Of Swaggers, Saloons, And Star Badges - Prologue
Title: Of Swaggers, Saloons, And Star Badges - Prologue
Character/Pairing: Jae/Min/Chun and variations of, minor one-sided YunChun
Genre: drama/angst, romance, and a bit of comedy and action, Korean Wild West AU!
Rating: PG-13 to be safe (for now)
Word Count: 3,273
Disclaimer: I have a what?
Jaejoong was 20 by the time all his six younger sisters had married off and left home. His father had passed away a few years before and he had taken it upon himself to care for his mother and sisters. When the last sister married, Jaejoong’s mother thought it was best if he went out to finally lead a life of his own and she left to join her eldest daughter. Jaejoong, like his father, had strong values and a sense of justice. Becoming a Deputy seemed like the perfect fit for the young man.
Many people found it hard to accept that this beautiful young man, with his fair skin and lean build, was a man of law. Jaejoong worked hard to build more muscles on his body and kept his hair short. He trained hard; he boxed and refined his shooting skills. Most importantly, Jaejoong never let anyone get away with treating him like he was inferior or feminine and any lecherous man that dare come on to him found himself spending a night in jail.
Jaejoong found that being a law man had some unpleasant aspects. The city he lived and worked in had legalized prostitution, something most larger cities had started. He didn’t support this. Having six sisters himself, he knew that women were to be respected. One night, only about a year after become a certified Deputy, while enjoying a drink at a bar, a young woman ran in pleading for help. Apparently, one of the prostitutes was being attacked just across the street. Jaejoong immediately came to her aid. The girl explained to him that when one customer got out of control they usually had assistance from a hired hand or some of the regulars, but the customer had barricaded the door. Though the hired hand and other customers were trying to get into the room, they feared that they wouldn’t get through in time.
Jaejoong realized that the only way to get into that second story room was through the small balcony. Some of the regulars help Jaejoong up a shaky ladder to the balcony. After he pulled himself up he kicked open the door leading into the bedroom. Gun already drawn and cocked, Jaejoong yelled for the man to stop. He had been striking a small form, alternating between his fist and belt. When the man only sneered at Jaejoong’s words; the law man aimed and fired; the bullet taking the man out instantly.
After the man fell to a heap on the floor, the small body hurried away, pressing itself into the corner - terrified. Jaejoong put the pistol back into his holster and verified that the despicable man was, in fact, dead. He prodded the body with his foot several times, the heap remained unresponsive. He then turned to observe the young prostitute in the corner. Young was understatement - the poor thing was still very much a child. Thin legs were pulled up to the thin body, head bent and deep brown long curls hiding much of the barely clothed body. The child’s crying had turned to soft whimpers and sniffles. Jaejoong cautiously approached the child, not wanting to scare it more, and crouched down a few feet away.
He explained that he was an officer of the law held his badge out to the child. A quick hand shot out to grab it and the child examined the cold metal star. Jaejoong chuckled and continued to explain that the man was dead and they were safe now. The child hesitated before nodding its head in understanding. Jaejoong went to open the door to assure the crowd outside that the child prostitute was still alive. He also thought to reprimand them all for employing such a young delicate thing in such a horrible place. The minute the door opened the young woman that had fetched him burst through. She instantly saw the small form in the far end of the room and ran to it.
“Oh Micky!” She held the young boy in her arms. She moved the hair from his face and checked him over. Micky seemed dazed and focused only on the star in his hand.
“Micky?” Jaejoong was stunned. This beautiful child dressed in only a simple white sleeping gown was a boy? Jaejoong felt a little stupid. He should have notice it. How many times had he been mistaken for a girl himself during his youth?
“Has this man been here before?” Jaejoong felt bad for interrupting their moment but this was part of his job.
The woman shook her head. “He said he was working for the railroad people and was heading west.” She looked down at the shaking boy in her arms and pulled him closer to her. “He picked Micky right away.”
Jaejoong thought that perhaps the man had been mistaken as he had and took the boy for a girl. “And did he know that Micky is a boy.”
“Yes. We don’t lie to our clients. We try to avoid things like this.” She gave Jaejoong an angry glare before continuing. “Men come here to relieve stress. Sometimes just a drink and an ear to listen to their problems down stairs at the bar is enough, but most want a physical release.” She began to tear as she rocked the child in her arms. “Some men, like that pig, want to release their frustrations in more violent ways. We never know when they come in, but we make sure they never come back.” Jaejoong remembered that they had a man for security along with loyal regulars who treat this place as a home and often would look after the prostitutes. The girl lifted the now unconscious boy and moved to carry him out of the room, dead man still on the floor. Seeing her struggle with the weight of the boy, Jaejoong offered to take him and she accepted. He noted that the boy was bigger than he had thought but still quite young.
“Follow me to my room please. I’ll keep him by my side tonight.” Jaejoong followed in silence. Micky shifted I his arms and a small hand fisted at his shirt while his badge remained clutched in the other and the boy pressed his face to the law man’s chest. Jaejoong smiled to himself.
After they settled the sleeping boy into the bed the woman motioned to the hall. There she continued her story. “Those types of awful men must think boys can take the beatings better. But our Micky -” She held back a sob. “He has always been smaller and more sickly. He can’t take it and they just don’t let up.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Miss?”
“Hee young.”
“Hee young-sii, how old is Micky, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He’s fourteen, be fifteen in three weeks.” She must have noticed the surprise on his face as she gave him a sad smile. “I told you he was smaller than normal.” He nodded dumbly in response.
“How?” he wanted to ask how he had ended up here as a prostitute and why. Why? Why would anyone want to hurt something so fragile?
“He was born here. His mother died of consumption a few years ago. We’ve all been looking after him but then some of the men that would come in here for the first time, men who had different sorts of interests, kept eyeing Micky and asked our boss if he was available.” Jaejoong had opened his mouth to ask another question but Hee Young continued; as if psychic. “He has been working for almost three years now.”
Three years. That boy had most likely had to endure this kind of treatment for three years.
“Thank you for your help Deputy, but what about the dead man?” Hee Young had been amused by the way the young officer had been trying to restrain from fawning over Micky, but it was time to get everything settled.
“I will go fetch the sheriff and the doctor and have this all cleared up.” He turned to leave and she grabbed his wrist.
“Will you be sure to come back? In the morning I mean. I’m sure Micky would like to properly thank you for helping him tonight, or at the very least so that you can get your badge back. He has seemed to take a liking to it.” Hee Young smiled knowingly. Micky seems to be smitten with the handsome Deputy.
Jaejoong promised and Hee Young bid him goodnight as she thought it best to stay in her room with Micky for the rest of the evening in case the boy woke.
It hadn’t been until early morning that Jaejoong, the doctor and the sheriff had settled everything in the brothel. He had gotten a scolding for killing a man over a prostitute. It turns out that the man had had been in trouble with the law before for bar fights in the previous towns he had worked in - Jaejoong had gotten lucky.
The sheriff and the doctor left first, leaving Jaejoong outside of the brothel. He wondered if he should go home to get some rest or to go back inside and wait for Micky to wake up. Just having the thought made him shake his head in disbelief; how could he be getting so attached to this boy? Jaejoong tried to reason with himself. The child was frail, innocent, and needed to be saved. That was his job, wasn’t it? But then why didn’t he feel this way about all the women in the brothel? Or maybe it was because he saw so much of his younger self in the boy? Jaejoong wanted to believe all this, but he knew it was something else. Something he didn’t know that he would ever be ready face. But whether he liked it or not. Micky had somehow already gotten under his skin
~*~
Micky was beautiful; long chocolate tresses that curled and framed his face and fell well past his shoulders, full cheeks and pouty red lips. He had broad shoulders and stunning collar bones. His body was lithe and just a little too thin. He was the most beautiful male prostitute born into the trade. After his mother died of consumption, Micky found himself very alone. As the only male child in the brothel he had become like a mascot, but when he was old enough to start catching men’s eyes (12) he was given his first client. After a year of being used, tossed around, and often forced to wear a dress and act like a girl Micky had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be stuck in the same life as his mother. Until he met the new Deputy. He had saved him from a particularly violent client after one of the other prostitutes ran to get help from the men at the saloon across the street. The young law man visited Micky until he was able to get out of bed - and receive more clients. The customers would usually treat him more harshly because he was a boy and they thought he would be able to take it better - but Micky was still a kid, a thin and weak one at that.
The young law man would check up on Micky every once in a while and find him often trying to cover up a black eye or bruised jaw or unsightly limp. The Deputy wanted to help the boy so he began to teach him how to defend himself and become stronger. He also taught him how to aim and fire a gun. Turns out, Micky had a quick draw and a steady hand. Jaejoong also started bringing the boy with him to church services every Sunday morning. As the two spent more time together, if only in daylight hours, Micky began to smile more. Nightly, he liked to look out the window at the stars, especially when he had clients with him. Looking up at the stars reminded him of Jeajoong’s Deputy badge and helped him forget what was being done to him. He would picture Jaejoong-hyung and their time spent together and it would hurt a little less.
When not with Jaejoong or working, Micky would go over to the saloon and learn to play cards as a way to pass the loneliness. He lived in the state capital, so the saloons were always busy and filled with people day and night - especially gamblers. Micky would trade poker lessons with piano playing. It kept the men entertained and kept him off his back more than necessary. It soon became apparent that Micky was a quick learner and a smart kid and he was soon beating professional gamblers at their own game.
One day, three years after their first meeting, Jaejoong had come to visit Micky at the brothel to celebrate the youth’s eighteenth birthday but unbeknownst to him, the younger man was with a client - a lunchtime quickie. Jaejoong walked in on a man ruthlessly pounding into a silent, wide-eyed Micky. The disgust on Jaejoong’s face snapped Micky out of his trance and reach out for the retreating man. Jaejoong hadn’t come by for over two weeks and the younger man had no idea where his hyung had gone. The sheriff said he just never showed up to work one day a while ago and he couldn’t be tracked down. Micky cried every night while watching the stars twinkle in the sky and he stopped going over to the saloon to visit his new friends and play poker. They all missed Micky’s beautiful singing; even if hearing it meant they would lose a hand or two. Those weeks were harder for Micky than his first year working in the brothel. He knew he couldn’t live this life here anymore, and that staying at the brothel without Jaejoong would be his death. He reached his breaking point during the third week; Yunho, the middle child but meanest of the Jung Brothers came for him one night. The young rustler had a bad temper and a thing for pretty boys. Micky wanted to leave this place that killed his mother and made Jaejoong disgusted with him. After he healed from Yunho’s beating, Micky cut off his feminine hair and demanded his wages from his boss so that he could but a horse and finally go look for his missing hyung.
CONTINUE TO CHANGMIN'S STORY
Character/Pairing: Jae/Min/Chun and variations of, minor one-sided YunChun
Genre: drama/angst, romance, and a bit of comedy and action, Korean Wild West AU!
Rating: PG-13 to be safe (for now)
Word Count: 3,273
Disclaimer: I have a what?
Jaejoong was 20 by the time all his six younger sisters had married off and left home. His father had passed away a few years before and he had taken it upon himself to care for his mother and sisters. When the last sister married, Jaejoong’s mother thought it was best if he went out to finally lead a life of his own and she left to join her eldest daughter. Jaejoong, like his father, had strong values and a sense of justice. Becoming a Deputy seemed like the perfect fit for the young man.
Many people found it hard to accept that this beautiful young man, with his fair skin and lean build, was a man of law. Jaejoong worked hard to build more muscles on his body and kept his hair short. He trained hard; he boxed and refined his shooting skills. Most importantly, Jaejoong never let anyone get away with treating him like he was inferior or feminine and any lecherous man that dare come on to him found himself spending a night in jail.
Jaejoong found that being a law man had some unpleasant aspects. The city he lived and worked in had legalized prostitution, something most larger cities had started. He didn’t support this. Having six sisters himself, he knew that women were to be respected. One night, only about a year after become a certified Deputy, while enjoying a drink at a bar, a young woman ran in pleading for help. Apparently, one of the prostitutes was being attacked just across the street. Jaejoong immediately came to her aid. The girl explained to him that when one customer got out of control they usually had assistance from a hired hand or some of the regulars, but the customer had barricaded the door. Though the hired hand and other customers were trying to get into the room, they feared that they wouldn’t get through in time.
Jaejoong realized that the only way to get into that second story room was through the small balcony. Some of the regulars help Jaejoong up a shaky ladder to the balcony. After he pulled himself up he kicked open the door leading into the bedroom. Gun already drawn and cocked, Jaejoong yelled for the man to stop. He had been striking a small form, alternating between his fist and belt. When the man only sneered at Jaejoong’s words; the law man aimed and fired; the bullet taking the man out instantly.
After the man fell to a heap on the floor, the small body hurried away, pressing itself into the corner - terrified. Jaejoong put the pistol back into his holster and verified that the despicable man was, in fact, dead. He prodded the body with his foot several times, the heap remained unresponsive. He then turned to observe the young prostitute in the corner. Young was understatement - the poor thing was still very much a child. Thin legs were pulled up to the thin body, head bent and deep brown long curls hiding much of the barely clothed body. The child’s crying had turned to soft whimpers and sniffles. Jaejoong cautiously approached the child, not wanting to scare it more, and crouched down a few feet away.
He explained that he was an officer of the law held his badge out to the child. A quick hand shot out to grab it and the child examined the cold metal star. Jaejoong chuckled and continued to explain that the man was dead and they were safe now. The child hesitated before nodding its head in understanding. Jaejoong went to open the door to assure the crowd outside that the child prostitute was still alive. He also thought to reprimand them all for employing such a young delicate thing in such a horrible place. The minute the door opened the young woman that had fetched him burst through. She instantly saw the small form in the far end of the room and ran to it.
“Oh Micky!” She held the young boy in her arms. She moved the hair from his face and checked him over. Micky seemed dazed and focused only on the star in his hand.
“Micky?” Jaejoong was stunned. This beautiful child dressed in only a simple white sleeping gown was a boy? Jaejoong felt a little stupid. He should have notice it. How many times had he been mistaken for a girl himself during his youth?
“Has this man been here before?” Jaejoong felt bad for interrupting their moment but this was part of his job.
The woman shook her head. “He said he was working for the railroad people and was heading west.” She looked down at the shaking boy in her arms and pulled him closer to her. “He picked Micky right away.”
Jaejoong thought that perhaps the man had been mistaken as he had and took the boy for a girl. “And did he know that Micky is a boy.”
“Yes. We don’t lie to our clients. We try to avoid things like this.” She gave Jaejoong an angry glare before continuing. “Men come here to relieve stress. Sometimes just a drink and an ear to listen to their problems down stairs at the bar is enough, but most want a physical release.” She began to tear as she rocked the child in her arms. “Some men, like that pig, want to release their frustrations in more violent ways. We never know when they come in, but we make sure they never come back.” Jaejoong remembered that they had a man for security along with loyal regulars who treat this place as a home and often would look after the prostitutes. The girl lifted the now unconscious boy and moved to carry him out of the room, dead man still on the floor. Seeing her struggle with the weight of the boy, Jaejoong offered to take him and she accepted. He noted that the boy was bigger than he had thought but still quite young.
“Follow me to my room please. I’ll keep him by my side tonight.” Jaejoong followed in silence. Micky shifted I his arms and a small hand fisted at his shirt while his badge remained clutched in the other and the boy pressed his face to the law man’s chest. Jaejoong smiled to himself.
After they settled the sleeping boy into the bed the woman motioned to the hall. There she continued her story. “Those types of awful men must think boys can take the beatings better. But our Micky -” She held back a sob. “He has always been smaller and more sickly. He can’t take it and they just don’t let up.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Miss?”
“Hee young.”
“Hee young-sii, how old is Micky, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He’s fourteen, be fifteen in three weeks.” She must have noticed the surprise on his face as she gave him a sad smile. “I told you he was smaller than normal.” He nodded dumbly in response.
“How?” he wanted to ask how he had ended up here as a prostitute and why. Why? Why would anyone want to hurt something so fragile?
“He was born here. His mother died of consumption a few years ago. We’ve all been looking after him but then some of the men that would come in here for the first time, men who had different sorts of interests, kept eyeing Micky and asked our boss if he was available.” Jaejoong had opened his mouth to ask another question but Hee Young continued; as if psychic. “He has been working for almost three years now.”
Three years. That boy had most likely had to endure this kind of treatment for three years.
“Thank you for your help Deputy, but what about the dead man?” Hee Young had been amused by the way the young officer had been trying to restrain from fawning over Micky, but it was time to get everything settled.
“I will go fetch the sheriff and the doctor and have this all cleared up.” He turned to leave and she grabbed his wrist.
“Will you be sure to come back? In the morning I mean. I’m sure Micky would like to properly thank you for helping him tonight, or at the very least so that you can get your badge back. He has seemed to take a liking to it.” Hee Young smiled knowingly. Micky seems to be smitten with the handsome Deputy.
Jaejoong promised and Hee Young bid him goodnight as she thought it best to stay in her room with Micky for the rest of the evening in case the boy woke.
It hadn’t been until early morning that Jaejoong, the doctor and the sheriff had settled everything in the brothel. He had gotten a scolding for killing a man over a prostitute. It turns out that the man had had been in trouble with the law before for bar fights in the previous towns he had worked in - Jaejoong had gotten lucky.
The sheriff and the doctor left first, leaving Jaejoong outside of the brothel. He wondered if he should go home to get some rest or to go back inside and wait for Micky to wake up. Just having the thought made him shake his head in disbelief; how could he be getting so attached to this boy? Jaejoong tried to reason with himself. The child was frail, innocent, and needed to be saved. That was his job, wasn’t it? But then why didn’t he feel this way about all the women in the brothel? Or maybe it was because he saw so much of his younger self in the boy? Jaejoong wanted to believe all this, but he knew it was something else. Something he didn’t know that he would ever be ready face. But whether he liked it or not. Micky had somehow already gotten under his skin
~*~
Micky was beautiful; long chocolate tresses that curled and framed his face and fell well past his shoulders, full cheeks and pouty red lips. He had broad shoulders and stunning collar bones. His body was lithe and just a little too thin. He was the most beautiful male prostitute born into the trade. After his mother died of consumption, Micky found himself very alone. As the only male child in the brothel he had become like a mascot, but when he was old enough to start catching men’s eyes (12) he was given his first client. After a year of being used, tossed around, and often forced to wear a dress and act like a girl Micky had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be stuck in the same life as his mother. Until he met the new Deputy. He had saved him from a particularly violent client after one of the other prostitutes ran to get help from the men at the saloon across the street. The young law man visited Micky until he was able to get out of bed - and receive more clients. The customers would usually treat him more harshly because he was a boy and they thought he would be able to take it better - but Micky was still a kid, a thin and weak one at that.
The young law man would check up on Micky every once in a while and find him often trying to cover up a black eye or bruised jaw or unsightly limp. The Deputy wanted to help the boy so he began to teach him how to defend himself and become stronger. He also taught him how to aim and fire a gun. Turns out, Micky had a quick draw and a steady hand. Jaejoong also started bringing the boy with him to church services every Sunday morning. As the two spent more time together, if only in daylight hours, Micky began to smile more. Nightly, he liked to look out the window at the stars, especially when he had clients with him. Looking up at the stars reminded him of Jeajoong’s Deputy badge and helped him forget what was being done to him. He would picture Jaejoong-hyung and their time spent together and it would hurt a little less.
When not with Jaejoong or working, Micky would go over to the saloon and learn to play cards as a way to pass the loneliness. He lived in the state capital, so the saloons were always busy and filled with people day and night - especially gamblers. Micky would trade poker lessons with piano playing. It kept the men entertained and kept him off his back more than necessary. It soon became apparent that Micky was a quick learner and a smart kid and he was soon beating professional gamblers at their own game.
One day, three years after their first meeting, Jaejoong had come to visit Micky at the brothel to celebrate the youth’s eighteenth birthday but unbeknownst to him, the younger man was with a client - a lunchtime quickie. Jaejoong walked in on a man ruthlessly pounding into a silent, wide-eyed Micky. The disgust on Jaejoong’s face snapped Micky out of his trance and reach out for the retreating man. Jaejoong hadn’t come by for over two weeks and the younger man had no idea where his hyung had gone. The sheriff said he just never showed up to work one day a while ago and he couldn’t be tracked down. Micky cried every night while watching the stars twinkle in the sky and he stopped going over to the saloon to visit his new friends and play poker. They all missed Micky’s beautiful singing; even if hearing it meant they would lose a hand or two. Those weeks were harder for Micky than his first year working in the brothel. He knew he couldn’t live this life here anymore, and that staying at the brothel without Jaejoong would be his death. He reached his breaking point during the third week; Yunho, the middle child but meanest of the Jung Brothers came for him one night. The young rustler had a bad temper and a thing for pretty boys. Micky wanted to leave this place that killed his mother and made Jaejoong disgusted with him. After he healed from Yunho’s beating, Micky cut off his feminine hair and demanded his wages from his boss so that he could but a horse and finally go look for his missing hyung.
CONTINUE TO CHANGMIN'S STORY