jaejoong gives him a half-exasperated, half-fond look in return.
“Always.” Is the helpless reply, to which Yunho beams and pulls them onward.
They go on, on and up and away so that Jaejoong can’t even hear the noise of their abundant crew anymore. There’s just the sound of the wind, and the great echoing noises of the canyon, somewhere down below them.
And then they round a rock, come over a mount, and the Grand Canyon is stretched out in front of them in all its glory. The ground shimmers, an illusionary Eden snaking over the sands as the sun meets the horizon, splashing an unbelievable palette across the landscape and upwards, echoing over the wispy clouds. Jaejoong’s breath catches at the sight, struck immobile and amazed by the sheer, raw beauty of nature at it’s finest.
“Come on!” Yunho’s voice pulls him from the moment, tugging him forward with both his words and grip on Jaejoong’s hand. Jaejoong’s focus shifts to his lover, and finds his breath catching again.
The sun has come down behind Yunho, who stands on one of the craggy rocks above him. Light seems to burst from his figure, a radiance that reflects what Jaejoong knows is held inside the man’s heart. And for a moment, Jaejoong thinks he can see the impression of wings.
Yunho has no time for his revelations however, and Jaejoong finds himself being manoeuvred onto a flat, smooth rock, dizzyingly high as they sit upon the precipice of the Canyon itself. He might have felt vertigo, but for Yunho settling in beside him, grip and weight beside him a reassuring grounding.
The sun is sinking fast, the last few moments of the day playing out before them in high definition, and Jaejoong can’t keep his eyes from it. And when it’s over, he turns to Yunho, wanting to share his joy of the moment, only to find the man staring at him instead.
Any words are stolen, and all Jaejoong can do is lean over and kiss him. Yunho’s arms surround him, and the sudden chill of the sun-less desert is taken away by his warmth.
Yunho’s lips are familiar as ever, but Jaejoong’s filled with a sort of wonder fuelled by what they’ve just seen, experienced together, that makes his heart fly.
And he thinks, as Yunho kisses him again and again, sweet and beautiful, that this place is perfect. Despite the bugs and the sand and the heat, he wouldn’t trade this trip, these experiences for all the chips in the Bellagio.
There’s no place he’d rather be.