The Deuce

In memory of the victims of November 13th attacks in Paris.

9 :35 – Rue La Fayette, Paris

“Bum, come on, we’re going to be late! Natalie won’t be waiting forever!”

In a hurry, Kibum took his bag and coat he had left earlier on the couch before joining his impatient flat mate at the entrance.

Taemin was already dressed and had his shoes on his feet; an annoyed expression could be seen on his face. Kibum hated it when Taemin pressured him like this – especially in the morning and before an important exam.

“God, Taemin, calm down, will you? I bet your lovely girlfriend is gossiping with the others about that new hot guy.” Kibum mocked, making Taemin even more annoyed.

Kim Kibum, 24, was in his second and last year of Master in fashion studies. His interest in the field came from his parents, who both of them used to work in the fashion area. The fact that he has always lived in Paris boosted everything. So other than his Korean origins and name, he had no connection to his native country. He had never thought about having one, to be honest. He loved Paris, he loved France.

Taemin (the little annoying flat mate), came into his life a few years ago as he was looking for someone to share a apartment with him. At the time, the younger boy was the shiest thing in the world with a cute bob cut and a bag pack that was way too big for his small body. And there he was now, a confident young man changing girlfriends as often as Kibum was changing his wardrobe. Hopefully the current one, Natalie, would last longer…

“Hey, Kibum”, The younger began. “I got a message from Natalie” he hesitated.

“What is it; she’s mad at us?” Kibum asked, putting his scarf around his neck.

“She’s not coming after all… Saying that she has to stay home to look after her brother” Taemin explained with a tiny voice. 2So… coffee time before your exam?” He suggested.

“Deal, but you’re paying since you pressured me for nothing!” Kibum demanded as he opened the front door.

11 :13 – Charles-De-Gaule Airport, Paris.

Music has always been Jonghyun’s biggest passion in life. Ever since he was a child, he accumulated experience on and off stage; singing whenever he had the occasion, never leaving his guitar.

After his graduation from high school, he decided to take a gap year so he could travel around the world. A year had become two, and then three, and then the idea of going to university dropped out of his mind. Instead, Jonghyun kept traveling, meeting new people and singing on different small stages or on the streets – this is what made him happy.

Paris was one of the destinations he had enjoyed the most; there he had the chance to meet his three closest friends; Matthew – that Jonghyun likes to call him his “American equivalent” since he was leading pretty much the same life as him- and Minho and Jinki – a cute couple he met during one of his street-performances. The three of them were living in the French metropolis.

Jonghyun wasn’t that big of a fan of Eagles of Death Metal, however, when he got called twice about the concert, couldn’t find any excuse not to accept the suggestion. Having fun with his friends while visiting them and the famous ‘city of love’ was indeed a good idea. It didn’t take much time for the man to take the decision.

And there he was now, standing in the middle of the hall with three pairs of arms around his frame, cheerful greetings in his ears, and baggage forgotten behind him.

“Jonghyun! I missed you so much!”

“Hey, have you grown up? You seem taller” Minho mocked (because yes, there was a small height difference between the two of them).

“Yah! Is this how you greet a buddy that you haven’t seen for a while?!” Jonghyun lectured, mimicking an offended expression. “Hey, Jinki, how are you?” He turned to the oldest of the band and gave him a warm hug.

“It’s good to see you” Jinki smiled. “Your new hair color suits you perfectly by the way.”

“Oh, thanks!”

Yeah, Jonghyun thought that he had taken the right decision about this trip; he had missed those three dorks very much

15:57 – Quai des Marnes, Paris

“Oh my god, Key, you need to come, please, please please!”

Kibum groaned in frustration; going to a concert was the last thing he was planning to do after a long and exhausting week. He was more into taking a bath and enjoying himself in front of a good movie. Of course, Natalie had to ruin everything.

“Nat’, look, I would love to join you guys, but I’m not...”

“Nope, nope, nope!” Natalie interrupted him. “No excuses are accepted! I have this extra ticket, we’re al going to be there and guess what, Lucas is coming too!” She confessed.

The reaction didn’t take much to come as a pink tint covered Kibum’s face, making the girl laugh.

Lucas was a common friend of Kibum and Natalie, a cute guy in their faculty. His fair and shiny was always well stylized, and his blue eyes managed to make his heart flutter when Kibum looked into them. Too bad he wasn’t interested in boys...

“Nat’ don’t you dare using him to trick me!” Kibum threatened with a menacing tone, in vain.

“But please, Key!” Natalie whined “You’ll see, the group is so good, you’re going to love it!”

Love it? Kibum didn’t even know the name of the so-called group, and wasn’t even a big fan of what his colleagues’ musical tastes. In this case, even Lucas’s attendance couldn’t do much to make up his mind.

In hope of winning this battle, Kibum just kept walking down the street in silence; maybe the short girl would give up.

“Key!” Natalie persisted “Come ooooooon! You’ll see, you’re not going to regret it, I promise you!”

Who was he kidding? It was impossible to win over Natalie.

18:31 – Le Carillon bistro, Paris – 11th

Looking at the people around him, Jonghyun thought that maybe his outfit wasn’t the best one for the circumstances, but he was way to lazy to dress up, especially with the concert that was about to come.

“Hey Jonghyun!” Matthew, one of the guys started. “Where have you been these pas few weeks? London? Madrid?”

“Oh, just travelling around Europe, no metropolises. But I think I’ll be heading back to Korea, for good this time.” Jonghyun confessed, to everyone’s surprise.

“How come?” Another asked. “I thought you’d end your life in some creepy place, maybe in Siberia or wherever”, he joked, to which Jonghyun smiled.

He had thought the same, however he started to really miss his family and hometown, even if these past years were full of amazing memories and incredible experiments. Of course, he’d continue to live off of music, but it was time for him to settle down somewhere and have a stable life.

“You guys will have to come to see my home, alright?” Peeking at his watch, Jonghyun took the last sip of beer he had in his glass. There was still some time left before the beginning of the concert.

“Hey, how about another round?” He suggested.

20:13 – Bataclan, Paris 11th .

Kibum didn’t want to admit he had accepted Natalie’s offer because of Lucas, even if almost everyone (except Lucas himself) knew the French boy was the main reason for his presence.

“Eagles of Death Metal? Why the hell would you call your band like that?” He scoffed. “Who gave them this idea? How did you find out about them, anyway?“

“’Bum, will you just shut up?” Taemin stopped him in his complaining “If you’re here just to piss us off with your rambling, you may as well leave right now.”

“Okay, okay” Kibum rolled his eyes while rubbing the nape of his neck.

He then felt a hand gently squeezing his shoulder; only by the touch of it, he guessed it was his crush. Kibum met Lucas’s eyes and drowned himself into the deep and fascinating blue, almost forgetting that there were a thousand of people around them.

Suddenly the lights turned off and a loud guitar riff blasted from the speakers followed by the screams of the audience. Kibum observed the performance of the group and the surroundings, Taemin and Natalie were enjoying themselves like kids, shaking their heads to the rhythm of the music whereas Lucas was singing the lyrics with a hand in the air, the rest of the group cheered for the band.

Kibum might as well enjoy himself during these next hours, Eagles of Death Metal weren’t that bad. Except for their name.

21:32 – Bataclan, Paris 11th

A little bit than an hour into the concert, and Jonghyun felt already like he was losing his voice and that his throat was become sore from all the screaming and singing. Minho, Jinki and Matthew were in the same state, and even worse. The artists seemed like in a trance during their performance. Everything was perfect at this point.

Jonghyun didn’t know what he was thinking when he took his phone out of the back pocket of his ripped grey jeans, but the whole world fell apart when he laid eyes on the push notification that was mocking him through the bright screen.

Major terrorist atrocity in Paris, as many as 18 people reported dead, and second suicide-explosion at Stade de France.

Everything stopped around him, he was disconnected with his surroundings. The only thing he could think of was this sentence announcing massive killing and explosions, just a few kilometers away from there. Jonghyun didn’t know how to react, or what to say. In the end he just decided not to say anything and let the other enjoy the show.

He was about to lock the screen and put his phone back in the pock when a hand wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from doing anything. Jonghyun looked up and was met with a young man with an unreadable expression on his face, jaw clenching as the words seemed to be processed in his mind. The boy released Jonghyun’s wrist after a while, shaking his head in disbelief. He then mouthed a small “merci” and turned his head back in direction of the stage.

Sighing, Jonghyun put his phone back in his pocket, the mood after the concert wouldn’t be that cheerful for the audience.

21:39 – Bataclan, Paris 11th

Kibum didn’t know how he should feel about those terrorist attacks: afraid, or angered, or maybe indifferent?

Ever since the beginning of the year, France has been the victim of such terroristic acts; it started with Charlie Hebdo, then the Kosher Supermarket issue and the Thalys incident. Although he had sweared not to be afraid by those inhuman living beings, this situation started to worry him a lot. Was he supposed to get used to this?

Once again, he felt a hand on his shoulder and Kibum turned to see Taemin giving him a concerned look before approaching his face to the elder.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Taemin asked in his ear.

Kibum was about to answer when piercing scream of fear and agony resonated along with gunfire sounds at the back of the theater, making his blood run cold. The music stopped and the only thing Kibum could see was people running, trying to escape. Some of them were on the ground, covered in blood. He desperately looked around him to find Taemin and the others; they were nowhere to be seen. Instead he had in front of him the view of how innocent people were losing their lives, and how easily those men covered in black were taking them away.

He didn’t know why, but he could bring himself to move his feet and hide somewhere. He kept on looking for his friends, still in vain, until he fixed one of the terrorists. His face was fully masked except his eyes. What Kibum saw in them was nothing but death and thirst for blood. His brain was screaming at him to run as the gun was pointed at him and a glint of sadism appeared in the terrorist’s eyes.

Suddenly, he found himself on the ground with a body on him and silver hair before his eyes.

“What the hell?! Are you insane?” Kibum heard a voice hissing in a broken English. “Were you trying to get killed?!”

It happened to be the same guy from whom he read the news earlier. This same guy he had noticed enjoying himself like crazy besides him during the whole concert with his own bunch of peeps. He looked quiet different, all serious, and even rational about everything. Kibum tried to free himself from the body on him, only to be stopped by the other.

“Don’t move,” he ordered. “They will kill us if they notice we’re alive”.

Kibum only nodded and tried to calm himself down. Gunshots continued to be heard along with screams and cries of agony, but it wasn’t before he felt the stranger’s arms tighten around him that he realized his body had started to shake because of his own crying.

Things seemed to get quieter, as the attackers headed to the first floor, where dozens of people tried to hide. Jonghyun lifted his head to observe the surroundings, and slowly got up. Noticing that no major danger was imminent, he took Kibum’s hand in his and pulled him up.

“Let’s go, our people are hidden over there” Jonghyun informed the younger, dragging him to the back of the theater.

Kibum complied and followed the other with closed eyes. The smell of death made him feel nauseous, but he kept moving on. Arriving in the backstage, Jonghyun headed them in front of a door that he quietly opened.

“Guys, it’s just me” Jonghyun informed.

A few steps later he could see Taemin, and Kibum couldn’t help but run to him and tightly embrace him.

“Oh my God, Taemin you’re safe!” Kibum cried, holding onto the younger boy as if his life depended on him. “You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?!” He pulled away and started checking him from head to toe. “And where are Natalie and the others?”

“I don’t know, and no, I’m alright”, Taemin answered. “But I think he’s been hurt pretty badly” He added, pointing at person on his right.

Kibum averted his eyes on him; his blue shirt was stained in blood, and he was holding on his left arm.

“Minho, keep your eyes open, help is about to come and get us, just wait a little bit.”

“I’m fine” Minho answered. “It shouldn’t be too serious anyway. Are you guys okay?”

“I cannot reach Natalie” Taemin declared with worry. “The phone is ringing but she’s not answering. Come on, pick up the phone” He urged.

“Stop calling, she may get into trouble” Minho spoke.

“But…”

“Minho’s right” Jonghyun, added, his eyes on his phone. “Some of the audience is being held in hostage by the perpetrators at this very moment.” He then fixed Taemin. “If they hear her phone ringing, she’ll be killed right away.”

A heavy silence followed Jonghyun’s affirmation. Kibum embraced Taemin once again in hope of comforting him as much as he could. They needed to be strong.

“Hey, we should introduce ourselves, shouldn’t we? We’re going to be stuck in here for a while, let’s at least get to know each other some more, right?” Minho suggested to Taemin and Kibum. “I’m Minho, 23 years old, from Korea but I’ve been living in Paris for ten years now” He started. “I have a brother and I love football. What about you?”

“My name is Kibum,” he talked with hesitation looking at the floor the whole time. “I’m 24, from Paris, my parents are Korean though. Studying fashion design, I’m in my last year of master.” He looked up at Jonghyun as he felt he was observed by him. “And you?”

“I’m Jonghyun, 25, a global citizen, also from Korea. I’m living off music and I came here to pay a visit to Minho and Jinki. I met them a few years ago, and we’re really close.”

“Yeah, I still remember your performance back then, it was amazing!” Jinki cheered with enthusiasm! “Oh... I’m sorry, I’m Jinki, 25, fresh owner of a Korean restaurant in the center of Paris, things have been doing well.” Jinki happily introduced himself. “But… I guess from tomorrow on I’ll also be a nurse,” he turned his head to Minho. “I’ll have to take care of this guy I’ve been sharing my life with for some time now.” He added, Minho’s cheek.

“I Hope you’ll be okay” Taemin voiced. “Uhm, I’m Taemin, from Seoul. I’m 22, I wanted to study abroad so I just decided to come here, and now I’m in a dancing school that I should finish by the end of the academic year.”

And so they started talking, forgetting little by little the threat that was outside, but never completely. Jonghyun couldn’t bring himself to relax, always keeping an eye on the door, expecting the perpetrator to enter at any moment.

At some point, Kibum stood up from the circle the five of them had formed and went to the window; the streets were crowded with police cars and ambulances, armed people he assumed were from the RAID were preparing themselves to enter the theater.

He looked at his watch, it was only 22:25.

After a while, he felt a presence by his side; it was Jonghyun.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, looking through the window.

“Could have been better” Kibum answered. “I just hope this mess will end soon.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

“By the way, thank you…” Kibum started, only to be thrown back on the ground by Jonghyun as the door of the room forcefully opened.

Jonghyun put a hand on Kibum’s mouth to prevent him from making noise

Gunshots and scream could be once again heard from downstairs; the massacre still wasn’t over and now it seemed the perpetrators were after them. Kibum felt his whole body freeze in panic and fear. That was it, he was going to die right now.

A new wave of gunshots started in the office. Different items fell on the ground and broke one after another as the bullets hit them. Kibum cuddled up to the elder male, eyes shut tightly, praying for a good end. After a while, silence replaced the blasts of explosion. Thinking it was safe, Kibum dared to open his eyes and looked for the other three boys. Seeing them hidden behind the desk, he went to stand up only to be, once again blocked on the ground by Jonghyun.

“Don’t you move,” he hissed, brows furrowed.

Kibum only nodded. He couldn’t help but admire the face above his, a face that he would remember forever, the face of the person who saved his life twice. The beautiful face of Kim Jonghyun. Kibum stretched out his hand to brush the other’s cheek and was met with soft skin. For a second he forgot where he was, why Jonghyun was on him, everything.

Until the shootings started again, window panes exploding near them. Jonghyun dragged them to Minho, Jinki and Taemin, where it was a bit safer. The five of them held onto each other, outside, the seemed to become more heated. Bullets were continuously flying inside the Bataclan hall, neither of them knew how much time it would last.

23:46 – Bataclan, Paris 11th

“The RAID is inside” Jonghyun announced, eyes on his phone screen. “They should get us soon.”

“Oh, Dear Lord, finally. Minho, you heard that?” Jinki added “You’ve got to stay strong, don’t fall asleep now,” he pleaded. “Wait just a little bit longer.”

The chaos had ended per se, but hostages were still kept near them while the number of victims and injured kept raising and raising – Minho was one of them. He felt numb and the need for sleep increased with each passing second.

“Jinki, don’t worry I’ll be okay, I’m just tired.”

“No, Minho!” Jonghyun argued. “If you fall asleep right now you may..”

“Il y a quelqu’un ici? Nous sommes du RAID, manifestez-vous, s’il vous plait,” a voice interrupted him from the entrance of the office.

Without hesitation, Kibum raised his hand and manifested their presence to the officer.

“Here! We’re five, and one is injured!” He announced with a trembling voice. “Please, help him, he’s losing lots of blood!”

00:31 – 50, Bvd Voltaire, Paris 11th

Blue, red, blue, red, blue, red. Blue, red; everywhere.

The walls of the buildings around Jonghyun were all painted with the emergency lighting of the ambulances and police vehicles. First Aid workers took care of injured people. Some of the ambulances sirens resounded as they were leaving for one of the many busy hospitals.

Luckily, besides some cuts on his arms, he didn’t suffer from major injury, and Minho was about to be taken care of. With Jinki never leaving his side, Jonghyun was sure that Minho would be okay.

The little Taemin got lucky too, as he found out that his girlfriend and his friends were all alive even though they were kept in hostage for about two hours. Jonghyun could see the young one embracing Natalie and her hair. He thought they looked good together.

With a small smile on his face, Jonghyun turned around and spotted Kibum on a stretcher, getting his injuries treated by a nurse. He contemplated the younger, observing every single part of him – his face, his delicate neck, his arms and hands. Looking back to his face, he noted that Kibum had seen him too and was now staring at him.

No words were needed, just two smiles to understand the gratitude toward each other.

Author's Note:

Hello!
Maybe this is not what you’ve been expecting as a Secret Santa gift, and I’m sorry if this will kill the Christmas mood.

I got the plot on November 10th, and I admit that I had some hard time to figure out what I could be writing. The Paris attacks happened only three days later, on November 13th and it affected me really much, since I have lots of friends in Paris. I was in the middle of a party when I got the news and as soon as I went back home, I started writing about this, and then the Secret Santa Prompt came back into my mind.

I’m sure that the world was falling apart for all of the people at the Bataclan theater, but also for the families and friends of the victims.

About the title:

Three reasons I chose this title

The Deuce is the title of one of EODM songs. I chose it not for the lyrics of the song, but for the multiple meanings of the word “Deuce”.

Deuce, is “Two” in ancient French. In the beginning, I thought it could represent Jonghyun and Key.

Last but not least, Deuce also means the Devil in some expressions, it is linked to the perpetrators of the attacks.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed my gift, once again, sorry for not giving you something more cheerful.

Merry Christmas!