[fic] Gymnopédie
Gymnopédie
g - yunjae [and bff!min]
summary: [for riiche ‘cause I told her that I’d write yunjae for her, and I was inspired faster then I thought I would be.] written for the prompt "subways", while listening to erik satie~ The man leans in close to whisper in Jaejoong’s ear. “All your fantasies about other people… Where are your daydreams for yourself?” Jaejoong blinks, the man disappears, the tiny little lady gets off at the next stop.
Jaejoong likes this part of his day the best.
The car of the train is mostly empty, just him and a tiny little lady holding a bag of groceries close to her chest and staring out of the window, at the concrete that flashes by them.
He wonders about her, wonders why she’s buying food so late at night. He wonders if there’s a spoiled grandchild at home, sending her out in the middle of the night for snacks they don’t need. Or a husband just come home from the hospital, feeling guilty for sending his beloved wife out but craving fruits.
“Maybe she just forgot to buy them when she was out earlier.”
Jaejoong jerks to the left at the voice that comes from his right, whips his head around to stare at the man sitting beside him.
He wasn’t there only seconds ago.
The man leans in close to whisper in Jaejoong’s ear.
“All your fantasies about other people… Where are your daydreams for yourself?”
Jaejoong blinks, the man disappears, the tiny little lady gets off at the next stop.
“So he just… appeared?” Changmin gives Jaejoong a look that’s filled with all the skepticism he’s feeling, but Jaejoong ignores it.
“Yes, he just appeared.” Jaejoong waves his hands in the air, trying to convey his confusion.
Changmin gives up trying to be the caring, nonjudgmental best friend and snorts. “I think maybe you need vacation from work a little earlier this year, hyung.” He turns back to his laptop.
Jaejoong wonders what he’s going to say if that man appears again.
“I’m not dangerous, you know.”
The man appears beside Jaejoong on the train again, between blinks. There’s a strangely earnest look on his face, as if he really needs Jaejoong to understand.
Jaejoong studies him quietly, but underneath his dress shirt his heart is thumping so fast the beats seem to run together.
The man is clean cut, handsome in an unbelievable way that’s also almost typical. Small face, strong jawline, eyes that are just the right shade of brown to catch the flickering lights that pass by the windows. It’s the kind of face Jaejoong falls for, if only it didn’t belong to a man who came and went.
“I mean it, I’m not dangerous.”
Jaejoong thinks about it.
“I know.”
The man smiles, the lights flicker off for less then a second, the man’s gone.
Jaejoong daydreams at work, about himself. About himself, about the man, about quiet subway cars and trips that last forever.
“Kim!”
The manager is angry and yelling down at him about lost reports and mergers and business partners and Jaejoong, for once, doesn’t get angry, because he’s not listening.
There’s a song playing in his mind that he doesn’t know the words of.
“If I kiss you, will you feel real?”
The man laughs, rich like clichés, like chocolate and silk and wine that’s aged centuries.
“I’m not a ghost.”
With two high school girls sitting across the aisle, watching them and giggling behind hands covering their mouths, the man leans over and kisses Jaejoong like a fairytale.
Soft and still with the girls gasping and giggling harder in the background, Jaejoong touches the man’s sweater and it’s real and warm underneath his fingertips.
When he opens his eyes, the man is gone, the girls are gone, he’s alone in the empty train car with his hand reaching out.
“Okay, so if this man is real, why don’t you ever meet him? Like, outside of the subway?” Changmin stares at Jaejoong from above his glasses, his physics textbook open on his lap. “If he says he’s not a ghost, then he’s not bound there, right? Because ghosts are supposed to be bound to the place where they died, or where they felt their strongest emotions, or something like that.”
Jaejoong stares at him. “If you don’t believe in stuff like this, why do you know so much?”
Changmin grins, dismisses him for his homework. “Because I’m perfect and all-knowing.”
“I told you, I’m not a ghost.” Yunho laughs. He pats Jaejoong’s hand in a gesture that’s unsurprisingly parental. “I’m just… different.”
Jaejoong eyes him skeptically. “Then why do I only see you here?” He turns his hand over, laces Yunho’s fingers with his own. Yunho’s hand feels real. Yunho is real. Jaejoong doesn’t know exactly what Yunho is, but there’s no doubt that Yunho’s real.
“I like it here.” Yunho shrugs. “It’s like home.” He says it with a soft look in his eyes that reminds Jaejoong of puppies and cakes and rain on sunny days.
“A subway car feels like home?”
Yunho’s gaze sharpens as he turns to Jaejoong. His very real fingers touch Jaejoong’s cheek. “A subway car that you’re in feels like home.”
“Kim, this is Jung. He’s new, try to teach him the ropes correctly, will you?” The manager huffs away but Jaejoong doesn’t notice. The world could collapse around him and he wouldn’t notice.
Yunho gives him the warm smile that’s only his. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr… Kim, he said?” He holds his hand out for Jaejoong to shake.
“Yunho!” Jaejoong laughs and throws his arms around him, wonders why now?
“Umm…” Yunho pulls Jaejoong gently away, laughter on his lips, surprised. “Do you always greet new employees this way?”
Jaejoong frowns. “Yunho, you don’t-“
Oh.
Yunho watches him slightly wary, but still smiling.
Jaejoong smiles back. “Yeah, I always do.”
g - yunjae [and bff!min]
summary: [for riiche ‘cause I told her that I’d write yunjae for her, and I was inspired faster then I thought I would be.] written for the prompt "subways", while listening to erik satie~ The man leans in close to whisper in Jaejoong’s ear. “All your fantasies about other people… Where are your daydreams for yourself?” Jaejoong blinks, the man disappears, the tiny little lady gets off at the next stop.
Jaejoong likes this part of his day the best.
The car of the train is mostly empty, just him and a tiny little lady holding a bag of groceries close to her chest and staring out of the window, at the concrete that flashes by them.
He wonders about her, wonders why she’s buying food so late at night. He wonders if there’s a spoiled grandchild at home, sending her out in the middle of the night for snacks they don’t need. Or a husband just come home from the hospital, feeling guilty for sending his beloved wife out but craving fruits.
“Maybe she just forgot to buy them when she was out earlier.”
Jaejoong jerks to the left at the voice that comes from his right, whips his head around to stare at the man sitting beside him.
He wasn’t there only seconds ago.
The man leans in close to whisper in Jaejoong’s ear.
“All your fantasies about other people… Where are your daydreams for yourself?”
Jaejoong blinks, the man disappears, the tiny little lady gets off at the next stop.
“So he just… appeared?” Changmin gives Jaejoong a look that’s filled with all the skepticism he’s feeling, but Jaejoong ignores it.
“Yes, he just appeared.” Jaejoong waves his hands in the air, trying to convey his confusion.
Changmin gives up trying to be the caring, nonjudgmental best friend and snorts. “I think maybe you need vacation from work a little earlier this year, hyung.” He turns back to his laptop.
Jaejoong wonders what he’s going to say if that man appears again.
“I’m not dangerous, you know.”
The man appears beside Jaejoong on the train again, between blinks. There’s a strangely earnest look on his face, as if he really needs Jaejoong to understand.
Jaejoong studies him quietly, but underneath his dress shirt his heart is thumping so fast the beats seem to run together.
The man is clean cut, handsome in an unbelievable way that’s also almost typical. Small face, strong jawline, eyes that are just the right shade of brown to catch the flickering lights that pass by the windows. It’s the kind of face Jaejoong falls for, if only it didn’t belong to a man who came and went.
“I mean it, I’m not dangerous.”
Jaejoong thinks about it.
“I know.”
The man smiles, the lights flicker off for less then a second, the man’s gone.
Jaejoong daydreams at work, about himself. About himself, about the man, about quiet subway cars and trips that last forever.
“Kim!”
The manager is angry and yelling down at him about lost reports and mergers and business partners and Jaejoong, for once, doesn’t get angry, because he’s not listening.
There’s a song playing in his mind that he doesn’t know the words of.
“If I kiss you, will you feel real?”
The man laughs, rich like clichés, like chocolate and silk and wine that’s aged centuries.
“I’m not a ghost.”
With two high school girls sitting across the aisle, watching them and giggling behind hands covering their mouths, the man leans over and kisses Jaejoong like a fairytale.
Soft and still with the girls gasping and giggling harder in the background, Jaejoong touches the man’s sweater and it’s real and warm underneath his fingertips.
When he opens his eyes, the man is gone, the girls are gone, he’s alone in the empty train car with his hand reaching out.
“Okay, so if this man is real, why don’t you ever meet him? Like, outside of the subway?” Changmin stares at Jaejoong from above his glasses, his physics textbook open on his lap. “If he says he’s not a ghost, then he’s not bound there, right? Because ghosts are supposed to be bound to the place where they died, or where they felt their strongest emotions, or something like that.”
Jaejoong stares at him. “If you don’t believe in stuff like this, why do you know so much?”
Changmin grins, dismisses him for his homework. “Because I’m perfect and all-knowing.”
“I told you, I’m not a ghost.” Yunho laughs. He pats Jaejoong’s hand in a gesture that’s unsurprisingly parental. “I’m just… different.”
Jaejoong eyes him skeptically. “Then why do I only see you here?” He turns his hand over, laces Yunho’s fingers with his own. Yunho’s hand feels real. Yunho is real. Jaejoong doesn’t know exactly what Yunho is, but there’s no doubt that Yunho’s real.
“I like it here.” Yunho shrugs. “It’s like home.” He says it with a soft look in his eyes that reminds Jaejoong of puppies and cakes and rain on sunny days.
“A subway car feels like home?”
Yunho’s gaze sharpens as he turns to Jaejoong. His very real fingers touch Jaejoong’s cheek. “A subway car that you’re in feels like home.”
“Kim, this is Jung. He’s new, try to teach him the ropes correctly, will you?” The manager huffs away but Jaejoong doesn’t notice. The world could collapse around him and he wouldn’t notice.
Yunho gives him the warm smile that’s only his. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr… Kim, he said?” He holds his hand out for Jaejoong to shake.
“Yunho!” Jaejoong laughs and throws his arms around him, wonders why now?
“Umm…” Yunho pulls Jaejoong gently away, laughter on his lips, surprised. “Do you always greet new employees this way?”
Jaejoong frowns. “Yunho, you don’t-“
Oh.
Yunho watches him slightly wary, but still smiling.
Jaejoong smiles back. “Yeah, I always do.”