Catch Me Chapter 1
“Where is Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin opened the door and realized the man wasn’t there.
“Not coming.” Junsu got in to the choir room
“Huh? Why?” Changmin closed the door.
“Can we not talk about this?” Junsu clenched his jaw.
“Mm hm.” Changmin knew Junsu was really angry. There wasn’t just one or two times the couple had a fight.
Changmin didn’t know why they were still together.
Oh wait. He knew.
They loved each other.
But they needed Yoochun. He played the piano. They couldn’t start without that man.
“Where’s Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked.
“Not coming.” Changmin said.
Jaejoong tsked and called Yoochun.
“Are you calling him?” Changmin whispered to Jaejoong.
“Of course! We can’t start without him.” Jaejoong answered.
“But-“ Changmin pointed to Junsu with his eyes.
“Well?”
Changmin rolled his eyes.
Yeah. He knew Jaejoong was right anyway. This couple would overcome this fight somehow. They always had.
*
“Hey…” Changmin put down his bag.
“Hi.” Yunho turned around to greet him with his warm smile. “So late today?” he was sitting on the floor, leaning to the sofa with his laptop on the coffee table.
“Uh huh. We have to wait for Yoochun to play the notes right and Junsu to sing the notes right…” Changmin lied on the sofa tiredly.
Yunho chuckled. “You must be hungry. I already order your favorite pizza.”
Changmin hummed. “You’re the best, Yunho.” He put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder.
“I know.” Yunho touched Changmin’s hand and kissed his palm.
Changmin’s hand absentmindedly roamed on Yunho’s neck and shoulder lightly. He stopped when the bell rang, and welcoming the pizza delivery.
*
“Changminniiiieee~~!!!!” Jaejoong ran to him from the opposite side of the corridor.
Changmin wanted to hide under the floor.
“Minnie! Gosh! I met her!” Jaejoong literally plopped on Changmin.
“Her who?” Changmin tried to ignore the whispering surroundings and stares.
“The girl I told you about!”
“Who?”
“Oh. So I haven’t told you?”
How Changmin regretted that. Now he had to listen to Jaejoong’s never ending story. But Changmin was a good listener. So he could catch some information through Jaejoong sudden excitement (“OH! Did I tell you she can carve woods?! She does!”) and his sudden anxiety (“Shit Min, I left my Hello Kity pen in the class! Should I- wait. Do you think that borrowing-pen excuse can work for me to talk to her?”) that this girl, was younger than them and could play a piano. And carve woods.
“Hyung. Your class is to the left.” Changmin stopped him.
“But I haven’t finish-“
“You can talk to Yunho Hyung, then.” Changmin pushed Jaejoong to the other side.
Jaejoong pouted. “Yunho is-“
“Bye!” Changmin turned to the right and enter his class. Junsu was already there. He sat next to him.
“Hey, Min.” Junsu smiled at him.
He didn’t look that sad, but not that happy either. So had he and Yoochun made up yet?
“Yoochun apologized to me this morning…” mumbled Junsu.
Changmin didn’t know what the problem was but he didn’t ask anyway. “And?”
“Yeah… but it’s still a little…”
Changmin waited.
Junsu’s phone vibrated on the table and he took it and read the message. He smiled.
“It’s Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin asked.
“Yeah…” Junsu was replying and smiled shyly.
“Ooookay…” Changmin leaned back to his chair, assumed that their problem already solved.
And felt grateful that his relationship with Yunho weren’t as complicated as theirs.
*
Changmin enjoyed the lyric writing session too much. Jonghyun even tried to put melodies into his words, and they made a song together.
“Oh? It’s 11 already!” Changmin said as he looked at the clock. “Shit. Yunho must be waiting for me. I should go home now, Jonghyun-ah.”
“Okay, Hyung.” Jonghyun nodded.
“What about you?” Changmin wore his jacket.
“I’ll just finish this one.” He smiled.
“Well, then. See you tomorrow!” Changmin waved and got out from the music room. He checked his phone, and he got a missed call from Yunho, and a text from him. He decided to call his boyfriend. “Yunho-yah!”
“Oh, Min, where are you?”
Changmin grinned to himself as he heard Yunho sounded worry. “I was with Jonghyun. We wrote song together. Didn’t realize time went by.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
Changmin chuckled, “I’m not 7, Yunho.”
“Well…”
“And I’ll be home in no time. You’re not sleeping yet?”
“No. Hey, are you hungry? Do you want me to order something?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Later, Changmin found Yunho in the lobby of their apartment, waiting for him. They were holding hands and walked to the elevator together. Changmin took a shower, and Yunho waited for him in their bed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Changmin asked, pulled the blanket to cover their body.
“Of course I’m waiting for you.” Yunho turned off the bedside lamp.
Changmin smiled. “But you know that I’ll be home, right?”
“Sure.” Yunho kissed Changmin’s cheek, and Changmin turned his face to give him a kiss on his lips. “And I can’t sleep without you anyway.”
Changmin squeezed himself in Yunho’s embrace. “Silly.” He could feel Yunho’s body shaking a little from the laugh the older man let out from his mouth.
“Sleep, baby.”
Yunho’s breath calmed his mind and his heartbeat was a lullaby for him.
And actually Changmin couldn’t sleep without Yunho either.
*
Junsu refused but Changmin could see his tongue entered Yoochun’s mouth.
“Guys, stop it!”
Junsu’s hands were on Yoochun’s shoulder, pushing him weakly (or not pushing at all), but Yoochun’s hands were around him, tried to pull him closer.
“Yah!” Changmin hit Yoochun’s head with his notebook.
They were in the park, having their lunch. The other students were busy with their activities, but there wasn’t a few who were stealing glances to the couple.
“Yoochun-ah!” Junsu said in the midst of their kissing. “Sto-“
But Yoochun blocked Junsu with his mouth.
Junsu laughed into their kiss, but finally, pushed his boyfriend for real.
“Okay.” Yoochun restrained himself, but then gave Junsu another peck on his lips.
“What the fuss is about?” Jaejoong asked, he took the seat next to Junsu. “Doesn’t matter. By the way, Minnie-yah, do you remember the girl I talked to you about?”
Changmin didn’t really remember. But if he said no, he had to listen to the whole story, which he knew would be long, because even a short simple event could be a longer story than a human revolution if it came out from Jaejoong’s mouth. So, he said “Yeah.”
“He’s in the same class with Yunho!”
Changmin turned to look at his boyfriend, who was sitting next to him, stole his orange juice.
“She’s a rapper.” Yunho said.
“Isn’t it sooo, friggin cool?!” Jaejoong asked excitedly.
Junsu looked confused. “Wait, Hyung, who is this girl you-“
“Stop, no, Hyung don’t ask-“ Changmin tried to stop him. But he was too late.
So Jaejoong told them the whole story. Again. From their first met, which Changmin said wasn’t really a meeting, when it was only Jaejoong creeping from a window, peeping to a girl who was shopping in his usual place.
“And she carves woods! Did I tell you that she can-“
“Yes, you did, Hyung.” Changmin cut, tried to make the story fast. But of course he didn’t succeed.
“I don’t know if you like girls, Hyung?” Yoochun asked, lifted his eyebrows.
“My oh my, Chunnie, listen to my story! She’s everything but an ordinary girl!”
“Do you think Jaejoong is in love with this girl?” Changmin whispered to Yunho.
Yunho gave him a strange look. But then he realized that Changmin wasn’t joking, and waiting for his answer. “That… can be possible.”
Yoochun left because he had to give piano lessons to kids in the neighborhood, and Changmin thought he was really lucky that he could get away from this.
“Okay Hyung, so I have a question.” Junsu raised his hand.
Jaejoong nodded, gave him permission as he drank the water bottle Yoochun left behind. No doubt his throat was dry.
“Who is this girl you’re talking about?”
“Junsu! Don’t you listen to my story?” Jaejoong asked back.
“I do, Hyung! But you didn’t mention her name even once.”
Jaejoong frowned.
“So I see you haven’t know her name, right?” Changmin asked.
“Amber,” Yunho answered. “Jaejoong likes Amber.”
“Yes. That wonderful, glorious, fantastic girl of mine,” Jaejoong eyes were sparkling.
Junsu blinked. “But Hyung,” he said, “she’s Yoochun’s sister.”
Changmin gaped.
“That could be… another Amber, right?” Jaejoong stuttered.
“How many Amber are there in our school, you think?” Changmin said.
“Yep, that one. Jaejoong likes Yoochun’s little sister.” Yunho wrapped it up.
“Yun, why don’t you tell him that she’s Yoochun’s sister?!” Changmin nudged Yunho’s shoulder.
“Do you think I can tell him that when he was talking nonstop like just now?” Yunho replied.
Jaejoong looked dazed.
There wasn’t just once or twice Yoochun complained about the boys who were trying to get closer to his baby sister. Their parents were divorced and they stayed with their mom. Yoochun wasn’t just a brother, but a father to her. He was a bit overprotective, but nobody could blame him. Not when he had that much responsibilities on his shoulder.
That first time Changmin saw Yoochun looked so furious was when he was cursing about “That stupid son of a bitch can just suck my dick! Does he think my sister is a whore! What a stupid, fucking idiot bastard! Gosh, I really gonna crush his face and pull out his heart out from his throat and-“
“Chunnie, Chunnie, come on. They’re just kids,” Jaejoong tried to calm him at that time.
“Shut the fuck up, Jae! Don’t you dare to fucking lecture me! Do you know what happened? Do you? Well, you don’t! So don’t you dare to fucking stand on his side!”
“Well, but… Hyung. It’s… just… a crush? Right? Maybe?” Junsu let out an awkward laugh after seeing Jaejoong was still. He exchanged looks with Yunho and Changmin.
“Yeah… and… you and Yoochun are friends. Maybe he’ll be cool about it.” Changmin added.
But Jaejoong said nothing.
*
“When will Yunho be home?” Jaejoong asked. He was sitting in their couch, munching chocolate he bought from the minimarket. Changmin was alone in the apartment, Yunho had a dance practice that night.
“10 the earliest.” Changmin sat next to him, took the remote from his hand. “Hyung, are you really serious about Amber?”
Jaejoong didn’t answer.
“Hyung?” Changmin looked at him.
Jaejoong didn’t look back, he was staring at the tv. “I don’t know Min. I’ve never felt like this before. So I don’t know.”
The answer somehow scared Changmin. The impact it would bring to their friendship.
“And I know about Yoochun too, you know. I mean… surely he won’t let me near his sister.” Jaejoong shrugged. “A playboy. Partygoer. Smoker. What could be worse.”
“You could be worse.” Changmin replied.
Jaejoong laughed. And Changmin laughed too.
“But Hyung, Yoochun’s smoking too, you know. And he’s your drinking buddy.”
“Well. Don’t every brother, no matter how bad he is, wants the best for his sister.” Jaejoong said. “Which, will never be me.”
“Then… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Min. I don’t know. Maybe I’m serious. Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe it’ll fade away.”
It was one of the rare time Changmin pitied Jaejoong. “I don’t understand. I mean, you’ve been friends with Yoochun for how long, and you hang out with him a lot! How come you don’t know that she’s his sister?”
“Well I’m too busy to make him happy, okay! Because it’s just sad seeing him so tired from working all day, helping his mother, delivering newspapers in the morning and working in a restaurant after school. His dark circles were darker than my eyeliner!”
Changmin scoffed.
“How about you and Yunho, huh? I mean… you’ve been together for… five years? How did you feel at first?” Jaejoong asked, looking at the younger.
“Four years. “Changmin corrected. “Well… you know it’s not love at first sight.” he lifted his shoulder.
“Heh. Sure.” Jaejoong replied sarcastically, rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I admire him,” Changmin admitted. “As a very wonderful person. It wasn’t like… I want to date him, have sex with him or something… I thought I could get my special someone, with him and his special someone. But turns out that we belong to each other.” Changmin smiled.
Jaejoong looked at him judgingly. “You’re disgustingly in love.”
“Yeah,” Changmin replied. “I’m disgustingly in love.”
“Where is Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin opened the door and realized the man wasn’t there.
“Not coming.” Junsu got in to the choir room
“Huh? Why?” Changmin closed the door.
“Can we not talk about this?” Junsu clenched his jaw.
“Mm hm.” Changmin knew Junsu was really angry. There wasn’t just one or two times the couple had a fight.
Changmin didn’t know why they were still together.
Oh wait. He knew.
They loved each other.
But they needed Yoochun. He played the piano. They couldn’t start without that man.
“Where’s Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked.
“Not coming.” Changmin said.
Jaejoong tsked and called Yoochun.
“Are you calling him?” Changmin whispered to Jaejoong.
“Of course! We can’t start without him.” Jaejoong answered.
“But-“ Changmin pointed to Junsu with his eyes.
“Well?”
Changmin rolled his eyes.
Yeah. He knew Jaejoong was right anyway. This couple would overcome this fight somehow. They always had.
*
“Hey…” Changmin put down his bag.
“Hi.” Yunho turned around to greet him with his warm smile. “So late today?” he was sitting on the floor, leaning to the sofa with his laptop on the coffee table.
“Uh huh. We have to wait for Yoochun to play the notes right and Junsu to sing the notes right…” Changmin lied on the sofa tiredly.
Yunho chuckled. “You must be hungry. I already order your favorite pizza.”
Changmin hummed. “You’re the best, Yunho.” He put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder.
“I know.” Yunho touched Changmin’s hand and kissed his palm.
Changmin’s hand absentmindedly roamed on Yunho’s neck and shoulder lightly. He stopped when the bell rang, and welcoming the pizza delivery.
*
“Changminniiiieee~~!!!!” Jaejoong ran to him from the opposite side of the corridor.
Changmin wanted to hide under the floor.
“Minnie! Gosh! I met her!” Jaejoong literally plopped on Changmin.
“Her who?” Changmin tried to ignore the whispering surroundings and stares.
“The girl I told you about!”
“Who?”
“Oh. So I haven’t told you?”
How Changmin regretted that. Now he had to listen to Jaejoong’s never ending story. But Changmin was a good listener. So he could catch some information through Jaejoong sudden excitement (“OH! Did I tell you she can carve woods?! She does!”) and his sudden anxiety (“Shit Min, I left my Hello Kity pen in the class! Should I- wait. Do you think that borrowing-pen excuse can work for me to talk to her?”) that this girl, was younger than them and could play a piano. And carve woods.
“Hyung. Your class is to the left.” Changmin stopped him.
“But I haven’t finish-“
“You can talk to Yunho Hyung, then.” Changmin pushed Jaejoong to the other side.
Jaejoong pouted. “Yunho is-“
“Bye!” Changmin turned to the right and enter his class. Junsu was already there. He sat next to him.
“Hey, Min.” Junsu smiled at him.
He didn’t look that sad, but not that happy either. So had he and Yoochun made up yet?
“Yoochun apologized to me this morning…” mumbled Junsu.
Changmin didn’t know what the problem was but he didn’t ask anyway. “And?”
“Yeah… but it’s still a little…”
Changmin waited.
Junsu’s phone vibrated on the table and he took it and read the message. He smiled.
“It’s Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin asked.
“Yeah…” Junsu was replying and smiled shyly.
“Ooookay…” Changmin leaned back to his chair, assumed that their problem already solved.
And felt grateful that his relationship with Yunho weren’t as complicated as theirs.
*
Changmin enjoyed the lyric writing session too much. Jonghyun even tried to put melodies into his words, and they made a song together.
“Oh? It’s 11 already!” Changmin said as he looked at the clock. “Shit. Yunho must be waiting for me. I should go home now, Jonghyun-ah.”
“Okay, Hyung.” Jonghyun nodded.
“What about you?” Changmin wore his jacket.
“I’ll just finish this one.” He smiled.
“Well, then. See you tomorrow!” Changmin waved and got out from the music room. He checked his phone, and he got a missed call from Yunho, and a text from him. He decided to call his boyfriend. “Yunho-yah!”
“Oh, Min, where are you?”
Changmin grinned to himself as he heard Yunho sounded worry. “I was with Jonghyun. We wrote song together. Didn’t realize time went by.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
Changmin chuckled, “I’m not 7, Yunho.”
“Well…”
“And I’ll be home in no time. You’re not sleeping yet?”
“No. Hey, are you hungry? Do you want me to order something?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Later, Changmin found Yunho in the lobby of their apartment, waiting for him. They were holding hands and walked to the elevator together. Changmin took a shower, and Yunho waited for him in their bed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Changmin asked, pulled the blanket to cover their body.
“Of course I’m waiting for you.” Yunho turned off the bedside lamp.
Changmin smiled. “But you know that I’ll be home, right?”
“Sure.” Yunho kissed Changmin’s cheek, and Changmin turned his face to give him a kiss on his lips. “And I can’t sleep without you anyway.”
Changmin squeezed himself in Yunho’s embrace. “Silly.” He could feel Yunho’s body shaking a little from the laugh the older man let out from his mouth.
“Sleep, baby.”
Yunho’s breath calmed his mind and his heartbeat was a lullaby for him.
And actually Changmin couldn’t sleep without Yunho either.
*
Junsu refused but Changmin could see his tongue entered Yoochun’s mouth.
“Guys, stop it!”
Junsu’s hands were on Yoochun’s shoulder, pushing him weakly (or not pushing at all), but Yoochun’s hands were around him, tried to pull him closer.
“Yah!” Changmin hit Yoochun’s head with his notebook.
They were in the park, having their lunch. The other students were busy with their activities, but there wasn’t a few who were stealing glances to the couple.
“Yoochun-ah!” Junsu said in the midst of their kissing. “Sto-“
But Yoochun blocked Junsu with his mouth.
Junsu laughed into their kiss, but finally, pushed his boyfriend for real.
“Okay.” Yoochun restrained himself, but then gave Junsu another peck on his lips.
“What the fuss is about?” Jaejoong asked, he took the seat next to Junsu. “Doesn’t matter. By the way, Minnie-yah, do you remember the girl I talked to you about?”
Changmin didn’t really remember. But if he said no, he had to listen to the whole story, which he knew would be long, because even a short simple event could be a longer story than a human revolution if it came out from Jaejoong’s mouth. So, he said “Yeah.”
“He’s in the same class with Yunho!”
Changmin turned to look at his boyfriend, who was sitting next to him, stole his orange juice.
“She’s a rapper.” Yunho said.
“Isn’t it sooo, friggin cool?!” Jaejoong asked excitedly.
Junsu looked confused. “Wait, Hyung, who is this girl you-“
“Stop, no, Hyung don’t ask-“ Changmin tried to stop him. But he was too late.
So Jaejoong told them the whole story. Again. From their first met, which Changmin said wasn’t really a meeting, when it was only Jaejoong creeping from a window, peeping to a girl who was shopping in his usual place.
“And she carves woods! Did I tell you that she can-“
“Yes, you did, Hyung.” Changmin cut, tried to make the story fast. But of course he didn’t succeed.
“I don’t know if you like girls, Hyung?” Yoochun asked, lifted his eyebrows.
“My oh my, Chunnie, listen to my story! She’s everything but an ordinary girl!”
“Do you think Jaejoong is in love with this girl?” Changmin whispered to Yunho.
Yunho gave him a strange look. But then he realized that Changmin wasn’t joking, and waiting for his answer. “That… can be possible.”
Yoochun left because he had to give piano lessons to kids in the neighborhood, and Changmin thought he was really lucky that he could get away from this.
“Okay Hyung, so I have a question.” Junsu raised his hand.
Jaejoong nodded, gave him permission as he drank the water bottle Yoochun left behind. No doubt his throat was dry.
“Who is this girl you’re talking about?”
“Junsu! Don’t you listen to my story?” Jaejoong asked back.
“I do, Hyung! But you didn’t mention her name even once.”
Jaejoong frowned.
“So I see you haven’t know her name, right?” Changmin asked.
“Amber,” Yunho answered. “Jaejoong likes Amber.”
“Yes. That wonderful, glorious, fantastic girl of mine,” Jaejoong eyes were sparkling.
Junsu blinked. “But Hyung,” he said, “she’s Yoochun’s sister.”
Changmin gaped.
“That could be… another Amber, right?” Jaejoong stuttered.
“How many Amber are there in our school, you think?” Changmin said.
“Yep, that one. Jaejoong likes Yoochun’s little sister.” Yunho wrapped it up.
“Yun, why don’t you tell him that she’s Yoochun’s sister?!” Changmin nudged Yunho’s shoulder.
“Do you think I can tell him that when he was talking nonstop like just now?” Yunho replied.
Jaejoong looked dazed.
There wasn’t just once or twice Yoochun complained about the boys who were trying to get closer to his baby sister. Their parents were divorced and they stayed with their mom. Yoochun wasn’t just a brother, but a father to her. He was a bit overprotective, but nobody could blame him. Not when he had that much responsibilities on his shoulder.
That first time Changmin saw Yoochun looked so furious was when he was cursing about “That stupid son of a bitch can just suck my dick! Does he think my sister is a whore! What a stupid, fucking idiot bastard! Gosh, I really gonna crush his face and pull out his heart out from his throat and-“
“Chunnie, Chunnie, come on. They’re just kids,” Jaejoong tried to calm him at that time.
“Shut the fuck up, Jae! Don’t you dare to fucking lecture me! Do you know what happened? Do you? Well, you don’t! So don’t you dare to fucking stand on his side!”
“Well, but… Hyung. It’s… just… a crush? Right? Maybe?” Junsu let out an awkward laugh after seeing Jaejoong was still. He exchanged looks with Yunho and Changmin.
“Yeah… and… you and Yoochun are friends. Maybe he’ll be cool about it.” Changmin added.
But Jaejoong said nothing.
*
“When will Yunho be home?” Jaejoong asked. He was sitting in their couch, munching chocolate he bought from the minimarket. Changmin was alone in the apartment, Yunho had a dance practice that night.
“10 the earliest.” Changmin sat next to him, took the remote from his hand. “Hyung, are you really serious about Amber?”
Jaejoong didn’t answer.
“Hyung?” Changmin looked at him.
Jaejoong didn’t look back, he was staring at the tv. “I don’t know Min. I’ve never felt like this before. So I don’t know.”
The answer somehow scared Changmin. The impact it would bring to their friendship.
“And I know about Yoochun too, you know. I mean… surely he won’t let me near his sister.” Jaejoong shrugged. “A playboy. Partygoer. Smoker. What could be worse.”
“You could be worse.” Changmin replied.
Jaejoong laughed. And Changmin laughed too.
“But Hyung, Yoochun’s smoking too, you know. And he’s your drinking buddy.”
“Well. Don’t every brother, no matter how bad he is, wants the best for his sister.” Jaejoong said. “Which, will never be me.”
“Then… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Min. I don’t know. Maybe I’m serious. Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe it’ll fade away.”
It was one of the rare time Changmin pitied Jaejoong. “I don’t understand. I mean, you’ve been friends with Yoochun for how long, and you hang out with him a lot! How come you don’t know that she’s his sister?”
“Well I’m too busy to make him happy, okay! Because it’s just sad seeing him so tired from working all day, helping his mother, delivering newspapers in the morning and working in a restaurant after school. His dark circles were darker than my eyeliner!”
Changmin scoffed.
“How about you and Yunho, huh? I mean… you’ve been together for… five years? How did you feel at first?” Jaejoong asked, looking at the younger.
“Four years. “Changmin corrected. “Well… you know it’s not love at first sight.” he lifted his shoulder.
“Heh. Sure.” Jaejoong replied sarcastically, rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I admire him,” Changmin admitted. “As a very wonderful person. It wasn’t like… I want to date him, have sex with him or something… I thought I could get my special someone, with him and his special someone. But turns out that we belong to each other.” Changmin smiled.
Jaejoong looked at him judgingly. “You’re disgustingly in love.”
“Yeah,” Changmin replied. “I’m disgustingly in love.”
“Not coming.” Junsu got in to the choir room
“Huh? Why?” Changmin closed the door.
“Can we not talk about this?” Junsu clenched his jaw.
“Mm hm.” Changmin knew Junsu was really angry. There wasn’t just one or two times the couple had a fight.
Changmin didn’t know why they were still together.
Oh wait. He knew.
They loved each other.
But they needed Yoochun. He played the piano. They couldn’t start without that man.
“Where’s Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked.
“Not coming.” Changmin said.
Jaejoong tsked and called Yoochun.
“Are you calling him?” Changmin whispered to Jaejoong.
“Of course! We can’t start without him.” Jaejoong answered.
“But-“ Changmin pointed to Junsu with his eyes.
“Well?”
Changmin rolled his eyes.
Yeah. He knew Jaejoong was right anyway. This couple would overcome this fight somehow. They always had.
*
“Hey…” Changmin put down his bag.
“Hi.” Yunho turned around to greet him with his warm smile. “So late today?” he was sitting on the floor, leaning to the sofa with his laptop on the coffee table.
“Uh huh. We have to wait for Yoochun to play the notes right and Junsu to sing the notes right…” Changmin lied on the sofa tiredly.
Yunho chuckled. “You must be hungry. I already order your favorite pizza.”
Changmin hummed. “You’re the best, Yunho.” He put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder.
“I know.” Yunho touched Changmin’s hand and kissed his palm.
Changmin’s hand absentmindedly roamed on Yunho’s neck and shoulder lightly. He stopped when the bell rang, and welcoming the pizza delivery.
*
“Changminniiiieee~~!!!!” Jaejoong ran to him from the opposite side of the corridor.
Changmin wanted to hide under the floor.
“Minnie! Gosh! I met her!” Jaejoong literally plopped on Changmin.
“Her who?” Changmin tried to ignore the whispering surroundings and stares.
“The girl I told you about!”
“Who?”
“Oh. So I haven’t told you?”
How Changmin regretted that. Now he had to listen to Jaejoong’s never ending story. But Changmin was a good listener. So he could catch some information through Jaejoong sudden excitement (“OH! Did I tell you she can carve woods?! She does!”) and his sudden anxiety (“Shit Min, I left my Hello Kity pen in the class! Should I- wait. Do you think that borrowing-pen excuse can work for me to talk to her?”) that this girl, was younger than them and could play a piano. And carve woods.
“Hyung. Your class is to the left.” Changmin stopped him.
“But I haven’t finish-“
“You can talk to Yunho Hyung, then.” Changmin pushed Jaejoong to the other side.
Jaejoong pouted. “Yunho is-“
“Bye!” Changmin turned to the right and enter his class. Junsu was already there. He sat next to him.
“Hey, Min.” Junsu smiled at him.
He didn’t look that sad, but not that happy either. So had he and Yoochun made up yet?
“Yoochun apologized to me this morning…” mumbled Junsu.
Changmin didn’t know what the problem was but he didn’t ask anyway. “And?”
“Yeah… but it’s still a little…”
Changmin waited.
Junsu’s phone vibrated on the table and he took it and read the message. He smiled.
“It’s Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin asked.
“Yeah…” Junsu was replying and smiled shyly.
“Ooookay…” Changmin leaned back to his chair, assumed that their problem already solved.
And felt grateful that his relationship with Yunho weren’t as complicated as theirs.
*
Changmin enjoyed the lyric writing session too much. Jonghyun even tried to put melodies into his words, and they made a song together.
“Oh? It’s 11 already!” Changmin said as he looked at the clock. “Shit. Yunho must be waiting for me. I should go home now, Jonghyun-ah.”
“Okay, Hyung.” Jonghyun nodded.
“What about you?” Changmin wore his jacket.
“I’ll just finish this one.” He smiled.
“Well, then. See you tomorrow!” Changmin waved and got out from the music room. He checked his phone, and he got a missed call from Yunho, and a text from him. He decided to call his boyfriend. “Yunho-yah!”
“Oh, Min, where are you?”
Changmin grinned to himself as he heard Yunho sounded worry. “I was with Jonghyun. We wrote song together. Didn’t realize time went by.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
Changmin chuckled, “I’m not 7, Yunho.”
“Well…”
“And I’ll be home in no time. You’re not sleeping yet?”
“No. Hey, are you hungry? Do you want me to order something?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Later, Changmin found Yunho in the lobby of their apartment, waiting for him. They were holding hands and walked to the elevator together. Changmin took a shower, and Yunho waited for him in their bed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Changmin asked, pulled the blanket to cover their body.
“Of course I’m waiting for you.” Yunho turned off the bedside lamp.
Changmin smiled. “But you know that I’ll be home, right?”
“Sure.” Yunho kissed Changmin’s cheek, and Changmin turned his face to give him a kiss on his lips. “And I can’t sleep without you anyway.”
Changmin squeezed himself in Yunho’s embrace. “Silly.” He could feel Yunho’s body shaking a little from the laugh the older man let out from his mouth.
“Sleep, baby.”
Yunho’s breath calmed his mind and his heartbeat was a lullaby for him.
And actually Changmin couldn’t sleep without Yunho either.
*
Junsu refused but Changmin could see his tongue entered Yoochun’s mouth.
“Guys, stop it!”
Junsu’s hands were on Yoochun’s shoulder, pushing him weakly (or not pushing at all), but Yoochun’s hands were around him, tried to pull him closer.
“Yah!” Changmin hit Yoochun’s head with his notebook.
They were in the park, having their lunch. The other students were busy with their activities, but there wasn’t a few who were stealing glances to the couple.
“Yoochun-ah!” Junsu said in the midst of their kissing. “Sto-“
But Yoochun blocked Junsu with his mouth.
Junsu laughed into their kiss, but finally, pushed his boyfriend for real.
“Okay.” Yoochun restrained himself, but then gave Junsu another peck on his lips.
“What the fuss is about?” Jaejoong asked, he took the seat next to Junsu. “Doesn’t matter. By the way, Minnie-yah, do you remember the girl I talked to you about?”
Changmin didn’t really remember. But if he said no, he had to listen to the whole story, which he knew would be long, because even a short simple event could be a longer story than a human revolution if it came out from Jaejoong’s mouth. So, he said “Yeah.”
“He’s in the same class with Yunho!”
Changmin turned to look at his boyfriend, who was sitting next to him, stole his orange juice.
“She’s a rapper.” Yunho said.
“Isn’t it sooo, friggin cool?!” Jaejoong asked excitedly.
Junsu looked confused. “Wait, Hyung, who is this girl you-“
“Stop, no, Hyung don’t ask-“ Changmin tried to stop him. But he was too late.
So Jaejoong told them the whole story. Again. From their first met, which Changmin said wasn’t really a meeting, when it was only Jaejoong creeping from a window, peeping to a girl who was shopping in his usual place.
“And she carves woods! Did I tell you that she can-“
“Yes, you did, Hyung.” Changmin cut, tried to make the story fast. But of course he didn’t succeed.
“I don’t know if you like girls, Hyung?” Yoochun asked, lifted his eyebrows.
“My oh my, Chunnie, listen to my story! She’s everything but an ordinary girl!”
“Do you think Jaejoong is in love with this girl?” Changmin whispered to Yunho.
Yunho gave him a strange look. But then he realized that Changmin wasn’t joking, and waiting for his answer. “That… can be possible.”
Yoochun left because he had to give piano lessons to kids in the neighborhood, and Changmin thought he was really lucky that he could get away from this.
“Okay Hyung, so I have a question.” Junsu raised his hand.
Jaejoong nodded, gave him permission as he drank the water bottle Yoochun left behind. No doubt his throat was dry.
“Who is this girl you’re talking about?”
“Junsu! Don’t you listen to my story?” Jaejoong asked back.
“I do, Hyung! But you didn’t mention her name even once.”
Jaejoong frowned.
“So I see you haven’t know her name, right?” Changmin asked.
“Amber,” Yunho answered. “Jaejoong likes Amber.”
“Yes. That wonderful, glorious, fantastic girl of mine,” Jaejoong eyes were sparkling.
Junsu blinked. “But Hyung,” he said, “she’s Yoochun’s sister.”
Changmin gaped.
“That could be… another Amber, right?” Jaejoong stuttered.
“How many Amber are there in our school, you think?” Changmin said.
“Yep, that one. Jaejoong likes Yoochun’s little sister.” Yunho wrapped it up.
“Yun, why don’t you tell him that she’s Yoochun’s sister?!” Changmin nudged Yunho’s shoulder.
“Do you think I can tell him that when he was talking nonstop like just now?” Yunho replied.
Jaejoong looked dazed.
There wasn’t just once or twice Yoochun complained about the boys who were trying to get closer to his baby sister. Their parents were divorced and they stayed with their mom. Yoochun wasn’t just a brother, but a father to her. He was a bit overprotective, but nobody could blame him. Not when he had that much responsibilities on his shoulder.
That first time Changmin saw Yoochun looked so furious was when he was cursing about “That stupid son of a bitch can just suck my dick! Does he think my sister is a whore! What a stupid, fucking idiot bastard! Gosh, I really gonna crush his face and pull out his heart out from his throat and-“
“Chunnie, Chunnie, come on. They’re just kids,” Jaejoong tried to calm him at that time.
“Shut the fuck up, Jae! Don’t you dare to fucking lecture me! Do you know what happened? Do you? Well, you don’t! So don’t you dare to fucking stand on his side!”
“Well, but… Hyung. It’s… just… a crush? Right? Maybe?” Junsu let out an awkward laugh after seeing Jaejoong was still. He exchanged looks with Yunho and Changmin.
“Yeah… and… you and Yoochun are friends. Maybe he’ll be cool about it.” Changmin added.
But Jaejoong said nothing.
*
“When will Yunho be home?” Jaejoong asked. He was sitting in their couch, munching chocolate he bought from the minimarket. Changmin was alone in the apartment, Yunho had a dance practice that night.
“10 the earliest.” Changmin sat next to him, took the remote from his hand. “Hyung, are you really serious about Amber?”
Jaejoong didn’t answer.
“Hyung?” Changmin looked at him.
Jaejoong didn’t look back, he was staring at the tv. “I don’t know Min. I’ve never felt like this before. So I don’t know.”
The answer somehow scared Changmin. The impact it would bring to their friendship.
“And I know about Yoochun too, you know. I mean… surely he won’t let me near his sister.” Jaejoong shrugged. “A playboy. Partygoer. Smoker. What could be worse.”
“You could be worse.” Changmin replied.
Jaejoong laughed. And Changmin laughed too.
“But Hyung, Yoochun’s smoking too, you know. And he’s your drinking buddy.”
“Well. Don’t every brother, no matter how bad he is, wants the best for his sister.” Jaejoong said. “Which, will never be me.”
“Then… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Min. I don’t know. Maybe I’m serious. Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe it’ll fade away.”
It was one of the rare time Changmin pitied Jaejoong. “I don’t understand. I mean, you’ve been friends with Yoochun for how long, and you hang out with him a lot! How come you don’t know that she’s his sister?”
“Well I’m too busy to make him happy, okay! Because it’s just sad seeing him so tired from working all day, helping his mother, delivering newspapers in the morning and working in a restaurant after school. His dark circles were darker than my eyeliner!”
Changmin scoffed.
“How about you and Yunho, huh? I mean… you’ve been together for… five years? How did you feel at first?” Jaejoong asked, looking at the younger.
“Four years. “Changmin corrected. “Well… you know it’s not love at first sight.” he lifted his shoulder.
“Heh. Sure.” Jaejoong replied sarcastically, rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I admire him,” Changmin admitted. “As a very wonderful person. It wasn’t like… I want to date him, have sex with him or something… I thought I could get my special someone, with him and his special someone. But turns out that we belong to each other.” Changmin smiled.
Jaejoong looked at him judgingly. “You’re disgustingly in love.”
“Yeah,” Changmin replied. “I’m disgustingly in love.”
“Where is Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin opened the door and realized the man wasn’t there.
“Not coming.” Junsu got in to the choir room
“Huh? Why?” Changmin closed the door.
“Can we not talk about this?” Junsu clenched his jaw.
“Mm hm.” Changmin knew Junsu was really angry. There wasn’t just one or two times the couple had a fight.
Changmin didn’t know why they were still together.
Oh wait. He knew.
They loved each other.
But they needed Yoochun. He played the piano. They couldn’t start without that man.
“Where’s Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked.
“Not coming.” Changmin said.
Jaejoong tsked and called Yoochun.
“Are you calling him?” Changmin whispered to Jaejoong.
“Of course! We can’t start without him.” Jaejoong answered.
“But-“ Changmin pointed to Junsu with his eyes.
“Well?”
Changmin rolled his eyes.
Yeah. He knew Jaejoong was right anyway. This couple would overcome this fight somehow. They always had.
*
“Hey…” Changmin put down his bag.
“Hi.” Yunho turned around to greet him with his warm smile. “So late today?” he was sitting on the floor, leaning to the sofa with his laptop on the coffee table.
“Uh huh. We have to wait for Yoochun to play the notes right and Junsu to sing the notes right…” Changmin lied on the sofa tiredly.
Yunho chuckled. “You must be hungry. I already order your favorite pizza.”
Changmin hummed. “You’re the best, Yunho.” He put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder.
“I know.” Yunho touched Changmin’s hand and kissed his palm.
Changmin’s hand absentmindedly roamed on Yunho’s neck and shoulder lightly. He stopped when the bell rang, and welcoming the pizza delivery.
*
“Changminniiiieee~~!!!!” Jaejoong ran to him from the opposite side of the corridor.
Changmin wanted to hide under the floor.
“Minnie! Gosh! I met her!” Jaejoong literally plopped on Changmin.
“Her who?” Changmin tried to ignore the whispering surroundings and stares.
“The girl I told you about!”
“Who?”
“Oh. So I haven’t told you?”
How Changmin regretted that. Now he had to listen to Jaejoong’s never ending story. But Changmin was a good listener. So he could catch some information through Jaejoong sudden excitement (“OH! Did I tell you she can carve woods?! She does!”) and his sudden anxiety (“Shit Min, I left my Hello Kity pen in the class! Should I- wait. Do you think that borrowing-pen excuse can work for me to talk to her?”) that this girl, was younger than them and could play a piano. And carve woods.
“Hyung. Your class is to the left.” Changmin stopped him.
“But I haven’t finish-“
“You can talk to Yunho Hyung, then.” Changmin pushed Jaejoong to the other side.
Jaejoong pouted. “Yunho is-“
“Bye!” Changmin turned to the right and enter his class. Junsu was already there. He sat next to him.
“Hey, Min.” Junsu smiled at him.
He didn’t look that sad, but not that happy either. So had he and Yoochun made up yet?
“Yoochun apologized to me this morning…” mumbled Junsu.
Changmin didn’t know what the problem was but he didn’t ask anyway. “And?”
“Yeah… but it’s still a little…”
Changmin waited.
Junsu’s phone vibrated on the table and he took it and read the message. He smiled.
“It’s Yoochun Hyung?” Changmin asked.
“Yeah…” Junsu was replying and smiled shyly.
“Ooookay…” Changmin leaned back to his chair, assumed that their problem already solved.
And felt grateful that his relationship with Yunho weren’t as complicated as theirs.
*
Changmin enjoyed the lyric writing session too much. Jonghyun even tried to put melodies into his words, and they made a song together.
“Oh? It’s 11 already!” Changmin said as he looked at the clock. “Shit. Yunho must be waiting for me. I should go home now, Jonghyun-ah.”
“Okay, Hyung.” Jonghyun nodded.
“What about you?” Changmin wore his jacket.
“I’ll just finish this one.” He smiled.
“Well, then. See you tomorrow!” Changmin waved and got out from the music room. He checked his phone, and he got a missed call from Yunho, and a text from him. He decided to call his boyfriend. “Yunho-yah!”
“Oh, Min, where are you?”
Changmin grinned to himself as he heard Yunho sounded worry. “I was with Jonghyun. We wrote song together. Didn’t realize time went by.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
Changmin chuckled, “I’m not 7, Yunho.”
“Well…”
“And I’ll be home in no time. You’re not sleeping yet?”
“No. Hey, are you hungry? Do you want me to order something?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Later, Changmin found Yunho in the lobby of their apartment, waiting for him. They were holding hands and walked to the elevator together. Changmin took a shower, and Yunho waited for him in their bed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Changmin asked, pulled the blanket to cover their body.
“Of course I’m waiting for you.” Yunho turned off the bedside lamp.
Changmin smiled. “But you know that I’ll be home, right?”
“Sure.” Yunho kissed Changmin’s cheek, and Changmin turned his face to give him a kiss on his lips. “And I can’t sleep without you anyway.”
Changmin squeezed himself in Yunho’s embrace. “Silly.” He could feel Yunho’s body shaking a little from the laugh the older man let out from his mouth.
“Sleep, baby.”
Yunho’s breath calmed his mind and his heartbeat was a lullaby for him.
And actually Changmin couldn’t sleep without Yunho either.
*
Junsu refused but Changmin could see his tongue entered Yoochun’s mouth.
“Guys, stop it!”
Junsu’s hands were on Yoochun’s shoulder, pushing him weakly (or not pushing at all), but Yoochun’s hands were around him, tried to pull him closer.
“Yah!” Changmin hit Yoochun’s head with his notebook.
They were in the park, having their lunch. The other students were busy with their activities, but there wasn’t a few who were stealing glances to the couple.
“Yoochun-ah!” Junsu said in the midst of their kissing. “Sto-“
But Yoochun blocked Junsu with his mouth.
Junsu laughed into their kiss, but finally, pushed his boyfriend for real.
“Okay.” Yoochun restrained himself, but then gave Junsu another peck on his lips.
“What the fuss is about?” Jaejoong asked, he took the seat next to Junsu. “Doesn’t matter. By the way, Minnie-yah, do you remember the girl I talked to you about?”
Changmin didn’t really remember. But if he said no, he had to listen to the whole story, which he knew would be long, because even a short simple event could be a longer story than a human revolution if it came out from Jaejoong’s mouth. So, he said “Yeah.”
“He’s in the same class with Yunho!”
Changmin turned to look at his boyfriend, who was sitting next to him, stole his orange juice.
“She’s a rapper.” Yunho said.
“Isn’t it sooo, friggin cool?!” Jaejoong asked excitedly.
Junsu looked confused. “Wait, Hyung, who is this girl you-“
“Stop, no, Hyung don’t ask-“ Changmin tried to stop him. But he was too late.
So Jaejoong told them the whole story. Again. From their first met, which Changmin said wasn’t really a meeting, when it was only Jaejoong creeping from a window, peeping to a girl who was shopping in his usual place.
“And she carves woods! Did I tell you that she can-“
“Yes, you did, Hyung.” Changmin cut, tried to make the story fast. But of course he didn’t succeed.
“I don’t know if you like girls, Hyung?” Yoochun asked, lifted his eyebrows.
“My oh my, Chunnie, listen to my story! She’s everything but an ordinary girl!”
“Do you think Jaejoong is in love with this girl?” Changmin whispered to Yunho.
Yunho gave him a strange look. But then he realized that Changmin wasn’t joking, and waiting for his answer. “That… can be possible.”
Yoochun left because he had to give piano lessons to kids in the neighborhood, and Changmin thought he was really lucky that he could get away from this.
“Okay Hyung, so I have a question.” Junsu raised his hand.
Jaejoong nodded, gave him permission as he drank the water bottle Yoochun left behind. No doubt his throat was dry.
“Who is this girl you’re talking about?”
“Junsu! Don’t you listen to my story?” Jaejoong asked back.
“I do, Hyung! But you didn’t mention her name even once.”
Jaejoong frowned.
“So I see you haven’t know her name, right?” Changmin asked.
“Amber,” Yunho answered. “Jaejoong likes Amber.”
“Yes. That wonderful, glorious, fantastic girl of mine,” Jaejoong eyes were sparkling.
Junsu blinked. “But Hyung,” he said, “she’s Yoochun’s sister.”
Changmin gaped.
“That could be… another Amber, right?” Jaejoong stuttered.
“How many Amber are there in our school, you think?” Changmin said.
“Yep, that one. Jaejoong likes Yoochun’s little sister.” Yunho wrapped it up.
“Yun, why don’t you tell him that she’s Yoochun’s sister?!” Changmin nudged Yunho’s shoulder.
“Do you think I can tell him that when he was talking nonstop like just now?” Yunho replied.
Jaejoong looked dazed.
There wasn’t just once or twice Yoochun complained about the boys who were trying to get closer to his baby sister. Their parents were divorced and they stayed with their mom. Yoochun wasn’t just a brother, but a father to her. He was a bit overprotective, but nobody could blame him. Not when he had that much responsibilities on his shoulder.
That first time Changmin saw Yoochun looked so furious was when he was cursing about “That stupid son of a bitch can just suck my dick! Does he think my sister is a whore! What a stupid, fucking idiot bastard! Gosh, I really gonna crush his face and pull out his heart out from his throat and-“
“Chunnie, Chunnie, come on. They’re just kids,” Jaejoong tried to calm him at that time.
“Shut the fuck up, Jae! Don’t you dare to fucking lecture me! Do you know what happened? Do you? Well, you don’t! So don’t you dare to fucking stand on his side!”
“Well, but… Hyung. It’s… just… a crush? Right? Maybe?” Junsu let out an awkward laugh after seeing Jaejoong was still. He exchanged looks with Yunho and Changmin.
“Yeah… and… you and Yoochun are friends. Maybe he’ll be cool about it.” Changmin added.
But Jaejoong said nothing.
*
“When will Yunho be home?” Jaejoong asked. He was sitting in their couch, munching chocolate he bought from the minimarket. Changmin was alone in the apartment, Yunho had a dance practice that night.
“10 the earliest.” Changmin sat next to him, took the remote from his hand. “Hyung, are you really serious about Amber?”
Jaejoong didn’t answer.
“Hyung?” Changmin looked at him.
Jaejoong didn’t look back, he was staring at the tv. “I don’t know Min. I’ve never felt like this before. So I don’t know.”
The answer somehow scared Changmin. The impact it would bring to their friendship.
“And I know about Yoochun too, you know. I mean… surely he won’t let me near his sister.” Jaejoong shrugged. “A playboy. Partygoer. Smoker. What could be worse.”
“You could be worse.” Changmin replied.
Jaejoong laughed. And Changmin laughed too.
“But Hyung, Yoochun’s smoking too, you know. And he’s your drinking buddy.”
“Well. Don’t every brother, no matter how bad he is, wants the best for his sister.” Jaejoong said. “Which, will never be me.”
“Then… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Min. I don’t know. Maybe I’m serious. Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe it’ll fade away.”
It was one of the rare time Changmin pitied Jaejoong. “I don’t understand. I mean, you’ve been friends with Yoochun for how long, and you hang out with him a lot! How come you don’t know that she’s his sister?”
“Well I’m too busy to make him happy, okay! Because it’s just sad seeing him so tired from working all day, helping his mother, delivering newspapers in the morning and working in a restaurant after school. His dark circles were darker than my eyeliner!”
Changmin scoffed.
“How about you and Yunho, huh? I mean… you’ve been together for… five years? How did you feel at first?” Jaejoong asked, looking at the younger.
“Four years. “Changmin corrected. “Well… you know it’s not love at first sight.” he lifted his shoulder.
“Heh. Sure.” Jaejoong replied sarcastically, rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I admire him,” Changmin admitted. “As a very wonderful person. It wasn’t like… I want to date him, have sex with him or something… I thought I could get my special someone, with him and his special someone. But turns out that we belong to each other.” Changmin smiled.
Jaejoong looked at him judgingly. “You’re disgustingly in love.”
“Yeah,” Changmin replied. “I’m disgustingly in love.”