Cherish (JaeHo)
Title: CHERISH
Pairing: JaeHo
Lenght: One-shot
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff/Romance/(bit of) Humor
Warnings: Pointless fluff. And loooots of it. XD If you feel in the mood for something dark and depressing, don't click on this one. X3
Notes: Set a few hours after the end of Dream Concert, and sequel to "Backstage Performance". You should read that one first in order to understand some parts of this fic. ^^
Thank you to
maryl_z for betaing this fic and for giving me the cutest review ever! :3 ♥
That night the five young men got home impossibly late, stumbling tiredly up the stairs and into their shared apartment, craving only a shower and a long, nice night of sleep.
They stopped together in front of the bathroom door and looked at each other with wary eyes.
“Changmin went first, this morning” declared Junsu after a moment of silence.
“Shut up, hyung” replied the tall boy dryly “you went first yesterday!”
“I didn’t!!! It was Yoochun!” protested Junsu indignantly. “Right?” He turned to Yoochun, who was staring into empty space with a vague expression plastered on his face.
“Mmmh?” he mumbled “No, yesterday it was my turn but you woke up first and hogged the bathroom for nearly an hour.”
Changmin snickered evilly and poked Junsu in the ribs. Junsu looked mildly offended.
“Why do you always side with him?” he whined, looking at Yoochun. “And besides, it was barely half an hour!”
“There, you just admitted it!” Changmin cried out with a triumphant smile.
Junsu blinked and paused, looking for something smart to say.
“…No, I didn’t!!” he finally burst out, seemingly torn between amusement and indignation. Yoochun just rolled his eyes and inched away slowly from the bickering pair, sharing a suffering glance with Yunho.
“Where do you think they find all that energy?” inquired the band leader, rubbing his temples tiredly.
“I think the adrenaline of the concert is still affecting their brains and making them act like 5-year-olds on a sugar high”, groaned the other “but I just wish they wouldn’t be that loud.”
Yunho looked at the youngest two, who were still teasing each other and giggling. Jaejoong was by his side, leaning heavily against his shoulder and looking just about ready to fall asleep on his feet.
“Jaejoong and I are going first” the leader announced with finality, looking at the others to see if anyone had any objection. Junsu opened his mouth to protest, but Changmin elbowed him, making a gesture with his head towards Jaejoong.
“Oh” said Junsu, sounding apologetic, “yeah, fine.”
Yunho gave his three bandmates a grateful smile and ushered Jaejoong into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
He stripped quickly, dropping his clothes in a messy heap on the floor, and put a foot in the shower before casting a fleeting glace at the singer.
“Joongie, are you com-” he began to say, but stopped when he saw that Jaejoong was propped against the tiled wall, looking at him through half closed eyes and still completely clothed. He looked exhausted, yes, but Yunho couldn’t help but notice the ghost of a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
The band leader rolled his eyes. “Spoiled little brat” he snorted, but went over to the singer anyway.
“It’s the second time you undress me, tonight” chuckled Jaejoong in a low voice as Yunho took off his shirt and unzipped his pants. This time there was no urgency, though, no desperate desire, but just a sleepy, intimate sense of contentment wrapped around them like a warm blanket.
Brushing his lips against Yunho’s as thank you the older singer stepped out of his clothes and into the shower, closely followed by the other; inside there was barely space for two, but that gave them the perfect excuse to stand close, bodies pressed together, skin brushing against skin.
The warm spray of the shower soothed their tired bodies like a caress. Jaejoong leaned his head on Yunho’s shoulder with a contented little sigh and let water run down his back, washing away sweat and exhaustion with its gentle flow.
The taller man chuckled and shook him gently. “Boo, don’t sleep on me. Just wait until you’re in your bed!”
Jaejoong mumbled something indistinct and nuzzled Yunho’s neck like a sleepy kitten. Yunho sighed, turned the water off and reached for the shower gel bottle, squeezing a generous amount on his palm before beginning to lather Jaejoong up thoroughly, moving his hands in small circles in a gentle massage. The singer let him do without protesting, still and pliant under Yunho’s careful hands, but the taller man felt his lover’s lips press against his shoulder and curve upwards in a satisfied smile.
He snorted, slapping Jaejoong’s ass lightly. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he said, but his voice held no real annoyance - just a hint of fond exasperation, maybe.
“Mmmh” purred Jaejoong, burying his face deeper in the crook of Yunho’s neck. “Probably.”
The band leader shook his head and turned the water on again, checking the temperature before guiding his lover under the spray. The smaller singer lifted his head and closed his eyes, letting water rain down on his face and soak his raven hair. He looked beautiful and oddly vulnerable, and Yunho couldn’t help but bend down to kiss the white throat exposed in front of his eyes. Jaejoong wound his arms around the taller man’s neck languidly, threading his fingers through his wet locks, and sighed softly as Yunho’s lips brushed over the curve of his neck and finally stopped on the darkening bruise on his shoulder.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, kissing the spot apologetically. Jaejoong just snorted and turned his face away from the water, cracking an eye open to cast Yunho an annoyed glance for ruining such a nice moment by asking stupid questions.
“I swear, if you ask that yet another time you’re sleeping on the couch for the next two months, Yunho” he grumbled. “And, no, for the umpteenth time, it doesn’t hurt. Happy?”
Yunho sighed without saying anything and made Jaejoong turn around to rinse his back. His fingers traced the older singer’s spine down to the small of his back and slid down the rounded curve of his ass, following the stream of water.
“Open your legs, please?” he asked, almost shyly, and Jaejoong obeyed. Yunho washed the inside of his thighs, wiping away every remaining trace of their lovemaking. Then Jaejoong felt Yunho part his buttocks gently, and realized that his lover was checking for any sign of bleeding. He groaned in exasperation, swung around and grabbed a fistful of Yunho’s dark hair, pulling him forward to crush their lips together.
“How do I have to tell you that I’m fine?” he panted, after letting go of him. “I’m not made of glass, and I’m not going to break so easily.”
“Sorry” mumbled Yunho. “It’s just that lately you always look so tired and worn out…you even fainted during rehearsal! I can’t help but worry about you!” he averted his gaze from Jaejoong, looking embarrassed at his outburst. “And…I’m sorry for my roughness, before - ”
Jaejoong pressed a finger against the young man’s lips to silence him, and then replaced it with his mouth, reassuring him with the soft, velvety touch of his kiss. He leaned his forehead against Yunho’s, eyes closed and fingers twined at the nape of the other man’s neck.
“I love you” he whispered, so quietly that the words were almost drowned in the pouring of water; almost, because Yunho tightened his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, whispering the same words in his ear.
Jaejoong smiled to himself without opening his eyes and reached blindly for the soap, pouring some directly on Yunho’s shoulders. He ran his soapy hands up and down his lover’s back and chest, pausing briefly to tickle his sides and earning a gentle nip on his ear. They both chuckled, holding on to each other as water poured down on them, surrounding them in a warm, silvery curtain.
It was with a twinge of regret that Yunho turned the water off and disentangled himself from Jaejoong, who whimpered softly in protest and pouted at him.
“The others are going to kill us if we keep hogging the bathroom…especially Junsu.” the younger man said, matter-of-factly.
“I hate it when you go all sensible and leader-ish on me” grumbled Jaejoong, and Yunho threw a towel over his head in reply.
“Dry yourself. You’re dripping water everywhere” he said, toweling his own hair dry.
Of course Jaejoong didn’t move, standing there with water puddling at his feet and pout firmly in place until Yunho gave up and wrapped the towel around Jaejoong’s body, gently rubbing him dry. The smaller singer purred like a satisfied cat and lowered his head to give a resigned Yunho better access to his wet hair.
“Here” the younger man said, when he was done “do you need me to dress you and brush your teeth too or think you can manage those by yourself?” he teased, poking Jaejoong’s ribs.
Jaejoong looked up at him and stuck his tongue out. “Would you rather have me walking around naked?” he smirked, with eyes full of mischief.
“I’d appreciate it very much, but I don’t think the others would” deadpanned Yunho, and handed Jaejoong clean underwear and a fresh t-shirt. “Put these on, at least” he ordered, and for once the singer did as he was told.
They got out of the bathroom together, and Yunho yelled that the bathroom was free. Changmin’s head poked out of the kitchen’s door, predictably holding a steaming bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other.
“We were losing hope of ever seeing you again” he said dryly, but then smirked. “Why did you take so long?”
“It’s entirely his fault” said Jaejoong without missing a beat, pointing at Yunho “he always takes ages to catch hints.”
Yunho looked at Jaejoong with a wicked grin and then scooped him up in his arms without warning, ignoring the singer’s surprised yelp. As expected, Jaejoong started squirming immediately, pounding his fists on Yunho’s chest.
“Yunho, let me go!! It’s embarrassing!” he protested indignantly, but Yunho just laughed and held him tighter.
Yoochun, who had just appeared in the doorframe, wrapped an arm around Changmin’s waist and laid his chin on the taller man’s shoulder, looking at the scene with interest. They shared an amused glance, and the youngest member shook his head fondly at his bandmates’ antics.
“If you act like a spoiled diva you can’t expect me not to treat you like one!” Yunho was saying in the meanwhile, smirking.
The older singer threw him a withering glare. “Don’t treat me like a girl, Yunho” he complained “you know I hate it.”
Yunho didn’t answer and bid Yoochun and Changmin good night instead, taking Jaejoong down the hallway and into his bedroom. He laid him down on the bed gently.
“I’m not treating you like a girl” he said, combing Jaejoong’s still damp hair away from his face “I’m just taking care of you when I can, since you usually don’t let me do it.”
Jaejoong leaned into Yunho’s hand almost instinctively, and his expression softened. “I know” he whispered softly “but I love when you do it.”
The band leader smiled down at him with a tender, somewhat sheepish expression on his face.
“Good night” he said, and bent down to place a light kiss on Jaejoong’s lips, who wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck and pulled him closer.
“Manager hyung is not here, tonight” he murmured, brushing his lips against Yunho’s cheek. “You could…sleep with me tonight? Just sleep” he added hastily, noticing Yunho’s frown.
The taller man looked at him uncertainly, but finally nodded. He slipped under the covers and nestled into the warmth of Jaejoong’s waiting arms, snuggling close to him to fit in the small bed.
Jaejoong laced his fingers behind Yunho’s back and smiled into his hair. “Good night, Yunhoyah.”
~End~
Comments and concrit make me happy. ♥ Please? X3