Page 64 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 13-16
“Why?”
“Because you’re loved. Because I’m loved. Because I trust you with my memory, with my music, with my friends, with Su-jin, with my sisters. Because you hold Richard’s heart and Émeric’s pride, because you make Collin breathe out and release just to see you. Because I trust you to hunt those who deserve to be found. For better or for worse.”
“If they come, if they take you, promise me you’ll fight again. Promise me.”
Jun cupped Damian’s face in his hands, the feeling in his chest rising and choking him until he could guide it into speech. “They don’t know what’s been woken, DaSu. They don’t know what I’m capable of. I’m the wolf.”
The music stayed under Jun’s skin as he showered and dressed, words starting to come to him as his hands moved, rubbing balms and serums into his skin. It was almost there, like a dragon egg about to tear itself open inside his chest. He got through the morning, a light breakfast, security briefs, checking in with Mi Hi. In almost no time, as far as his senses were aware, they were driving to the venue. Cleaners were out in the seats setting up. Last-minute checks were going on with the lights. Yohei confirmed with everyone which parts they wanted to run one more time.
Jaewoong and Su-jin did some vocal warm up and left with Mi Hi to do a TV spot for an hour. Jun took a podcast call in his dressing room for fifteen minutes with a host that squealed way too much. He hoped, if she ever came to a concert, he had security on hand. She seemed like the type who would try to throw herself over the ropes to grab people she hadn’t been invited to touch.
All it took, though, was Collin slipping into the room to make him forget the loud sounds and slide back into his peace, the music simmering just under his skin again.
“Ellisandre asked me to drop these off,” he said. “They’ve been…tagged. Your tags have been tagged.” He opened the box in his hand, showing all six of Jun’s most common earrings that served as his tags from Damian arrayed on velvet inside.
Jun picked one up and examined it. He could tell they’d had extra bits worked into them, but they were still perfect. “Thank you. They have a tracker on you, too?”
“Not a sex toy this time,” Collin gave a half-grimace. He touched his wrist and motioned towards his foot. “Believe me, there’s more than one. One more comment and Émeric is just going to inject a tracker in my shoulder.”
Jun grimaced, then smirked. “You’d let him.”
Collin groaned and rolled his eyes. “Try getting kidnapped. Wait, you’ve done that.”
Jun laughed, stopped in surprise, met Collin’s eyes, then laughed again. He offered a fist bump and Collin met him, their knuckles tapping each other. They grinned in mutual ruefulness.
“To not getting kidnapped again,” Jun said.
“Yes, let’s do that,” Collin said. He looked around, as if suddenly anxious.
Jun held out his hand and pulled Collin in. “Nervous?”
“Shouldn’t be. You and 5N are the targets.”
“No, we all are,” Jun said. “I know you didn’t have to be here. Thank you.”
“You’re ours,” Collin said. He leaned into Jun, hugging back fiercely. Their kitten had muscular arms. All that construction work had changed him. “We don’t leave people behind.”
Jun’s chest swelled with that feeling again. He pressed his lips against Collin’s hair, either in a promise or a benediction, he didn’t know, but it was with his whole heart. “We’ll get through this together.”
Collin stepped back, but didn’t let go. “You’re going to be amazing. The rehearsals look even better here than they did at St. Elmo’s.”
“It’s the lights and the bigger space with the screens. They make us bigger and louder.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to do this tour in the new space?”
“St. Elmo’s is large, but it’s a different kind of space. Needs a different kind of performance. But we will. When the space is ready, we’ll do a program meant for just for what it is.”
Something intimate. Something sacred. Something that took them beyond idols and into poetry.
Poetry and rage. Poetry and despair. Poetry and redemption. He could see it. It flowed through him, an idea made of silk not yet cut into a garment.
He needed to stay in the here and now. This performance hadn’t even been done yet and his imagination was already flowing ahead. He was brimming with the magic that made things. Pressing his lips to Collin’s head one more time, he hugged him tight.
Run-throughs of different parts of the program went smoothly. Jaewoong shivered as they walked off from their last practice section. “Shit, I almost want something to go wrong. What if it all waits to break until we’re performing?”
Yohei shoulder checked him. “Don’t jinx it.”
“We’re ready. That’s why nothing went wrong. We’re good, guys.” Jun said. That place inside of his belly agreed. They were ready.
