Injured

Kyungsoo’s POV

Hong Kong

Waving arms. Wet kisses. Excited squeals.

I’d always welcome a chance to do something fatherly with my sons. Even in the ten morning minutes before we had to rush off to the airport to catch a flight to HongKong for the Mnet Asian Music Awards 2013. The way their bright shimmering eyes twinkled and stared at me as if I was the best thing that ever walked the face of earth, the way they would make those precious yet not entirely understandable baby speeches, the way their tiny fist gripped my shirt when I hugged them, the way they waved their chubby arms through the glass window as we got into our vans to leave.

It had only been a couple of hours since we left them in the care of Jongin’s mother with a promise that they would be tuning in to the live broadcast of MAMA but I already missed them. With a hectic schedule like ours, every moment spent with them was more precious then any treasure in the world.

When I said that to Jongin, he just laughed at my silliness and placed a hand on my shoulder. Gah, no use talking to this kid about sentiment. I mean, look at him and his knitted sweater, looking like a teenage boy. As we walked down the escalator, he kept his hand on me while I could still hear him giggling away at my “cheesy” comment as he called it. Cliché as it might sound, I always felt something missing when I was away from our sons. And I guessed I had gotten so used to the overly protective and matured Jongin that I’d kind of forgotten the playful, childish side of him.

Nevertheless, he stuck by my side as we walked through the crowded airport and as we wanted for our van to transport us to the MAMA stage for rehearsals. We had been practising day and night for this stage and a part of me was extremely excited to present our hard work and efforts to our fans. Another side of me was beyond nervous for the huge performance as well as the awards ceremony. This had been an extraordinary year of EXO and I couldn’t ask for anything more. But the amount of effort that had been put into our ablum had been insanely huge, not just by our members but by our staff, producers, coordinators, cheorographers and many others who had contributed one way or the other towards the making of the album.

I digress.

Back to the rehearsal, the stage, the desks, the lighting, everything was designed to make a dramatic impact. And for once, I was glad that I wasn’t in the same group as Jongin. The dance was full of powerful moves and slick manoeuvre. Even during rehearsals, the way he moved to the beat, the way he danced to the rthymn was so hypnotic that I nearly missed my cue watching him dance.

Then came the actual performance.

The black leather on the grey jackets, the dramatic smokey make-up, all of us were completely pumped up for the performance. Even Baek and Yeol who sported huge eyebags from the lack of sleep while caring for newborn JinHwan looked hyped up and excited for our huge performance. But my eyes could only see one. As we stood backstage, our eyes met and he reached for my hands. He gave me a tight squeeze and flashed a tiny grin before the VCR started playing and we rushed to our starting position under the blanket of darkness.

As I sat at my table, my heart was thumping furiously and soon the beginning sequence of our performance began. From the corner of my eye, I watched Luhan run on to the stage with the actress in toll as I took in one last deep breath. The lights dimmed up as we started our dance sequence. Ripping our chains off the tables, jumping on to the chairs then the tables, synchronised sharp arm movements before the opening sequence was over. We made our way down to the main stage to ‘Growl’ and ‘Wolf’ when it happened.

Stupid stupid me.

Being on the highest level of the desk set-up, I had the longest distance to cover to my positiong for ‘Growl’. While I didn’t have time to idly walk over, I did have time to jog there. However, the hyped-up, andrenaline-high me just had to sprint.

Pain exploded.

Surprisingly, I managed to regain my balance.

But every step on took, every bit of weight I placed on that foot, sent a burst of pain rushing up my leg. Black spots danced in my eyes and it took all my energy to keep the tears from spilling over. I wanted to give up. I wanted to limp off the stage at that very moment. I wanted to throw in the white towel.

But I couldn’t.

This was the biggest event; it was THE event of the year.

It was something all of us had been anxiously looking forward to. It was something that all of us had practised so hard for. And it wasn’t fair for me to give that up. And I gritted my teeth and danced on. Part of Growl’s cheorography required us to hop around. I tried. I really did. But the pain was just unbearable so I improvised, hopping on the same uninjured foot instead of switching feet. But stepping on their foot was inevitable. And each time I did, the agony of the sprained ankle became longer, sharper and clearer.

I can do this. Come on, Kyungsoo. You can do this. Dongwoo and Jungwoo are watching you. The fans are watching. You can do it.

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Jongin’s POV

MAMA 2013 performance stage

Time became nothing but the space between drumbeats as I lost myself in the dance, the sheer response from the audience and the soaring guitar notes that melt into one another. I felt everything turn to sweat and smell and sound, as I had. I was energy, I was noise. A heartbeat that went boom, boom, boom, echoing the drums. As I danced to the connecting sequence between Growl and Wolf, I basked in the energy of the crowd and immersed myself in the moment.

More screams as we started to perform Wolf. As I glanced at the audience, I could see the excitement and joy on the individual faces. Bright placards waving the air. Lightsticks swaying to the beat.

This was what I had envisioned in my trainee years. This was what I had dreamt of all my life. This was what I worked so hard for.

To dance.

To perform.

T---

That was when I saw.

Kyungie grimacing.

And suddenly that became the centre of my attention, the only thing I could see, hear or think.

As he returned to stand in front of me in the double tree formation, the pain on his face was undeniable. My eyes followed him as he went out to sing once again. His voice was clear and strong and his movements showed no signs of pain or injury. But as he made his way back to the tree formation, our eyes locked and I saw it all.

He was in pain.

Screw this performance.

I was about to rush to his side, pick him up and dash off stage as he slid into his position behind Baek. As he maintained my eye contact over Baek’s shoulder, a tiny frown and he broke off all eye contact to look down.

And I knew.

I knew exactly what he was telling me.

I knew but I didn’t like it.

How was I supposed to just let him continue dancing in pain? So what if this was the biggest event of the year? I didn’t even know what was going on. Why was he hurting? What happened? So many questions and yet I could do nothing but keep an eye out for him as we completed the dance routine and concluded the performance.

Once the performance ended and the lights dimmed, the staff rushed us off stage. Although hands were pushing me towards the stage, I resisted and turned back, searching for the one person that I was dying of worry for. I saw him almost instantly, trying his hardest not to limp. Waiting for him to catch up, I stuck close to him as he hurried off stage. The moment we were out of the audience’s sight, his legs weakened and he almost stumbled. I almost scooped him up in my arms bridal style and carried him towards the waiting room. His arms wrapped around my neck as he leaned his head against my chest. Beads of sweat lined his forehead and his breath laboured. Immediately, Manager hyung took over and whisked him off to the nearest hospital. The worst part? They refused to let me go with him. I didn’t even have the time to plead or beg to be allowed to follow before they carried him out to the van. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and pure worry. I still had no idea what the hell was going on and they didn’t let me go along?!

Before I had the time to at least calm down, we were whisked back onto the platform where all the stars were seated. As I watched the concert, my mind was never present, always on Kyungie. How was he now? Was he feeling ok? Has the pain subsided?

“EXO!”

What?

What just happened?

The members were all standing up and hugging each other. Some hands grabbed my arms and lifted me to my feet. In the blankness of my mind trying to process everything at once, I find myself on stage standing alongside my members receiving the Album of the Year award.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

We won!

WE WON!

The members pushed me to the front to give a short speech after Yixing hyung and Luhan hyung finished their Chinese speech. All I could think of was how I wished Kyungie was here to celebrate this with me, right by my side. The thought of that brought fresh tears to my eyes but I knew that he was here with me, celebrating with me through his heart and soul.

“I can’t really think of what to say at the moment…” Why was I even in front of the microphone I had no idea. My voice quivered as I proceeded to thank my members, fans, family, staff etc. Tears threatened to spill as I quickly concluded my speech and took a step back before the tears started to fall freely. Baek and Yeol, as sensible as they had ever been, rose to the occasion. Baek took over the mike as Yeol enveloped me in his arms where I cried for a few seconds. The night’s emotional ups and downs were making me completely sentimental and teary. The most wonderful performance, Kyungie getting injured, receiving the biggest award we had ever received as EXO. As I struggled to maintain my composure, I simply couldn’t wait to get to a phone or better still, to Kyungie’s side, to tell him the good news.

Kyung ah! WE DID IT!

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Kyungsoo’s POV

Hong Kong airport

And he called me sentimental.

The moment he saw me on the hospital bed, he brought down into another wave of tears. Oh yes, I saw him cry on television. And the floodgates reopened when he arrived at the hospital. And now he was throwing a huge fuss with the managers because they wouldn’t let him ride in the same van as I was in.

“I’ll be fine, Jongin ah. I’ll see you at the airport!” Waving slightly, I closed the van door shut and watched him through tinted windows pout slightly before making his way to the other van. I just didn’t want Jongin to see my dejected face. I couldn’t stop thinking about the performance the day before. How I wished that I was able to deliver the performance that we had all envisioned. If not for my injury…

When I emerged from the van on my clutches, a huge grin was plastered on my face because I knew I had to assure my fans that I was fine. The fans maintained their distance, giving me space to move but soon the crowd closed in and my smile soon turned upside down. My brow furrowed in concentration as I tried to make my way through the crowd as safely as possible without hurting anyone with my clutches. Through the sea of people, I briefly saw Jongin turn back to look for me and that brought a tiny smile back to my face. He pushed his way to my side and I gave him a faint smile. After that, he stuck close to me once again and I didn’t complain. His hand on my shoulder never felt more comforting and soothing.

By the time we arrived back to the dormitory, I was completely exhausted. My ankle was starting to act up again and my other foot was completely drained from being overly relied on. I collapsed onto the couch exhausted. And the next sight that welcomed me home brought a genuine grin onto my face.

It was the silliness, the pure decadence yes, but it was the silliness that was so dizzying: a pair of one-year-olds scrambling as quickly as their tiny legs and arms could carry them towards the couch. It was done with such urgency that made it silly, like it was as urgent as an item on their daily agenda like eating. They struggled at the each of the couch, trying to reach me but failing miserably.

Before I could push myself up to lift them to me, a pair of muscled arms swooped the twins up.

“Listen, sweethearts. Daddy’s hurting right now. And we have to be gentle alright?”

The twins stared at Jongin as if they understood.

Soon, gentle kisses were planted on my throbbing ankle as Jongin carried them, guiding them along my body until they reached the top of my chest. He then slowly lowered the twins on my chest and they proceeded to spread open their chubby arms to enclose me in their warmth.

As I snuggled with my babies, my eyes were fixed on Jongin. He bent down and gently planted his lips on mine. This was the kind of kiss I liked the most. Slow and sweet. It had as much breath as touch, as much no as yes. He leaned in to the side, and I turned a little to make it happen. His hands rested on my neck and he rubbed his thumb along my jaw. As he pulled away slowly, whilst our lips were still touching, he whispered.

“I love you.”

The joy in those three little words, I knew it was real. That was how it felt to be loved by him. Just a smile would put me on a high, just a kiss would set my soul alight.

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Jongin’s POV

Another exciting day!

The press conference for the premiere of our very own variety show!

This time I was able to be seated beside Kyungie. His ankle had gotten much better since the MAMA performance a week ago. We were all smiles, totally excited about this press conference when someone just had to bring up the injured ankle and his absence when receiving the awards. Talking about it wasn’t easy because when we did on the night we returned to Korea, he broke down in tears when sharing his upmost regret of not being able to perform as best as he could. A wet sheen coated his eyes as he struggled slightly to keep the tears from falling. Glad to be seated right beside him, I rubbed my hand on the small of his back with encouragement.

So when asked whether I would date D.O if he were a girl, my answer was simple.

“I would have to see if his height as a female first. To see if it matches.”

Because everything else was perfect the way it was.

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A/N: Hi subbies! Didn't proofread before uploading so forgive any grammatical or spelling errors!

There had been SOOOOOO many moments lately but I just didn't have the time to right >< ended up foregoing writing on the MMA *sobs*

Let's begin. Hehehe!

Kaisoo at the airport