Chapter 1: The City

A blockage that was never meant to happen had been freed with one measly, small dream.

Everything were in shades of grey, tinted darker than they should me. Like a cold, rainy night, except without the rain.

Jaejoong wandered. He wandered and wandered, arms hugging himself while his teeth chattered. Flyers of unknown substance flew past him. He wandered the streets until his legs were sore and gave out in the middle of a street.

A man ran past him, before turning back and grabbing his hand, and dragging him in the direction he headed. Jaejoong had no idea why or where he followed, but he felt the trust from the mystery man.

The man never looked back. He never glanced behind him to see who he dragged along. He never let go either, instead gripping harder as they made a turn in the empty alley.

Warmth radiated from the mystery man, stretching to pull him closer. Jaejoong ran faster, his body aching for the warmth he was so deprived of.

At last the man stopped in front of a brick wall, and laced his fingers together as he kneeled down beside it. Jaejoong was confused at first, as he stared between the man and the wall. What did he want him to do? Where were they?

The man looked at him, then upwards. That was when Jaejoong saw the ladder leading up to the roof. The only problem, was the bottom rung sat higher than his leg could reach. Luckily with the man’s help, he could reach it.

The ladder was rusty, and creaked when each foot pressed downward. They lost themselves to time, and magically Jaejoong was already on the roof, and pulled the mystery man up from the ladder.

From the fenced rooftop, there the sunrise peeked through the city buildings. Deep reds and oranges stretched across the sky and towards them, changing to shades of pink and purple. It’s gold rays pierced the darkness, reaching to them and bleeding color into the grey buildings.

The man walked up to the fence, and poked his fingers through the laced wire. Jaejoong stood there for a moment, basking in the picturesque sunlight until an idea came to him. He held up his arms, framing a box with his fingers and made sure to get the man within the box.

“Snapshot.”

Jaejoong’s eyes flung open, and confusion set in. Birds were non-stop chirping, and light flooded his messy room into a blinding brightness. The moment he realized what had happened, he flung the covers off of him.

In a rush to get out of his bed, his foot got caught between the sheets, and he tripped, hitting his head on the floor, and scraped his arm against the wooden side table. However, the injuries would have to wait until later.

Jaejoong ran to his easel in the corner by the window, and his hands grabbed at air until they touched a pencil. His hands flew across the canvas, drawing whatever lines as he remembered them.

He snatched his painting supplies, first dabbing them in red and orange. He colored the painting as he remembered it. He painted the grey buildings being washed out by the light. 

Jaejoong had already gotten used to the blinding morning light.

Hour later, he took a few steps back, admiring the large piece of work. But something was missing. Something important.

Jaejoong gasped, mentally kicking himself for forgetting the person who showed him the perfect spot. He grabbed at the pencil again, hands shaking as he sketched a vaguely human figure before painting the silhouette.