Take Me Home (1/?)
Title: Take Me Home (1/?)
Author: enigmaxempress
Pairing: Yunho/Changmin
Rating: NC-17 (eventually?)
Warnings: None.
Summary: Changmin is much too busy to be taking home strays, but God does he want to.
A/N: ANOTHER chaptered fic?! Oh dear.
Changmin is a financial analyst at a securities firm and often works late into the night, unable to meet his bed until the wee hours of the morning. He hasn’t had dinner yet and his stomach protests loudly at the neglect. There’s a 24-hour diner open a couple of blocks from his apartment and he decides to make a stop-over despite what he knows will be a subpar dining experience.
He orders a hearty meal regardless of the late hour, forgoing the proffered coffee for tea instead. It’s cold out and the warm meal does wonders to counter his exhaustion and spiraling mood. It also helps that his server is a good-looking young man - a boy really - only too eager to refill his tea cup and offer him extra helpings of pie. Changmin takes note of the name Yunho stitched into the faded navy uniform when the boy pours him his third cup.
“My shift is about to end. If there’s anything else I could get you…”
Maybe it’s the late hour, or it could be the sudden influx of caffeine in his system, but Changmin gets the distinct feeling he’s being hit on. By someone who looked barely out of high school. Changmin decides right then and there that he might either be a little bit delusional or in dire need of sleep. The latter sounds better than the former and he’s never been gladder to be preferential to tea than coffee. He’d never get any sleep otherwise. He waves the boy off without another word beyond the obligatory ‘thank you’ and is conceited enough to indulge in the boy’s deflated smile as he turns away.
Changmin finishes the rest of his meal in relatively mundane fashion, his new server being no more than a slight woman who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else than here and serving anyone else than him. Being female makes her - by default - completely irrelevant to him, so Changmin focuses on his food as he ought, looking up only once to watch Yunho, his former server, make his way out. Yunho has changed into an awkward looking sweater that Changmin is sure the boy must have stolen from some poor grandmother; Yunho is lucky his face is good looking enough to deter from the ugly patterns.
He’s too far away from the doors to hear Yunho’s goodbyes to the manager, but the boy lingers. His body language says he’s reluctant to leave, and Changmin’s window seat allows him to watch as Yunho stands just outside the doors looking like he had nowhere else to go. Maybe he didn’t. Changmin contemplates the thought as he continues to watch, only to have the assumption turn out to be wrong when Yunho turns and walks past Changmin’s window and out of sight. He hadn’t even glanced in Changmin’s direction.
One assumption wrong proves an earlier one right at least. He’s certainly in dire need of sleep if he’s begun to associate pouring tea with flirtation. After a few more minutes he cleans off his plate and drains his cup, pausing a moment to check the time before walking up to the register to pay for his food. Outside it’s cold and he too pauses at the threshold, just standing there, hesitant to go any further when the warmth of the diner radiates just behind him. Changmin crosses his arms over his chest more tightly, looking up at the dark sky. They’re heading into the winter months; maybe he should start bringing his car instead of walking around all the time. He’d sorely miss the exercise, considering his job required him to sit at a desk all day, but it’s certainly better than freezing to death on the way home.
He continues on his way, hands alternately rubbing together or being shoved into the deep confines of his coat in an effort to keep his fingertips from going numb. Changmin hasn’t gone far before he spies a familiar ugly sweater in the distance. Yunho is sitting at a poor excuse for a bust stop, its narrow seat obviously uncomfortable and the low ceiling in need of much repair unfit shelter against the elements. Changmin slows his approach unconsciously until he’s nearly sauntering despite the cold weather, just to prolong his scrutiny. Yunho isn’t slight in person, Changmin knows, and yet he looks so much smaller now as Changmin watches him, unguarded. Not so much in size but in demeanor. He’s hunched over, nearly curled in on himself to keep warm, and for the first time Changmin notices he’s got nothing on over the ugly sweater. No coat, no scarf, and no gloves either, Changmin realizes when he cups his bare hands against his mouth to breathe warm air into them. He looks a little lost.
Yunho keeps his head bowed as Changmin nears, though Changmin makes it a point to be heard, footsteps loud on the pavement. He isn’t really sure why he tries to catch the boy’s attention; what does he intend to do after catching it, anyway? There are a number of possible scenarios, none of which are rational considering Changmin’s lone wolf mentality or the amount of effort he expends on maintaining antisocial behavior. The sounds of his footfalls seem to echo in the nearly empty street.
Even when Changmin is a mere three feet away, Yunho still doesn’t look up and it’s obvious he’s being blatantly ignored. He should just walk past like he would have had it been any other person, but something about Yunho has Changmin stop and say, “Waiting for something?”
He tenses; Changmin is close enough now to see it. Yunho lifts his head, eyes flickering towards Changmin’s face, recognition flashing behind dark eyes. “You’re that guy from earlier. At the diner.” Changmin nods his head but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move to sit either, almost frozen in place. He doesn’t really know what to do now that he’s attempted conversation with the younger man.
“It’s a little late to be sitting alone out here,” Changmin says, stating the obvious. Yunho still hasn’t answered his question.
“I’m actually waiting for the bus,” Yunho replies, expression a little less guarded now that he recognizes Changmin but not by much.
“Huh.” Now that would be a lie if Changmin had ever heard one. It’s a quarter to two and Changmin knows from experience that the last bus comes right before midnight. “You’re going to have to wait a while then. Last bus came two hours ago and the next one isn’t due until six.”
“Oh,” is all Yunho says, accompanied by an expression so crestfallen Changmin comes to the conclusion that Yunho is not a liar, but he is ignorant. Or new, maybe both - neither of which were favorable at the moment.
“If you didn’t know that, you must be new to the city,” Changmin says. “Is there someone you can call? Or somewhere else you can go?”
Yunho’s eyes widen suddenly, just a hint - wary. “Yeah, of course,” Yunho says, getting up suddenly. “Just a couple of blocks from here. Thanks for telling me about the bus.” He laughs a little nervously. “Or else I would have waited all night. See you around!”
“You’re welcome,” Changmin says to his retreating back, the words lost in the gust of a frosty wind. Yunho keeps walking and doesn’t even look back. Changmin decides to do the same.
The rest of the way home is spent lost in thought. Changmin feels disconcerted; confused by his own behavior and an odd feeling of rejection that seems to have taken root in his chest. Why had he approached that boy in the first place? What was he planning to do if Yunho had said no, that he didn’t have anywhere else to go? Would Changmin have offered to take him home, let the boy spend the night in his apartment? Just thinking about it made Changmin’s brow furrow. No way he’d have done that. Yunho was a complete stranger and Changmin isn’t fond of people in general. He goes out of his way to avoid them. It’s hard to imagine friends or family in his apartment, let alone some random kid who just happened to serve him food at a diner.
But then the question still remained. Why had he approached Yunho in the first place? And why, even though Yunho had fled after barely three minutes of mundane conversation, did Changmin feel as if he’d been rejected? He hadn’t offered anything - not that he would have - and it’s as if he’d been turned down or told no in some way.
Changmin shakes his head as he nears his apartment building, muttering at himself to snap out of it. These thoughts are too complicated for two in the morning and Changmin doesn’t have the mental capacity to entertain them anyway. He’s too tired, exhausted from the endless work at the office - work that will greet him again in less than eight hours. He can’t deal with this right now - refuses to - and so he doesn’t. He reaches his apartment, cold, stiff fingers fumbling with the keys as he tries to fit them in the lock. He lets himself in and quickly sheds his clothing, going through the motions of getting ready for bed, already half asleep. Changmin’s just about ready to burrow in between his thick blankets when a knock sounds on the door.
He pauses before climbing into bed, uncertain if he’d actually heard anything. The proof that he had is another knock on the door, this time slower and not quite as loud. Hesitant. Curious, Changmin makes his way to the door and peeks out the peephole to see who it is. Thoughts of sleep are completely swiped from his mind as a familiar ugly sweater greets him.
“Yunho?” he asks when he opens the door. Which of course he does and he’s not entirely sure why but he does. He’ll learn to live with himself later. For now, he’s focused on the unfortunate looking young man standing awkwardly at his door.
“I- You know my name.” Yunho says, not quite a question because it lacks the surprise that usually accompanies something asked.
“I noticed it on your uniform at the diner,” Changmin supplies in answer to the would-be question. “What are you doing here?”
Color blooms suddenly on Yunho’s face, twin slashes of red across his cheeks, climbing all the way to his ears. His already clearly uncomfortable posture becomes increasingly more awkward. He shifts from foot to foot, gaze low, unable to meet Changmin’s eyes. He looks utterly embarrassed and even before he can explain, Changmin finds himself opening the door wider to let him through.
“The um, other place I was going to it - it didn’t work out and I- I know this is really weird but um- what are you doing?” he interrupts himself mid-sentence.
“You need a place to stay, right? That’s why you’re here?” Changmin says, gesturing him inside. Yunho hesitates before nodding his head.
“Yeah, but - ”
“Come on in,” Changmin interrupts before he can make any more excuses. He isn’t sure why he does either, but there’s something about this boy that calls out to Changmin and for some reason he can’t ignore it. “My couch is free if you need it.”
A/N: WATER, WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE O____O the weather here is so bad it’s flooding. Oh dear. Anyway, part UNO of my double post night. Also, my apologies for the erratic posts on my part. This last week has just been absolutely awful, what with hospital rotations, case studies, and exams. I feel really bad because vaguelynormal has to pick up the slack but it really can’t be helped >.< good news though, I’ll be free for the whole month of August so I won’t be completely MIA :D
Author: enigmaxempress
Pairing: Yunho/Changmin
Rating: NC-17 (eventually?)
Warnings: None.
Summary: Changmin is much too busy to be taking home strays, but God does he want to.
A/N: ANOTHER chaptered fic?! Oh dear.
Changmin is a financial analyst at a securities firm and often works late into the night, unable to meet his bed until the wee hours of the morning. He hasn’t had dinner yet and his stomach protests loudly at the neglect. There’s a 24-hour diner open a couple of blocks from his apartment and he decides to make a stop-over despite what he knows will be a subpar dining experience.
He orders a hearty meal regardless of the late hour, forgoing the proffered coffee for tea instead. It’s cold out and the warm meal does wonders to counter his exhaustion and spiraling mood. It also helps that his server is a good-looking young man - a boy really - only too eager to refill his tea cup and offer him extra helpings of pie. Changmin takes note of the name Yunho stitched into the faded navy uniform when the boy pours him his third cup.
“My shift is about to end. If there’s anything else I could get you…”
Maybe it’s the late hour, or it could be the sudden influx of caffeine in his system, but Changmin gets the distinct feeling he’s being hit on. By someone who looked barely out of high school. Changmin decides right then and there that he might either be a little bit delusional or in dire need of sleep. The latter sounds better than the former and he’s never been gladder to be preferential to tea than coffee. He’d never get any sleep otherwise. He waves the boy off without another word beyond the obligatory ‘thank you’ and is conceited enough to indulge in the boy’s deflated smile as he turns away.
Changmin finishes the rest of his meal in relatively mundane fashion, his new server being no more than a slight woman who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else than here and serving anyone else than him. Being female makes her - by default - completely irrelevant to him, so Changmin focuses on his food as he ought, looking up only once to watch Yunho, his former server, make his way out. Yunho has changed into an awkward looking sweater that Changmin is sure the boy must have stolen from some poor grandmother; Yunho is lucky his face is good looking enough to deter from the ugly patterns.
He’s too far away from the doors to hear Yunho’s goodbyes to the manager, but the boy lingers. His body language says he’s reluctant to leave, and Changmin’s window seat allows him to watch as Yunho stands just outside the doors looking like he had nowhere else to go. Maybe he didn’t. Changmin contemplates the thought as he continues to watch, only to have the assumption turn out to be wrong when Yunho turns and walks past Changmin’s window and out of sight. He hadn’t even glanced in Changmin’s direction.
One assumption wrong proves an earlier one right at least. He’s certainly in dire need of sleep if he’s begun to associate pouring tea with flirtation. After a few more minutes he cleans off his plate and drains his cup, pausing a moment to check the time before walking up to the register to pay for his food. Outside it’s cold and he too pauses at the threshold, just standing there, hesitant to go any further when the warmth of the diner radiates just behind him. Changmin crosses his arms over his chest more tightly, looking up at the dark sky. They’re heading into the winter months; maybe he should start bringing his car instead of walking around all the time. He’d sorely miss the exercise, considering his job required him to sit at a desk all day, but it’s certainly better than freezing to death on the way home.
He continues on his way, hands alternately rubbing together or being shoved into the deep confines of his coat in an effort to keep his fingertips from going numb. Changmin hasn’t gone far before he spies a familiar ugly sweater in the distance. Yunho is sitting at a poor excuse for a bust stop, its narrow seat obviously uncomfortable and the low ceiling in need of much repair unfit shelter against the elements. Changmin slows his approach unconsciously until he’s nearly sauntering despite the cold weather, just to prolong his scrutiny. Yunho isn’t slight in person, Changmin knows, and yet he looks so much smaller now as Changmin watches him, unguarded. Not so much in size but in demeanor. He’s hunched over, nearly curled in on himself to keep warm, and for the first time Changmin notices he’s got nothing on over the ugly sweater. No coat, no scarf, and no gloves either, Changmin realizes when he cups his bare hands against his mouth to breathe warm air into them. He looks a little lost.
Yunho keeps his head bowed as Changmin nears, though Changmin makes it a point to be heard, footsteps loud on the pavement. He isn’t really sure why he tries to catch the boy’s attention; what does he intend to do after catching it, anyway? There are a number of possible scenarios, none of which are rational considering Changmin’s lone wolf mentality or the amount of effort he expends on maintaining antisocial behavior. The sounds of his footfalls seem to echo in the nearly empty street.
Even when Changmin is a mere three feet away, Yunho still doesn’t look up and it’s obvious he’s being blatantly ignored. He should just walk past like he would have had it been any other person, but something about Yunho has Changmin stop and say, “Waiting for something?”
He tenses; Changmin is close enough now to see it. Yunho lifts his head, eyes flickering towards Changmin’s face, recognition flashing behind dark eyes. “You’re that guy from earlier. At the diner.” Changmin nods his head but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move to sit either, almost frozen in place. He doesn’t really know what to do now that he’s attempted conversation with the younger man.
“It’s a little late to be sitting alone out here,” Changmin says, stating the obvious. Yunho still hasn’t answered his question.
“I’m actually waiting for the bus,” Yunho replies, expression a little less guarded now that he recognizes Changmin but not by much.
“Huh.” Now that would be a lie if Changmin had ever heard one. It’s a quarter to two and Changmin knows from experience that the last bus comes right before midnight. “You’re going to have to wait a while then. Last bus came two hours ago and the next one isn’t due until six.”
“Oh,” is all Yunho says, accompanied by an expression so crestfallen Changmin comes to the conclusion that Yunho is not a liar, but he is ignorant. Or new, maybe both - neither of which were favorable at the moment.
“If you didn’t know that, you must be new to the city,” Changmin says. “Is there someone you can call? Or somewhere else you can go?”
Yunho’s eyes widen suddenly, just a hint - wary. “Yeah, of course,” Yunho says, getting up suddenly. “Just a couple of blocks from here. Thanks for telling me about the bus.” He laughs a little nervously. “Or else I would have waited all night. See you around!”
“You’re welcome,” Changmin says to his retreating back, the words lost in the gust of a frosty wind. Yunho keeps walking and doesn’t even look back. Changmin decides to do the same.
The rest of the way home is spent lost in thought. Changmin feels disconcerted; confused by his own behavior and an odd feeling of rejection that seems to have taken root in his chest. Why had he approached that boy in the first place? What was he planning to do if Yunho had said no, that he didn’t have anywhere else to go? Would Changmin have offered to take him home, let the boy spend the night in his apartment? Just thinking about it made Changmin’s brow furrow. No way he’d have done that. Yunho was a complete stranger and Changmin isn’t fond of people in general. He goes out of his way to avoid them. It’s hard to imagine friends or family in his apartment, let alone some random kid who just happened to serve him food at a diner.
But then the question still remained. Why had he approached Yunho in the first place? And why, even though Yunho had fled after barely three minutes of mundane conversation, did Changmin feel as if he’d been rejected? He hadn’t offered anything - not that he would have - and it’s as if he’d been turned down or told no in some way.
Changmin shakes his head as he nears his apartment building, muttering at himself to snap out of it. These thoughts are too complicated for two in the morning and Changmin doesn’t have the mental capacity to entertain them anyway. He’s too tired, exhausted from the endless work at the office - work that will greet him again in less than eight hours. He can’t deal with this right now - refuses to - and so he doesn’t. He reaches his apartment, cold, stiff fingers fumbling with the keys as he tries to fit them in the lock. He lets himself in and quickly sheds his clothing, going through the motions of getting ready for bed, already half asleep. Changmin’s just about ready to burrow in between his thick blankets when a knock sounds on the door.
He pauses before climbing into bed, uncertain if he’d actually heard anything. The proof that he had is another knock on the door, this time slower and not quite as loud. Hesitant. Curious, Changmin makes his way to the door and peeks out the peephole to see who it is. Thoughts of sleep are completely swiped from his mind as a familiar ugly sweater greets him.
“Yunho?” he asks when he opens the door. Which of course he does and he’s not entirely sure why but he does. He’ll learn to live with himself later. For now, he’s focused on the unfortunate looking young man standing awkwardly at his door.
“I- You know my name.” Yunho says, not quite a question because it lacks the surprise that usually accompanies something asked.
“I noticed it on your uniform at the diner,” Changmin supplies in answer to the would-be question. “What are you doing here?”
Color blooms suddenly on Yunho’s face, twin slashes of red across his cheeks, climbing all the way to his ears. His already clearly uncomfortable posture becomes increasingly more awkward. He shifts from foot to foot, gaze low, unable to meet Changmin’s eyes. He looks utterly embarrassed and even before he can explain, Changmin finds himself opening the door wider to let him through.
“The um, other place I was going to it - it didn’t work out and I- I know this is really weird but um- what are you doing?” he interrupts himself mid-sentence.
“You need a place to stay, right? That’s why you’re here?” Changmin says, gesturing him inside. Yunho hesitates before nodding his head.
“Yeah, but - ”
“Come on in,” Changmin interrupts before he can make any more excuses. He isn’t sure why he does either, but there’s something about this boy that calls out to Changmin and for some reason he can’t ignore it. “My couch is free if you need it.”
A/N: WATER, WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE O____O the weather here is so bad it’s flooding. Oh dear. Anyway, part UNO of my double post night. Also, my apologies for the erratic posts on my part. This last week has just been absolutely awful, what with hospital rotations, case studies, and exams. I feel really bad because vaguelynormal has to pick up the slack but it really can’t be helped >.< good news though, I’ll be free for the whole month of August so I won’t be completely MIA :D