The Red Caravan [6 A]
Sep. 17th, 2011 02:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poppy_skyPairings: YunJae
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: boyxboy, no historical/geographic setting, AU, adult themes.
Summary: It's Spring time in the capital and everybody rejoices when the Red Caravan and its performers arrive, signaling the start of festival season, however, Prince Yunho is also in town, returning after three years battling in the Holy Land. What happens when the Red Caravan's most famous peformer, Kim Jaejoong, and Prince Yunho meet?
A/N: Filler chapter is too long, will post part B tomorrow =A=
The days were getting hotter as Spring was finally settling into the capital. Jaejoong was glad for the shade the great cathedral provided as well as the cool wind seeping between the huge stone structure and the stage while he brushed the tangled wigs behind the stage. Junsu was sitting next to him, fumbling with the new guitar strings of Changmin’s precious instrument while grumbling about it.
“You’d think that lazy donkey would take care of his own instrument and not boss me around. ‘I’m busy,’ Ha! I’ll show him busy when he’s pulling guitar splinters out of his eyes!”
Jaejoong chuckled at his friend’s words, fingers threading through a really nasty knot making an otherwise beautiful blond wig a mass of unruly curls. His patience was running thin and he wanted nothing more than to just run a pair of scissors through the tangled mass of hair.
“Wudcha doing?”
The deep voice coming from behind Junsu made him jump and drop the guitar on the ground with a clank.
“Sneaky bastard,” grumbled Junsu, holding a hand against his chest.
Jaejoong looked at his startled friend glaring daggers towards Yoochun who smiled sheepishly at him as he picked up the guitar and back to the wig on his hands. The knot was finally coming apart so he grabbed the wooden brush next to him and ran it through the long tresses.
Yoochun helped Junsu with the last strings of the guitar and tuned it carefully. Once only melodious strums came out of the wooden instrument he passed it onto Junsu with a smile.
Junsu grabbed the offered instrument from Yoochun’s hands, trying hard not to let his scowl turn into a smile. Yoochun was infuriating but he was his best friend after all.
He ignored Yoochun as he went to grab a broken drum and a new drum skin for it.
“Now I don’t need you, go pester someone else,” Junsu said with no real bite to his words.
“Aye, aye,” Yoochun replied cheerfully, spotting his next victim in the form of his blonde friend.
“Guess what.”
Jaejoong was not looking up from his work but he could tell from the curly-haired man’s tone that he was excited about something.
“What?” he asked absentmindedly.
“A little bird told me your boyfriend is coming back today,” Yoochun said in a sing-song voice.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jaejoong said but the news did make him stop brushing the now semi-tangled wig he was holding. He looked at his lap, the blonde wisps of hair around his hair hiding his eyes completely. He was not unhappy but his spirit had definitely dampened slightly when he stopped seeing the young prince around town even if the man avoided the red caravan at all costs.
“But don’t you wish he were—ow!” Yoochun let out a cry when Jaejoong kicked him on the hip, sending him stumbling backwards. “That’s going to bruise you know!”
“Hmm, where have you been anyways?” Jaejoong asked, wishing to steer the conversation away from himself while continuing to brush the already untangled wig.
“The whore house of course! It’s too early to drink but it’s never too early for a good romp!”
“As if the hour had ever stopped you,” mumbled Junsu as he fitted the skin on the drum.
“Says the guy that had to be carried from the bar at almost dawn because he refused to leave some drunken game of horseshoes,” Yoochun bit back.
Junsu turned away indignant at Yoochun’s accusation but said nothing. It had only been once, and he had been winning!
Yoochun saw that and smiled victoriously to himself. It was too easy to tease Junsu and Yoochun enjoyed teasing the younger man too much. Our of the corner of his eye he saw movement and heard, more than saw Jaejoong ‘s feet scrapping the dirt-covered ground.
“Where are you going?” Yoochun asked as Jaejoong stood to leave, putting the now untangled wig away in a chest filled with various costumes and other stage props.
“I’m going to take a nap, have fun.” Jaejoong waved backwards at them as he retreated towards the caravan.
As the numerous bumps in the earthen road caused pain to shoot through Yunho’s head in waves he wished they had stayed at the summer palace for another night at least.
It would not have mattered in the end though, as Heechul was intent on making them drink their weight in wine every single day.
They had taken the same carriage arrangements for the ride back; however there was less excitement in the air this time. His cousin was nursing his own hangover by sleeping sprawled on the carriage seat with his head on top of one of the girl’s lap. The girl next to Yunho had offered to be his pillow if he wished to nap for the duration of the trip back but Yunho refused, knowing very well that if he lied down he would not be able to keep the few bites of breakfast he had forced down that morning. The swaying motion of the carriage was already bad enough while sitting.
The orderly placed trees lining the road closest to the palace had long since transformed into the unruly growth of flora that made the forests through which the road passed. Twigs and branches snapped as the top of the carriage hit them, leaving a trail of leaves floating to the floor at their wake.
The young prince stared at the passing foliage, boredom and the need to remain still thanks to the alcoholic nausea that settled itself in the bottom of his stomach and the back of his throat kept him from doing anything else. Barely any animals could be seen from the road, the creatures preferring the concealing darkness of the shadows between the trees to the openness of the man-made road. After several hours the woods became thicker before they thinned out again sometime later, signaling home was drawing near.
The sun was setting over the tree tops and when they finally broke through the forests and into the surrounding rice fields of the capital the sunset red in the sky was being rapidly replaced by a mantle of star-streaked ink. The number of carriages had decreased throughout the trip, some of the royals choosing to part on the road towards their respective states along the way. Yunho wished he was one of those lucky souls that were probably already home and buried in their covers, minds deep into the world of dreams.
Heechul had woken up from his sleep just as they left the forest, his hang-over some fickle thing of the past. He had started to joke around upon regaining consciousness but one sharp look from Yunho, whose brain was still being tormented by a dull pounding, had him quieting his voice and keeping the laughing to a minimum. He knew he had gotten away with his party but the party was over now and his cousin would snap his neck if he kept the noise up.
By the time they arrived at the city gates the bridge had already been raised and the minutes it took for the city guards to lower it again were excruciating for Yunho. A bath was out of the question when his mind only craved sleep. Not even food seemed appealing even though they had barely eaten anything during the day.
A craving of a different sort, however, settled in Yunho’s mind as soon as they entered the city. He knew there was no way the Red Caravan’s show was still on stage but he still felt disappointed when he did not spot a single soul on the main square as they passed next to it on their way to the royal palace.
Heechul watched as his cousin spied outside through the small opening in the curtains on the windows. He seemed to be looking out for something, or someone.
“Have your eyes caught anything interesting?”
Yunho snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes turning to look at Heechul in what he hoped was an uninterested look.
“N-not at all.”
Heechul, however, could read Yunho like an open book and the guilt dotting Yunho’s eyes was perfectly visible to him.
“Okay, spill,” he said, enjoying a little bit how his cousin sat up straighter and cleared his throat.
“It’s seriously nothing, I’m just tired and my eyes and mind wandered,” Yunho said, knowing well that Heechul was aware of his terrible lying abilities.
Heechul stared at him for a minute in suspicion but thankfully he dropped the subject. What could Yunho say, really? ‘I’m looking into the still open pubs and brothels for that gypsy you wanted to kill the other night’? It was silly and he knew it but he could not help it.
Curiosity and something akin to obsession had taken over his body. Jaejoong fascinated him at least to some level, and he could not shake off the fascination with mere denial. The small vacation at the summer palace did nothing to keep his mind off the blonde and he was growing desperate.
Yunho forced himself to stop searching for the performer. Heechul and his own decency had caught him already and it would be foolish to continue his search. What would he do if he found Jaejoong anyways? Stupid, stupid Yunho, he thought.
He did not have to torture himself for long because minutes later the carriage reached the huge doors leading to the palace’s courtyard. Another carriage was waiting there to take the women back home while Yunho and Heechul tried not to stumble exhausted to their rooms.
Barely having any energy left to pull off his clothes and toss them on the floor, Yunho climbed under the covers in his undergarments, letting the servants the job of picking his mess up in the morning as he set into a deep sleep.
Jaejoong sat staring at his jug of ale. It was still too early to be drinking but he had nothing else to do. The atmosphere back at the caravan had been stuffing, with Yoochun throwing him glances every other second after he caught him staring at the royal castle while they were putting away the props from last night’s show.
He had noticed that the prince had not arrived until very late at night. The clanking noises of horse hooves as they collided with the stone-paved road had woke him up when the carriages passed next to the main square of the capital. Even from where he stood on the caravan’s billowing opening shivering slightly from the chilly night breeze of early spring hitting his naked chest he could see the royal crest painted on the side of the moving carriages as they rode away and into the castle.
The blonde groaned, slamming his forehead on the table and not bothering with the pain that spread from the collision. It was not his fault he was so easily smitten! Changmin always said all his energy went to his heart and not enough to his brain. Maybe he was right.
His performance the night before was just short of pitiful, maybe because he was trying to spot a certain someone on the tall box that had yet to be pulled down even though the prince had not gone to their plays more than once since the festival started.
Jaejoong took a big gulp of the amber-colored drink. It was not the best quality and tasted slightly watered down but it eased down his throat and into his belly nicely. After finishing half of the mug he could feel the alcohol waves weighting down his bones in a pleasant way.
He stared out of the dirty window of the pub and watched people come and go across the street. Dozens of people strolled by, each one with a purpose, a task that needed to be completed before the sun sank behind the hills surrounding the boisterous city while his work started only after the sun gave way to the moon thus giving him way too much time to muddle his brain further.
A whiff of something warm overcame his nose, bringing him out of his contemplations. Sitting on the rough table in front of him were a plate of pottage and some slices of bread sitting next to it. It actually looked good, with some chunks of fish which you did not get in most of the pubs around the city.
“If you keep frowning like that you’re going to get wrinkles, handsome,” a voice said next to him.
Looking up he spotted the red-cheeked face of an older woman, probably the owner’s wife. She was plum and wore her hair covered by a handkerchief, probably to keep it out of the way while she helped around the place.
“What’s got you sighing every five minutes, eh, handsome?” she asked, taking the empty ale jug in front of him. “Troubles with love?”
“Sort of,” Jaejoong smiled at her.
“My, my, if you are having trouble there is no hope for us mere mortals! I’m sure you have all the girls lining up in front of you.” She slapped the blonde’s shoulder in a light-hearted way and laughed, making Jaejoong join her and cover his mouth in embarrassment.
“Anyway, there is nothing my pottage can’t cure, or at least it’ll keep your stomach full for a while. It’s really early for drinking and more so in an empty stomach. So eat up and don’t worry; it’s on the house, handsome.”
After that she winked at him and went away before Jaejoong could thank her properly. He drank the warm soup, feeling comforted as the thick concoction filled his stomach. When both pottage and bread were gone, however, he returned to staring out the window, his head filling with thoughts it would be safer not to think.
Part B
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: boyxboy, no historical/geographic setting, AU, adult themes.
Summary: It's Spring time in the capital and everybody rejoices when the Red Caravan and its performers arrive, signaling the start of festival season, however, Prince Yunho is also in town, returning after three years battling in the Holy Land. What happens when the Red Caravan's most famous peformer, Kim Jaejoong, and Prince Yunho meet?
A/N: Filler chapter is too long, will post part B tomorrow =A=
The days were getting hotter as Spring was finally settling into the capital. Jaejoong was glad for the shade the great cathedral provided as well as the cool wind seeping between the huge stone structure and the stage while he brushed the tangled wigs behind the stage. Junsu was sitting next to him, fumbling with the new guitar strings of Changmin’s precious instrument while grumbling about it.
“You’d think that lazy donkey would take care of his own instrument and not boss me around. ‘I’m busy,’ Ha! I’ll show him busy when he’s pulling guitar splinters out of his eyes!”
Jaejoong chuckled at his friend’s words, fingers threading through a really nasty knot making an otherwise beautiful blond wig a mass of unruly curls. His patience was running thin and he wanted nothing more than to just run a pair of scissors through the tangled mass of hair.
“Wudcha doing?”
The deep voice coming from behind Junsu made him jump and drop the guitar on the ground with a clank.
“Sneaky bastard,” grumbled Junsu, holding a hand against his chest.
Jaejoong looked at his startled friend glaring daggers towards Yoochun who smiled sheepishly at him as he picked up the guitar and back to the wig on his hands. The knot was finally coming apart so he grabbed the wooden brush next to him and ran it through the long tresses.
Yoochun helped Junsu with the last strings of the guitar and tuned it carefully. Once only melodious strums came out of the wooden instrument he passed it onto Junsu with a smile.
Junsu grabbed the offered instrument from Yoochun’s hands, trying hard not to let his scowl turn into a smile. Yoochun was infuriating but he was his best friend after all.
He ignored Yoochun as he went to grab a broken drum and a new drum skin for it.
“Now I don’t need you, go pester someone else,” Junsu said with no real bite to his words.
“Aye, aye,” Yoochun replied cheerfully, spotting his next victim in the form of his blonde friend.
“Guess what.”
Jaejoong was not looking up from his work but he could tell from the curly-haired man’s tone that he was excited about something.
“What?” he asked absentmindedly.
“A little bird told me your boyfriend is coming back today,” Yoochun said in a sing-song voice.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jaejoong said but the news did make him stop brushing the now semi-tangled wig he was holding. He looked at his lap, the blonde wisps of hair around his hair hiding his eyes completely. He was not unhappy but his spirit had definitely dampened slightly when he stopped seeing the young prince around town even if the man avoided the red caravan at all costs.
“But don’t you wish he were—ow!” Yoochun let out a cry when Jaejoong kicked him on the hip, sending him stumbling backwards. “That’s going to bruise you know!”
“Hmm, where have you been anyways?” Jaejoong asked, wishing to steer the conversation away from himself while continuing to brush the already untangled wig.
“The whore house of course! It’s too early to drink but it’s never too early for a good romp!”
“As if the hour had ever stopped you,” mumbled Junsu as he fitted the skin on the drum.
“Says the guy that had to be carried from the bar at almost dawn because he refused to leave some drunken game of horseshoes,” Yoochun bit back.
Junsu turned away indignant at Yoochun’s accusation but said nothing. It had only been once, and he had been winning!
Yoochun saw that and smiled victoriously to himself. It was too easy to tease Junsu and Yoochun enjoyed teasing the younger man too much. Our of the corner of his eye he saw movement and heard, more than saw Jaejoong ‘s feet scrapping the dirt-covered ground.
“Where are you going?” Yoochun asked as Jaejoong stood to leave, putting the now untangled wig away in a chest filled with various costumes and other stage props.
“I’m going to take a nap, have fun.” Jaejoong waved backwards at them as he retreated towards the caravan.
♥ ♥ ♥
As the numerous bumps in the earthen road caused pain to shoot through Yunho’s head in waves he wished they had stayed at the summer palace for another night at least.
It would not have mattered in the end though, as Heechul was intent on making them drink their weight in wine every single day.
They had taken the same carriage arrangements for the ride back; however there was less excitement in the air this time. His cousin was nursing his own hangover by sleeping sprawled on the carriage seat with his head on top of one of the girl’s lap. The girl next to Yunho had offered to be his pillow if he wished to nap for the duration of the trip back but Yunho refused, knowing very well that if he lied down he would not be able to keep the few bites of breakfast he had forced down that morning. The swaying motion of the carriage was already bad enough while sitting.
The orderly placed trees lining the road closest to the palace had long since transformed into the unruly growth of flora that made the forests through which the road passed. Twigs and branches snapped as the top of the carriage hit them, leaving a trail of leaves floating to the floor at their wake.
The young prince stared at the passing foliage, boredom and the need to remain still thanks to the alcoholic nausea that settled itself in the bottom of his stomach and the back of his throat kept him from doing anything else. Barely any animals could be seen from the road, the creatures preferring the concealing darkness of the shadows between the trees to the openness of the man-made road. After several hours the woods became thicker before they thinned out again sometime later, signaling home was drawing near.
The sun was setting over the tree tops and when they finally broke through the forests and into the surrounding rice fields of the capital the sunset red in the sky was being rapidly replaced by a mantle of star-streaked ink. The number of carriages had decreased throughout the trip, some of the royals choosing to part on the road towards their respective states along the way. Yunho wished he was one of those lucky souls that were probably already home and buried in their covers, minds deep into the world of dreams.
Heechul had woken up from his sleep just as they left the forest, his hang-over some fickle thing of the past. He had started to joke around upon regaining consciousness but one sharp look from Yunho, whose brain was still being tormented by a dull pounding, had him quieting his voice and keeping the laughing to a minimum. He knew he had gotten away with his party but the party was over now and his cousin would snap his neck if he kept the noise up.
By the time they arrived at the city gates the bridge had already been raised and the minutes it took for the city guards to lower it again were excruciating for Yunho. A bath was out of the question when his mind only craved sleep. Not even food seemed appealing even though they had barely eaten anything during the day.
A craving of a different sort, however, settled in Yunho’s mind as soon as they entered the city. He knew there was no way the Red Caravan’s show was still on stage but he still felt disappointed when he did not spot a single soul on the main square as they passed next to it on their way to the royal palace.
Heechul watched as his cousin spied outside through the small opening in the curtains on the windows. He seemed to be looking out for something, or someone.
“Have your eyes caught anything interesting?”
Yunho snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes turning to look at Heechul in what he hoped was an uninterested look.
“N-not at all.”
Heechul, however, could read Yunho like an open book and the guilt dotting Yunho’s eyes was perfectly visible to him.
“Okay, spill,” he said, enjoying a little bit how his cousin sat up straighter and cleared his throat.
“It’s seriously nothing, I’m just tired and my eyes and mind wandered,” Yunho said, knowing well that Heechul was aware of his terrible lying abilities.
Heechul stared at him for a minute in suspicion but thankfully he dropped the subject. What could Yunho say, really? ‘I’m looking into the still open pubs and brothels for that gypsy you wanted to kill the other night’? It was silly and he knew it but he could not help it.
Curiosity and something akin to obsession had taken over his body. Jaejoong fascinated him at least to some level, and he could not shake off the fascination with mere denial. The small vacation at the summer palace did nothing to keep his mind off the blonde and he was growing desperate.
Yunho forced himself to stop searching for the performer. Heechul and his own decency had caught him already and it would be foolish to continue his search. What would he do if he found Jaejoong anyways? Stupid, stupid Yunho, he thought.
He did not have to torture himself for long because minutes later the carriage reached the huge doors leading to the palace’s courtyard. Another carriage was waiting there to take the women back home while Yunho and Heechul tried not to stumble exhausted to their rooms.
Barely having any energy left to pull off his clothes and toss them on the floor, Yunho climbed under the covers in his undergarments, letting the servants the job of picking his mess up in the morning as he set into a deep sleep.
♥ ♥ ♥
Jaejoong sat staring at his jug of ale. It was still too early to be drinking but he had nothing else to do. The atmosphere back at the caravan had been stuffing, with Yoochun throwing him glances every other second after he caught him staring at the royal castle while they were putting away the props from last night’s show.
He had noticed that the prince had not arrived until very late at night. The clanking noises of horse hooves as they collided with the stone-paved road had woke him up when the carriages passed next to the main square of the capital. Even from where he stood on the caravan’s billowing opening shivering slightly from the chilly night breeze of early spring hitting his naked chest he could see the royal crest painted on the side of the moving carriages as they rode away and into the castle.
The blonde groaned, slamming his forehead on the table and not bothering with the pain that spread from the collision. It was not his fault he was so easily smitten! Changmin always said all his energy went to his heart and not enough to his brain. Maybe he was right.
His performance the night before was just short of pitiful, maybe because he was trying to spot a certain someone on the tall box that had yet to be pulled down even though the prince had not gone to their plays more than once since the festival started.
Jaejoong took a big gulp of the amber-colored drink. It was not the best quality and tasted slightly watered down but it eased down his throat and into his belly nicely. After finishing half of the mug he could feel the alcohol waves weighting down his bones in a pleasant way.
He stared out of the dirty window of the pub and watched people come and go across the street. Dozens of people strolled by, each one with a purpose, a task that needed to be completed before the sun sank behind the hills surrounding the boisterous city while his work started only after the sun gave way to the moon thus giving him way too much time to muddle his brain further.
A whiff of something warm overcame his nose, bringing him out of his contemplations. Sitting on the rough table in front of him were a plate of pottage and some slices of bread sitting next to it. It actually looked good, with some chunks of fish which you did not get in most of the pubs around the city.
“If you keep frowning like that you’re going to get wrinkles, handsome,” a voice said next to him.
Looking up he spotted the red-cheeked face of an older woman, probably the owner’s wife. She was plum and wore her hair covered by a handkerchief, probably to keep it out of the way while she helped around the place.
“What’s got you sighing every five minutes, eh, handsome?” she asked, taking the empty ale jug in front of him. “Troubles with love?”
“Sort of,” Jaejoong smiled at her.
“My, my, if you are having trouble there is no hope for us mere mortals! I’m sure you have all the girls lining up in front of you.” She slapped the blonde’s shoulder in a light-hearted way and laughed, making Jaejoong join her and cover his mouth in embarrassment.
“Anyway, there is nothing my pottage can’t cure, or at least it’ll keep your stomach full for a while. It’s really early for drinking and more so in an empty stomach. So eat up and don’t worry; it’s on the house, handsome.”
After that she winked at him and went away before Jaejoong could thank her properly. He drank the warm soup, feeling comforted as the thick concoction filled his stomach. When both pottage and bread were gone, however, he returned to staring out the window, his head filling with thoughts it would be safer not to think.
Part B
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 08:31 am (UTC)i guesss this is where the story really starts huh?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:04 am (UTC)You guess right, I'll post the rest of the chapter tonight ^^
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 08:26 am (UTC)i look forward to it~
no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 07:28 pm (UTC)since it was never inside of jae's POV it looked like he didn't like yunho but it turns out he does and only bullies the person he likes. :D
when changmin said that he uses more energy for his heart than his brain, does that mean he did like another person or people before and got hurt/rejected somehow?
who would ever reject jae!as always, the descriptions are top notch and i can't wait for part b tomorrow!!! XD
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:45 am (UTC)He doesn't bully him, he just lets Yoochun do the bullying XD
Well yes, remember Yoochun said Jae was a romantic person? If he was rejected or not it just means that when he falls for someone he falls hard.
It'll be up tonight ^^
no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 07:45 pm (UTC)I love this story and cannot wait for more.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 10:27 pm (UTC)I can't wait for their next meeting!
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-17 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 02:36 am (UTC)Wow free food cause of his beauty XD
no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 03:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-18 02:03 pm (UTC)