Cooking, Cleaning, Healing
Title: Cooking, Cleaning, Healing
Pairing: Changmin/Jaejoong, Yunho/Jaejoong, Jaejoong/Yoochun!BFFery
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I would totally cook and clean with Jaejoong and eat food with Changmin and do sexy things with Yunho.
Summary: Jaejoong has been dating Yunho for a long time, but it takes a cute nurse-in-training to show Jaejoong what he's missing.
A/N: This fic is for yceam It is a two-fold fic. She gave me this idea a while ago, and I just sort of ran with it, and then it was her birthday a couple of weeks ago, so this is really really late as a b-day fic. Sorry baby! I still hope you like it! *hugs* Happy Birthday! ♥♥
A/N: Part 2: another one that might turn into more if I have the time. *hugs you*
Jaejoong bit his lip. He fought against tears. Yunho’s shouting droned on in the background. Just once, Jaejoong had wanted to do something with his boyfriend, something special. He’d made dinner, cleaned every inch of the house. But it wasn’t good enough. The only thing Yunho focused on was the vanilla smell permeating everything from the candles Jaejoong had lit throughout his apartment.
“I thought I said I didn’t like vanilla,” Yunho said in lieu of a hello.
Jaejoong sighed and decided Yoochun was right. Yunho would never change.
His vision went blurry as tears finally fell down his cheeks. Yunho sat at the table, eating the meat and rice and kimchi Jaejoong had prepared. But he was still complaining about it being too cold, too salty, too plain. Wasn’t Jaejoong studying to be a cook? Didn’t Yunho help pay for his schooling? What the hell was he paying for anyway when anyone could make food like this?
Jaejoong reached into the sink for another dish to wash.
Sharp pain on his hand made him gasp. He pulled his hand from the water. Across the fleshy part of his palm was a deep cut. The two sides, where the skin had split, were white, and then blood filled it slowly. Jaejoong watched, detached as blood slipped down his wrist. It was deep, really deep, and it should have hurt. Why didn’t it hurt?
“Jaejoong, are you even paying attention to me?” Yunho demanded.
A firm hand gripped his arm and spun him around. Jaejoong kept his hand up, eyes glassy. The anger in Yunho’s face hurt a lot more than the cut.
It took a moment for Yunho to see the cut.
“God, you’re clumsy,” he said. “Can’t you do anything properly?”
More tears fell from his eyes.
Yunho rolled his eyes. He grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around Jaejoong’s hand. “I have somewhere to be,” he said, “but I can drop you off at the hospital. Or at least close to it.”
Jaejoong nodded. He thought of telling Yunho that he’d call Yoochun, but Yunho would probably flip out over it.
Yunho waited impatiently as Jaejoong tried to get his shoes on, one handed. Finally, he gave up and slipped on flip flops even though it was cold outside. Yunho moved quickly ahead of him. With each step, the pain in Jaejoong’s hand grew worse. He bled through the towel quickly.
“Don’t you dare get blood in my car,” he said.
Jae opened the passenger door. He sat and struggled with the seatbelt. Yunho sighed in annoyance and latched it for him. He drove swiftly through the streets, and about ten minutes later, he pulled up to the curb.
“There you go,” Yunho said. “It’s just a couple blocks that way. You can walk right?”
Jaejoong’s heart broke at the condescending tone. He nodded and whispered, “Thank you, Yunho.”
“I’ll call you later,” Yunho said and released Jaejoong’s seatbelt. A clear dismissal.
Jaejoong swallowed against the lump in his throat.
The tires of Yunho’s car squealed as he pulled away from the curb. Jae refused to watch him drive away. He held the rag against his hand tightly and walked to the hospital. It wasn’t too far and it wasn’t too cold. He hurried. His pulse thumped in his hand.
When he arrived at the emergency room, a nurse immediately peeled the towel away to look at his hand.
“Oh, it’s not too bad. Some stitches and you’ll be out of here in a moment.” She was a nice lady, older with gray hair at her temples.
Jae nodded and sniffled, and unable to really hold back anymore, he let himself cry.
“Oh, baby,” the nurse crooned. “You’re alright. I’ll wait until you’re stitched up for you to do paperwork. Do you need to call anyone?”
Jaejoong thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
The nurse produced a phone from another room and then she dialed Yoochun’s number for Jaejoong. Yoochun didn’t answer, but Jaejoong hadn’t expected him to. Yoochun never answered if it was a number he didn’t recognize. Jaejoong left a brief message saying he cut his hand cooking and he was at the hospital.
“Thank you,” Jae whispered and the nurse nodded.
She retrieved some tissues and said, “An aide will be right here.”
Jaejoong leaned back in the bed, head turned away from the door and he thought about Yunho. They’d been in love at one point, through Jaejoong barely remembered it. Nothing he could do ever pleased Yunho. The man found fault in the tiniest details. Except in the bedroom. It was the only time Jaejoong ever received praise from him.
“Hello,” a voice said.
Jaejoong turned his head. He blinked, mind blank, as he stared at the young man in the room. He smiled widely and rolled a stool over to the edge of the bed. He took Jaejoong’s wrist.
“Hyuni said you cut your hand. Let’s look at it.”
His hand was warm. Jae watched the man’s face as he poked at Jae’s hand. He had a firm jaw, a strong profile. His eyes were a bit … crooked, but he was so handsome. And tall. He looked young, and Jaejoong wondered how old he was. His name badge said “Shin Changmin: Nurse aide” on it.
“Kim Jaejoong, right?” he asked.
Jaejoong nodded.
“I’m Shim Changmin. How did this happen?”
“I …” Jae had to swallow. “Cooking.”
“You cook?” Changmin said with interest.
Jae nodded. “I … I’m going to culinary school.”
“Oh man,” Changmin said. He spun around to grab some wipes and disinfectant. “I wish I had time to cook. I barely have time to eat, and I love eating.”
“A-are you a doctor?”
Changmin grinned. “Well, that’s the ultimate goal, but right now I’m studying nursing.”
“You’re kind of young.”
Changmin laughed. “Everyone says that. I’m twenty-two.”
Jaejoong’s palm went numb. He was incredibly squeamish when it came to needles and things, so he did not look at his hand, but watched Changmin’s face. The first poke of the needle made him jump, but then Changmin bit his lower lip and Jaejoong forgot about everything else.
“Jaejoong!”
Jae looked up quickly at Yoochun. Yoochun rushed to the other side of the bed and leaned down and kissed Jae’s cheek.
“What happened, baby?” Yoochun asked.
Jaejoong saw Changmin stiffen in the corner of his eyes. Homophobe? God, Jaejoong hoped not.
“I … I was cooking, and I cut myself.”
“You didn’t drive here, did you?”
“No, I … I took a taxi.”
Yoochun glared at him, and Jae knew that Yoochun knew he was lying. Damn best friend. “You should have called me.”
“It … it was too fast.”
“Is he alright?” Yoochun asked Changmin.
Changmin nodded, still stiff. “Yeah. Just a few more stitches. It’s not deep enough to damage any tendons or nerves.”
“Good.”
“Chunnie,” Jaejoong said. “I … they need some paperwork.”
“I’ll go fill it out for you,” Yoochun said. He kissed Jae’s cheek again and then whispered, “Damn, he’s hot.”
Jaejoong chuckled.
Yoochun winked at him and then left the room.
Changmin did not look up. It was quiet and awkward for a moment. Changmin finished stitching and then took a wet rag to clean up the blood.
Jaejoong cleared his throat. “Yoochun is going to pamper me for days after this. I love having a best friend, but sometimes he’s too overprotective.”
“Best friend?” Changmin questioned, not concealing the hopeful tone.
Jae smiled. God, this kid was cute. “Yeah. We’ve been friends since elementary school.”
“He’s not … not your …”
“Boyfriend?” Jaejoong laughed. “God, no. I mean, when we were teenagers, we fooled around, but yeah, not a boyfriend.”
“Do you … sorry, it’s not any of my business.”
Jaejoong pondered Changmin for a moment. It was a good question. Did he have a boyfriend?
“I don’t,” Jae whispered.
Changmin scrunched up his face in thought.
“Do you?”
He shook his head.
“Good,” Jae said and let his fingers graze Changmin’s wrist. “Then you should come over and let me cook for you.”
Changmin looked up quickly, and then he blushed and looked away. “I … I don’t have a lot of time.”
Jae frowned and figured he’d read the kid wrong. “Okay. Sorry.”
“No, no,” Changmin said quickly and looked up. “I’d love too, really, I … I have school and my shifts here and, well … it’s hard to have a relationship and I just …”
Jaejoong smiled. He reached forward and plucked the pen from the pocket of Changmin’s blue scrubs. High on Changmin’s arm, past his elbow, Jaejoong wrote down his phone number and his name. “Call me. Whenever you have time. I’m a student too, remember, and I have a job as an assistant chef. Maybe one day our schedules will align and you can come over.”
“My shift today ends at two am,” Changmin said quickly.
Jaejoong smiled and said, “Well, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a weird craving for kimchi jjigae at two am. You should come over and help me eat it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Call me when you’re done and I’ll give you my address.”
Changmin’s reply was cut off as his beeper vibrated. He checked the screen, frowned, and said, “I have to go. Um, change the dressing on that once a day for a week, and just let the stitches fall out when it’s healed.”
“Thanks, Changmin,” Jaejoong said.
He stood up, cheeks red, and turned, muttering something that ended with, “I’ll call you later.”
Jaejoong waited until the door shut behind him and then smiled. Yoochun walked into the room with a grin. “Cute doctor ran out of here looking flushed and pleased with himself. Did he get a hand job?”
Jae laughed. “No. He’s coming over later for kimchi jjigae.”
Yoochun grinned. “Good. Are you ready to go?”
Jae nodded and got out of bed.
It took a few more minutes and Jae had to sign a few things before he could leave, but he left the hospital a lot happier than he had when he had arrived. Yoochun drove him home, and despite Jaejoong’s protest, Yoochun came up to his apartment with him.
“Care to tell me the truth now?” Yoochun said after noticing the unfinished dinner, the still burning candles.
Jae shrugged. He blew the candles out, and went to the kitchen. Yoochun helped him clean up.
“Yunho … yeah,” Jae said, but didn’t elaborate.
Yoochun glared at the spot of blood on the floor before wiping it up. “He treats you like shit.”
“I know.”
Jae left the kitchen. He walked around his apartment, and decided there was too much “Yunho” around. One handed, he lugged a box from closet and filled it when all the pictures of the two of them. Yoochun found him in the bathroom, throwing all of Yunho’s things into a garbage bag.
“You done with him then?”
Jae nodded. “He made me walk to the hospital. Not all the way, but a few blocks, because he had somewhere else to be. He didn’t even care that I was injured.”
Yoochun said nothing, but helped Jaejoong systematically remove Yunho from his apartment.
The last thing Jaejoong did was erase and then block Yunho’s number from his cell phone.
“You going to be okay?” Yoochun asked.
Jae nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, this new kid. Rebound?”
“Probably, but he seems nice. And he’s cute.”
Yoochun nodded. “Very cute. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.”
Yoochun kissed his cheek again and promised to be over early in the morning.
Jae sat on the couch, staring at the blank TV for a little while. Yunho hadn’t called to see how he was. Yunho wouldn’t talk to him until Jaejoong called. After a couple of hours drowning in self pity, Jae got up and went to the kitchen. Kimchi jjigae was easy for him to make, but with one hand, he wanted to make sure it was done early.
His phone buzzed with a text.
hi. This is Changmin. I didn’t want to call if this isn’t Jaejoong
Jaejoong laughed. He sent Changmin a text back, complete with his address. A half hour later, his doorbell rang. Jae wiped his hand clean and went to answer it.
Changmin smiled, nervous, and Jae smiled widely. God, he was so hot. Out of his scrubs, he now wore jeans and a blue t-shirt that showed off the muscles in his shoulders and arms. And his legs were so fucking long. Jae suppressed a shiver. He moved to let Changmin in.
“God, it smells good,” Changmin said. “I’m so hungry.”
“Good,” Jae said. “I made too much.”
“I’ll eat it.” Changmin smiled and followed him into the kitchen. “This is a really nice apartment.”
“Thanks. I like it. I’ve lived here for a few years.”
Changmin went to sit at the table. Jae opened the cupboard and reached for a plate. Warmth settled behind him and he blushed as Changmin’s hand closed around his wrist.
“Let me help,” Changmin said. “You’re injured.”
Jae nodded and moved to the side. Changmin took down plates and got out bottles of water and chopsticks. Jae bit his lip, unsure of whether to smile or cry. He knew it was unfair to Changmin to compare him to Yunho, but Jae was so thankful for the help. Then again, he was still technically dating Yunho, so that was unfair too.
“I just got out of a really long relationship,” Jae said suddenly.
Changmin paused in scooping out kimchi jjigae from the pan. “And?”
“I … just thought you should know.”
“How long is long?”
“Four years.”
“Wow. That is long.”
“Yeah. He … we grew apart,” Jae said, his throat closed for a moment.
Changmin nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“It happens.”
“When did you break up?”
Tomorrow, Jae thought and then said, “A few weeks ago.”
Changmin nodded again, brow furrowed in concentration, and Jaejoong kicked himself. He should have waited, but he didn’t want to lie to Changmin. Changmin brought the plates of food to the table and then sat down. Jae could almost hear his stomach trying to eat itself. After the first bite, Changmin’s eyes shut and he moaned.
“God, that’s good.”
Jaejoong smiled as Changmin ate quickly. Jae didn’t eat as much, he wasn’t that hungry, and worry about how to talk to Yunho was twisting his stomach. After Changmin cleared his plate, Jaejoong met his eyes, and then pushed his plate over.
“No, hy-hyung, I …”
“Eat it, dongsaeng,” Jae said, glad that Changmin had relaxed around him already.
Changmin blushed, but took the plate and ate it quickly. Jaejoong stood up and started cleaning up. A few minutes later, Changmin was next to him, stopping his hand. Jae opened his mouth to protest, but Changmin turned him away from the counter and gave him a little shove. Jae frowned, but leaned against the wall and watched Changmin wash the dishes. It was quiet, but not as awkward as it had been. Jae didn’t mind the silence. Yunho had always talked, always complained about something or other.
“Thanks, hyung,” Changmin said as he dried his hands off. “That was really good. You are a good chef.”
Even a simple thank you and a compliment were foreign to Jaejoong’s ears.
Changmin bit his lower lip and looked around. “Well, I … I better …”
“Come watch TV with me.”
“I have class in like five hours.”
Jaejoong winced. “Harsh.”
Changmin nodded. Jae led the way to the front door. Changmin put his shoes back on, and unsure, rocked on his feet for a moment. Jaejoong decided to put him out of his misery. He stepped forward, hand on Changmin’s chest and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Thanks for coming over. Call me tomorrow.”
Changmin smiled, and blushed and nodded. “Okay.”
Jaejoong shut the door behind him and sighed and leaned against it with his eyes shut. He let himself slide down to the floor and cry again. He really did love Yunho, but respect, adoration, everything that had been so good between them two years ago was no longer there. He wasn’t looking forward to breaking up with Yunho again. Yoochun always told him that if Yunho loved him, Yunho would say it and show it. Dropping Jaejoong three blocks from the hospital was not showing it. Jaejoong was tired of feeling like an inconvenience.
He wiped his face, took a few deep breaths and stood up. He went to bed, and fell asleep with Changmin’s smile and mismatched eyes in his mind.
.
Pairing: Changmin/Jaejoong, Yunho/Jaejoong, Jaejoong/Yoochun!BFFery
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I would totally cook and clean with Jaejoong and eat food with Changmin and do sexy things with Yunho.
Summary: Jaejoong has been dating Yunho for a long time, but it takes a cute nurse-in-training to show Jaejoong what he's missing.
A/N: This fic is for yceam It is a two-fold fic. She gave me this idea a while ago, and I just sort of ran with it, and then it was her birthday a couple of weeks ago, so this is really really late as a b-day fic. Sorry baby! I still hope you like it! *hugs* Happy Birthday! ♥♥
A/N: Part 2: another one that might turn into more if I have the time. *hugs you*
Jaejoong bit his lip. He fought against tears. Yunho’s shouting droned on in the background. Just once, Jaejoong had wanted to do something with his boyfriend, something special. He’d made dinner, cleaned every inch of the house. But it wasn’t good enough. The only thing Yunho focused on was the vanilla smell permeating everything from the candles Jaejoong had lit throughout his apartment.
“I thought I said I didn’t like vanilla,” Yunho said in lieu of a hello.
Jaejoong sighed and decided Yoochun was right. Yunho would never change.
His vision went blurry as tears finally fell down his cheeks. Yunho sat at the table, eating the meat and rice and kimchi Jaejoong had prepared. But he was still complaining about it being too cold, too salty, too plain. Wasn’t Jaejoong studying to be a cook? Didn’t Yunho help pay for his schooling? What the hell was he paying for anyway when anyone could make food like this?
Jaejoong reached into the sink for another dish to wash.
Sharp pain on his hand made him gasp. He pulled his hand from the water. Across the fleshy part of his palm was a deep cut. The two sides, where the skin had split, were white, and then blood filled it slowly. Jaejoong watched, detached as blood slipped down his wrist. It was deep, really deep, and it should have hurt. Why didn’t it hurt?
“Jaejoong, are you even paying attention to me?” Yunho demanded.
A firm hand gripped his arm and spun him around. Jaejoong kept his hand up, eyes glassy. The anger in Yunho’s face hurt a lot more than the cut.
It took a moment for Yunho to see the cut.
“God, you’re clumsy,” he said. “Can’t you do anything properly?”
More tears fell from his eyes.
Yunho rolled his eyes. He grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around Jaejoong’s hand. “I have somewhere to be,” he said, “but I can drop you off at the hospital. Or at least close to it.”
Jaejoong nodded. He thought of telling Yunho that he’d call Yoochun, but Yunho would probably flip out over it.
Yunho waited impatiently as Jaejoong tried to get his shoes on, one handed. Finally, he gave up and slipped on flip flops even though it was cold outside. Yunho moved quickly ahead of him. With each step, the pain in Jaejoong’s hand grew worse. He bled through the towel quickly.
“Don’t you dare get blood in my car,” he said.
Jae opened the passenger door. He sat and struggled with the seatbelt. Yunho sighed in annoyance and latched it for him. He drove swiftly through the streets, and about ten minutes later, he pulled up to the curb.
“There you go,” Yunho said. “It’s just a couple blocks that way. You can walk right?”
Jaejoong’s heart broke at the condescending tone. He nodded and whispered, “Thank you, Yunho.”
“I’ll call you later,” Yunho said and released Jaejoong’s seatbelt. A clear dismissal.
Jaejoong swallowed against the lump in his throat.
The tires of Yunho’s car squealed as he pulled away from the curb. Jae refused to watch him drive away. He held the rag against his hand tightly and walked to the hospital. It wasn’t too far and it wasn’t too cold. He hurried. His pulse thumped in his hand.
When he arrived at the emergency room, a nurse immediately peeled the towel away to look at his hand.
“Oh, it’s not too bad. Some stitches and you’ll be out of here in a moment.” She was a nice lady, older with gray hair at her temples.
Jae nodded and sniffled, and unable to really hold back anymore, he let himself cry.
“Oh, baby,” the nurse crooned. “You’re alright. I’ll wait until you’re stitched up for you to do paperwork. Do you need to call anyone?”
Jaejoong thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
The nurse produced a phone from another room and then she dialed Yoochun’s number for Jaejoong. Yoochun didn’t answer, but Jaejoong hadn’t expected him to. Yoochun never answered if it was a number he didn’t recognize. Jaejoong left a brief message saying he cut his hand cooking and he was at the hospital.
“Thank you,” Jae whispered and the nurse nodded.
She retrieved some tissues and said, “An aide will be right here.”
Jaejoong leaned back in the bed, head turned away from the door and he thought about Yunho. They’d been in love at one point, through Jaejoong barely remembered it. Nothing he could do ever pleased Yunho. The man found fault in the tiniest details. Except in the bedroom. It was the only time Jaejoong ever received praise from him.
“Hello,” a voice said.
Jaejoong turned his head. He blinked, mind blank, as he stared at the young man in the room. He smiled widely and rolled a stool over to the edge of the bed. He took Jaejoong’s wrist.
“Hyuni said you cut your hand. Let’s look at it.”
His hand was warm. Jae watched the man’s face as he poked at Jae’s hand. He had a firm jaw, a strong profile. His eyes were a bit … crooked, but he was so handsome. And tall. He looked young, and Jaejoong wondered how old he was. His name badge said “Shin Changmin: Nurse aide” on it.
“Kim Jaejoong, right?” he asked.
Jaejoong nodded.
“I’m Shim Changmin. How did this happen?”
“I …” Jae had to swallow. “Cooking.”
“You cook?” Changmin said with interest.
Jae nodded. “I … I’m going to culinary school.”
“Oh man,” Changmin said. He spun around to grab some wipes and disinfectant. “I wish I had time to cook. I barely have time to eat, and I love eating.”
“A-are you a doctor?”
Changmin grinned. “Well, that’s the ultimate goal, but right now I’m studying nursing.”
“You’re kind of young.”
Changmin laughed. “Everyone says that. I’m twenty-two.”
Jaejoong’s palm went numb. He was incredibly squeamish when it came to needles and things, so he did not look at his hand, but watched Changmin’s face. The first poke of the needle made him jump, but then Changmin bit his lower lip and Jaejoong forgot about everything else.
“Jaejoong!”
Jae looked up quickly at Yoochun. Yoochun rushed to the other side of the bed and leaned down and kissed Jae’s cheek.
“What happened, baby?” Yoochun asked.
Jaejoong saw Changmin stiffen in the corner of his eyes. Homophobe? God, Jaejoong hoped not.
“I … I was cooking, and I cut myself.”
“You didn’t drive here, did you?”
“No, I … I took a taxi.”
Yoochun glared at him, and Jae knew that Yoochun knew he was lying. Damn best friend. “You should have called me.”
“It … it was too fast.”
“Is he alright?” Yoochun asked Changmin.
Changmin nodded, still stiff. “Yeah. Just a few more stitches. It’s not deep enough to damage any tendons or nerves.”
“Good.”
“Chunnie,” Jaejoong said. “I … they need some paperwork.”
“I’ll go fill it out for you,” Yoochun said. He kissed Jae’s cheek again and then whispered, “Damn, he’s hot.”
Jaejoong chuckled.
Yoochun winked at him and then left the room.
Changmin did not look up. It was quiet and awkward for a moment. Changmin finished stitching and then took a wet rag to clean up the blood.
Jaejoong cleared his throat. “Yoochun is going to pamper me for days after this. I love having a best friend, but sometimes he’s too overprotective.”
“Best friend?” Changmin questioned, not concealing the hopeful tone.
Jae smiled. God, this kid was cute. “Yeah. We’ve been friends since elementary school.”
“He’s not … not your …”
“Boyfriend?” Jaejoong laughed. “God, no. I mean, when we were teenagers, we fooled around, but yeah, not a boyfriend.”
“Do you … sorry, it’s not any of my business.”
Jaejoong pondered Changmin for a moment. It was a good question. Did he have a boyfriend?
“I don’t,” Jae whispered.
Changmin scrunched up his face in thought.
“Do you?”
He shook his head.
“Good,” Jae said and let his fingers graze Changmin’s wrist. “Then you should come over and let me cook for you.”
Changmin looked up quickly, and then he blushed and looked away. “I … I don’t have a lot of time.”
Jae frowned and figured he’d read the kid wrong. “Okay. Sorry.”
“No, no,” Changmin said quickly and looked up. “I’d love too, really, I … I have school and my shifts here and, well … it’s hard to have a relationship and I just …”
Jaejoong smiled. He reached forward and plucked the pen from the pocket of Changmin’s blue scrubs. High on Changmin’s arm, past his elbow, Jaejoong wrote down his phone number and his name. “Call me. Whenever you have time. I’m a student too, remember, and I have a job as an assistant chef. Maybe one day our schedules will align and you can come over.”
“My shift today ends at two am,” Changmin said quickly.
Jaejoong smiled and said, “Well, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a weird craving for kimchi jjigae at two am. You should come over and help me eat it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Call me when you’re done and I’ll give you my address.”
Changmin’s reply was cut off as his beeper vibrated. He checked the screen, frowned, and said, “I have to go. Um, change the dressing on that once a day for a week, and just let the stitches fall out when it’s healed.”
“Thanks, Changmin,” Jaejoong said.
He stood up, cheeks red, and turned, muttering something that ended with, “I’ll call you later.”
Jaejoong waited until the door shut behind him and then smiled. Yoochun walked into the room with a grin. “Cute doctor ran out of here looking flushed and pleased with himself. Did he get a hand job?”
Jae laughed. “No. He’s coming over later for kimchi jjigae.”
Yoochun grinned. “Good. Are you ready to go?”
Jae nodded and got out of bed.
It took a few more minutes and Jae had to sign a few things before he could leave, but he left the hospital a lot happier than he had when he had arrived. Yoochun drove him home, and despite Jaejoong’s protest, Yoochun came up to his apartment with him.
“Care to tell me the truth now?” Yoochun said after noticing the unfinished dinner, the still burning candles.
Jae shrugged. He blew the candles out, and went to the kitchen. Yoochun helped him clean up.
“Yunho … yeah,” Jae said, but didn’t elaborate.
Yoochun glared at the spot of blood on the floor before wiping it up. “He treats you like shit.”
“I know.”
Jae left the kitchen. He walked around his apartment, and decided there was too much “Yunho” around. One handed, he lugged a box from closet and filled it when all the pictures of the two of them. Yoochun found him in the bathroom, throwing all of Yunho’s things into a garbage bag.
“You done with him then?”
Jae nodded. “He made me walk to the hospital. Not all the way, but a few blocks, because he had somewhere else to be. He didn’t even care that I was injured.”
Yoochun said nothing, but helped Jaejoong systematically remove Yunho from his apartment.
The last thing Jaejoong did was erase and then block Yunho’s number from his cell phone.
“You going to be okay?” Yoochun asked.
Jae nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, this new kid. Rebound?”
“Probably, but he seems nice. And he’s cute.”
Yoochun nodded. “Very cute. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.”
Yoochun kissed his cheek again and promised to be over early in the morning.
Jae sat on the couch, staring at the blank TV for a little while. Yunho hadn’t called to see how he was. Yunho wouldn’t talk to him until Jaejoong called. After a couple of hours drowning in self pity, Jae got up and went to the kitchen. Kimchi jjigae was easy for him to make, but with one hand, he wanted to make sure it was done early.
His phone buzzed with a text.
hi. This is Changmin. I didn’t want to call if this isn’t Jaejoong
Jaejoong laughed. He sent Changmin a text back, complete with his address. A half hour later, his doorbell rang. Jae wiped his hand clean and went to answer it.
Changmin smiled, nervous, and Jae smiled widely. God, he was so hot. Out of his scrubs, he now wore jeans and a blue t-shirt that showed off the muscles in his shoulders and arms. And his legs were so fucking long. Jae suppressed a shiver. He moved to let Changmin in.
“God, it smells good,” Changmin said. “I’m so hungry.”
“Good,” Jae said. “I made too much.”
“I’ll eat it.” Changmin smiled and followed him into the kitchen. “This is a really nice apartment.”
“Thanks. I like it. I’ve lived here for a few years.”
Changmin went to sit at the table. Jae opened the cupboard and reached for a plate. Warmth settled behind him and he blushed as Changmin’s hand closed around his wrist.
“Let me help,” Changmin said. “You’re injured.”
Jae nodded and moved to the side. Changmin took down plates and got out bottles of water and chopsticks. Jae bit his lip, unsure of whether to smile or cry. He knew it was unfair to Changmin to compare him to Yunho, but Jae was so thankful for the help. Then again, he was still technically dating Yunho, so that was unfair too.
“I just got out of a really long relationship,” Jae said suddenly.
Changmin paused in scooping out kimchi jjigae from the pan. “And?”
“I … just thought you should know.”
“How long is long?”
“Four years.”
“Wow. That is long.”
“Yeah. He … we grew apart,” Jae said, his throat closed for a moment.
Changmin nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“It happens.”
“When did you break up?”
Tomorrow, Jae thought and then said, “A few weeks ago.”
Changmin nodded again, brow furrowed in concentration, and Jaejoong kicked himself. He should have waited, but he didn’t want to lie to Changmin. Changmin brought the plates of food to the table and then sat down. Jae could almost hear his stomach trying to eat itself. After the first bite, Changmin’s eyes shut and he moaned.
“God, that’s good.”
Jaejoong smiled as Changmin ate quickly. Jae didn’t eat as much, he wasn’t that hungry, and worry about how to talk to Yunho was twisting his stomach. After Changmin cleared his plate, Jaejoong met his eyes, and then pushed his plate over.
“No, hy-hyung, I …”
“Eat it, dongsaeng,” Jae said, glad that Changmin had relaxed around him already.
Changmin blushed, but took the plate and ate it quickly. Jaejoong stood up and started cleaning up. A few minutes later, Changmin was next to him, stopping his hand. Jae opened his mouth to protest, but Changmin turned him away from the counter and gave him a little shove. Jae frowned, but leaned against the wall and watched Changmin wash the dishes. It was quiet, but not as awkward as it had been. Jae didn’t mind the silence. Yunho had always talked, always complained about something or other.
“Thanks, hyung,” Changmin said as he dried his hands off. “That was really good. You are a good chef.”
Even a simple thank you and a compliment were foreign to Jaejoong’s ears.
Changmin bit his lower lip and looked around. “Well, I … I better …”
“Come watch TV with me.”
“I have class in like five hours.”
Jaejoong winced. “Harsh.”
Changmin nodded. Jae led the way to the front door. Changmin put his shoes back on, and unsure, rocked on his feet for a moment. Jaejoong decided to put him out of his misery. He stepped forward, hand on Changmin’s chest and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Thanks for coming over. Call me tomorrow.”
Changmin smiled, and blushed and nodded. “Okay.”
Jaejoong shut the door behind him and sighed and leaned against it with his eyes shut. He let himself slide down to the floor and cry again. He really did love Yunho, but respect, adoration, everything that had been so good between them two years ago was no longer there. He wasn’t looking forward to breaking up with Yunho again. Yoochun always told him that if Yunho loved him, Yunho would say it and show it. Dropping Jaejoong three blocks from the hospital was not showing it. Jaejoong was tired of feeling like an inconvenience.
He wiped his face, took a few deep breaths and stood up. He went to bed, and fell asleep with Changmin’s smile and mismatched eyes in his mind.
.