"Collection 1" [5/5]
Title: "A collection of flashfics that really have nothing in common besides featuring Jonghyun and Minho" [5/5]
Pairing: Jonghyun/Minho
Genre: AU, drama/romance/angst
Warnings: Character death(s)
Summary: When a JongHo muse strikes, this happens.
Note: Prompts chosen from anonymous sources (these are also dedicated to other anonymous persons but alas, I have no names to mention for obvious reasons).
Webcam
Words: 349
Jonghyun grinned wolfishly, eyes alight with mischief. "Come on Minho, just this once."
The younger man looked decidedly uncomfortable through the tiny browser. "I already said no, hyung."
"C'mon," he whined, "I'm not even asking for that much."
"When you said you wanted to try webcamming while you were away, you never mentioned trying to embarrass me," Minho said dryly, leaning back so Jonghyun could see his arms crossed in front of his chest. He already knew his boyfriend could recognize the stern look on his face but knew better to assume that would discourage him.
Exasperated, Jonghyun threw his hands up. "Live a little! What's a relationship without a little risk?" He wiggled his eyebrows for extra emphasis.
"I might live to see another day?"
"It's going to kill you to - "
"I'll die of embarrassment," Minho interrupted, blushing lightly.
"Aw," Jonghyun said and grinned. "Fiiine, I'll stop bothering you. I have to head to rehearsal anyway. When's your game again?"
"Tomorrow at three. Why?"
"I might be able to make it back, you know - ”
"Hyung, you don't have to." Minho smiled at Jonghyun's sulky expression. "Just concentrate on your performance tonight. You'll be happy to know I finally figured out how to stream it."
"Alright," Jonghyun sighed and checked his watch. He opened his mouth to continue when Minho suddenly nodded and switched off the connection on his end. Blinking, Jonghyun frowned. "Hey!" He said into the mic loudly, "Why're you being so rude to your hyung, huh?"
"Just check your email," Minho's deep voice said hurriedly and then even the mic was switched off.
Jonghyun flinched at the small crackle of static and took off his headphones, rubbing his ear. He logged out of the messenger service and opened up a browser to sign into email. Clicking open the most recent one from Minho, he scanned it and grinned.
~*~*~
To: Kim Jonghyun
From: Choi Minho
You don't need to come tomorrow because I'll be thinking of you anyway.
To: Choi Minho
From: Kim Jonghyun
lol I love you too.
Nuclear holocaust
Words: 916
Minho absentmindedly took off his glasses and began rubbing them clean with his lab coat, half an eye on the still figure seated atop the gurney. The air was filled with the smell of smoke; its acrid taste had settled at the back of his throat long ago. Occasionally he coughed and had to blink several times to clear his watering eyes.
The hospital was a burnt out shell. He'd managed to find a small room to hide in and had managed to complete all of Jonghyun's repairs. Now all he had to do was set the trigger. Jonghyun would do the rest.
Minho wouldn't live to see the results of his most brilliant invention, but they would've won.
The first to go had been Taemin. The boy had lasted for half a year after his parents had been killed. It was a remarkably long time for someone so young (Minho wasn't that much older but he'd grown up at the rebel base; there was a world of difference) - just long enough for the team to get attached to him and to watch him be killed by firing squad.
Kibum had placed a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger days later. None of them blamed him, because they had all seen him pull Taemin into an embrace and whisper in his ear just outside the mess hall, eyes uncharacteristically soft.
Their leader was probably still screaming somewhere deep in the prison cells. Minho tried not to think about it; those eyes and that happy smile gone forever.
He walked over to Jonghyun and tapped him on the shoulder. "How much longer?"
"Ten minutes," he said quickly, his voice scratchy. "How will you get away, Minho?"
"I probably won't," he said truthfully, looking down at him. His hand involuntarily tightened - huh, he'd impressed himself. The body heat emitting from his cyborg felt surprisingly real. "Don't worry about me. That's not for you to think about."
Jonghyun's face struggled with several expressions, which Minho watched with fascination. His neurological development was really quite amazing. It was a shame he had to be sacrificed for, well, what amounted to revenge.
Jonghyun reached up to take his hand and he let him. He supposed artificial intelligence needed a little comfort sometimes too.
"I thought you were going to say you'd be fine," Jonghyun said with a wry grin, his voice slowly returning to its husky tone. His battery was almost fully charged. "Isn't that what all the heroes say when they know they're headed to their doom?"
"I'm not a hero."
"You all are. Were."
Minho flinched.
"You must have forgotten to give me some tact when you built my brain," Jonghyun said apologetically and tugged at his hand so that Minho sat down next to him. The mass of wires and flashing lights hooked to Jonghyun's back made moving difficult for him, so Minho, being the taller one, wrapped his arm around his shoulders and let Jonghyun put his head on his shoulder.
"It would've been nice if things were, I don't know, different," Jonghyun said suddenly. After a pause, he added, "I guess you hear that a lot, huh."
Minho didn't say anything. They sat together for a few more minutes, until Jonghyun suddenly jerked upright. He turned to him in sudden realization.
"I should've told you earlier, but I do remember."
"What?"
"Everything." Jonghyun looked back at him, eyes dark and serious. "You're brilliant, Minho, but you didn't realize you gave me too much of him. The other Jonghyun. The first one."
"You - " Minho's face twisted, his heart beating painfully in his chest. He laughed harshly. "No matter how brilliant I am, even I can't do God's work. I can't bring people back to life."
"'God has nothing to do with anything, Minho. Look around us and tell me God intended for it to happen.'" Jonghyun grabbed both of his hands. "'Praying does jack shit. The only one I can believe in to get us out of this mess is you.' Isn't that what he said?"
"Stop," he whispered and blinked just as his vision began to blur. "You're not him. We're all going to die tonight anyway. It's too late for this."
Jonghyun pulled him forward and kissed him sweetly, with just the warm press of his lips. Minho's jaw tightened, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.
"I want to tell you about his last thought, Minho," he murmured against his mouth. "He was thinking of you even as he was dying and he wanted so much to sing to you. You can't blame me for wanting to fulfill my namesake's last wish, could you?"
Minho sagged against him weakly, deep heaving breaths clawing their way out of his lungs. "So sing," he said hoarsely and groped for Jonghyun's wrist.
There was the trigger. He pressed it.
Jonghyun opened his mouth but Minho kissed him again, winding his fingers through his hair. Everyone was going to die tonight because Minho was blowing everything sky-high. Every trace of their pain and sorrow would be gone, leaving only dust to settle. Minho thought the others would approve.
"I - " love you Minho tried to say, but Jonghyun opened his mouth, the first note flew into the air and he knew no more.
Defenestration
Words: 865
When Minho finally stepped into the room, Jonghyun was waiting for him. He sat on the desk with his legs dangling out the window. His eyes were bright and eager, the smile on his face almost predatory. He was brilliant.
Minho closed the door softly behind him and walked over to stand behind him. "I still don't really believe you," he said, his hands clenched by his side. He was scared out of his mind. He wanted to wrap his arms around the man in front of him and never let go.
"I don't need you to believe me, Minho," Jonghyun said with a carefree laugh and a shrug. "I just need you to execute it for me."
Minho laughed bitterly. "And end up executing you?"
"Nah." Jonghyun turned to look out the window. "You'd be setting me free."
This time, Minho didn't answer. The last several days had been hectic. He'd managed to arrange for his father a trip across the country to pursue a potential sale. Minho's mother and sister had also left for a picnic today, leaving him to his own devices. He imagined that this was probably not what they thought he would be up to. But he'd promised Jonghyun.
This would be the ultimate betrayal to his father, the man who had raised him, taught him, nurtured him. And all for what? A nightingale they hadn't been able to sell for the past seven years, who had spent the last five in this very room? Who had sung to Minho his mating song when Minho was twelve, putting his last hopes in a boy barely in his teens? And how ironic was it, that a nightingale would come to rely on a boy who barely spoke to someday set him free?
"Tell me more about this contract," he said suddenly, frowning.
Sighing impatiently, Jonghyun leaned back and Minho automatically stepped forward, cradling him. Jonghyun tilted his head to look up at him. "It's how your father binds us to the ground. It's a blood contract that was first forced on us several generations ago and we can't be freed unless our physical bodies are destroyed in...a very specific way. It's different for each of us." His hold on him tightened; Minho knew what was coming. He'd heard a bit of it before from his father. "I was a failed product; nobody wanted a voice like mine," Jonghyun continued with a hint of bitterness, "But to compensate for the monetary loss if he freed me from the contract, he decided to own me himself."
He twisted around to stare at Minho head on. "Look," he said quietly and desperately, "Only someone of his blood can free me. If you don't, I'll do it myself and all I'll end up as is a bloody puddle in your garden. Wouldn't want that, would you?" Smiling wryly, a bit of humour returned to his face. "Think how long your servants will take to scrub me off the cobblestone."
Minho gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, leaning down to press his forehead to Jonghyun's. "What if I'm the one who sends you to your death?" He whispered pleadingly, voice shaking.
"It's better than living like this. You'll survive, Minho. Humans are resilient creatures, aren't they?" Jonghyun smiled but it held little meaning. "I won't." He wound both arms around Minho's neck and tilted his head up, brushing his mouth against his. "I want to sing into the air again, Minho, you can't possibly understand. I want to feel the wind beneath me, I want to soar." His face was serene, but his voice grew thick. "Please."
Minho desperately kissed him again, drawing him closer. Jonghyun let him, running his hands soothingly along his arms, up his back. He brushed Jonghyun's bangs back and pressed his check to his forehead. He breathed deeply. "I've never heard you sing."
Jonghyun stiffened but stayed silent.
"I know you don't like it, being forced to - " He grinded his teeth together, hating his father more than he'd ever had at that very moment. "But I want it. Just a memory. Anything you're willing to give me. God, please, Jonghyun." He held his breath as he waited, Jonghyun absolutely still in his arms. The smaller man never listened when he was pushed around, never obeyed on demand. The silence stretched out.
Finally, Minho's resolve broke the same time as his voice did. "I'm going to watch you die," he whispered, shuddering.
Jonghyun pulled away and stared up at him. Then he smiled. He only sang several lines, He only sang several lines, a melody sprinkled with words like dream, vivid and tears. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.
Minho hefted his body onto the desk and fitted himself snugly around Jonghyun's back. The nightingale in his arms looked towards the sky, eyes a glossy black, fierce excitement outlined on his face. When Minho reached up to grasp the window frame, Jonghyun turned to say goodbye.
Then his eyes widened in alarm. "Minho - "
He jumped.
Minho discovered that love and death weren't all that different after all. They both felt like flying.
Scalding
Words: 784
Jonghyun stepped back to survey his work, folding his wings neatly against his back. Night had fallen and the stars had come out to play, dancing intricately across the sky. With the shadow of the trees hiding them from view, however, even the moon failed to cast its light past the net of leaves overhead.
Just the way he liked it.
The figure on the ground groaned pitifully as he struggled to sit up, leaning back against the trunk of a large oak with a pained gasp. Dried blood caked the side of his face and his leather jacket, from when Jonghyun had driven his fist into his jaw. His hair was matted to his forehead. Sweat trickled down his neck. Jonghyun licked his lips and knelt down before him.
"I keep telling you not to struggle and you never listen to me, Minho," he tsked and propped his chin on the heel of his palm, tilting his head to look at his face. Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, he grinned. "Just once, I'd like to hear you call me hyung. How about it?"
He blinked when Minho lifted his head and spat at his feet. "Hm, you've got guts."
The scream that he managed to rip from Minho's throat was gratifying, but not as much as the curved horn that he now held in his hand, fingers smeared with blood still warm. With his other hand, he grabbed Minho's collar, lifted him up, and shoved him up against the trunk. Then his touch gentled, fingers brushing the pale skin of his neck lightly.
The pained keens rose like a song and he pressed his body all along Minho's broken one, nuzzling his neck. "Hey Minho," he said, his hand sliding up to grab his chin.
Large, haunted eyes stared down at him and thin lips worked to vocalize a response, but the only thing that came out was a harsh sob. It was good enough.
"Why do you keep running from me? You know I could make this good for you," Jonghyun pulled his chin down and tilted his face up to kiss him, running his tongue along Minho's bottom lip and brushing his lips on the side of his mouth.
Minho coughed, weakly pulling his face from his grip. "Like water...burning," he croaked, exhaustion reducing his voice to a whisper.
Puzzled, Jonghyun stepped back a little. "What?"
Nearly white from the pain, Minho struggled to stay upright. "You," he growled, "Don't touch me."
"Why do you think you can command me to do anything?" Jonghyun rolled his eyes. "I'll touch you if I want to, Lieutenant." Minho's eyes widened briefly before Jonghyun was behind him, shoving him forward onto his knees. He reached past his shoulder to lock a hand around Minho's neck and grabbed his wrists, pinning them behind him. "Remember how you used to disobey every order I made? No respect for your old Captain, Minho," Jonghyun said into his ear as he struggled.
Then Jonghyun paused.
"Ah, is that what you meant, that my touch burns you?" Jonghyun licked his neck experimentally and Minho screamed again, nearly falling forward. Jonghyun tightened his grip and shrugged. "Huh. I guess you learn something new every day."
"I...looked up to you," Minho gasped, eyes staring unseeingly in front of him. "There was nobody else. Just you."
Jonghyun frowned, shifting uneasily. "Does the prospect of death always make you this chatty, Minho? Because I never knew that."
He was wheezing, dry sobs that sounded more like crazed laughter spilling from his mouth. "And now you're a monster. But I can't stop. You'll tear me to pieces and I still - "
Jonghyun flung him aside and stood up. "Enough!"
Minho lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Only his face continued to change, flashing anger and desperation and sadness. He stared lifelessly at Jonghyun's feet.
Jonghyun walked several paces away and stopped, staring into the foliage surrounding them. The war seemed worlds away and so did the past; all that mattered to him now was hunting down every last demon and exterminating them. Claiming victory for what previously had been his enemy. Nothing else mattered.
He turned around again. Minho hadn't moved. Jonghyun walked over to him and knelt down, then bent over until he was nearly touching noses with him. "You want to talk? Take your time. We have all of eternity." He grabbed his neck.
When Minho began to scream, Jonghyun grinned and kissed him viciously, swallowing his pleas and whimpers. When Minho began to struggle, he held him down and kissed him harder.
When he tasted salt on his tongue, however, he couldn't tell whose tears they were.
Bodyguard
Words: 711
Jonghyun was fucking sick of it.
"You just never give up, do you?" He demanded, picking up his pace.
Minho shrugged, hands in the pocket of his jacket. It was a chilly evening. "It's what I'm hired to do."
Beyond the concert venue earlier that day, Jonghyun had spotted a long strip of clubs and bars. It had been deserted then, but now the pounding music and laughter surrounded him, pulling at him.
He wanted in.
Except goddamn Choi Minho was, once again, standing in his way.
"Look," he growled and spun around, stopping Minho in his tracks with a finger to his chest. The fact he had to look up at the younger man grated on his last nerve. "I'll pay you double what they're paying you if you'll just leave me alone. For one night. I'll be back by tomorrow morning, alright?"
"Sorry, I can't do that." Minho brushed his hand aside. "No matter how much you pay me, hyung."
He threw his hands up. "Great! They got me a fucking babysitter."
"If you want to see it that way," Minho said lightly and smiled.
"I could run off right now you know," Jonghyun pointed out, expression darkening at what he perceived to be Minho's mockery.
Minho shrugged. "That's doubtful."
He eyed him suspiciously. "Why're you so confident?"
"You didn't read my resumé, did you?"
Jonghyun at least had the decency to look sheepish. "I was trying to write a song when they shoved a bunch at me, okay?!"
Minho nodded. "As expected."
"What is that supposed to mean - "
"OH MY GOD!"
Both of them turned and blinked at a woman who stared back at them, eyes wide and jaw hanging. Suddenly, she shrieked again and Minho grabbed Jonghyun's hand, spun around and bolted back the way they had come, feet pounding loudly against the pavement.
"Hey, ow - !"
The return trip was quick - they hadn't gotten far from the hotel - and shaking off the woman hadn't taken much, but Jonghyun sulked the entire way anyway. The walk back to their hotel rooms was silent and when they reached the adjacent doors, Jonghyun couldn't take it anymore.
"You can let go now," he whispered, eyes darting around them in case they had an audience again. Instead, Minho's grip tightened. "Look I'm sure we can make some kind of compromise - "
"Fuck your compromises," Minho said quietly, pulling him forward to push him against the wall. He glared down at him. "I'm not interested in being dragged around by you and your ever changing whims."
"Who's the one paying you - "
"From now on," Minho continued, lowering his face until he was a hair's breadth away, "we do things my way."
"Uh - "
"Got it?"
Jonghyun turned red and shifted comfortably. "But - "
"I'm as tired of this bullshit as you are. The difference is you're the one causing most of it."
"Hey, I resent that," he muttered.
Minho ignored him. "I've been told it's at my discretion how I choose to keep you out of trouble. Before you ask," he said just as Jonghyun opened his mouth to argue, "that's not meant to be a threat but that depends on your next answer."
Jonghyun glared at his chest. "Fine." 'Asshole,' he added to himself as an afterthought.
Minho looked at him for several seconds before seemingly satisfied with what he saw. He nodded and stepped away. Jonghyun watched him warily as he edged back to his own room, grumbling under his breath. He was a step away from the door when Minho paused and turned his head to look back at him thoughtfully.
After a minute, Jonghyun lost patience. "What?!" He hissed.
Minho smirked. "If you're good, maybe I'll let you go out on your own." Then he shut the door behind him.
Jonghyun stood there gaping for a full minute before he realized he was by himself out in the hall staring venomously at a door. He stomped into his room and shut the door quietly behind him. Then he sagged against it, slammed a fist against the wall next to him, and willed his heart to stop fluttering in his chest.
Pairing: Jonghyun/Minho
Genre: AU, drama/romance/angst
Warnings: Character death(s)
Summary: When a JongHo muse strikes, this happens.
Note: Prompts chosen from anonymous sources (these are also dedicated to other anonymous persons but alas, I have no names to mention for obvious reasons).
Webcam
Words: 349
Jonghyun grinned wolfishly, eyes alight with mischief. "Come on Minho, just this once."
The younger man looked decidedly uncomfortable through the tiny browser. "I already said no, hyung."
"C'mon," he whined, "I'm not even asking for that much."
"When you said you wanted to try webcamming while you were away, you never mentioned trying to embarrass me," Minho said dryly, leaning back so Jonghyun could see his arms crossed in front of his chest. He already knew his boyfriend could recognize the stern look on his face but knew better to assume that would discourage him.
Exasperated, Jonghyun threw his hands up. "Live a little! What's a relationship without a little risk?" He wiggled his eyebrows for extra emphasis.
"I might live to see another day?"
"It's going to kill you to - "
"I'll die of embarrassment," Minho interrupted, blushing lightly.
"Aw," Jonghyun said and grinned. "Fiiine, I'll stop bothering you. I have to head to rehearsal anyway. When's your game again?"
"Tomorrow at three. Why?"
"I might be able to make it back, you know - ”
"Hyung, you don't have to." Minho smiled at Jonghyun's sulky expression. "Just concentrate on your performance tonight. You'll be happy to know I finally figured out how to stream it."
"Alright," Jonghyun sighed and checked his watch. He opened his mouth to continue when Minho suddenly nodded and switched off the connection on his end. Blinking, Jonghyun frowned. "Hey!" He said into the mic loudly, "Why're you being so rude to your hyung, huh?"
"Just check your email," Minho's deep voice said hurriedly and then even the mic was switched off.
Jonghyun flinched at the small crackle of static and took off his headphones, rubbing his ear. He logged out of the messenger service and opened up a browser to sign into email. Clicking open the most recent one from Minho, he scanned it and grinned.
~*~*~
To: Kim Jonghyun
From: Choi Minho
You don't need to come tomorrow because I'll be thinking of you anyway.
To: Choi Minho
From: Kim Jonghyun
lol I love you too.
Nuclear holocaust
Words: 916
Minho absentmindedly took off his glasses and began rubbing them clean with his lab coat, half an eye on the still figure seated atop the gurney. The air was filled with the smell of smoke; its acrid taste had settled at the back of his throat long ago. Occasionally he coughed and had to blink several times to clear his watering eyes.
The hospital was a burnt out shell. He'd managed to find a small room to hide in and had managed to complete all of Jonghyun's repairs. Now all he had to do was set the trigger. Jonghyun would do the rest.
Minho wouldn't live to see the results of his most brilliant invention, but they would've won.
The first to go had been Taemin. The boy had lasted for half a year after his parents had been killed. It was a remarkably long time for someone so young (Minho wasn't that much older but he'd grown up at the rebel base; there was a world of difference) - just long enough for the team to get attached to him and to watch him be killed by firing squad.
Kibum had placed a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger days later. None of them blamed him, because they had all seen him pull Taemin into an embrace and whisper in his ear just outside the mess hall, eyes uncharacteristically soft.
Their leader was probably still screaming somewhere deep in the prison cells. Minho tried not to think about it; those eyes and that happy smile gone forever.
He walked over to Jonghyun and tapped him on the shoulder. "How much longer?"
"Ten minutes," he said quickly, his voice scratchy. "How will you get away, Minho?"
"I probably won't," he said truthfully, looking down at him. His hand involuntarily tightened - huh, he'd impressed himself. The body heat emitting from his cyborg felt surprisingly real. "Don't worry about me. That's not for you to think about."
Jonghyun's face struggled with several expressions, which Minho watched with fascination. His neurological development was really quite amazing. It was a shame he had to be sacrificed for, well, what amounted to revenge.
Jonghyun reached up to take his hand and he let him. He supposed artificial intelligence needed a little comfort sometimes too.
"I thought you were going to say you'd be fine," Jonghyun said with a wry grin, his voice slowly returning to its husky tone. His battery was almost fully charged. "Isn't that what all the heroes say when they know they're headed to their doom?"
"I'm not a hero."
"You all are. Were."
Minho flinched.
"You must have forgotten to give me some tact when you built my brain," Jonghyun said apologetically and tugged at his hand so that Minho sat down next to him. The mass of wires and flashing lights hooked to Jonghyun's back made moving difficult for him, so Minho, being the taller one, wrapped his arm around his shoulders and let Jonghyun put his head on his shoulder.
"It would've been nice if things were, I don't know, different," Jonghyun said suddenly. After a pause, he added, "I guess you hear that a lot, huh."
Minho didn't say anything. They sat together for a few more minutes, until Jonghyun suddenly jerked upright. He turned to him in sudden realization.
"I should've told you earlier, but I do remember."
"What?"
"Everything." Jonghyun looked back at him, eyes dark and serious. "You're brilliant, Minho, but you didn't realize you gave me too much of him. The other Jonghyun. The first one."
"You - " Minho's face twisted, his heart beating painfully in his chest. He laughed harshly. "No matter how brilliant I am, even I can't do God's work. I can't bring people back to life."
"'God has nothing to do with anything, Minho. Look around us and tell me God intended for it to happen.'" Jonghyun grabbed both of his hands. "'Praying does jack shit. The only one I can believe in to get us out of this mess is you.' Isn't that what he said?"
"Stop," he whispered and blinked just as his vision began to blur. "You're not him. We're all going to die tonight anyway. It's too late for this."
Jonghyun pulled him forward and kissed him sweetly, with just the warm press of his lips. Minho's jaw tightened, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.
"I want to tell you about his last thought, Minho," he murmured against his mouth. "He was thinking of you even as he was dying and he wanted so much to sing to you. You can't blame me for wanting to fulfill my namesake's last wish, could you?"
Minho sagged against him weakly, deep heaving breaths clawing their way out of his lungs. "So sing," he said hoarsely and groped for Jonghyun's wrist.
There was the trigger. He pressed it.
Jonghyun opened his mouth but Minho kissed him again, winding his fingers through his hair. Everyone was going to die tonight because Minho was blowing everything sky-high. Every trace of their pain and sorrow would be gone, leaving only dust to settle. Minho thought the others would approve.
"I - " love you Minho tried to say, but Jonghyun opened his mouth, the first note flew into the air and he knew no more.
Defenestration
Words: 865
When Minho finally stepped into the room, Jonghyun was waiting for him. He sat on the desk with his legs dangling out the window. His eyes were bright and eager, the smile on his face almost predatory. He was brilliant.
Minho closed the door softly behind him and walked over to stand behind him. "I still don't really believe you," he said, his hands clenched by his side. He was scared out of his mind. He wanted to wrap his arms around the man in front of him and never let go.
"I don't need you to believe me, Minho," Jonghyun said with a carefree laugh and a shrug. "I just need you to execute it for me."
Minho laughed bitterly. "And end up executing you?"
"Nah." Jonghyun turned to look out the window. "You'd be setting me free."
This time, Minho didn't answer. The last several days had been hectic. He'd managed to arrange for his father a trip across the country to pursue a potential sale. Minho's mother and sister had also left for a picnic today, leaving him to his own devices. He imagined that this was probably not what they thought he would be up to. But he'd promised Jonghyun.
This would be the ultimate betrayal to his father, the man who had raised him, taught him, nurtured him. And all for what? A nightingale they hadn't been able to sell for the past seven years, who had spent the last five in this very room? Who had sung to Minho his mating song when Minho was twelve, putting his last hopes in a boy barely in his teens? And how ironic was it, that a nightingale would come to rely on a boy who barely spoke to someday set him free?
"Tell me more about this contract," he said suddenly, frowning.
Sighing impatiently, Jonghyun leaned back and Minho automatically stepped forward, cradling him. Jonghyun tilted his head to look up at him. "It's how your father binds us to the ground. It's a blood contract that was first forced on us several generations ago and we can't be freed unless our physical bodies are destroyed in...a very specific way. It's different for each of us." His hold on him tightened; Minho knew what was coming. He'd heard a bit of it before from his father. "I was a failed product; nobody wanted a voice like mine," Jonghyun continued with a hint of bitterness, "But to compensate for the monetary loss if he freed me from the contract, he decided to own me himself."
He twisted around to stare at Minho head on. "Look," he said quietly and desperately, "Only someone of his blood can free me. If you don't, I'll do it myself and all I'll end up as is a bloody puddle in your garden. Wouldn't want that, would you?" Smiling wryly, a bit of humour returned to his face. "Think how long your servants will take to scrub me off the cobblestone."
Minho gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, leaning down to press his forehead to Jonghyun's. "What if I'm the one who sends you to your death?" He whispered pleadingly, voice shaking.
"It's better than living like this. You'll survive, Minho. Humans are resilient creatures, aren't they?" Jonghyun smiled but it held little meaning. "I won't." He wound both arms around Minho's neck and tilted his head up, brushing his mouth against his. "I want to sing into the air again, Minho, you can't possibly understand. I want to feel the wind beneath me, I want to soar." His face was serene, but his voice grew thick. "Please."
Minho desperately kissed him again, drawing him closer. Jonghyun let him, running his hands soothingly along his arms, up his back. He brushed Jonghyun's bangs back and pressed his check to his forehead. He breathed deeply. "I've never heard you sing."
Jonghyun stiffened but stayed silent.
"I know you don't like it, being forced to - " He grinded his teeth together, hating his father more than he'd ever had at that very moment. "But I want it. Just a memory. Anything you're willing to give me. God, please, Jonghyun." He held his breath as he waited, Jonghyun absolutely still in his arms. The smaller man never listened when he was pushed around, never obeyed on demand. The silence stretched out.
Finally, Minho's resolve broke the same time as his voice did. "I'm going to watch you die," he whispered, shuddering.
Jonghyun pulled away and stared up at him. Then he smiled. He only sang several lines, He only sang several lines, a melody sprinkled with words like dream, vivid and tears. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.
Minho hefted his body onto the desk and fitted himself snugly around Jonghyun's back. The nightingale in his arms looked towards the sky, eyes a glossy black, fierce excitement outlined on his face. When Minho reached up to grasp the window frame, Jonghyun turned to say goodbye.
Then his eyes widened in alarm. "Minho - "
He jumped.
Minho discovered that love and death weren't all that different after all. They both felt like flying.
Scalding
Words: 784
Jonghyun stepped back to survey his work, folding his wings neatly against his back. Night had fallen and the stars had come out to play, dancing intricately across the sky. With the shadow of the trees hiding them from view, however, even the moon failed to cast its light past the net of leaves overhead.
Just the way he liked it.
The figure on the ground groaned pitifully as he struggled to sit up, leaning back against the trunk of a large oak with a pained gasp. Dried blood caked the side of his face and his leather jacket, from when Jonghyun had driven his fist into his jaw. His hair was matted to his forehead. Sweat trickled down his neck. Jonghyun licked his lips and knelt down before him.
"I keep telling you not to struggle and you never listen to me, Minho," he tsked and propped his chin on the heel of his palm, tilting his head to look at his face. Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, he grinned. "Just once, I'd like to hear you call me hyung. How about it?"
He blinked when Minho lifted his head and spat at his feet. "Hm, you've got guts."
The scream that he managed to rip from Minho's throat was gratifying, but not as much as the curved horn that he now held in his hand, fingers smeared with blood still warm. With his other hand, he grabbed Minho's collar, lifted him up, and shoved him up against the trunk. Then his touch gentled, fingers brushing the pale skin of his neck lightly.
The pained keens rose like a song and he pressed his body all along Minho's broken one, nuzzling his neck. "Hey Minho," he said, his hand sliding up to grab his chin.
Large, haunted eyes stared down at him and thin lips worked to vocalize a response, but the only thing that came out was a harsh sob. It was good enough.
"Why do you keep running from me? You know I could make this good for you," Jonghyun pulled his chin down and tilted his face up to kiss him, running his tongue along Minho's bottom lip and brushing his lips on the side of his mouth.
Minho coughed, weakly pulling his face from his grip. "Like water...burning," he croaked, exhaustion reducing his voice to a whisper.
Puzzled, Jonghyun stepped back a little. "What?"
Nearly white from the pain, Minho struggled to stay upright. "You," he growled, "Don't touch me."
"Why do you think you can command me to do anything?" Jonghyun rolled his eyes. "I'll touch you if I want to, Lieutenant." Minho's eyes widened briefly before Jonghyun was behind him, shoving him forward onto his knees. He reached past his shoulder to lock a hand around Minho's neck and grabbed his wrists, pinning them behind him. "Remember how you used to disobey every order I made? No respect for your old Captain, Minho," Jonghyun said into his ear as he struggled.
Then Jonghyun paused.
"Ah, is that what you meant, that my touch burns you?" Jonghyun licked his neck experimentally and Minho screamed again, nearly falling forward. Jonghyun tightened his grip and shrugged. "Huh. I guess you learn something new every day."
"I...looked up to you," Minho gasped, eyes staring unseeingly in front of him. "There was nobody else. Just you."
Jonghyun frowned, shifting uneasily. "Does the prospect of death always make you this chatty, Minho? Because I never knew that."
He was wheezing, dry sobs that sounded more like crazed laughter spilling from his mouth. "And now you're a monster. But I can't stop. You'll tear me to pieces and I still - "
Jonghyun flung him aside and stood up. "Enough!"
Minho lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Only his face continued to change, flashing anger and desperation and sadness. He stared lifelessly at Jonghyun's feet.
Jonghyun walked several paces away and stopped, staring into the foliage surrounding them. The war seemed worlds away and so did the past; all that mattered to him now was hunting down every last demon and exterminating them. Claiming victory for what previously had been his enemy. Nothing else mattered.
He turned around again. Minho hadn't moved. Jonghyun walked over to him and knelt down, then bent over until he was nearly touching noses with him. "You want to talk? Take your time. We have all of eternity." He grabbed his neck.
When Minho began to scream, Jonghyun grinned and kissed him viciously, swallowing his pleas and whimpers. When Minho began to struggle, he held him down and kissed him harder.
When he tasted salt on his tongue, however, he couldn't tell whose tears they were.
Bodyguard
Words: 711
Jonghyun was fucking sick of it.
"You just never give up, do you?" He demanded, picking up his pace.
Minho shrugged, hands in the pocket of his jacket. It was a chilly evening. "It's what I'm hired to do."
Beyond the concert venue earlier that day, Jonghyun had spotted a long strip of clubs and bars. It had been deserted then, but now the pounding music and laughter surrounded him, pulling at him.
He wanted in.
Except goddamn Choi Minho was, once again, standing in his way.
"Look," he growled and spun around, stopping Minho in his tracks with a finger to his chest. The fact he had to look up at the younger man grated on his last nerve. "I'll pay you double what they're paying you if you'll just leave me alone. For one night. I'll be back by tomorrow morning, alright?"
"Sorry, I can't do that." Minho brushed his hand aside. "No matter how much you pay me, hyung."
He threw his hands up. "Great! They got me a fucking babysitter."
"If you want to see it that way," Minho said lightly and smiled.
"I could run off right now you know," Jonghyun pointed out, expression darkening at what he perceived to be Minho's mockery.
Minho shrugged. "That's doubtful."
He eyed him suspiciously. "Why're you so confident?"
"You didn't read my resumé, did you?"
Jonghyun at least had the decency to look sheepish. "I was trying to write a song when they shoved a bunch at me, okay?!"
Minho nodded. "As expected."
"What is that supposed to mean - "
"OH MY GOD!"
Both of them turned and blinked at a woman who stared back at them, eyes wide and jaw hanging. Suddenly, she shrieked again and Minho grabbed Jonghyun's hand, spun around and bolted back the way they had come, feet pounding loudly against the pavement.
"Hey, ow - !"
The return trip was quick - they hadn't gotten far from the hotel - and shaking off the woman hadn't taken much, but Jonghyun sulked the entire way anyway. The walk back to their hotel rooms was silent and when they reached the adjacent doors, Jonghyun couldn't take it anymore.
"You can let go now," he whispered, eyes darting around them in case they had an audience again. Instead, Minho's grip tightened. "Look I'm sure we can make some kind of compromise - "
"Fuck your compromises," Minho said quietly, pulling him forward to push him against the wall. He glared down at him. "I'm not interested in being dragged around by you and your ever changing whims."
"Who's the one paying you - "
"From now on," Minho continued, lowering his face until he was a hair's breadth away, "we do things my way."
"Uh - "
"Got it?"
Jonghyun turned red and shifted comfortably. "But - "
"I'm as tired of this bullshit as you are. The difference is you're the one causing most of it."
"Hey, I resent that," he muttered.
Minho ignored him. "I've been told it's at my discretion how I choose to keep you out of trouble. Before you ask," he said just as Jonghyun opened his mouth to argue, "that's not meant to be a threat but that depends on your next answer."
Jonghyun glared at his chest. "Fine." 'Asshole,' he added to himself as an afterthought.
Minho looked at him for several seconds before seemingly satisfied with what he saw. He nodded and stepped away. Jonghyun watched him warily as he edged back to his own room, grumbling under his breath. He was a step away from the door when Minho paused and turned his head to look back at him thoughtfully.
After a minute, Jonghyun lost patience. "What?!" He hissed.
Minho smirked. "If you're good, maybe I'll let you go out on your own." Then he shut the door behind him.
Jonghyun stood there gaping for a full minute before he realized he was by himself out in the hall staring venomously at a door. He stomped into his room and shut the door quietly behind him. Then he sagged against it, slammed a fist against the wall next to him, and willed his heart to stop fluttering in his chest.