wherefore art thou daehyun

ot6, daehyun/youngjae, (slight) daehyun/himchan

"I have an announcement to make," Yongguk clears his throat one night at the dining table, watching as the members perk up at him. It pierces through the previous quietness and what comes after is a horrifyingly tense silence as Yongguk sits up straight. Youngjae realizes it's probably something important, so he places his chopsticks away. Himchan creases his eyebrows and gives his full attention to Yongguk. Junhong clasps his hands between his thighs, looking earnestly at the leader. Daehyun puts away his utensils after shoving his entire bowl of rice into his mouth.

The silence is so thick that the hanging rice grain on Jongup's lips stops wavering and stays still to listen.

"I've been thinking very hard on my identity in this group. How I fit in, how the public perceives me, how you guys look at me. It's tiring. To be this, to be me. Everyone always sees me as the scary leader of B.A.P. Fierce, frightening and unapproachable. It has made me question life."

Yongguk scrutinizes each of the member's faces, eyes sorrowful, before letting out a shaky exhale. Himchan leans forward, anxiety swirling in his chest and Youngjae purses his lips in consternation. Junhong's breath hitches in his throat as he grips onto the edge of the chair.

"And so, I've decided I want a higher voice."

Deafening silence follows, and Daehyun spews out the rice in his mouth at Jongup's face.

It is a crisis, TS decides and they instantaneously put all group activities on hold. They take it that Yongguk wants to transition from his manly no-one-screws-with-me-and-my-crew identity to a more bubblegum boy image and that's a no-no, since the foundation of B.A.P is Yongguk's manliness. Sort of. So they spend all of B.A.P's profits in the last month shipping possibly the most manliest products to Yongguk, from rusty barbeque grills to monster trucks to hot chicks. Correction, hot chicks aren't manly (that would be gross), but being around hot chicks is manly so TS gathers a bunch of really y Brazilian women to raid B.A.P's dorm one day. Yongguk ends up asking them if hormones affect voice pitch and the mission is deemed as a fail, so all the really (really) y Brazilian women are sent back. Much to Daehyun's utter dismay.

"JULIA."

A distraught Daehyun kneels at the door as he buries his face in what appears to be a floral towel. He takes a deep inhale and trembles with wails, clutching tightly at the only thing his love has left him.

"JULIA. COME BACK TO ME."

Daehyun yells loudly (emphasised by his speech typed in block capitals) as he crumbles to the floor, an-hour-old memories flooding him. Deep, heartfelt memories that basically amount to her strutting up and down the living room in a bikini. Tears slither from his eyes and drips down his chin as Daehyun tries his best to hold them back with a choking sob.

"YOU WERE THE ONLY REASON I WAS LIVING."

Jongup shifts on the couch as he flicks away a strand of auburn brown hair lying on an unfazed Yongguk's shoulder. All that is going through Yongguk's head are thoughts about life so deep that if he's put in a hole no one will be able to see him. 

"I thought her name was Melissa-"

Daehyun shoots daggers that bore through Jongup's head and the second youngest flees for safety. Angry tears streak down Daehyun's face and he turns his gaze to Yongguk, who sits nonchalantly trying to practise talking in a higher pitch. He rattles off on Martin Luther King quotes with his new high voice.

"YOU."

Daehyun points threateningly at Yongguk who stares back indifferently, in the midst of adjusting his tone to a more delicate one.

"YOU TOOK JULIA AWAY FROM ME."

Daehyun swears war on Yongguk with a battle cry and runs to his room to weep. Manager Kang decides that the war is manly so it's approved.

It is a major crisis, Himchan concludes when everything of his that is considered even remotely femenine is taken away by the company, which includes his facial care products. Youngjae and Jongup find that on the other hand, it's a good thing since they've gotten a lot of meat to eat since meat is manly (of course). Daehyun can't find it in him to care that his favourite teddy bear is being taken away (the company had a hard time deciding if it was manly or not since it was wearing army gear) due to the immense heartbreak of losing the love of his life. Youngjae finds her on facebook and almost gives him the address when he realizes she's engaged. And so he discreetly logs on to Daehyun's facebook and blocks Julia/Melissa after sending her tons of hate messages to get revenge for his BFF. Hey, what are friends for?

Back to Himchan, the second oldest can't bear to see his precious facial cleansers be taken away, so he charges straight for Yongguk's room. He finds a consultant inside with a very thick mustache and a buff physique, discussing seriously with their manager on changing Yongguk's name to Yongman because it exudes manliness. Yongguk is sitting at a corner with Junhong, the younger watching curiously as Yongguk tries to reach a high note. Which isn't really a high note, it's more of a middle C, really. His stuff is being filed out by workers in boxes, including his literature books. One falls out and a passing (and still moping) Daehyun catches it, eyes lighting up like he's seen light for the first time.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Daehyun whispers to no one in particular, caressing the book lovingly. "Juliet? Julia? Daehyun and Julia?"

Himchan spares one quizzical glance at Daehyun before turning back to Yongguk.

"Yongguk. We. Need. To. Talk."

Himchan pauses at every word, narrowing his eyes when Yongguk looks up with doe eyes. He's holding a book about vocal chords and Himchan kicks it out of his arms. Yongguk dives for it, knocking his face flat onto the ground. Himchan points to the boxes of BB cream being moved out of the house and shrieks uncontrollably.

"YONGGUK. THEY'RE TAKING AWAY MY BABIES. STOP THEM."

"Sor-" Yongguk clears his throat as he goes "meh meh meh" in a ditch attempt to have his pitch rise. He starts again when he reaches a satisfyingly high pitch.

"Sorry, Himchan. I can't."

Himchan releases a girly shrill that instantly attracts the attention of the manly consultant. He marches over and points an accusing finger at Himchan's face.

"This, this is not manly at all. It should be taken away now."

Himchan raises a hand menacingly......and slaps him.

"I was hoping you guys would support me on my journey," Yongguk says after gathering the team in the living room. Well, not the full team since Daehyun refuses to meet Yongguk after he allegedly ruined his life. Yongguk sadly looks at the notes he's holding, letters Daehyun has slipped under his door which mainly read "I HATE YOU YOU TOOK JULIA AWAY FROM ME DIE YOU ". Himchan growls and almost lashes out at the leader before Jongup stops him with a hand to his mouth. Youngjae shifts uncomfortably, exchanging looks with Junhong, before nodding.

"Of course, Yongguk-hyung, if that's what you want us to. I just don't really see the point of you changing your voice."

Yongguk leans back dramatically, fluttering his eyelids. "So is life. What is the point of life?"

A squeal echoes through the air and Jongup flies to the kitchen, whining in pain. Himchan's saliva drips from the poor, attacked boy's hand and Youngjae exhales wearily.

"DON'T YOU DARE GO ALL PHILOSOPHICAL ON US, YONGGUK. YOU SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR STUPID LIFE QUESTIONS AND GET BACK TO BEING MANLY OR SO HELP ME I AM GOING TO FLIP."

Himchan grits through his teeth as his eyes turn into slits.

"FLIP OUT."

The second oldest stalks out of the room and into the kitchen, fuming.

Jongup cries out in anguish. Again.

Daehyun spends his days of heartbreak cooped up in his shared room with Youngjae, reading Romeo and Juliet. It's kind of unnerving to see him huddled in a corner with Melissa- I mean, Julia's towel wrapped around his face, so Youngjae approaches him with caution. He leans down beside Daehyun and pats him on the back gently.

"Feeling better, buddy?"

Daehyun sniffs into the floral towel and nods slightly. 

"Melissa's just one out of tons of women out there. Don't feel so down."

Daehyun splutters into his towel.

"Her name is Julia."

Youngjae laughs awkwardly and grins uncomfortably because he's pretty sure that it's Melissa. "Hey, what's in a name? Come on, Daehyun. There are other great girls out there. Stop moping about and-"

"Wait," Daehyun lifts his head and stares straight at Youngjae, who blinks back.

"Juliet said that."

Youngjae fidgets under Daehyun's intense gaze. "Uhm?"

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," Daehyun wheezes out as he flips through the pages. "Act two, scene two, there, right there."

Daehyun pushes the book into Youngjae's face and the boy backs away slightly.

"Ah, that's great, uhm, I think," Youngjae grimaces a little because he's really not sure how to deal with Daehyun or where all of this is going. He decides it'll be better to leave so he spins on his heels but is pulled back, and he falls into Daehyun's chest. Daehyun's looking at him with glassy, hazy eyes, holding him bridal style which is plain awkward and wrong.

"Romeo and Juliet," Daehyun whispers as he reaches his hand down. "Daehyun and Julia," Daehyun murmurs as his hands make contact with Youngjae's cheeks, running down his skin.

"Daehyun and Youngjae," Daehyun breathes against Youngjae's face, staring deeply into the younger's eyes. His hands brush against Youngjae's eyes, and Youngjae gawks back at him with his jaw dropped.

A girly shriek resounds through the house, and the manly consultant clicks his tongue- I mean, he grunts disapprovingly with an incomprehensible amount of manliness.

Himchan makes it his personal mission to get Yongguk back to being manly and does it through several ways, including asking him out to the gym, dragging him to watch wrestling matches and also shopping for bar soap (which frankly grosses Himchan out). He dresses up in wife beaters, wears button-fly jeans and leaves his stubble unshaved. It doesn't work, though, Yongguk still wants to make his voice higher, so Himchan doesn't shave in a week and relentlessly brings him to shop for Calvin Klein underwear. Youngjae slams into him one day while trying to escape Daehyun, stops for a while to ask what happened to you, hyung? before bolting off like a maniac is chasing him.

Which is true, Himchan thinks when Daehyun charges past him with what looks to be a Shakespearean dress. No, seriously.

Jongup and Junhong emerge from the dorm, rubbing their temples. Jongup recoils immediately when he sees Himchan and locks himself inside Yongguk's room. A couple of "meh meh meh"s follow till Jongup peeks out and makes a sprint for Youngjae and Daehyun's empty room.

"What's with Daehyun?"

"Hyung read too much Romeo and Juliet and he kinda started seeing himself as Romeo. Julia became Juliet, and when Youngjae-hyung unknowingly quoted Juliet in the book, Julia became Youngjae-hyung."

Junhong shudders in a i-pity-youngjae-hyung-but-wow-i'm-really-glad-it-wasn't-me way.

"What's with the dress then?"

"Oh, Daehyun-hyung got a little too obsessed with Romeo and Juliet, so he's been trying since a few days ago to get Youngjae-hyung into one of those ancient dresses."

Junhong shivers in a i-pity-youngjae-hyung-but-wow-i'm-really-really-glad-it-wasn't-me way.

"He tied Youngjae-hyung to the wall while he was sleeping just now and tried to put on the dress for him. Youngjae-hyung woke up and I cut the rope for him, and now he's running. For his dignity. And his life."

Junhong quivers in a i-pity-youngjae-hyung-but-wow-i'm-really-really-really-glad-it-wasn't-me way.

"Dignity?" Himchan arches an eyebrow. Junhong nods fervently.

"Hyung, no man wants to wear a dress. Except for Scottish men, but they wear skirts, so."

Himchan pulls his lips to the side. "Well, it's pretty."

"Hyung, that's not the point. Daehyun-hyung is insane. He wants Youngjae-hyung to marry him and be his princess forevermore. That's a big problem, hyung. Our image is at stake. We could pull a 'You're Beautiful', but Youngjae-hyung's really a man."

Himchan furrows his eyebrows, nodding in agreement. He walks off to Yongguk's room before he halts abruptly.

"Did Daehyun say he wants Youngjae to be his princess forevermore?"

Junhong shrugs. "Yeah, those are the exact words. He keeps calling Youngjae-hyung by princess."

Himchan blinks hard at Junhong, and his surroundings turn into an abyss of darkness. He feels like he's floating, the disbelief hitting him like a train, sending him into a coma. 

"D-Did Daehyun pick Youngjae over me to be the princess?"

"D-Daehyun, please."

"Youngjae, I know you want this."

"D-Daehyun, I don't. P-Please, let me go."

"Turn."

"N-No, Daehyun."

"Youngjae, don't deny me. We've already come so far, there's no going back. Turn. See, that wasn't too hard, right? Bend over."

"Daehyun-"

"Bend over. Good. Now spread your legs. Arms out."

"I can't, Daehyun-ah. You've tied my hands."

"Then at least spread your legs."

"D-Daehyun-" Youngjae lets out a scream of pain, panting heavily.

"Tight," Daehyun examines the dress threatening to tear. He tries again to pull the strings together, only to have Youngjae yell again. The poor younger boy lets a small tear slip from his tightly shut eyes, feeling the fabric cut into his skin. He really, really can't believe women had to wear such dresses back then. What with the corsets and all.

"See, it's not that bad. You can move around in it. Spread your legs."

Youngjae wants to make a dash for the door but seeing the crazy look etched in Daehyun's eyes (and the fact that his hands are bound by thick rope), he decides against it and tries his best to move his legs. He's wearing those ancient called bloomers because Daehyun wanted every part to be exactly the same. Youngjae tries not to cry thinking about the fact that Daehyun had basically molested him all over while putting on the clothes for him. 

"You look so pretty, Youngjae. So, so pretty. Why hadn't I noticed this side of you till now?" Daehyun lifts Youngjae's chin and squeezes his cheeks. "Look at those large eyes. You look so much like Julia. So, so much."

"D-Daehyun," Youngjae sounds like he's about to wail out the Han River, shaking violently. "I'm not Julia, you've got to snap out of this-"

"Shush, my princess," Daehyun whispers, placing a finger to Youngjae's lips. He adjusts the wig on Youngjae's head and turns away, padding the floor with his large boots and ridiculously poofy costume.

"And now, we shall act out the balcony scene."

Youngjae cringes as Daehyun recites his line while looking at him as though he's about to devour him alive. It's his turn, and Youngjae can feel every bit of his manliness left run down the drain as Daehyun his lips at him. He's in a frilly dress, for gourd's sake, and he's wearing women of the last century. He blows the long, blonde locks out of his face and struggles.

"My princess, it is your turn to speak." Daehyun nears Youngjae with unreadable eyes that scare the crap out of Youngjae. He retreats into a corner and surrenders, swatting Daehyun away with a whimper.

"O-O D-Daehyun, Daehyun," Youngjae mumbles and his face flushes with an intense red. "Wherefore art thou Daehyun?"

Youngjae feels his pride dying away as Daehyun nods happily in approval. He's about to say the next line when the door bursts open. Himchan's fiery face emerges from the light, and Youngjae has never thought the face of salvation would be his drunk-looking, unkempt hyung.

"DAEHYUN!"

"Shut up, hyung, can't you see we're busy?" Daehyun seethes and marches towards Himchan, pushing him out. "If you'll kindly excuse me, I need to tend to my princess."

"I should be the princess!" Himchan stomps his foot petulantly. "The fans call me the princess of the group, princess. There is only one princess in B.A.P and that is me. I should rightfully be the princess." Daehyun arches an eyebrow.

"Hyung, have you even looked yourself in the mirror?" Daehyun laughs ruthlessly and walks over to Youngjae. "Look at Julia- I mean, Youngjae. He has soft, baby-like skin. Pouty, red lips. Large, doe eyes. He may be a little fat but he is destined to be a princess. My princess."

"How dare you, Jung Daehyun! I'll have you know that-" Himchan stops in front of Daehyun's mirror and gasps. He looks like a complete mess; his hair is tussled, his stubble is thick, his skin is peeling due to the lack of skin care products, all in the name of manliness.

"......I WILL BE BACK, JUNG DAEHYUN. I WILL. And then you'll see who's the princess." Himchan bellows and storms off in rage. Daehyun turns back to Youngjae with a maniacal smile.

"Now, shall we, my princess?"

"I've decided that I shall cease trying to be who I am not," Yongguk announces again, this time to only Junhong and Jongup since he can't find the rest of the members. Oh, and the manly consultant. "I have stopped questioning the reason of my existence. I am glad that I have found myself, however. It was a good experience."

The two youngest members breathe a sigh of relief before they're interrupted by Himchan, dolled up in thick make-up: mascara, lipstick, eye shadow, blush, foundation and- basically his face is caked with make-up. He's wearing a short dress that cuts off right underneath his . Jongup and Junhong stare at him in horror. The manly consultant cannot bear the amount of unmanliness so he leaps out of the window with a very (very) manly scream. Himchan grabs Junhong by the collar and shrieks.

"WHEREFORE ART THOU JUNG DAEHYUN!?"

Junhong trembles in Himchan's iron grip while Yongguk creases his eyebrows. "Himchan, "wherefore art thou" doesn't mean "where are you", do you even know."

"SHUT UP, YONGGUK. WHERE THE HELL IS JUNG DAEHYUN!?"

On cue, Daehyun emerges with a tied up Youngjae in his arms (bridal style, again). He has a sword made out of cardboard in the back of his pants and Youngjae is squirming frantically, begging for the rest of the members to help.

"My princess, though we may both be dead and gone, believe me, our love will live on! For death will never take our hearts. Now kiss me."

Daehyun smashes his lips against Youngjae, engaging in a passionate (though one-sided, since Youngjae is just there spluttering) kiss with Youngjae for everyone to see. Jongup's jaw falls to the ground. Junhong can't believe his eyes are still in his sockets. Yongguk questions the meaning of life again. Right there, before them, is Daehyun basically ravaging Youngjae's mouth while the younger squawks in terror. Youngjae kicks in fright and Junhong's pretty sure Youngjae fainted halfway for he stops struggling altogether, his limbs falling limp.

"The world can never take my heart!" Daehyun roars dramatically as he runs out of the house with a presumably unconscious Youngjae in his arms. Himchan yelps at them to come back and chases after them, high heels clacking against the cement floor.

And so peace and order is finally restored with Yongguk dumping his conquest for a higher voice. Well, sort of.