fic: the Long Exile Chapter 15
Title: The Long Exile
Length: Chaptered, Chapter 15/15
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Angst/Fantasy
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Notes: kenaressa is the most, MOSTEST amazing person ever. ^_^
As always, the 'ie' is a cutsey shortening, not an intended honorific, though I suppose it fits as either here. The only real purpose for using any honorifics at all in this fic is to separate the AU side of the story from the more reality-based side. Also, to separate the paralleling differences between the characters.
Previous
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
Summary:When the line between reality and dreaming begins to blur...
~*~*~
In the darkness, Kim Youngwoong Jaejoong remembered.
~*~*~
There was never a time when Jaejoong was without Yunho.
When his people would have tossed the infant changeling into the river and washed their hands of whatever fate his life would bring them, the king had taken him in and allowed him to be brought up with his own son.
Under the watchful eyes of royal nannies and the king himself, the pair had grown up inseparable.
The king considered this a good thing. He understood the intricacies of prophecy far better than his daughter the Oracle. He knew that a prophecy was but one possibility of many - the most likely given the initial circumstances - and he easily defended his decision that a boy raised to be one of them would never become the instrument of evil foretold. Truthfully, he had no stomach for the murder of children no matter their birth or history. That any of his own people could justify it to themselves had always disturbed him greatly.
Yunho had been the bright, shining example of everything his race should be even from the earliest days. He was walking almost before he was crawling, it seemed, and he was running far sooner than any nanny had ever been prepared for. He was talking just as fast and might have been a sheer terror but for one thing.
Jaejoong was always one step slower and he refused to leave the changeling behind.
It slowed him down to something more manageable. It taught him patience and care that he might have never learned had he been alone.
A truth that so many in the kingdom refused to acknowledge for so long was that Yunho was the wonderful person he was because of Jaejoong.
Through Jaejoong, Yunho saw illustrated the negative traits that had so disturbed his father about their people. He saw it and never succumbed to the same prejudices himself.
From Jaejoong, he learned that sometimes the most fulfilling pride and satisfaction came from the simplest of accomplishments. Even though things came to him easily, he never took success for granted.
In Jaejoong, he found the companionship and love that few others ever knew and it made his heart full to overflowing with love and affection that everyone could bask in when they were near him.
And as Jaejoong shaped the person that Yunho became, Yunho also shaped the person that Jaejoong became.
The trust and love that Yunho held for him was a powerful thing and Jaejoong had always striven to be someone worthy of it.
Together in their own little world, protected from the opinions of outsiders, they grew into a love that only deepened and strengthened over the passage of time.
They were still children - barely more than babies, really, in a world where adults were timeless - the first time Yunho ever fought for Jaejoong.
He got scolded for using his strength against someone weaker, but commended for protecting his friend.
That was the day he learned that adults were just as confused as children, since the double standard seemed to make perfect sense to his father.
Jaejoong had waited anxiously for Yunho to be released from his punishment in their secret hideout in the corner of the royal garden, a basket of cookies that he'd liberated from the kitchens tucked at his side. The second the young prince had arrived, shaking his head and muttering about how silly adults were and how stupid bullies were, Jaejoong had jumped up and wrapped both arms tight around his friend.
The kitchen staff saw a lot of baskets vanish over the years before the other children finally learned that - lecture or no lecture - Yunho was always going to step in when they set their sights on punishing Jaejoong for being different.
They got craftier about it, learned to watch for days when the prince would be detained. They even got annoyingly good about finding just the right lure to get Jaejoong to venture away from the protection of the palace and the royal guards.
In the beginning only one of the other children didn't look at Jaejoong with inherited hatred in his eyes, but then, as Jaejoong understood it, the young halfling without wings wasn't much better off than he was.
Sometimes Jaejoong considered approaching the boy, this kindred spirit who might actually understand him in a way that even Yunho didn't. He never did, though.
Perhaps if he had done so then, before time and other influences shaped prejudice into the both of them, the future would have taken a different path.
In later years, the halfling would find the acceptance he craved by joining in the cruelty that the others subjected Jaejoong to whenever they could manage it.
Yoochun was with them the day Heechul and the others chased Jaejoong across the river and straight into his first meeting with the hauntingly beautiful, welcoming daemon fey.
It was hard to remember who the enemy was supposed to be when the beings he'd been warned were evil and depraved welcomed him, protected him even, and the children who would grow to serve the king threw rocks at him and hissed with hate filled venom.
Sometimes it seemed like the time he'd spent across the river with the daemon fey was the only time in his life when he'd felt safe away from Yunho's side. Even standing at the centrepoint with Yunho had not given him the same sense of peace.
The love he shared with Yunho had changed shortly after that, deepened again when he'd thought such a thing was impossible. Alone in their own world once more, Jaejoong had managed to put the realities of the outside world out of his mind and had simply basked in Yunho's love. It was the happiest he'd ever been.
When the war had taken Yunho away from him, it had been like a gaping hole in his chest and every day that the young man who was his world was gone, that hole had simply gotten bigger. Jaejoong frequently found himself drifting back to the river's edge, longing for the comfort and peace he'd found there.
It was the first time in his life that Jaejoong had felt truly alone, the first time that he understood how completely he and Yunho had always been wrapped up in each other - even before they'd become lovers.
More than once he found his feet in the water, the urge to cross over , to find sanctuary with those who looked at him without loathing, nearly overwhelming.
The Yunho who came back to him was not the Yunho who'd left. Physically, he was fine. He'd come through the war without a scratch, as much a tribute to his own skills as to the incredible resilience of his race. War and the death that came with it had changed him, though. It went against his basic nature to take a life, no matter the form or the crime.
More than that, his father's sacrifice had nearly broken him. Only Jaejoong's love and care held him together long enough for time to lessen the depth of those wounds.
The responsibilities of ruling the kingdom fell hard on his shoulders, but Yunho proved himself capable despite the fact that he was by far the youngest ruler they'd ever known. He led the people back into the peace and prosperity that had been foretold.
And, just as foretold, his love for Jaejoong continued to be the driving force of his life. The changeling was the only single individual the new king held closer to his heart than his kingdom.
The first time Yunho healed Jaejoong's wounds had sent ripples of shock and uncertainty through a palace already divided by Yunho's handling of the one who'd harmed the changeling - the exile of Heechul. The ability to heal the wounds of another was rare in Yunho's people, something that was spawned from the individual's quite literal inability to live without the one they could heal.
It was supposed to be a time of celebration - to be blessed with that kind of love so young in a near eternal lifespan was unheard of - but fear of what it would mean for the future overwhelmed most, even the changeling himself.
Only Yunho was truly overjoyed by the manifested proof of their bond. More than anything else, it seemed to finally overcome the lingering sadness and pain of his father's death.
The following years were years of happiness. With Heechul's exile and the blatant nature of the bond between the king and the changeling, Jaejoong was finally able to go about the kingdom without fear or need of protection. He became so adept at ignoring the whispers, that eventually he managed to convince himself that he was accepted.
It was when the dragons called the king away on a diplomatic errand that disaster finally struck.
Cruel taunts and harsh reminders of a destiny he had no desire to fulfill had sent him back to the river's edge.
Perhaps, he'd only meant to prove them wrong, to prove once and for all that neither he nor the daemon fey would hurt anyone in the kingdom.
Perhaps, the buried anger and bitterness had finally burst out and demanded satisfaction against an enemy he could never hope to harm on his own.
Perhaps the siren call of the daemon fey had been eroding his mind for years and he'd never noticed until Yunho wasn't around to overshadow it.
Jaejoong hadn't ever really remembered much of anything between his mad rush to the river that day and the moment he came too again, blood soaking the ground, covering his hands and his body, while Yunho stared up at him with such blind trust that it almost made him want to smack the man.
Instead, he'd stumbled away, screaming for someone to come, to help Yunho. The ability to heal had never gone both ways.
When the guards had taken him away, he hadn't resisted. A small part of him wailed at being removed from Yunho's side, was desperate to know that the man he'd adored all of his life would survive. Mostly, though, Jaejoong couldn't stand the idea of being near his lover, a man he'd very nearly killed.
The kingdom around them lay in ruins and though he'd overheard the guards mention the tide turning and the enemy being driven from their lands, all Jaejoong could see or understand was that the fault could be laid at his feet. He'd led the daemon fey into the heart of the kingdom, had helped them murder and destroy anyone and everything in their path.
It made him sick to his stomach to know that he'd caused it all.
It made him sick at heart to remember the bright red color of Yunho's blood. In all their years together, it was the first time he'd ever seen it.
He offered no defense, even went as far as dismissing Choikang's efforts to mount one, when their laws demanded that he be put to trial. For what he'd done, he deserved exile.
More than that, he deserved to have his very soul eradicated, but knew that exile would have to suffice. If his soul ceased to exist, then the king would not survive.
He accepted the punishment without a word.
He never looked back at Yunho and the final memory that followed him into exile was the love and trust and life that had stared up at him, that he'd come a hairs breath from snuffing out completely.
~*~*~
When he woke, the presence at his side was more familiar than his own and Jaejoong didn't bother to stifle the slight smile that escaped at the warmth and love it gave him.
Fingers tightened slightly around his own while others brushed his hair back from his face. “I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up, Boo.”
“It was a lot to remember,” he replied teasingly in his own defense as he opened his eyes.
Yunho smiled softly. “I know.”
Jaejoong reached up to caress the cheek he'd slapped. “I'm sorry.”
The smile grew. “I know. And don't worry. It didn't hurt. You hit like a girl.”
“Aish. Next time I think I'll punch you.” Jaejoong rolled his eyes, accepting the teasing with only minimal grumbling.
“One-touch love is reserved for you and Minnie. I like mine a little more gentle.”
It felt good to be able to laugh. He sighed and pushed himself up to rest against the pile of pillows Yunho had set up for him. It felt like he hadn't laughed in ages. Glancing at his lover, Jaejoong worried his lip a moment before asking. “How many?”
“Hm?” Yunho looked back, placid confusion on his face that may or may not have been real.
Jaejoong chose to believe it was. “How many lifetimes have you been waiting for me?”
The passage of time had never been something he'd been good at keeping track of, not in this lifetime or in what of the original one he could remember.
“Ah.” The other man shrugged and leaned in to kiss Jaejoong softly. “Not as many as I would have.”
“Of course not,” Jaejoong said, rolling his eyes again even though he couldn't help melting a little into a second kiss. “Because you're a hopelessly romantic sap in any incarnation.”
A guess of course since he could only remember two, but he knew he was right from the sheepish grin on his lover's face.
Yunho tugged him back down to lay on the bed and curled up against him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Only when it comes to you.”
Even as he said it, he relaxed completely and Jaejoong was startled to understand that there had always been a slight tension underlying everything about human Yunho for as long as he'd known him.
He squirmed around slightly so that he could get his own arms around Yunho and held the other back, just as tightly. “I love you.”
He could feel Yunho's smile against his neck. “I know.”
His eyes slipped shut and Jaejoong sighed slightly as memories shuffled themselves around. “It is a little like having two people in my head, but... not that much, really.”
Even though he hadn't been in the room, Jaejoong wasn't surprised that Yunho somehow knew what had gone on while he'd been elsewhere. “That's because there's less adjustment for you. Yoochun is a lot different than he used to be. Changmin, too.”
“But not Junsu?” The new memories still didn't clear things up about Junsu very well. There was the vague sense that he had known Junsu, but his mind had never been as sharp as his companion's.
Soft laughter and Yunho pushed himself up to stare down at Jaejoong. “You don't remember him, do you?”
“Of course I do.” not.
Yunho laughed again and when Jaejoong opened his eyes to look up at him, mirth filled his entire face. “No, you don't.”
Jaejoong pouted. “I do.”
“Fine. What did he do?”
“Well, he.... umm... that is....” Jaejoong struggled to bring that faint sense of recognition closer to the surface. When he couldn't, he scowled. “He wasn't you.”
Yunho's look softened and he was treated to another kiss before Yunho answered. “He was one of my father's royal guards. He looked out for us when we were kids.”
“He did?” Jaejoong puzzled at that, trying to mesh that knowledge with what was obviously a dim spot in his memory. What he'd said was the truth, though. His life had always been more wrapped up in Yunho than anything else.
“He did.” Yunho's smile took on a sad, sweet edge. “He was critically wounded trying to protect my father. Once we were both in this world, I guess his soul just sort of... gravitated towards ours.”
They curled together in silence for another long moment before Jaejoong spoke again. “It looks like Heechul still wants to kill me.”
The bark of laughter that produced surprised him a bit and he arched an eyebrow at Yunho.
His lover shook his head, grinning. “Heechul actually made his peace with his mistakes long ago. He just likes this world better. He doesn't want to go back. Especially not in this lifetime. He rather likes being the diva of Super Junior.”
“Oh...” Jaejoong sighed. “Why can't he stay?”
Yunho shrugged. “It's too dangerous if he's the only one left. He's not strong enough here in this form on his own to fight off the daemon fey if they decide to attack him. And since it's his own weakness that's forcing him back...”
“He's even more pissed off,” Jaejoong finished, rolling his eyes.
“Bingo.”
They shared a grin and Jaejoong settled back down, his mind drifting again. He sighed. “I don't blame him, you know... I kind of like this life, too.”
Any life that was shared with Yunho was a good one, but being Jaejoong of Dong Bang Shin Ki had been especially nice. Their popularity hadn't even peaked yet, the sky was literally the limit.
“It's been a good life,” Yunho acknowledged.
“But all good things come to an end.” Saddened by that, he sat up. “How long was I out?”
Yunho shrugged. “Only a couple of days. The others-”
“What?!” Jaejoong would never admit the sound he made was a squawk, but maybe it was close as he scrambled over Yunho and rolled out of the bed. “A couple of days?!?!”
His movements tangled him up with Yunho and they both hit the floor hard, though Yunho was laughing. “Calm down, Boo. It's okay. It was expected once we realized that your talk with my sister had released the spells of exile.”
“But, but- Days?”
Yunho smiled up at him, reaching out to tuck his hair back behind his ears as he parroted Jaejoong's own words back at him. “It was a lot to remember.”
Before Jaejoong could respond, there was a knock on the door. “Perhaps the two of you would like to join the rest of us? We do have a few things to work out, you know.”
Making a face, Yunho sighed and wrapped his arms around Jaejoong's waist. “Sadly, I doubt they'll be put off any longer. Heavens knows, I've been putting my sister and the dragons off for years, but now they have reinforcements.”
“Dragons?” Jaejoong asked, amused at the put upon expression on Yunho's face. Really, he looked like a child who'd been told to wash his hands and get to the dinner table NOW, more than he did a band leader or king.
Yunho gave him an odd look before laughing softly. “That's right. You never met them personally .. before...” He clambered to his feet and pulled Jaejoong up with him. “Well, let's go get this over with.”
“Yunnie...” Jaejoong held him back for a moment, worried and biting his lip. “What is going to happen now? I mean... I don't remember anyone ever coming back from exile.”
With a soft smile, Yunho leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. “There's a first time for everything. The punishment for your crimes has been met, your exile is over. For now, we deal with the threat. Afterwards.... Well...” Yunho shrugged. “As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me. The future will take care of itself, Jae-mine. Just as it always has.”
Hopelessly idealistic, but because it was Yunho, Jaejoong believed.
~*~*~
fin
Length: Chaptered, Chapter 15/15
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Angst/Fantasy
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Notes: kenaressa is the most, MOSTEST amazing person ever. ^_^
As always, the 'ie' is a cutsey shortening, not an intended honorific, though I suppose it fits as either here. The only real purpose for using any honorifics at all in this fic is to separate the AU side of the story from the more reality-based side. Also, to separate the paralleling differences between the characters.
Previous
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
Summary:When the line between reality and dreaming begins to blur...
~*~*~
In the darkness, Kim Youngwoong Jaejoong remembered.
~*~*~
There was never a time when Jaejoong was without Yunho.
When his people would have tossed the infant changeling into the river and washed their hands of whatever fate his life would bring them, the king had taken him in and allowed him to be brought up with his own son.
Under the watchful eyes of royal nannies and the king himself, the pair had grown up inseparable.
The king considered this a good thing. He understood the intricacies of prophecy far better than his daughter the Oracle. He knew that a prophecy was but one possibility of many - the most likely given the initial circumstances - and he easily defended his decision that a boy raised to be one of them would never become the instrument of evil foretold. Truthfully, he had no stomach for the murder of children no matter their birth or history. That any of his own people could justify it to themselves had always disturbed him greatly.
Yunho had been the bright, shining example of everything his race should be even from the earliest days. He was walking almost before he was crawling, it seemed, and he was running far sooner than any nanny had ever been prepared for. He was talking just as fast and might have been a sheer terror but for one thing.
Jaejoong was always one step slower and he refused to leave the changeling behind.
It slowed him down to something more manageable. It taught him patience and care that he might have never learned had he been alone.
A truth that so many in the kingdom refused to acknowledge for so long was that Yunho was the wonderful person he was because of Jaejoong.
Through Jaejoong, Yunho saw illustrated the negative traits that had so disturbed his father about their people. He saw it and never succumbed to the same prejudices himself.
From Jaejoong, he learned that sometimes the most fulfilling pride and satisfaction came from the simplest of accomplishments. Even though things came to him easily, he never took success for granted.
In Jaejoong, he found the companionship and love that few others ever knew and it made his heart full to overflowing with love and affection that everyone could bask in when they were near him.
And as Jaejoong shaped the person that Yunho became, Yunho also shaped the person that Jaejoong became.
The trust and love that Yunho held for him was a powerful thing and Jaejoong had always striven to be someone worthy of it.
Together in their own little world, protected from the opinions of outsiders, they grew into a love that only deepened and strengthened over the passage of time.
They were still children - barely more than babies, really, in a world where adults were timeless - the first time Yunho ever fought for Jaejoong.
He got scolded for using his strength against someone weaker, but commended for protecting his friend.
That was the day he learned that adults were just as confused as children, since the double standard seemed to make perfect sense to his father.
Jaejoong had waited anxiously for Yunho to be released from his punishment in their secret hideout in the corner of the royal garden, a basket of cookies that he'd liberated from the kitchens tucked at his side. The second the young prince had arrived, shaking his head and muttering about how silly adults were and how stupid bullies were, Jaejoong had jumped up and wrapped both arms tight around his friend.
The kitchen staff saw a lot of baskets vanish over the years before the other children finally learned that - lecture or no lecture - Yunho was always going to step in when they set their sights on punishing Jaejoong for being different.
They got craftier about it, learned to watch for days when the prince would be detained. They even got annoyingly good about finding just the right lure to get Jaejoong to venture away from the protection of the palace and the royal guards.
In the beginning only one of the other children didn't look at Jaejoong with inherited hatred in his eyes, but then, as Jaejoong understood it, the young halfling without wings wasn't much better off than he was.
Sometimes Jaejoong considered approaching the boy, this kindred spirit who might actually understand him in a way that even Yunho didn't. He never did, though.
Perhaps if he had done so then, before time and other influences shaped prejudice into the both of them, the future would have taken a different path.
In later years, the halfling would find the acceptance he craved by joining in the cruelty that the others subjected Jaejoong to whenever they could manage it.
Yoochun was with them the day Heechul and the others chased Jaejoong across the river and straight into his first meeting with the hauntingly beautiful, welcoming daemon fey.
It was hard to remember who the enemy was supposed to be when the beings he'd been warned were evil and depraved welcomed him, protected him even, and the children who would grow to serve the king threw rocks at him and hissed with hate filled venom.
Sometimes it seemed like the time he'd spent across the river with the daemon fey was the only time in his life when he'd felt safe away from Yunho's side. Even standing at the centrepoint with Yunho had not given him the same sense of peace.
The love he shared with Yunho had changed shortly after that, deepened again when he'd thought such a thing was impossible. Alone in their own world once more, Jaejoong had managed to put the realities of the outside world out of his mind and had simply basked in Yunho's love. It was the happiest he'd ever been.
When the war had taken Yunho away from him, it had been like a gaping hole in his chest and every day that the young man who was his world was gone, that hole had simply gotten bigger. Jaejoong frequently found himself drifting back to the river's edge, longing for the comfort and peace he'd found there.
It was the first time in his life that Jaejoong had felt truly alone, the first time that he understood how completely he and Yunho had always been wrapped up in each other - even before they'd become lovers.
More than once he found his feet in the water, the urge to cross over , to find sanctuary with those who looked at him without loathing, nearly overwhelming.
The Yunho who came back to him was not the Yunho who'd left. Physically, he was fine. He'd come through the war without a scratch, as much a tribute to his own skills as to the incredible resilience of his race. War and the death that came with it had changed him, though. It went against his basic nature to take a life, no matter the form or the crime.
More than that, his father's sacrifice had nearly broken him. Only Jaejoong's love and care held him together long enough for time to lessen the depth of those wounds.
The responsibilities of ruling the kingdom fell hard on his shoulders, but Yunho proved himself capable despite the fact that he was by far the youngest ruler they'd ever known. He led the people back into the peace and prosperity that had been foretold.
And, just as foretold, his love for Jaejoong continued to be the driving force of his life. The changeling was the only single individual the new king held closer to his heart than his kingdom.
The first time Yunho healed Jaejoong's wounds had sent ripples of shock and uncertainty through a palace already divided by Yunho's handling of the one who'd harmed the changeling - the exile of Heechul. The ability to heal the wounds of another was rare in Yunho's people, something that was spawned from the individual's quite literal inability to live without the one they could heal.
It was supposed to be a time of celebration - to be blessed with that kind of love so young in a near eternal lifespan was unheard of - but fear of what it would mean for the future overwhelmed most, even the changeling himself.
Only Yunho was truly overjoyed by the manifested proof of their bond. More than anything else, it seemed to finally overcome the lingering sadness and pain of his father's death.
The following years were years of happiness. With Heechul's exile and the blatant nature of the bond between the king and the changeling, Jaejoong was finally able to go about the kingdom without fear or need of protection. He became so adept at ignoring the whispers, that eventually he managed to convince himself that he was accepted.
It was when the dragons called the king away on a diplomatic errand that disaster finally struck.
Cruel taunts and harsh reminders of a destiny he had no desire to fulfill had sent him back to the river's edge.
Perhaps, he'd only meant to prove them wrong, to prove once and for all that neither he nor the daemon fey would hurt anyone in the kingdom.
Perhaps, the buried anger and bitterness had finally burst out and demanded satisfaction against an enemy he could never hope to harm on his own.
Perhaps the siren call of the daemon fey had been eroding his mind for years and he'd never noticed until Yunho wasn't around to overshadow it.
Jaejoong hadn't ever really remembered much of anything between his mad rush to the river that day and the moment he came too again, blood soaking the ground, covering his hands and his body, while Yunho stared up at him with such blind trust that it almost made him want to smack the man.
Instead, he'd stumbled away, screaming for someone to come, to help Yunho. The ability to heal had never gone both ways.
When the guards had taken him away, he hadn't resisted. A small part of him wailed at being removed from Yunho's side, was desperate to know that the man he'd adored all of his life would survive. Mostly, though, Jaejoong couldn't stand the idea of being near his lover, a man he'd very nearly killed.
The kingdom around them lay in ruins and though he'd overheard the guards mention the tide turning and the enemy being driven from their lands, all Jaejoong could see or understand was that the fault could be laid at his feet. He'd led the daemon fey into the heart of the kingdom, had helped them murder and destroy anyone and everything in their path.
It made him sick to his stomach to know that he'd caused it all.
It made him sick at heart to remember the bright red color of Yunho's blood. In all their years together, it was the first time he'd ever seen it.
He offered no defense, even went as far as dismissing Choikang's efforts to mount one, when their laws demanded that he be put to trial. For what he'd done, he deserved exile.
More than that, he deserved to have his very soul eradicated, but knew that exile would have to suffice. If his soul ceased to exist, then the king would not survive.
He accepted the punishment without a word.
He never looked back at Yunho and the final memory that followed him into exile was the love and trust and life that had stared up at him, that he'd come a hairs breath from snuffing out completely.
~*~*~
When he woke, the presence at his side was more familiar than his own and Jaejoong didn't bother to stifle the slight smile that escaped at the warmth and love it gave him.
Fingers tightened slightly around his own while others brushed his hair back from his face. “I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up, Boo.”
“It was a lot to remember,” he replied teasingly in his own defense as he opened his eyes.
Yunho smiled softly. “I know.”
Jaejoong reached up to caress the cheek he'd slapped. “I'm sorry.”
The smile grew. “I know. And don't worry. It didn't hurt. You hit like a girl.”
“Aish. Next time I think I'll punch you.” Jaejoong rolled his eyes, accepting the teasing with only minimal grumbling.
“One-touch love is reserved for you and Minnie. I like mine a little more gentle.”
It felt good to be able to laugh. He sighed and pushed himself up to rest against the pile of pillows Yunho had set up for him. It felt like he hadn't laughed in ages. Glancing at his lover, Jaejoong worried his lip a moment before asking. “How many?”
“Hm?” Yunho looked back, placid confusion on his face that may or may not have been real.
Jaejoong chose to believe it was. “How many lifetimes have you been waiting for me?”
The passage of time had never been something he'd been good at keeping track of, not in this lifetime or in what of the original one he could remember.
“Ah.” The other man shrugged and leaned in to kiss Jaejoong softly. “Not as many as I would have.”
“Of course not,” Jaejoong said, rolling his eyes again even though he couldn't help melting a little into a second kiss. “Because you're a hopelessly romantic sap in any incarnation.”
A guess of course since he could only remember two, but he knew he was right from the sheepish grin on his lover's face.
Yunho tugged him back down to lay on the bed and curled up against him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Only when it comes to you.”
Even as he said it, he relaxed completely and Jaejoong was startled to understand that there had always been a slight tension underlying everything about human Yunho for as long as he'd known him.
He squirmed around slightly so that he could get his own arms around Yunho and held the other back, just as tightly. “I love you.”
He could feel Yunho's smile against his neck. “I know.”
His eyes slipped shut and Jaejoong sighed slightly as memories shuffled themselves around. “It is a little like having two people in my head, but... not that much, really.”
Even though he hadn't been in the room, Jaejoong wasn't surprised that Yunho somehow knew what had gone on while he'd been elsewhere. “That's because there's less adjustment for you. Yoochun is a lot different than he used to be. Changmin, too.”
“But not Junsu?” The new memories still didn't clear things up about Junsu very well. There was the vague sense that he had known Junsu, but his mind had never been as sharp as his companion's.
Soft laughter and Yunho pushed himself up to stare down at Jaejoong. “You don't remember him, do you?”
“Of course I do.” not.
Yunho laughed again and when Jaejoong opened his eyes to look up at him, mirth filled his entire face. “No, you don't.”
Jaejoong pouted. “I do.”
“Fine. What did he do?”
“Well, he.... umm... that is....” Jaejoong struggled to bring that faint sense of recognition closer to the surface. When he couldn't, he scowled. “He wasn't you.”
Yunho's look softened and he was treated to another kiss before Yunho answered. “He was one of my father's royal guards. He looked out for us when we were kids.”
“He did?” Jaejoong puzzled at that, trying to mesh that knowledge with what was obviously a dim spot in his memory. What he'd said was the truth, though. His life had always been more wrapped up in Yunho than anything else.
“He did.” Yunho's smile took on a sad, sweet edge. “He was critically wounded trying to protect my father. Once we were both in this world, I guess his soul just sort of... gravitated towards ours.”
They curled together in silence for another long moment before Jaejoong spoke again. “It looks like Heechul still wants to kill me.”
The bark of laughter that produced surprised him a bit and he arched an eyebrow at Yunho.
His lover shook his head, grinning. “Heechul actually made his peace with his mistakes long ago. He just likes this world better. He doesn't want to go back. Especially not in this lifetime. He rather likes being the diva of Super Junior.”
“Oh...” Jaejoong sighed. “Why can't he stay?”
Yunho shrugged. “It's too dangerous if he's the only one left. He's not strong enough here in this form on his own to fight off the daemon fey if they decide to attack him. And since it's his own weakness that's forcing him back...”
“He's even more pissed off,” Jaejoong finished, rolling his eyes.
“Bingo.”
They shared a grin and Jaejoong settled back down, his mind drifting again. He sighed. “I don't blame him, you know... I kind of like this life, too.”
Any life that was shared with Yunho was a good one, but being Jaejoong of Dong Bang Shin Ki had been especially nice. Their popularity hadn't even peaked yet, the sky was literally the limit.
“It's been a good life,” Yunho acknowledged.
“But all good things come to an end.” Saddened by that, he sat up. “How long was I out?”
Yunho shrugged. “Only a couple of days. The others-”
“What?!” Jaejoong would never admit the sound he made was a squawk, but maybe it was close as he scrambled over Yunho and rolled out of the bed. “A couple of days?!?!”
His movements tangled him up with Yunho and they both hit the floor hard, though Yunho was laughing. “Calm down, Boo. It's okay. It was expected once we realized that your talk with my sister had released the spells of exile.”
“But, but- Days?”
Yunho smiled up at him, reaching out to tuck his hair back behind his ears as he parroted Jaejoong's own words back at him. “It was a lot to remember.”
Before Jaejoong could respond, there was a knock on the door. “Perhaps the two of you would like to join the rest of us? We do have a few things to work out, you know.”
Making a face, Yunho sighed and wrapped his arms around Jaejoong's waist. “Sadly, I doubt they'll be put off any longer. Heavens knows, I've been putting my sister and the dragons off for years, but now they have reinforcements.”
“Dragons?” Jaejoong asked, amused at the put upon expression on Yunho's face. Really, he looked like a child who'd been told to wash his hands and get to the dinner table NOW, more than he did a band leader or king.
Yunho gave him an odd look before laughing softly. “That's right. You never met them personally .. before...” He clambered to his feet and pulled Jaejoong up with him. “Well, let's go get this over with.”
“Yunnie...” Jaejoong held him back for a moment, worried and biting his lip. “What is going to happen now? I mean... I don't remember anyone ever coming back from exile.”
With a soft smile, Yunho leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. “There's a first time for everything. The punishment for your crimes has been met, your exile is over. For now, we deal with the threat. Afterwards.... Well...” Yunho shrugged. “As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me. The future will take care of itself, Jae-mine. Just as it always has.”
Hopelessly idealistic, but because it was Yunho, Jaejoong believed.
~*~*~
fin