#off of my comfort by jinki playlist

[inspired-by-the-music]

Missing the shinee universe guys. What kind of place do you think each couple would move into first? Who would wait until they were married or engaged first? Who would live in a condo, apartment, fixer upper home? -SLA

Ahhh, shinee universe! I had every intention of revisiting the shinee universe before I dedicated my whole life to the ever-expanding For You universe, so thank you for this question! feel free to send more!

Once Aimee and I sat down to talk about this, we pumped out our answers pretty quickly. A big chunk of the delay in answering was due to the fact that I re-read the shinee universe to get the answers canonically correct, so you should probably prepare for a novel, SLA! As always, pls feel free to tell me what you think! -Ash

It’s so weird to write these answers out of order, but I decided that it would be best to do this in the order in which the members get married!

Minho

It’s already established that Minho is total husband material, so it’s probably not shocking that he’s the first in this bunch to get married

Minho and his significant other don’t move in together until wedding plans are underway

They move into a house that isn’t technically in the city, but everything is still accessible on the frequent occasion that Minho wants to take his lady out on a date 

Minho encourages his fiancee to make all of the fun decisions about decorations for the wedding and for the house while he deals with what he considers “boring adult stuff”

Although he tries his best not to show it, Minho gets so stressed from all the planning that he decides within himself that he’s NEVER moving again

So he picks a house that has every feature anyone could ever need. He even thinks ahead to make room for any future children. 

All in all, Minho wants to settle into comfortable domestic happiness with the person he loves. Obviously, he’ll still be fun and competitive and exciting, but he doesn’t try to prove that by moving into a new, bigger, fancier house every other year or by making constant home improvements

Plus, he’s a little too busy helping Jinki to start his own projects

Jonghyun

Canonically, Jonghyun and his girlfriend live together in an apartment before they’re married

Although he is the second to get married, he wasn’t in any particular rush to propose until a few years into the relationship when his gf marries off the main characters in her newest best-selling novel

She had never written about a wedding before! Knowing that writing is where she explores her dreams, Jonghyun immediately goes into town to buy a ring after finishing the book. 

(He left in such a hurry, in fact, that he left the book on the park bench. His heart dropped until he found it still sitting where he left it, guarded by a kind old lady who was feeding the birds)

He’s a pretty creative guy himself, so he doesn’t exactly copy the proposal from the novel or from any movies or dramas. 

Very little changes in their daily lives after marriage since they were practically living as a married couple soon after their first hello. 

The wedding rings aren’t the first matching rings Jonghyun and his girl wear to express their love, but there is something special about them that even Jonghyun can’t express in any song-- something that his wife can’t describe in any book

Onew

Jinki is shook because his girlfriend brings up marriage first

His response id delayed not because he’s afraid of commitment but because, “Wow, I didn’t think I’d ever get this far in dating!”

Then, he laughs as he reminds her about their catastrophic iconic first date, and she laughs too, and somehow it’s decided that this is an adequate proposal. 

Jinki still buys her an engagement ring because “She deserves it!” It’s probably blue and beautiful. 

On one of his days off, Jinki gets lost in one of those home renovation marathons on tv, and decides, “I can do that!”

He realizes very quickly that he cannot do that, but he’s already bought a new house that’s in desperate need of renovations so he can’t turn back

Minho and Taemin are the only people who respond to his SOS texts. Place your bets on who steps up to build that house from the ground up!

Onew and Taemin aren’t entirely useless. Onew helps with some heavy lifting, and Taemin. . . well, he makes good playlists, and his awestruck stares fuel Minho’s superhuman strength

Onew has a distorted sense of his contribution to the construction of his house. He brags to everyone, “I built my home with my own to hands!” 

And he also constantly tackles home improvement goals that would never be accomplished without Minho’s help. 

Taemin

While Taemin is one of those “live in the moment” people, he’s also one who believes in destiny. It was never a matter of if he would get married to his girlfriend; it was a matter of when. 

Never truly afraid or embarrassed, Taemin told her outright very early in their relationship, “I’ll marry you one day-- when we’re al grown up!” He meant it, and she knew it. Neither of them is rushing to grow up, though. 

In the meantime, they enjoy each other’s company. They don’t technically live together, but she stays at Taemin’s apartment most of the time because his balcony provides the best sight of the moon and stars she has ever seen

Their favorite pastime is pestering his group members. 

Because Minho is her brother, he is the first target. Uninvited, they invaded his kitchen one morning, knowing well that neither of them knew how to cook to save their lives. Minho would have scolded them then and there when he barrelled down the stairs in his pajamas, expecting to find a burglar, had his wife not smiled so fondly at their effort to play house

Next came Jonghyun, but he wasn’t a satisfying target for any pranky because he always welcomes Taemin and his girlfriend with open arms. He even invites them to spend the night on the pull out sofa in the living room. His hospitality sends them onto the next victim. 

If anything, though, they are Jinki’s victim. When he isn’t insisting on giving them a tour of the house he built with his own two hands-- the house Taemin watched Minho build-- or forcing them to watch home renovation marathons, Jinki asks them with a broad smile, “So, when are you two gonna get married and make me a grandpa?”

Key is the only satisfying target. Taemin and his girl were able to spend an entire weekend in Key’s attic undetected!

“What’s making that noise up there?” Key’s girlfriend asked on the literal day that she moved in.

Key joked, “It’s the demon!”

Determined to prove Key wrong (or right by terrorizing everyone), Taemin stomped on the floor and screamed, “I’m not a demon!”

Suffice it to say that Taemin is lucky to see his wedding day after the beating scolding he received from Key

Key

Key doesn’t really plan to get married. He’s not opposed or anything, but he would only do it after a series of serious conversations with his significant other

He’s not one to judge, but he feels like most people rush in their relationships, and he’s not really about that life. Lowkey thinks Jonghyun is a maniac for moving in with his gf just a month into dating but anyway

His house isn’t a mansion or anything, but it’s obviously too big for just one or two people. He likes to live lavishly. His bathroom is practically a personal spa. 

The first time she visits, his girlfriend thinks he’s kinda weird for living in such a big place without a roommate, but she hides that behind compliments about the interior design or something. 

Key is the least likely to fantasize about living with his significant other. Like, no offense, but his house is his sanctuary. He likes having his own space. Also, he’s kinda particular about his living habits(and he doesn’t really want to share any of his closet space). 

Key only invites his girlfriend to live with him after they’ve been together long enough for him to decide that they can live together in harmony

This is somewhat unrelated, but I imagine that Key hired a housekeeper for a while, but he’s that kind of person who always went through the rooms to reorganize/clean things to his own (admittedly high) standard. So one day he wakes up like “What am I paying this person for?”

Key likes to complain and get under his gf’s skin, so she’s probably not counting the days until she gets to move in either tbh

They definitely 100% bicker the most out of all the couples, but that’s just how they communicate. They make up for their many petty arguments through the week with frequent ‘self-care’ nights wherein they watch dramas while wearing mud masks and sipping wine. 

[alittletournesol]

Sing Your Soul {JongKey} part 5/6

Part 5

The ovation wasn’t as loud as in some stadium during a worldwide sports event, but the few applauses whose sound resounded in the bar were more than enough for Jinki’s smile to enlighten his features. He was rarely performing more than two new songs every time he was to be the artist of the night at the Blue Night, yet he always recognized some regular customers who showed no boredom in listening to the same pieces over again.

Respectfully, he bowed for as long as he was celebrated and when he straightened up while approaching his mic from his lips, all hands ceased their clapping. It was like everyone was already prepared to hang on his every word even before a first sound escaped his mouth.

“Thank you for listening to me, I hope you enjoyed the new song.” The singer said, smiling and his eyes travelling to meet every face in the audience. “You will have the opportunity to hear it again and as much as you wish to, in a few weeks when my next work will be released.”

As he was speaking a bit more about the aforesaid song, the lyrics and their thematic, rhythm, meaning… Kibum got his attention drew to his left, where Jonghyun was sitting and staring at the artist on stage. His eyes were literally shining and his lips half open as he focused on the explanations, sometimes mouthing a wow and nodding when he felt some words. The event planner couldn’t help but smile with pride as he realized what a good idea he had to make the blonde man come that evening.

“Unfortunately, I have been asked to keep my other songs secret until the release.” Jinki ended up confessing, earning a few whines. “I’m just as disappointed as you are, obviously, but although I don’t have anything left to sing for tonight… I would like to offer you a surprise. Actually, I’m not offering, more proposing an alternative that I think will impress you.”

“And before our artist’s clumsiness spoils everything, let’s take a short break to get ourselves prepared.” Minho suddenly climbed the stage to stand up by his boyfriend’s side, a second mic in hands. “I see some glasses are empty, please allow me to come take your next orders and feel free to use this pause to use the smoking room.”

Once he finished his speech, the bartender switched both mics off and went to pull the curtain himself to hide the stage for the time of break. Customers started chatting or stood up to go take a smoke or just breathe some fresh air in the back street of the bar. Minho was quick to come back and before he went back to work with clearing and new orders, he waved towards his best friend and showed the small, hidden backstage, mouthing something.

Kibum had always been good at reading on one’s lips despite his work mostly consisting in phone calls ; he got the information right away and stood up, gently tapping the subway singer’s shoulder to quietly tell him to follow. The latter didn’t wait to be asked twice and wove in and out between the tables and standing people, his eyes never leaving the silhouette leading him. In his chest, his heart was beating faster with each step he took until he found himself behind the stage’s wall.

It was long and narrow, certainly the entire length of the bar’s wall, but a couple of lamps lit a comfortable double sofa, a tea table and all electric boxes and cables. Eyeing everything, Jonghyun eventually noticed Jinki who stood up from his seat and walked towards him with a reassuring smile.

“So, tell me.” He said, crossing his arms above his chest. “Did you choose your songs since the break ?”

“I think I have a lot that can fit tonight’s atmosphere, yes.” The blonde singer nodded but his nervousness was noticeable in the way he scratched his nape while talking. “Though I don’t want to steal your spotlight or something.”

“Man, my part is done tonight, so take the damn spotlight. Will you sing covers or…?”

“One cover, but actually I compose songs so I thought I might give a try to two of them. If I can ?”

“Of course you can, you can do whatever you want on stage. We gotta work on that self confidence of yours, huh ?”

“I’m on it.” Kibum spoke in, winking at Jonghyun when the latter looked at him and smiled in return. “Do you think Ming will like him enough to hire him ?”

“He’s clearly going to pretend thinking, considering, all that business man’s stuff… but trust me, he already got the papers ready.”

“Really ?” The subway singer raised his eyebrows, honestly surprised. “You’re kidding, he didn’t hear me sing yet !”

“You will learn that Minho is someone who hides his thoughts and emotions, even the positive ones.” The event planner smiled. “But first of all, he watched those videos of you I sent to him and allowed me to find you. He drove me to your subway station himself, on last Sunday, but he couldn’t make it to Yongsan with me.”

“He entrusted you with finding me and bringing me here ?”

“Second thing to know about him.” The eldest man snorted. “He can’t refuse anything if it comes either from me or Kibum. And we both stood up for you so he got defeated.”

“That totally sounds like a scheme.”

“Yeah right ? Now it’s your part, I’ll take your seat !”

With one last wink and thumb up, Jinki wished the other singer good luck and disappeared in the audience, leaving both Kibum and him alone and quiet. The younger man’s eyes shifted as soon as they locked gazes and he pretended to check something on the electric box — though he didn’t understand a single connection in this thing. But the silence quickly went awkward and when Jonghyun cleared his throat, he had no choice but look up and talk.

“So… you’re ready ?” He asked. “It’s not completely like a station but it shouldn’t feel that different, right ?”

“Every place conveys a different feeling, I can sense these things.” The blonde singer smiled. “But I like it here, though I feel on the nerves, you know…”

“Stage fright ?”

“I guess so, I mean, they’re here to listen. In a station, I’m mostly a background noise except for the few people who stop for a minute to focus a bit more on me. They don’t come to listen to me but to take their train, while here…”

“Maybe you feel like you’re a background noise, but people remember you. I wouldn’t have been able to find you if it hadn’t been for this little girl to know your name and her mother to know where you sing. I’m sure they’re not the only ones who know about the white haired guy who sings at Sindang. You were being noticed, now you will be listened to.”

“Can I ask you something ?”

“Sure.”

“The other time, you told me I moved you. Among all my songs you’ve heard, could it be at the stations or in these videos… is there one that moved you more than others ?”

Kibum cocked an eyebrow, he hadn’t expected this question and hadn’t really thought of ranking the songs he had heard. He didn’t even know the titles and was unable to humming them even if he wanted to — he was too scared of ruining it in front of its creator. Instead, he grabbed his phone and opened his favourite app, tapping the screen until it opened a folder of saved posts with a musical note emoji as its title.

He scrolled a bit and his thumb stopped, seemed to hesitate between two videos, and Jonghyun noticed his trouble. As he approached, the other man turned his phone towards him and eventually showed him both. 

“This one was the one you were singing when I saw you the first time and it’s stuck in my mind since then.” The brown haired man said, his voice surprisingly low and his eyes still on the screen. “But I like this one too. Do they have titles ?”

“Of course, the first one is MONO-Drama, it’s a particular one.” Jonghyun answered before the tip of his finger selected the second video. “And this one is Beautiful Tonight, you can hear me sing it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I like Beautiful Tonight more, it has something special that speaks to me, I couldn’t say why.”

“I see. You saved a lot of videos, I didn’t know I got filmed so much.”

“You never looked for yourself on social media ?”

“I don’t really use social media.”

“You wh—”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but the show will resume soon.” A voice caught their attention and they met with Minho who had his head coming out from behind the wall. “Time to get on stage.”

The bartender disappeared as fast as he had shown up and both men left their conversation on hold as Kibum led Jonghyun to the stage, even joining him there to adjust the mike for him. Within the few minutes the customers took to find their seat back, the blonde man grabbed the high stool that was leaning against the wall, since his predecessor preferred standing. He slowly pulled the synth closer to him and connected his music player to it, opening a playlist of three instrumental songs.

While the event planner made sure the instrument and the sounds control console were linked up, he asked the other man if he needed anything more. He could already hear his best friend drawing the audience’s attention for the last, exclusive part of that evening. The confident smile on Jonghyun’s lips was enough of an answer and Kibum raised his fist to wish him good luck, before he walked down the stage and discreetly joined his seat.

From behind the curtain, the blonde singer took a short moment to regulate his breathing, closing his eyes and focusing on his lungs filling and emptying themselves until the sensation of all his organs quivering stopped. When he heard people applauding, he looked up and waited for the large piece of fabric to be pulled to the side, revealing the dozen of tables being now in the dark as the lights were all on him. 

They were all looking at him and he scanned the whole room until his eyes met with a familiar face, the event planner smiling at him and nodding to give him strength. Returning the smile, Jonghyun eventually leaned on to have his lips closer to the mike.

“Good evening, my name is Kim Jonghyun.” He said, and his smooth talking voice already prepared everyone for what would come next. “I’m gladly standing, or should I say, sitting in front of you tonight to introduce you a few of my works. Before starting, I would like to thank the owner of this beautiful place for letting me in, and for Lee Jinki who you heard previously, for proposing me to come on stage after him. I will do my best to be worthy of this spot he was standing on earlier. Please welcome me well.”

He shyly smiled when the audience applauded once more to salute his speech and encourage him, and straightened up while pulling the mike, clearing his throat and pressing the play button on the synth. A melody immediately resounded in the loudspeakers and faces lit up as it was extremely recognizable to most of customers ; smiles appeared and some even whispered to each other as they enjoyed the surprise.

“I will start with a cover of a song that is really a favourite of mine.” The singer said before he playfully smiled. “Let’s try not to ruin it.” 

No sooner said than done, Jonghyun’s fingers closed on the mike and his voice started following the instrumental. He had chosen to perform a cover to let people get used to his so uncommon timbre, and the song he was singing was indeed one he held dear in his heart. He was a romantic person, and the lyrics inspired him on writing his own ; the story of a man who was in love with a woman but feared her turning his confession down. As he longed for her, he experienced insomnias filled with endless thoughts and worries.

The song’s rhythm alternated between low and high pitches, but Kibum found himself impressed by how the singer handled these changes smoothly, with no apparent effort. Even the way he managed to give the same emotional vibe but with a different colour, his colour, during the chorus, gave shivers to everyone. Could it be when he willingly broke his voice on certain words to give the impression of being breathless, or when his throat vibrated as he held a note on the word insomnia, everything was beautiful.*

It was the first time the event planner heard him sing a song he already knew, and it had nothing to do with when you sing your favorite song while showering ; it was mastered, from vocals to emotions.

“Thank you for listening.” Jonghyun eventually said, making the brown haired man realise he was done with the song as soft applauses welcomed his performance. “I could say this song is the one that made me want to sing, and more than that, to try writing and composing my own songs. I still lack a lot but I hope you will enjoy the next song, which is my own creation.”

Bowing his head, the blonde singer sat better in front of the synth and arranged the mike horizontally so he could use his hands on the keys. As he pressed play on the second piece, the distant sound of rain falling slowly raised from the loudspeakers, until customers made out what sounded like a repetitive ringtone. Before their surprise had time to reduce, a melody started while the man’s voice came out, yet not from his mouth ; it was like the phone had been picked up and he was the one talking. 

One could only hear his voice, not the other person’s, the conversation about Jonghyun being on his way to join his friends for a drink after work. After a last ok, it was like the phone got hung up and the man started singing for real, while his fingers were gently hitting the synth’s keys to accompany the instrumental. And just then, with the only power of his voice and lyrics, he told a story of his own to every single soul in the room, his timbre fitting so much to the sweetness of his words.

Meeting friends, drinking and laughing as they reminisced their friendship. The curious but familiar way they became kids again, whenever they made time in their respective schedules to gather all together and talk… it was all about remembering and making new memories in a comfortable atmosphere, their heart warming up thanks to this moment of reunion just as their body heating up because of alcohol.

While he listened just as everyone else, Kibum had his eyes staring at Jonghyun’s facial expressions ; it wasn’t just any story, it could only be his. Through a song, he was talking about his late night meetings with longstanding friends who grew up together, getting together for a drink. It was so noticeable on his features that he was feeling every single word he sang, that every sentence every question intended for a friend had once been told in real life. The atmosphere of this moment was conveyed through the rhythm and the tone, making the audience immerse in it with him.

And as if he wanted to confirm his every questioning gaze, the song ended on another distant conversation, as if coming from a phone again. This time, it wasn’t him talking to a friend, but a record of several voices chatting all together that continued for a few seconds even after the instrumental stopped. The last sound they heard was cheering, clinking soju glasses.*

“Cheers.” Jonghyun eventually said as he pretended to raise a glass, drawing a few smiles in the audience and some even responded to his gesture before drinking. “You know this feeling, right ? I hope you liked it. Shall we go with the last song ? Someone here heard it already and appreciates it, so let’s dedicate it to this person, hmm ? Let’s go.”

Kibum got startled when he caught the blonde man glancing at him when talking about the person who knew his next song. But it was quite brief, just quick enough for him to understand he was this person, what made him blush and shyly smile as he focused even more. Jonghyun pressed play for the last time that evening, but he didn’t show any intention to accompany the melody again ; instead, he removed the mike from its stand and brought it to his lips, while crossing his legs.

It was clear that the new instrumental had been made with a synth, with the piano’s sounds modified to give a different vibe. It was a steady, regular rhythm that introduced a peaceful atmosphere, it made one want to take a calm walk on it. When the singer opened his mouth to tell another story, the message seemed to have changed ; it wasn’t a friends topic anymore but about a man taking the woman he loves home, and willingly saving time on their way to stay with her longer.

This time, it was like Jonghyun was talking to the woman herself, his voice more whispering than singing, low and gentle, soft and intimate. But the story was short, as he eventually started repeating the same words, beautiful tonight and oh say, accompanying them with slow whistles.

A smile was drawn on his lips for a second, disallowing him to properly whistle and forcing him to get himself together, when he noticed that after a few times, some customers had their lips shaped in a o as if whistling with him. Some others were slowly moving their head on the piercing yet soft sound’s rhythm, and it filled his heart with joy… especially when his eyes fell on Kibum, who was part of this second type of listeners. The latter smiled at the blonde and slowly nodded, quietly notifying him of how well he was doing. 

A song had never seemed so short, but when it ended, Jonghyun’s disappointment was quickly replaced with gratefulness as he bowed his head, people applauding and even standing for some. He kept his head lowered as he stood himself to bow even more, and he joined his hands together when straightening up, his eyes shining while he couldn’t realise what he had just done. Even when Minho climbed on stage and politely took the mike to announce the end of the small concert, he only had eyes for whoever was in front of him.

He didn’t notice the curtain being pulled in front of him, and the last thing he saw before he needed to sit backstage for a moment, was Kibum still standing and applauding without ceasing to look at him. 

_________________

“They want to hear more stories.”

Jonghyun didn’t even hear the bartender as his eyes were stuck to the guest book that had been filled by almost all customers who had attended that evening’s concert. It was an usual thing, he had been told, and really dear to Minho : on every Wednesday, he would place this book in front of the bar’s door, on a music stand, for people to leave their impressions about the performances they had heard. 

Sometimes it was just a short message of congratulations, but there also were talkative ones with personal thoughts on a song they liked better, praises and promises to come again… though this time, it seemed Jinki had been quite forgotten, for almost all words were intended for the new blonde artist with a silky voice. It was unbelievable and the concerned man was unable to talk.

“Oh, look there.” Taemin said as he pointed at a message. “See hyung, someone mentioned you before praising him. Here, at the beginning.”

“I still have one fan here, thank God.” Jinki heartily laughed. “Though I understand them, I rarely heard something as beautiful as what you offered tonight, man.”

“They really… liked me ?” Jonghyun eventually asked, looking up and his eyes looking for any form of assent from any of the four men surrounding him. “I mean, I felt that they were liking the songs but… the messages are all about me, they call me an artist…?”

“I told you you would be listened to and not remain a background noise.” Kibum smiled. “To think you rejected me at first ! I know how to recognize potential when I see it.”

“Come on dude, it’s no time to praise yourself.” Minho rolled his eyes and paid attention to the blonde man. “They really liked you, and your songs. Some were event disappointed that you couldn’t sing more, they told me themselves when coming to the counter to pay.”

The subway singer stood gaping for a moment, before he leaned against the sofa’s backrest. He didn’t know what to think nor what to say, too many things were happening in his mind right now, and he was feeling like his chest was going to explode. 

“I think tonight might not be a good moment to talk business.” The bartender ended up saying, slowly taking the book back and standing up. “What about we meet tomorrow when I close and discuss your next performance ?”

“My… my next performance ?” Jonghyun repeated, looking at the tall man. “Do you want me to come back ?”

“And I will pay you for it. Customers liked you, and I can’t deny you’ve got a real talent, also you’ve got three men right there who will drown me in the Han river if I don’t hire you right now.”

“I can’t believe it…”

“That’s why I suggest you to come back tomorrow to talk about it with a clear head. But if you want to, consider yourself hired already. Our next three Wednesdays are booked already but if you can wait, I will make sure you get the one after. That leaves you almost a month to prepare, sounds good ?”

“Sounds damn good. Where do I sign ?”

Both laughed and exchanged an enthusiastic handshake, under the extremely content stare of the three other men. Kibum was the proudest, standing with his arms crossed to give himself a nonchalant attitude, but deep inside, he was feeling all excited. Although he knew Minho couldn’t refuse him anything, he couldn’t say he would have hired Jonghyun if it hadn’t been for the latter to have potential.

The Blue Night’s owner only hired artists. And the event planner had brought him one he would never regret hiring.

___________

to be continued

[jinkisbelly]

Chances 1/?

Pairing: Onho

Rating: PG 

W/c:2k

Summary: Minho's life is turned upside down when his mother passes away, and at the age of nineteen, he suddenly has to take care of his four-year-old brother Minseok while going to school full time. Why not also throw in a budding romance to complicate his already complicated life? He finds, some things are worth taking chances on. 

Can be read on AO3 as well, brief discussion of loss and mention of death so warning.

          Minho swallowed thickly as he straightened from putting the last box into their new apartment. It seemed nice enough, with pretty painted walls and mahogany wooden floors. The building had just been built last year and it was only ten minutes from where his university was. Coming furnished was also a selling point, but the rent was steep because they required no credit check. The boxes from the moving truck were littered around the living room and leading into the small dining room attached to the kitchen. Down the hall to the left was the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The balcony drapes were pulled back allowing bright late morning light to come through the big glass doors. No matter how decent the place was, it would never feel like home without his mother there with them.

          “Hey, Bud come choose what room you want.” When he didn’t hear any movement or sign of the four-year-old panic began to rise in his chest, his voice becoming more breathy as he called out again, “Minseok? Come on Bud. This isn’t funny. It’s not the time to play hide and seek.”

          He stepped over and around boxes, checked behind the couch, under the dining room table, and around the kitchen island. He jogged back through the hall to look into the bathroom and both bedrooms. He muttered breathlessly to himself, finding it hard to breathe. “Come on Minho. Don’t say you’ve lost him this soon.”

          The door was left wide open as he stood just outside, looking each way down the hall. “Minseok!”

          “I’m guessing this belongs to you?”

          Rising his gaze toward the voice he found a man a few inches shorter than himself, a sweet smile on his face as he flipped his hair from his eyes. He adjusted what he was holding and it was then Minho recognized he had Minseok on his hip. He rushed forward to take the boy from him, “Oh my God. Where did you find him?”

          “I had my door open until I could place my groceries down in the kitchen.” The man laughed lightly as Minseok nuzzled into Minho’s neck. “I turned around to close it and there was a little one playing with my dog.”

          “What did I say about running away, Bud?” Minho softly asked against Minseok’s hair before he looked back over at the man. “Thank you. I’m sorry he barged into your apartment like that. He really likes dogs.”

          “It’s alright. He’s a cute dog burglar.” Then he offered his hand, “I’m Lee Jinki. I guess you’re the new tenant.”

          “Choi Minho,” The man’s hand was soft and warm, but the handshake was firm. “And yes. The place seems nice so far.”

          “The people are pretty nice. There’s an older man in the apartment at the end of the hall that always needs help with his television. He may come ask you for assistance, but he pays in cookies and unwanted life advice, so I guess it’s worth it. If you need anything, you know where I am.” Jinki leaned against his doorway, just a foot to the left on the other side of the hallway. His arms were crossed over his chest casually, “And this little cutie is welcome any time he wants to play with Peanut.”

          “Thank you again.”

          Jinki shook his head with a wave of his hand. “It’s better he ran for my dog than finding the elevator and going to any one of a dozen levels. It’s nice to meet you both.”

          “You too.” Minho bumped his nose against Minseok’s head. “Say bye to Jinki, Bud.”

          “Bye Jinnie!”

          Jinki snorted. “I guess that works.”

          As they returned to their new apartment, Minho set the boy down and quickly locked the door behind them. “You almost gave me a heart attack Minseok. You can’t run off like that.”

          “I was bored. I wanted to play with the puppy.”

          “You’re lucky Jinki was nice enough to let you play with his puppy and that Peanut was sweet.” Minho ran a heavy hand over his face as he sighed. “Do you want to go pick which room you want before we start unpacking?”

          “I get to choose?”

          “Yes.”

          The boy was off like a rocket down the hallway, leaving his groaning big brother behind in his dust.

-----

          The only light in the room was the light from Minseok’s turtle lamp beside his bed. The bed was far bigger than his old one, but he could get in and out of it without assistance. Minho had just opened up the book they were reading as a bedtime story when Minseok softly asked, “When’s Mama coming home?”

          Minho felt a lump form in his throat and like his blood was ice running through his veins. He swallowed thickly as he lowered his gaze from the innocence of Minseok’s expression, tapping his fingers gently against the pages of the book in his lap. He had been told questions such as these would be asked, but he hadn’t known how to answer them then and even more so now. His eyes were closed just long enough for him to take a deep breath and exhale before he looked at Minseok’s face with as much of a comforting smile as he could muster. “Bud, she’s not coming home.”

          “Like, she doesn’t know where we live now?”

          “No, not like that.” He softly rubbed Minseok’s tummy through his blanket, more of a comfort to himself than the young boy. “Remember Fluffy?”

          “The cat?”

          “Yeah, the little black one we had a couple years ago.”

          “A little. Mama said he went to a better place.”

          “Yeah,” Minho let out a little laugh, remembering the memory a little fondly. “Mama went to that better place too.”

          “So, she isn’t gonna come back?”

          “No, Bud. I’m sorry, Minseok.”

          “But I miss her.” His little lip trembled slightly as his eyes became glossy.

          “I miss her too.” Minho wiped his cheeks with his thumbs before running a hand over his hair. “Would you like to sleep with me tonight, Bud?”

          “Yes please.”

          “Alright, c’mere.” He opened his arms and smiled as Minseok scrambled out from the covers into his lap. He grabbed the stuffed teddy bear next to the pillow and pushed off the bed to head toward his own bedroom. He had other things he should be doing, but right then, none of them seemed that important as he laid down beside his little brother and held him close in comfort. “Goodnight Minseok.”

          “G’night.”

----

          “Where are we going?”

          “To check out the daycare they have on campus.” Minho softly responded as he buckled the boy into his booster seat.

          “Why?”

          “If it’s nice, that will be where you’ll be taken care of while I’m in my classes.”

          “Why?” He heard the boy just as he opened the front seat door, slipping into the seat easily.

          “Because I can’t take you into my classes with me all the time.” The seatbelt was sticking weirdly as he fought it to fasten.

          “Why?”

          “Because that’s just how it is!” Minho froze when he realized his voice had risen in volume. He ran a hand over his face before sighing and twisting to look at him. “You’ll only be there until 4 when I’m done with my work study job, and if something happens I’ll be close enough to be able to run there for you.”

          “But why do I gotta go to a new one?” Minseok was fidgeting with his action figure, making the arm move up and down slowly as his bottom lip jutted out.

          “Your old daycare is across the city near where we used to live, Bud, and it’s really expensive.”

          “But why?”

          “That’s just how it is, Minseok.” He turned on the playlist he had made over a year ago of the songs he knew Minseok to enjoy and with that, the conversation was stopped. He glanced in the rearview mirror as he adjusted it and sighed deeply seeing how his brother was pouting. He hated changing more things for the boy, but there was no way he could afford the placement at his old daycare.

          He put the car in reverse and pulled from the parking spot, heading toward his school.

----

          The side of the diner they were sitting in was completely empty save for them. They had been coming to this place since Minho was Minseok’s age, and he was going to keep up the tradition. Minseok hummed happily as he bit into his chicken nugget, small hand reaching for the rim of the chocolate shake they were supposed to share. Minho wrapped a finger around the thin part of the base and tugged it just out of Minseok’s reach, getting a whine of disapprovement. “You have to eat more of your vegetables before you can have more shake, Bud.”

          “But I ate all my peas!”

          “Hiding it under your fries isn’t eating them.”

          Minseok frowned deeply. “No fair.”

          Minho took a sip of the shake before pushing it over. “Just take it slow.”

          The boy didn’t listen and a few moments later he was whining about a brain freeze as Minho tried very hard not to laugh.

----

          As he lifted him into the big part of the basket, Minseok asked, “If we ate, why are we here?”

          “Because we have no food at home.”

          “Ah.” He leaned back against the cart, looking up at Minho as he began to push the cart forward. “Can we get dino oatmeal?”

          “It’s on the list, Bud.”

          “Good. I like Dino oatmeal.”

          As they passed the third aisle passed the produce section, Minho turned. He stopped in front of the array of different juices. “Do you want apple juice?”

          “Juice boxes?”

          Minho pressed his lips together but bent down past the bottles to grab the package of juice boxes. They were a dollar more expensive, but for the time being he’d deal with it. Their mom always bought the juice boxes instead of the big bottle and he remembered being told to try and keep as many things the same as he could. After handing them to Minseok to place in the cart, he pushed forward. “And don’t open that yet.”

          “But juice!”

          “You gotta wait until we get to the car, Bud.”

          “That’s stupid.”

          Minho gazed at him sternly. “Bud.”

          “Mama, let me drink one.”

          After softening slightly, Minho softly admitted, “She did, but it was wrong to do. You have to wait.”

----

          “Puppy!” Minseok pulled against Minho’s grip on his hand in his attempt to run toward the poor canine. Somehow the four-year-old mustered up enough strength to rip his hand away.

          “Minseok, stop!” He sighed quietly as he jogged to catch up to the boy, trying his hardest to keep the brown bag of groceries level in his left arm. “Don’t pester Jinki and his dog.”

          But it was too late. Minseok was already sitting on the floor with the little dachshund lapping at his face as he giggled. Jinki scowled lightly, “Now what did I say about licking, Peanut?” Then his gaze lifted with a sweet smile. “And it’s not pestering. Peanut loves attention.”

          “He’s wiggly.” Minseok quips happily, giggling even more as the dog wags his tail harder.

          “Very wiggly.” Jinki kneels then, running a hand over the length of the dog. “You should see how he wiggles when it’s dinner time. He’s fallen over from the motion being too strong.”

          “Really?”

          Jinki nodded before looking at his dog, “Hey Peanut, guess what time it is? Yes! It’s dinner time.”

          Sure enough, the little dog’s wiggling increased dramatically, tongue sticking from his mouth. Minseok looked over with the biggest smile and crinkled eyes. “Look!”

          “I see, Bud.” He adjusted the bag once again, keys jingling at the movement. “We need to go put the groceries away. Your popsicles are melting.”

          "But!”

          “I need to head to work anyway.” Jinki smiled warmly even as the boy pouted. “I’ll see you around soon, I’m sure.”

          Minseok slowly rose from the floor, little arms crossed as he basically stomped toward their door. Minho rolled his eyes at the drama of it all, before smiling at Jinki. “Have a good night, Jinki.”

          “You too.”

[jinkisbelly]

Rest 2.0

Alright, the 23rd of October is my 5th shinee writer anniversary and I rewrote my first shinee fanfiction, Rest. If you want to read the horrid, 2010 stereotype filled story, [x] and aff  I hope you find it at least better than the original ^-^  new version link on aff

Pairing: Onho

Rating: pg, bandverse

w/c: 1.2k

Summary: Minho helps Jinki with his headache on the set of the Everybody music video. 

He closed his eyes lightly in case of the heavy makeup around his lashes smeared somehow. His right eye itched, but he fought the urge to rub his eyes. His head was pounding. Whether it was from his lack of sleep, lack of food, or the bright lights and noises around him, he wasn’t sure. The group had been going since way before sunrise to prepare for their upcoming comeback. The music video proved to be a long and tiring experience. Why he thought it would be any different, again, he wasn’t sure. Jonghyun was recording his individual shots, Kibum having already finished a few moments ago. He was last after Taemin had finished his. His head lolled a little bit, but he caught it with his hand as he leaned on the arm of the chair with his elbow.

A soft caress touched his hair, fingers moving through the gelled back strands with some difficulty. “Jinki, are you okay?”

Without opening his eyes, he knew who it was. “Better than you when the stylists figure out it was you who messed my hair up.”

Minho pushed his nose against the back of his neck, breath warm and almost soothing as he whispered. “Babe.”

“I’m fine, Ming.” He tried not to focus too much on the pounding in his head when he opened his eyes. “Just a little tired is all. Nothing new.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Mmm, figured you wouldn’t. You have some 6th ‘a member is hurting’ sense.”

“Hey, don’t pick on me when I’m worried about you.” He could almost hear the pout in the man’s voice.

He turned his head when he felt Minho move, smiling softly as the man plays with the fabric of his clothes. “What would you have me do then? I’m waiting for my turn.”

“Come rest a while with me in the dressing room.” He flashed a small, unsure smile, big eyes pleading his case thoroughly. “We can turn off the lights. Just until your turn.”

He glanced over at the set, noticing that they were still setting up for Jonghyun it seemed, before nodding and offering his hand for Minho to take. “Lead the way.”

Soon they found the dressing room. It was empty of people they quickly noticed and Minho led Jinki to the couch up against the wall. Minho took off his outer jacket, laying it over one of the styling chairs, before sitting on one end of the couch. When Jinki sat on the other end Minho was quick to tug him down until his head was resting against his thigh.

He ran a hand softly against Jinki’s hair. “Babe, you need to stop pushing yourself so much.”

Jinki gave him a weak smile. “I know, but we’re used to this Baby.”

Minho frowned slightly, moving to run his fingers down Jinki’s jaw before gently curling their fingers together on Jinki’s stomach. The lights had been turned off when they walked in. “Close your eyes, Sweets. I’ll text Kibum to tell us when Taemin’s done.”

“Mm,” Jinki hummed quietly, enjoying the way Minho’s thumb was moving over the back of his hand. His voice was so soft as he said, “Thanks, Baby.”

                                             XOXOX

“Have you seen Jinki?” Their manager quietly asked the youngest member.

“Last time I saw him he was sitting over there.” Taemin vaguely gestured toward the area he meant.

The man sighed deeply. “You’re the best of help as always, Taemin.”

“You’re welcome.”

A few moments later Kibum was standing behind him, asking, “What did he want?”

“Wanted to know where Jinki Hyung was.” Taemin hummed, flicking the game on his phone screen. “Told him he was over in that general area.”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “Minho took him into the dressing room to rest until it was his turn.”

“Oh,” Taemin locked his phone before asking, “Is he okay?”

“Just tired.” Kibum then gestured toward the set where Jonghyun was stepping down from. “You’re up.”

Taemin fluffed up his fur coat and grinned. “Time to get sexy.”

Kibum groaned.

                                                       XOXOX        

Half an hour later Minho heard a quiet knock on the dressing room door. He gently pushed the older man’s blond hair back as the door opened and Kibum slipped in. The light was flicked on then and Minho squinted as pain erupted behind his eyes. “Warning next time would be great.”

“The knock was the warning.”

“Oh, piss off.”

Kibum grinned widely before softening seeing Jinki sleeping against Minho’s thigh. “Taemin is about done. It’s Jinki’s turn.”

“Alright, we’ll be out shortly.” Minho smiled, “Thanks.”

“Anything for Jinki.”

Minho glared at him, causing Kibum to laugh as he left the dressing room. Next, Jinki’s cheek was softly tapped. “Come on, sleepy head. It’s time.”

In response, Jinki nuzzled his cheek into Minho’s thigh, groaning softly. When Minho jiggled his leg Jinki rolled onto his back, squinting up at him. He cutely mumbled. “How dare you.”

“Work calls, Sweets.”

Jinki pouted before heaving himself up. He smacked his mouth a few times, looking around as if in a daze. “That was a good nap. I like that nap.”

“I make a good pillow, huh?”

“The best.” Jinki stood and walked toward the mirror, trying to fix his hair at least a little bit. His eye makeup was still okay and haven't smeared too much. He turned with a bright smile. “Let’s get going before they come looking for me.”

                                                        XOXOX

Jinki fumbled through his playlist, looking for a song that spoke to him, and when he found one, he laid back, closed his eyes and hummed along to the song. Unannounced to him, Minho was standing in the doorway, gazing at him. Minho noticed how the older man had one of his shirts on, and he smiled as he watched Jinki's foot tap to the beat. He quietly moved to his side of the room they shared, after he closed the door, and lifted his shirt off. He softly nudged the corner of Jinki’s bed with his knee as he ran his fingers through his hair. The older man jumped up, before calming down at the sight of his boyfriend. He pulled his headphones from his ears as an easy smile spread on his lips. “Hey.”

“It’s been a very long day.”

“Then actually come to bed.” Jinki hummed happily when Minho kissed him. He pulled away as the kiss deepened, smirking slightly. “I’m going to bed.”

Minho pressed a kiss to his forehead before climbing over him to his side of the bed, wiggling to get under the covers. He was adjusting his pillow when Jinki pressed a kiss to his cheek. He chuckled lightly when Jinki plopped down on his pillow, connecting his phone to the charger and getting comfortable. Quickly, Minho slipped completely under the blanket and tugged Jinki back against him, nose against his neck. “Goodnight.”

Jinki intertwined their fingers on his stomach, smiling as he closed his eyes. “Goodnight Baby.”