Gravity [2B]
Title: Gravity
Beta: atriums
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: One of his rules was that he didn’t sleep with military men, but this man was different.
“You seem different lately.”
Jaejoong opened his eyes and yawned before he lifted up his head to look at Yoochun. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly and didn’t reply immediately. His mind was barely functioning because he’d gone over to Yunho’s home instead of going back home after his shift at the bar. The other man had graciously welcomed him inside, and they’d ended up having coffee and exchanging kisses quietly while Minah slept inside of her room. They’d also fallen asleep on the sofa at some unknown hour, and Jaejoong had to creep out of the apartment building at around five in the morning before Minah could come out of her room and discover them together.
He was incredibly tired, but he could still feel Yunho’s touches against his skin. The words Yunho had whispered into his ears still rung clear in his mind, and underneath all his tiredness, Jaejoong could still feel the butterflies in his stomach.
“Are you even listening to me?”
The pianist jerked up, and Yoochun shook his head. He looked around and gestured for Jaejoong to follow him inside of his office. Jaejoong followed him inside and shut the door behind him before he sat down at his usual chair.
“You’re seeing him, aren’t you?” Yoochun asked, although based off his tone, it was quite obvious that he already knew the answer to his question. Deciding not to play along, Jaejoong kept silent, and Yoochun looked up at him irritably. “Jaejoong…I told you not to -“
“I can’t help it,” Jaejoong answered softly, his heart thudding in his chest. “I…I -“
“You love him,” Yoochun finished, and he shook his head once more. He fiddled with the papers on his desk and moved around them idly, and Jaejoong watched him expectantly. After a minute or so had passed, he took a deep breath and met Jaejoong’s watchful gaze. “You’re going to get hurt.”
“And?” Jaejoong questioned defiantly, his heart pounding in his chest as he defended the relationship he’d so carefully built the past couple of months. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t know him -“
Yoochun sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Jaejoong, why are you automatically assuming that I mean there’s something wrong with him? You know that I only want the best for you…especially…” He took a deep breath and calmed down. “Things aren’t getting any better on the frontlines. I hope you realize that. Didn’t you get letters from Seunghyun and Changmin just recently?”
Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, and he stared at Yoochun, at a loss as to what to say next. He licked his lips then looked down, “I…he makes me happy,” he whispered softly as he stared at his hands. “I…I can’t just let go of him now.”
“Jaejoong…”
The pianist looked up, “I love him, and I’m too far gone now. He’s become too much of a part of my life that I’m willing to risk the chance to get hurt in the future.” He swallowed hard and shook his head. “I…I won’t have things any other way. I’m sorry. I know you want to protect me, just like you’ve always protected everyone you loved…but this time, there’s nothing you can do.”
Silence fell between them, and Jaejoong took a deep shuddery breath. He shut his eyes and willed away all the negative thoughts that were coming to mind. He wished so much that he could just live in some kind of snow globe world with Yunnho and his beloved daughter. He was sick of having to be afraid that Yunho would tell him that he was leaving, and he was tired of hearing about war.
It was unfair for his life to be fucked over and ruined numerous times as a result of choices he hadn’t even made. Like a disease to society, the effects of war penetrated and messed with the lives of all people. No one was spared, but despite that, Jaejoong still felt as if fate was purposefully toying with him and ruining the happiness he’d tried to build for himself.
“I just want to be happy,” Jaejoong whispered as he clenched his eyes tightly and thought of Yunho and his lovely daughter. “Even…even if it’s only for a little while, at least…at least it’ll give me the strength to go on. I’m too weak to go on alone anymore. I need him.”
When he opened his eyes, Yoochun was gazing at him with a look filled with sympathy.
“You have me, you know…you don’t always have to think you’re alone all the time. I’m here…I’m here for you,” the bar owner murmured softly, and Jaejoong nodded in understanding.
“I know…” He licked his lips and sighed. “But there are some gaps in one’s heart that a friend cannot fill…a certain kind of longing that…that only a lover can satisfy.” Jaejoong raised his eyes and met Yoochun’s sad gaze. “I’m sorry.”
The bar owner nodded. “I understand, don’t worry.”
“I know…I know you only want the best for me,” Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, and he forced a smile. “But right now, being with Yunho is the best thing for me, and there’s nothing I would do to change that.”
o-o-o
He was tired.
Jaejoong could feel the ache linger deep in his body, and as he helped Yoochun and the others close down the bar, he knew that he wouldn’t have the strength to go over to Yunho’s place. He carefully cleaned up the piano, and after he was done, he said his goodbyes and made his way out of the bar. The chilly night air greeted him, but just as he was going to turn in the direction of his apartment, Jaejoong saw Yunho standing outside of the bar.
‘You’re here,” he breathed out quietly, his feet automatically magnetizing him in the direction of Yunho. As soon as he was in front of him, Jaejoong could feel some of the tiredness he’d been feeling slip away into nothingness. He looked at Yunho, his eyes trailing over familiar handsome features.
Yunho nodded, “I know…I thought it’d be nice if I could pick you up for a change.”
“What about Minah?”
The soldier but his lip, “She insisted that she wasn’t sleepy, and seeing as it’s a weekend tomorrow, I told her to wait -“
“Yunho! You left her alone?” Jaejoong questioned, “That’s unsafe! What if -“
“I brought my car though, so we should get home quickly,” Yunho said, “I also asked Sooyeon to check up on her every thirty minutes, seeing as she’s still awake and with some of her friends.”
“Do you know what time it is?” The pianist paused. “You know that Minah doesn’t like her, right?”
“Yes, of course. It’s obvious…” Yunho muttered, “Let’s go, before I keep feeling guilty for leaving my daughter at this hour. I only came over so that I could fetch you…I didn’t want you to be alone. I know how much you don’t like it, and…”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Jaejoong chuckled and followed Yunho to his car, sparing the man the need to explain anything further to him. “Okay, let’s go. I don’t want Minah to accuse me of stealing her father.”
o-o-o
Yunho unlocked the door to his apartment, and Jaejoong went inside first while Yunho went to his neighbor’s apartment to thank her. He shut the door quietly behind him, and when he walked further in, he saw Minah sleeping on the sofa with the television left on in front of her. Jaejoong turned off the television and then he walked over to Minah.
“Minah,” he whispered, gently coaxing the young girl awake.
The young girl opened her eyes tiredly, “Daddy?”
“No, it’s me, Jaejoong,” the pianist whispered, “But your daddy’s going to be here in a bit. He’s just talking to Ms. Kwon -“
Minah frowned, and Jaejoong chuckled. He instinctively reached out and smoothened back her long dark hair, “Do you want to go to bed now?”
The young girl sat up and shook her head. “I want to see daddy first.” She rubbed at her eyes, and Jaejoong sat down beside her. She leaned against him, still obviously sleepy and not entirely awake, and Jaejoong watched as her eyes slowly began to drift shut once more.
As they waited for Yunho, Jaejoong could feel his tiredness creep back into his system. He glanced down at the little girl leaning against him, and a smile crept onto his face as he saw that she’d fallen back to sleep. He was careful not to move, and when he heard the door open, he smiled as Yunho appeared.
Jaejoong watched as Yunho took his daughter off of the sofa, carrying her into her bedroom. He could vaguely hear Yunho whisper a few things and just as he’d stood up to follow, Yunho came back out.
“Do you want to sleep?”
“In this?” Jaejoong asked softly as he gestured to his clothes. “I guess we forgot to stop over at my house.” He smiled at Yunho, “Just drive me home, and -“
“I want you to stay…at least, for the weekend,” Yunho murmured as he walked over to Jaejoong and cupped his face. “You don’t…I don’t like leaving either of you, you know.” He pressed a kiss to Jaejoong’s forehead. “If you don’t mind, please…stay.”
Jaejoong felt his heart flutter in his chest, and he could feel himself sinking into Yunho’s embrace. He was tired, and the thought of leaving Yunho wasn’t something that he really wanted to entertain at that moment. He was also tired of going back to his apartment, and if Yunho thought it’d be an okay idea for him to stay over, then he wouldn’t protest.
“..okay.”
Yunho smiled at him, and he pulled Jaejoong inside the bedroom. As expected, it was simply designed and not as neat as Jaejoong had expected. There were a few books lying around, some drawings that were probably done by Minah, and Jaejoong could see multiple cards lying around. There were a few recent pictures around, and Jaejoong picked one up to look at it.
“That’s Jihye,” Yunho murmured as he took off his coat. “She thinks the home needs to look more lived in.”
“How old is she?” Jaejoong asked softly as he turned his eyes away from the photograph in the frame to look at Yunho. “She looks younger than you.” He watched as Yunho unbuttoned his shirt, and he swallowed hard.
“She’s twenty two, and she’s working at a local hospital as a nurse.” Yunho replied as he walked over to Jaejoong to look at the photo as well. “She’s quite young, I know, but she’s a smart girl and hard working too,” he murmured as he looked at the picture a little longer. “I feel guilty that she’s spent so much time looking after me when -“
“Don’t feel guilty about that.” Jaejoong whispered as he raised his eyes and looked up at Yunho’s face. “People always look out for the ones they love.” He reached out and carded his hand through Yunho’s hair. “Right?”
Yunho took hold of his hand, and he smiled at Jaejoong. “I guess.”
They stared at one another, and Jaejoong yawned. “I’m tired.” He smiled at Yunho and raked his eyes over the other man’s body. “…is it presumptive for me to ask if you’re secretly inviting me to take a bath with you?”
“You look like you need a warm bath,” Yunho murmured as he took Jaejoong’s into his arms. Jaejoong shut his eyes, and he basked in the comfort that was always provided to him by Yunho’s embrace. “If anything happens…Minah won’t be able to hear, but, my main intentions were simply to bathe with you.”
Jaejoong chuckled and whispered against Yunho’s neck, “And nothing else?”
“Nothing else, I promise,” Yunho whispered back. “But the longer we stay like this, the harder it is for me to keep other thoughts out of mind.”
Jaejoong laughed and hooked his arms around Yunho’s neck. He smiled up at the older man, “Where’s the bathroom?”
Yunho pulled him in the direction of the bathroom, and he flicked open the lights before he pulled Jaejoong inside and locked the door behind him. They both undressed, and Jaejoong carefully folded his clothes and set them aside. As soon as they were finished, Jaejoong turned around and admired Yunho’s muscled back as he leant down to turn on the shower. He kept it at a moderate strength, and Jaejoong soon stepped in to follow him in.
The warm water felt heavenly against his skin, but when he felt Yunho’s hands run all over his body, Jaejoong couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips. He kept still as Yunho began to soap and lather his body, and all Jaejoong did was stand still so that there wouldn’t be a problem. Gentle hands lathered shampoo into his hair, and when Yunho gently pushed him forward to step into the shower spray, Jaejoong followed his silent instruction.
As soon as he’d been washed off completely, Yunho kissed his neck, and Jaejoong shivered. He turned around and buried his face into the other man’s chest, the shower still gently beating against his back. He felt completely boneless against Yunho, and he rested against him, breathing in deeply.
“You should go to bed,” Yunho murmured as he wrapped his arms around Jaejoong tightly then moved them so that he could turn off the shower. He pulled a towel off the rack, dried himself off, and then wrapped it around Jaejoong. He let Jaejoong sit on the edge of the bathtub and toweled the other man off, the gesture almost as if he were treating Jaejoong like a child.
Jaejoong smiled shyly at Yunho. “Do you do this for Minah all the time?” he asked.
“Sometimes,” Yunho murmured as he smiled back at Jaejoong and helped him up off the bathtub. “I’m more dressed when I’m with her though.” He kissed Jaejoong’s lips chastely, and Jaejoong didn’t know how much he could handle from Yunho.
They exited the bathroom together, and Jaejoong sat down on the bed with the towel wrapped around his body as he watched Yunho walk around the room naked. He kept his eyes on the other man as he pulled out clothes, and when Yunho set them down in front of them, Jaejoong glanced at them before he looked up at Yunho.
“Will these fit?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t worn them in a while,” Yunho admitted honestly as he smiled at Jaejoong. “But I hope they do.”
The pianist merely laughed, and he put on the clothes as Yunho put on his. As soon as he was done, Jaejoong looked down at the shirt that draped loosely over his body and the boxers that slung dangerously low on his hips. When he raised his eyes, Yunho was smiling at him in amusement.
“They’ll do,” Jaejoong whispered with a smile before he crawled onto Yunho’s bed and lied down. He watched as Yunho moved to lie down next to him, and when he felt Yunho’s arm pull him close, he smiled at the other man.
They stared at each other in the darkness, and Jaejoong leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Yunho’s lips. Yunho deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into Jaejoong’s mouth and slowly exploring every inch of it. Jaejoong moaned softly when Yunho broke away and before Yunho pulled him close, he buried his face into the other man’s chest and breathed in deeply.
To be honest, he had nothing much to say - or, it was more like he had no clue as to how he could express what he felt. He didn’t know how much gratitude he could express to Yunho, or how he could say about how much he felt at that moment. His heart felt like it was threatening to explode in his chest from happiness, and he’d never felt more loved in his entire life.
While he struggled with words, he felt Yunho’s arms wrap around him protectively, and the other man pressed a soft kiss to his hair. They said nothing, and as the minutes ticked by, Jaejoong realized that there was nothing he needed to say.
Love was something that could be understood even without words.
o-o-o
It was still early when Jaejoong woke up, and he could see only the faint touches of the sun’s rays slipping into the bedroom from the curtained windows. He smiled and slowly slipped out of Yunho’s embrace easily, the other man being a surprisingly heavy sleeper. He crept out of the room and made his way to the bathroom before he looked around and realized that it would probably be wise for him to get some clothes from his own apartment before he stayed over the entire weekend.
Jaejoong found his clothes in the bathroom, and he changed out of the clothes Yunho had given him and wore his clothes from the previous night. When he came back out of the bathroom, Yunho was still asleep. Jaejoong smiled at the other man’s sleeping figure before he looked around the room for a piece of paper. He found a blank sheet of paper on a desk, grabbed the pen that was lying on the desk and scrawled a note for Yunho to read if ever he woke up before he returned.
Dear Yunho,
I just went to pick up some clothes from my apartment. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.
He placed the note down onto the bedside table, folded the clothes he’d worn and placed them beside it. After making sure he hadn’t made anything unnecessarily messy, Jaejoong stepped out of the room and paused when he saw that Minah was sitting down in front of the television. Her hair was still a tangled mess, so he assumed that she’d just woken up.
As soon as she heard the door open, she turned her head, but her eyes widened the moment she recognized Jaejoong.
“Why are you here?” she asked before she hopped off the sofa and went over to look up at him. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “Are you the reason my daddy left last night?”
Jaejoong chuckled and leant down, “Don’t you remember me coming here last night? You even fell asleep on me.” He smiled while Minah blushed, “You should stop staying up so late. You never remember anything that happens.”
Minah pouted, “You should stop coming here so late.”
“That’s true,” Jaejoong said with a laugh as he stood up and straightened up to his full height. He smiled at the little girl, “Well, I have to go now. If you don’t mind, I’ll be coming back again.”
“When?” Minah asked curiously.
“Probably in less than an hour,” Jaejoong said as he noticed the wall clock that was nearby. He squatted down so that he could look at the young girl in the eyes. “Why are you up so early anyway? It’s a Saturday. You should still be sleeping…it’s only six.”
“I don’t know,” Minah said with a shrug. “I just woke up, and then I couldn’t go back to sleep.”
Jaejoong nodded in understanding and smiled. “Do you want me to help you with anything before I leave? I could brush your hair, or -“
“Take me outside,” Minah suggested brightly, her smile widening as she looked at Jaejoong expectantly. “Daddy and I usually go out on walks in the morning. It’s just that usually we go out a little later because daddy wakes up late. We also go out for breakfast because daddy can’t cook.”
Jaejoong laughed, “You should stop telling people that your daddy can’t cook.” He smiled at the young girl and tilted his head. “It’s not something that he’s very proud of, I’m sure.”
Minah looked at him. “Even if daddy can’t cook, I love him. I’m always proud of daddy, no matter what.”
The pianist resisted the urge to hug the little girl, and he nodded. “You should always be proud of him. He’s an amazing man.”
“I know, you don’t have to tell me that,” Minah mumbled before she took a step toward Jaejoong. “What about you?” she asked, “Do you know if there’s someone that always loves you?”
“Oh…well,” Jaejoong trailed off, unsure of what to answer. He knew he didn’t want to say Yunho, so he decided to go for a safer answer. “Well, I know my family loves me. I haven’t seen them in a long time though.”
“Why not?”
The pianist let out a small sigh but smiled anyway. “They live far away from me. It’s hard to see them.” He stood up and looked down at the little girl, “Well, I have to be on my way now. I don’t know if your daddy would be okay with me taking you out…”
“We can ask him!” Minah said happily, “Is he awake?”
Jaejoong glanced back at the shut door, “Oh…I don’t know. He wasn’t awake when I left the room, so maybe not.”
“I think we should check then,” the young girl suggested. “We just have to make sure to be quiet so that we don’t wake up daddy if he isn’t awake yet.” She looked at Jaejong with hopeful eyes, “Please? Let’s go ask daddy?”
Unable to resist such a cute expression, Jaejoong nodded and held out his hand for Minah to hold. “Alright then, but you have to be very quiet, okay?”
Minah squeezed his hand and nodded. “Okay. I promise.”
With Minah’s hand in his, Jaejoong carefully twisted open the doorknob and opened the door slightly. Yunho’s face was buried into his pillow, and his body was entangled in the sheets. His soft snoring filled the room, and Jaejoong looked down at Minah, making sure she’d seen her father before he quietly shut the door once more.
“Well, your daddy’s still asleep,” Jaejoong said softly. “I can’t take you out without his permission, so you just have to stay here and make sure you greet him good morning for me. Alright?”
Minah nodded, and Jaejoong noticed that the young girl’s face seem to be changed into a thoughtful expression. When she didn’t say anything, Jaejoong decided to press the issue a little.
“Minah? Is something wrong?”
The young girl looked at him. “How come you came out of daddy’s room? Did you and daddy sleep in the same bed?” she asked, and Jaejoong’s eyes widened at her question.
“Uhm, no, I slept on the floor -“ Jaejoong lied, but before he could finish his excuse, the young girl spoke up in protest.
“How could daddy let you sleep in the floor?” Minah questioned, her expression showing her great amount of disapproval. She touched Jaejoong’s back with her small hands and looked up at him, “Daddy was bad to let you sleep on the floor! You should’ve slept in his bed -“
“It’s really okay Minah -“
Minah’s lips formed a pronounced pout. “Daddy told me a few days ago that he liked you a lot. If he liked you a lot, why would he let you sleep on the floor?” She shook her head in disapproval. “I like you a lot too, and I wouldn’t let you sleep on the floor. Do you want to sleep on my bed?”
Jaejoong laughed and shook his head, “I’ll be okay Minah.” He took the young girl into his arms and hugged her tightly, pleased that she’d openly admitted the fact that she liked him. He buried his face into her hair, “You’re such a sweet little girl.”
“Don’t say that, Ms. Kwon says that,” Minah mumbled, and Jaejoong pulled away from her to look at her eyes.
He smiled at her and smoothened out her hair once more. “What should I call you then?” Jaejoong asked, a bright and wide smile on his face. “Should call you princess?”
Minah wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I don’t like that.”
“What about…cutie pie?”
“I don’t like that either!” Minah frowned, “I don’t like you anymore.” She pretended to huff, and Jaejoong laughed and took her into his arms once again. He lifted her off the floor, and she giggled as he carried her all the way into the kitchen. He set her down onto the counter and placed his hands on either side of her legs.
“I think I’ll do my little errand later,” Jaejoong said as he smiled at the little girl. He looked around the kitchen and then looked back at her. “Even though your lovely daddy doesn’t cook, does he keep non-cooked food in the house?”
Minah nodded, “He does!”
“Good,” Jaejoong turned away from the young girl, and he could hear the sound her feet made whenever it hit the counter as she swung her legs. He opened the refrigerator door and was surprised to find it well-stocked with food. He looked back at Minah, and she smiled.
“There’s a lot of food in the refrigerator.”
Minah nodded, “Daddy went to the market yesterday morning, and I went to the supermarket with him in the afternoon. We always go on Fridays so that Auntie Jihye has ingredients on Sunday.”
Jaejoong shut the refrigerator door and walked back to Minah. “Do you think your daddy and Auntie Jihye would mind if I made breakfast?” he asked.
The young girl’s mouth opened in surprise, “You can cook?”
“Yes, I can.” Jaejoong said with a smile. “I can cook pretty well too…would you want to try some of my cooking? If you want me to make breakfast for you and your daddy, all you would have to do is ask.”
“Make breakfast for daddy and me!”
Noticing that something was lacking in her request, Jaejoong frowned at her. “I think you should’ve included a word in that request -“
“Can you please make breakfast for daddy and me?” Minah asked, “I’m sure daddy and Auntie Jihye won’t mind if you use the food. No one really uses it, and I’m sure daddy would be very happy to have breakfast with you. Daddy talks about you all the time -“
Jaejoong paused, “He does?”
Minah nodded excitedly. “Daddy always tells me to be nice to you, and he told me that you can play the piano. I told daddy that I wanted to know how the piano too, and he said that maybe you could teach me. I also asked him if he could buy a piano, and he told me he would think about it, and -“
“I’d love to teach you how to play the piano,” Jaejoong said with a smile, cutting in as Minah spoke and allowing her a much needed opportunity to catch her breath. “You know, I have a piano at home. It’s not the nicest one, but I love it a lot.”
“That’s why you should bring me to your home,” Minah said with a pout. “I’m sure daddy wouldn’t mind. I’m sure he trusts you lots, and I’m sure you’d be okay to stay with for a while…much nicer than Ms. Kwon.”
Jaejoong laughed, “You really don’t like her much, do you?”
Minah shook her head. “Nope. Not one bit. I told you before! She’s trying to steal my daddy away.” She looked over Jaejoong’s shoulder then looked back at him, “Are we going to make breakfast? Daddy might wake up soon. We should surprise him!”
“Maybe you should dress up a bit first?” Jaejoong asked. “I don’t think your daddy would like to see you still dressed in your sleeping clothes…”
“You’re still in your sleeping clothes.”
Jaejoong laughed and glanced down at his outfit. “Well…” He trailed off and realized that he didn’t need to try to argue his way out of anything. “Fine then, but how about you brush your hair first? You look like a baby lion.”
“Okay,” Minah said. She stretched out her arms, “Help me down please.”
Jaejoong helped her back down onto the floor, and he watched her as she disappeared out of the kitchen and headed for her room. As soon as she was gone, Jaejoong turned away and looked around in the refrigerator to see what he could use in order to make breakfast.
o-o-o
Minah was singing some song while he cooked, and Jaejoong hummed while she sang. It was around the fourth or fifth time she’d sung it, and seeing as he’d been unable to get a good grasp of the lyrics, he was content to just follow her lead. He flipped the pancake over on the pan, and just as he was about to ask Minah to hand him his glass of water, Yunho came in and made his presence known.
“What’s going on here?”
A delighted squeal escaped Minah’s lips, and Jaejoong turned around to see Yunho pick his daughter up off the counter. She hugged him tightly, and Yunho walked over to see what he was cooking. He glanced down at the pancakes, and when his eyes met Jaejoong’s, he shot the other man a delighted smile.
“You’re making this for…”
“For Minah,” Jaejoong said softly, “And for you. She told me that you can’t cook you know.”
Yunho laughed and he looked at his daughter. “Did you really tell him that?” He glanced at the pancake. “Well, I have to agree with her. Your pancake looks so much better than the way mine usually turn out.”
“Daddy’s pancakes are always a very dark brown -“
Jaejoong laughed and he turned away briefly to take the pancake off the pan. He set it down on a larger plate, and just as he was about to place more batter back onto the pan, he felt a hand tug at the apron that was around his waist. He turned around, and Yunho smiled at him. Minah was no longer in her arms, and when Jaejoong looked around, he realized that the little girl was no longer in the kitchen.
“Where’s Minah?”
“I told her to start getting her stuff ready so that she can take a bath,” Yunho murmured as he walked up to Jaejoong and wrapped his arms around the other man. The other man breathed in deeply, and Jaejoong said nothing as Yunho rested against him.
“I haven’t gotten back to my apartment yet,” Jaejoong murmured when Yunho didn’t move to say anything. “I might smell a little because these clothes are from yesterday. I left you a note, and I had intended to leave, but I saw Minah, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“I see,” Yunho said softly against Jaejoong’s skin. “We can go to your apartment later if you want,” he said as he pulled away from Jaejoong to look into his eyes. “You, Minah and I…we can all go - that is, if you wouldn’t mind both of us tagging along. We could go after breakfast?”
Jaejoong stared into Yunho’s eyes. “Are you sure?”
The soldier nodded. “Yes, that’s what I would like…but no pressure,” he murmured before he pressed soft kiss to Jaejoong’s forehead. “If you don’t want us to come along, I understand. Minah is -“
“I would love for you to come,” Jaejoong whispered as he stared into Yunho’s eyes. “I think you should two should just follow after me though. I have to clean up…make things a little more appropriate for a little girl.”
Yunho chuckled and pressed a kiss to Jaejoong’s neck, making shivers run down the other man’s spine. “Alright then,” he said softly against Jaejoong’s skin before he continued to kiss further down his neck. “I can delay Minah for a bit.”
Jaejoong smiled, “Maybe I’ll teach her a bit of the piano?”
The other man chuckled. “Why not?” He held Jaejoong a little tighter. “But she may not ever want to leave your apartment if she doesn’t get it immediately.”
“Maybe another day then,” Jaejoong replied quietly.
They stood that way for a little longer, Yunho leaving chaste kisses on every single inch of Jaejoong’s exposed skin and his arms holding Jaejoong securely against him. Jaejoong merely let the other man touch him and hold him gently and was content to whisper insignificant things into Yunho’s ear while he touched him. It was a heavenly moment, and they were so fulfilled in their tiny little world until they heard Minah’s shouts.
“Daddy! Daddy! I’m done! I wanna take a bath now!”
Jaejoong smiled against Yunho’s skin and drew away from the other man. “You should go to her. I’ll finish the pancakes, and as soon as I’m done, we can eat together.”
“Alright.” Yunho replied before he moved to walk out the door. Jaejoong watched him leave, but just as he was about to step out of the room, he turned around and smiled at Jaejoong from the doorway. “You didn’t have to do this for us…”
“It’s something I wanted to do,” Jaejoong replied, a smile on his face. “Don’t worry.”
Yunho stared at him for a few seconds, and just as he’d opened his mouth to say something, there was another loud shout.
“Daddy! Where are you?”
Jaejoong smiled. “You should go to her now. She needs you.”
Yunho looked back in the direction of Minah’s shouts. “Hold on honey! I’m just helping Jaejoong!” He lingered by the doorway before he pushed off the wall and smiled at the other man. “Thank you…for everything. You don’t know how much you’ve helped both of us…especially me.”
With one last smile, he turned away, and Jaejoong watched him go, his heart fluttering in his chest and his soul overflowing with contentment and happiness.
o-o-o
Jaejoong stared in horror at Minah. He’d kept his eyes off the girl for a couple of minutes in order to play something on the piano for Yunho, and she’d somehow found her way through his things. She had a very familiar box in her hands, and the pianist couldn’t even begin comprehend how she’d gotten them. He’d arrived at his apartment early in order to make everything child friendly, yet somehow…
Somehow, Minah had found his box of condoms.
The one thing Jaejoong was glad for was that he’d taken them out of his original packaging, so the young girl wouldn’t be able to read anything particularly sensitive or mature. The condom packets were also nothing special, so he was sure that she wouldn’t know what they were for. The only major problem was trying to come up with an explanation for everything.
“Where did you get that?” Jaejoong choked out finally, and he could feel himself die a little more when Yunho came into his bedroom. He glanced at Yunho helplessly, and Yunho quickly strode over to his daughter with an expressionless look on his face.
Minah looked up at her father, and he knelt down then plucked the box of condoms out of her hands. “What did I tell you about looking through other people’s things?” he asked, his voice low and stern. “Jaejoong’s been very kind to let us inside his home, and then you messed with his things -“
“I’m sorry,” Minah mumbled, her eyes downcast.
“It’s…it’s okay,” Jaejoong said slowly. “Just don’t do it again.”
The young girl nodded before she quickly escaped the room to busy herself with Jaejoong’s piano. As soon as Minah was gone, Yunho turned around and faced the embarrassed pianist with a teasing smile on his lips and the box of condoms still in his hands. He took a step forward, and Jaejoong’s face reddened.
“I’m sorry, I thought I had put it away -“
Jaejoong’s words died on the tip of his tongue as he watched Yunho open the box, take several packets out and then place them into his pocket.
“Do you keep this in the usual place?” Yunho questioned as he walked away from Jaejoong and headed over to the nightstand. He looked at Jaejoong for affirmation, and when the pianist nodded, Yunho turned around and slid the drawer open. He placed the box back inside, and Jaejoong swallowed hard when he saw Yunho take out his bottle of lube and place it in his pants.
Jaejoong remained rooted to his spot as Yunho walked over to him, and the soldier smiled. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest, and he nearly let out a moan when Yunho touched him to cup his face.
“We’re going to have a nice weekend, don’t you think?” he murmured before he pulled his hand away and walked out of the room, leaving Jaejoong behind to ponder the numerous meanings behind such a simple sentence.
o-o-o
“Can I watch TV?”
Jaejoong looked at his young student and smiled, “Why not? You’ve already learned so much today.” Just as he was about to help the young girl off the stool, she’d already hopped off and was making her way over to where her father was seated. Jaejoong watched as Minah sat down beside her father and snuggled against him, and he felt his heart melt when he saw that Yunho’s arm immediately wrapped around Minah and pulled her closer.
The pianist slowly walked over to them to see what Yunho was watching, and just as he’d settled down beside Minah, the young girl sat up sharply.
“Daddy, can I watch cartoons?”
Yunho glanced at his daughter, “I don’t know…”
“Daddy!”
“Hm…”
“Daddy!” The young girl pouted cutely, and it took only a few seconds before Yunho gave in and laughed. He ruffled her hair, and he got off the sofa to change the television channel. He knelt down beside the television then looked at Jaejoong.
“Do you know what channel the cartoons are at?”
Jaejoong laughed and shrugged, “I really don’t know. I don’t watch TV that often…”
Yunho chuckled then turned to face the television. “I guess we’ll just have to go looking for them then.” He changed the channels, and as soon as he landed upon the network with cartoons, he turned to smile at his daughter.
“Is this what you were looking for?”
“Yes daddy!”
Jaejoong smiled at Yunho, and the other man smiled back at him. Yunho got up off the floor, but just as he’d drawn himself up to his full height, the cartoon was interrupted by a news flash. A news reporter appeared on the screen, and Jaejoong shuffled a little closer to Minah so that he could get a better look at the screen.
“Just today -“
The television was shut off before the reporter could even finish her sentence. Before either Minah or Jaejoong could say anything, Yunho cleared his throat and spoke first.
“Are you two hungry? We should go out and eat.”
His tone made it clear that his words were more of an order rather than a suggestion, and Minah looked up at Jaejoong. Jaejoong looked down at her and bit his lip, unsure of what to say. He smoothened back her hair, and just as he was about to speak, the television turned back on.
The news reporter was gone, and the station had resumed the cartoon.
Jaejoong met Yunho’s gaze, but the other turned away and headed out the door of the apartment before a single word could be spoken.
“Is daddy angry?” Minah asked softly as she curled up closer to Jaejoong for comfort.
The pianist looked down at the young girl and shook his head before he drew her into his arms. He inhaled deeply and kissed her forehead. “No, he’s just…” Jaejoong shut his eyes and buried his face into her soft hair. In all honesty, Jaejoong had no idea about what to tell Minah. He wasn’t fully aware of how much Yunho had disclosed to his daughter about their country’s current situation, and he did not want to talk about something that was not his to share.
“He’s just tired Minah,” Jaejoong murmured as he cast a sad glance at the door of his apartment. He sighed then directed his eyes back to the cartoon, and watched as the animated characters on screen laughed and celebrated something that was unknown to him.
“Will he be okay?”
Jaejoong glanced at Minah and smiled reassuringly, “Of course he will.” He widened his smile. “He has you after all, right? You’ll make your daddy happy, and you’ll take care of him.”
“And you too!” Minah said before she giggled and set her head against Jaejoong’s chest. She snuggled in closer and sighed, her worries obviously abated. “We’ll make daddy happy,” she murmured before she focused on her cartoon and was unable to see the bright smile that she’d brought to Jaejoong’s lips.
o-o-o
There was a knock on the door, and Jaejoong quickly got up off the sofa to head for the door. Minah had fallen asleep beside him, and he’d transferred the young girl over to his bed a couple of minutes prior. He quickly walked over to the door, and when he opened it, he was unsurprised to see who was standing out in the corridor.
Jaejoong looked at the brown paper bag that Yunho was clenching tightly, and then raised his eyes up to look at the soldier. “I’m sorry,” Yunho whispered. “I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s okay,” Jaejoong murmured understandingly as he reached out to take the bag from Yunho’s hand. He used his other hand to pull Yunho into the apartment by the wrist. As soon as he was inside, he pushed Yunho lightly against the door, effectively shutting it, and kissed him softly.
His lips lingered against Yunho’s for a few seconds, not pressing for anything further than to remind the other man that he’d done nothing wrong. They all had their own ways of coping with war - he had his music, and if Yunho took pride in protecting his daughter from the horrors of his occupation, then Jaejoong would not seek to disrupt that. After all, he very much had the same feelings. Minah was innocent and untainted, she was completely unaware of the true devastation of war, and how it went beyond physical damage and shattered numerous hopes and dreams.
The reach of the effects war was not limited to the battlefield, and Jaejoong knew that Yunho was well aware of that.
“I just want to protect -“
“You want to protect her, I know.” Jaejoong murmured against Yunho’s lips before he used his other arm to hug Yunho tightly. He buried his face into the other man’s neck and breathed in deeply before he kissed his jaw. “I understand, and -”
“Not just her,” Yunho replied, and he cupped Jaejoong’s face and tilted it upwards so that they would meet eye to eye. He stared into Jaejoong’s eyes, his own pair filled with a searching intensity that reeled the pianist in. He swallowed hard, and then spoke to explain himself.
“You wanted to be part of this,” Yunho whispered, “And now you are. Just…just as I’ve spent so much of an effort protecting Minah, and loving her…I promise I’ll do the same for you.”
“Yunho -“
“I’ve wasted so much time not acting further, and…I’ve realized, we don’t have much time do we?” The soldier continued, and Jaejoong’s heart clenched tightly as a result of his words. “You know…you know I’ll have to leave, someday -“
“Yunho -“
Jaejoong didn’t want to hear the words that were tumbling out of the other man’s lips. He didn’t want to think about Yunho leaving, and least of all, he didn’t want to think of the possibility of Yunho dying in war. They’d lived so happily in their own little world for most of the day, and now the truth was crashing down upon him and pulling him back down into reality.
He wanted to fight it, for things to back to how they were, but the force of reality was much too strong. Just as he was powerless to prevent Yunho from leaving, he was powerless to fight against the truth.
“So until that day, I’ll take care of you and Minah as best as I can…so that when I leave, I won’t have a single regret, and neither of you will be unconvinced of how much I loved both of you.”
Jaejoong turned his eyes away, trying his best not to cry, and he gripped the bag in his hand tightly. His throat was tight with emotion, and not a single proper sentence could be strung together in his distraught mind.
“Jaejoong, look at me.”
Their eyes met, and a shared thought crossed both their minds, but before Jaejoong could speak it aloud, Yunho spoke the words that Jaejoong knew would resonate in his memory for the years to come.
“I’ll never forget you.”
← Part A
< >
Author’s Note: FIRST THING’S FIRST, SEUNGRI GOT A TWITTER. @___@ LOL. Alright, moving on, haha. XD Well…I don’t know what to say. OTL This story is going to get a bit heavier, and by that, I mean more dramatic, so ready tissues - just in case. Also, just as a head’s up, please be ready for character death. I don’t like it, but I may include it in future chapters - not sure yet though. I think the next chapter is going to be really interesting by the way, so I hope you all look forward to that. And LOL, I never meant for Ms. Kwon to be Boa, hahaha. XD Thank you for reading and commenting! ♥
Beta: atriums
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: One of his rules was that he didn’t sleep with military men, but this man was different.
“You seem different lately.”
Jaejoong opened his eyes and yawned before he lifted up his head to look at Yoochun. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly and didn’t reply immediately. His mind was barely functioning because he’d gone over to Yunho’s home instead of going back home after his shift at the bar. The other man had graciously welcomed him inside, and they’d ended up having coffee and exchanging kisses quietly while Minah slept inside of her room. They’d also fallen asleep on the sofa at some unknown hour, and Jaejoong had to creep out of the apartment building at around five in the morning before Minah could come out of her room and discover them together.
He was incredibly tired, but he could still feel Yunho’s touches against his skin. The words Yunho had whispered into his ears still rung clear in his mind, and underneath all his tiredness, Jaejoong could still feel the butterflies in his stomach.
“Are you even listening to me?”
The pianist jerked up, and Yoochun shook his head. He looked around and gestured for Jaejoong to follow him inside of his office. Jaejoong followed him inside and shut the door behind him before he sat down at his usual chair.
“You’re seeing him, aren’t you?” Yoochun asked, although based off his tone, it was quite obvious that he already knew the answer to his question. Deciding not to play along, Jaejoong kept silent, and Yoochun looked up at him irritably. “Jaejoong…I told you not to -“
“I can’t help it,” Jaejoong answered softly, his heart thudding in his chest. “I…I -“
“You love him,” Yoochun finished, and he shook his head once more. He fiddled with the papers on his desk and moved around them idly, and Jaejoong watched him expectantly. After a minute or so had passed, he took a deep breath and met Jaejoong’s watchful gaze. “You’re going to get hurt.”
“And?” Jaejoong questioned defiantly, his heart pounding in his chest as he defended the relationship he’d so carefully built the past couple of months. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t know him -“
Yoochun sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Jaejoong, why are you automatically assuming that I mean there’s something wrong with him? You know that I only want the best for you…especially…” He took a deep breath and calmed down. “Things aren’t getting any better on the frontlines. I hope you realize that. Didn’t you get letters from Seunghyun and Changmin just recently?”
Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, and he stared at Yoochun, at a loss as to what to say next. He licked his lips then looked down, “I…he makes me happy,” he whispered softly as he stared at his hands. “I…I can’t just let go of him now.”
“Jaejoong…”
The pianist looked up, “I love him, and I’m too far gone now. He’s become too much of a part of my life that I’m willing to risk the chance to get hurt in the future.” He swallowed hard and shook his head. “I…I won’t have things any other way. I’m sorry. I know you want to protect me, just like you’ve always protected everyone you loved…but this time, there’s nothing you can do.”
Silence fell between them, and Jaejoong took a deep shuddery breath. He shut his eyes and willed away all the negative thoughts that were coming to mind. He wished so much that he could just live in some kind of snow globe world with Yunnho and his beloved daughter. He was sick of having to be afraid that Yunho would tell him that he was leaving, and he was tired of hearing about war.
It was unfair for his life to be fucked over and ruined numerous times as a result of choices he hadn’t even made. Like a disease to society, the effects of war penetrated and messed with the lives of all people. No one was spared, but despite that, Jaejoong still felt as if fate was purposefully toying with him and ruining the happiness he’d tried to build for himself.
“I just want to be happy,” Jaejoong whispered as he clenched his eyes tightly and thought of Yunho and his lovely daughter. “Even…even if it’s only for a little while, at least…at least it’ll give me the strength to go on. I’m too weak to go on alone anymore. I need him.”
When he opened his eyes, Yoochun was gazing at him with a look filled with sympathy.
“You have me, you know…you don’t always have to think you’re alone all the time. I’m here…I’m here for you,” the bar owner murmured softly, and Jaejoong nodded in understanding.
“I know…” He licked his lips and sighed. “But there are some gaps in one’s heart that a friend cannot fill…a certain kind of longing that…that only a lover can satisfy.” Jaejoong raised his eyes and met Yoochun’s sad gaze. “I’m sorry.”
The bar owner nodded. “I understand, don’t worry.”
“I know…I know you only want the best for me,” Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, and he forced a smile. “But right now, being with Yunho is the best thing for me, and there’s nothing I would do to change that.”
o-o-o
He was tired.
Jaejoong could feel the ache linger deep in his body, and as he helped Yoochun and the others close down the bar, he knew that he wouldn’t have the strength to go over to Yunho’s place. He carefully cleaned up the piano, and after he was done, he said his goodbyes and made his way out of the bar. The chilly night air greeted him, but just as he was going to turn in the direction of his apartment, Jaejoong saw Yunho standing outside of the bar.
‘You’re here,” he breathed out quietly, his feet automatically magnetizing him in the direction of Yunho. As soon as he was in front of him, Jaejoong could feel some of the tiredness he’d been feeling slip away into nothingness. He looked at Yunho, his eyes trailing over familiar handsome features.
Yunho nodded, “I know…I thought it’d be nice if I could pick you up for a change.”
“What about Minah?”
The soldier but his lip, “She insisted that she wasn’t sleepy, and seeing as it’s a weekend tomorrow, I told her to wait -“
“Yunho! You left her alone?” Jaejoong questioned, “That’s unsafe! What if -“
“I brought my car though, so we should get home quickly,” Yunho said, “I also asked Sooyeon to check up on her every thirty minutes, seeing as she’s still awake and with some of her friends.”
“Do you know what time it is?” The pianist paused. “You know that Minah doesn’t like her, right?”
“Yes, of course. It’s obvious…” Yunho muttered, “Let’s go, before I keep feeling guilty for leaving my daughter at this hour. I only came over so that I could fetch you…I didn’t want you to be alone. I know how much you don’t like it, and…”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Jaejoong chuckled and followed Yunho to his car, sparing the man the need to explain anything further to him. “Okay, let’s go. I don’t want Minah to accuse me of stealing her father.”
o-o-o
Yunho unlocked the door to his apartment, and Jaejoong went inside first while Yunho went to his neighbor’s apartment to thank her. He shut the door quietly behind him, and when he walked further in, he saw Minah sleeping on the sofa with the television left on in front of her. Jaejoong turned off the television and then he walked over to Minah.
“Minah,” he whispered, gently coaxing the young girl awake.
The young girl opened her eyes tiredly, “Daddy?”
“No, it’s me, Jaejoong,” the pianist whispered, “But your daddy’s going to be here in a bit. He’s just talking to Ms. Kwon -“
Minah frowned, and Jaejoong chuckled. He instinctively reached out and smoothened back her long dark hair, “Do you want to go to bed now?”
The young girl sat up and shook her head. “I want to see daddy first.” She rubbed at her eyes, and Jaejoong sat down beside her. She leaned against him, still obviously sleepy and not entirely awake, and Jaejoong watched as her eyes slowly began to drift shut once more.
As they waited for Yunho, Jaejoong could feel his tiredness creep back into his system. He glanced down at the little girl leaning against him, and a smile crept onto his face as he saw that she’d fallen back to sleep. He was careful not to move, and when he heard the door open, he smiled as Yunho appeared.
Jaejoong watched as Yunho took his daughter off of the sofa, carrying her into her bedroom. He could vaguely hear Yunho whisper a few things and just as he’d stood up to follow, Yunho came back out.
“Do you want to sleep?”
“In this?” Jaejoong asked softly as he gestured to his clothes. “I guess we forgot to stop over at my house.” He smiled at Yunho, “Just drive me home, and -“
“I want you to stay…at least, for the weekend,” Yunho murmured as he walked over to Jaejoong and cupped his face. “You don’t…I don’t like leaving either of you, you know.” He pressed a kiss to Jaejoong’s forehead. “If you don’t mind, please…stay.”
Jaejoong felt his heart flutter in his chest, and he could feel himself sinking into Yunho’s embrace. He was tired, and the thought of leaving Yunho wasn’t something that he really wanted to entertain at that moment. He was also tired of going back to his apartment, and if Yunho thought it’d be an okay idea for him to stay over, then he wouldn’t protest.
“..okay.”
Yunho smiled at him, and he pulled Jaejoong inside the bedroom. As expected, it was simply designed and not as neat as Jaejoong had expected. There were a few books lying around, some drawings that were probably done by Minah, and Jaejoong could see multiple cards lying around. There were a few recent pictures around, and Jaejoong picked one up to look at it.
“That’s Jihye,” Yunho murmured as he took off his coat. “She thinks the home needs to look more lived in.”
“How old is she?” Jaejoong asked softly as he turned his eyes away from the photograph in the frame to look at Yunho. “She looks younger than you.” He watched as Yunho unbuttoned his shirt, and he swallowed hard.
“She’s twenty two, and she’s working at a local hospital as a nurse.” Yunho replied as he walked over to Jaejoong to look at the photo as well. “She’s quite young, I know, but she’s a smart girl and hard working too,” he murmured as he looked at the picture a little longer. “I feel guilty that she’s spent so much time looking after me when -“
“Don’t feel guilty about that.” Jaejoong whispered as he raised his eyes and looked up at Yunho’s face. “People always look out for the ones they love.” He reached out and carded his hand through Yunho’s hair. “Right?”
Yunho took hold of his hand, and he smiled at Jaejoong. “I guess.”
They stared at one another, and Jaejoong yawned. “I’m tired.” He smiled at Yunho and raked his eyes over the other man’s body. “…is it presumptive for me to ask if you’re secretly inviting me to take a bath with you?”
“You look like you need a warm bath,” Yunho murmured as he took Jaejoong’s into his arms. Jaejoong shut his eyes, and he basked in the comfort that was always provided to him by Yunho’s embrace. “If anything happens…Minah won’t be able to hear, but, my main intentions were simply to bathe with you.”
Jaejoong chuckled and whispered against Yunho’s neck, “And nothing else?”
“Nothing else, I promise,” Yunho whispered back. “But the longer we stay like this, the harder it is for me to keep other thoughts out of mind.”
Jaejoong laughed and hooked his arms around Yunho’s neck. He smiled up at the older man, “Where’s the bathroom?”
Yunho pulled him in the direction of the bathroom, and he flicked open the lights before he pulled Jaejoong inside and locked the door behind him. They both undressed, and Jaejoong carefully folded his clothes and set them aside. As soon as they were finished, Jaejoong turned around and admired Yunho’s muscled back as he leant down to turn on the shower. He kept it at a moderate strength, and Jaejoong soon stepped in to follow him in.
The warm water felt heavenly against his skin, but when he felt Yunho’s hands run all over his body, Jaejoong couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips. He kept still as Yunho began to soap and lather his body, and all Jaejoong did was stand still so that there wouldn’t be a problem. Gentle hands lathered shampoo into his hair, and when Yunho gently pushed him forward to step into the shower spray, Jaejoong followed his silent instruction.
As soon as he’d been washed off completely, Yunho kissed his neck, and Jaejoong shivered. He turned around and buried his face into the other man’s chest, the shower still gently beating against his back. He felt completely boneless against Yunho, and he rested against him, breathing in deeply.
“You should go to bed,” Yunho murmured as he wrapped his arms around Jaejoong tightly then moved them so that he could turn off the shower. He pulled a towel off the rack, dried himself off, and then wrapped it around Jaejoong. He let Jaejoong sit on the edge of the bathtub and toweled the other man off, the gesture almost as if he were treating Jaejoong like a child.
Jaejoong smiled shyly at Yunho. “Do you do this for Minah all the time?” he asked.
“Sometimes,” Yunho murmured as he smiled back at Jaejoong and helped him up off the bathtub. “I’m more dressed when I’m with her though.” He kissed Jaejoong’s lips chastely, and Jaejoong didn’t know how much he could handle from Yunho.
They exited the bathroom together, and Jaejoong sat down on the bed with the towel wrapped around his body as he watched Yunho walk around the room naked. He kept his eyes on the other man as he pulled out clothes, and when Yunho set them down in front of them, Jaejoong glanced at them before he looked up at Yunho.
“Will these fit?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t worn them in a while,” Yunho admitted honestly as he smiled at Jaejoong. “But I hope they do.”
The pianist merely laughed, and he put on the clothes as Yunho put on his. As soon as he was done, Jaejoong looked down at the shirt that draped loosely over his body and the boxers that slung dangerously low on his hips. When he raised his eyes, Yunho was smiling at him in amusement.
“They’ll do,” Jaejoong whispered with a smile before he crawled onto Yunho’s bed and lied down. He watched as Yunho moved to lie down next to him, and when he felt Yunho’s arm pull him close, he smiled at the other man.
They stared at each other in the darkness, and Jaejoong leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Yunho’s lips. Yunho deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into Jaejoong’s mouth and slowly exploring every inch of it. Jaejoong moaned softly when Yunho broke away and before Yunho pulled him close, he buried his face into the other man’s chest and breathed in deeply.
To be honest, he had nothing much to say - or, it was more like he had no clue as to how he could express what he felt. He didn’t know how much gratitude he could express to Yunho, or how he could say about how much he felt at that moment. His heart felt like it was threatening to explode in his chest from happiness, and he’d never felt more loved in his entire life.
While he struggled with words, he felt Yunho’s arms wrap around him protectively, and the other man pressed a soft kiss to his hair. They said nothing, and as the minutes ticked by, Jaejoong realized that there was nothing he needed to say.
Love was something that could be understood even without words.
o-o-o
It was still early when Jaejoong woke up, and he could see only the faint touches of the sun’s rays slipping into the bedroom from the curtained windows. He smiled and slowly slipped out of Yunho’s embrace easily, the other man being a surprisingly heavy sleeper. He crept out of the room and made his way to the bathroom before he looked around and realized that it would probably be wise for him to get some clothes from his own apartment before he stayed over the entire weekend.
Jaejoong found his clothes in the bathroom, and he changed out of the clothes Yunho had given him and wore his clothes from the previous night. When he came back out of the bathroom, Yunho was still asleep. Jaejoong smiled at the other man’s sleeping figure before he looked around the room for a piece of paper. He found a blank sheet of paper on a desk, grabbed the pen that was lying on the desk and scrawled a note for Yunho to read if ever he woke up before he returned.
Dear Yunho,
I just went to pick up some clothes from my apartment. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.
He placed the note down onto the bedside table, folded the clothes he’d worn and placed them beside it. After making sure he hadn’t made anything unnecessarily messy, Jaejoong stepped out of the room and paused when he saw that Minah was sitting down in front of the television. Her hair was still a tangled mess, so he assumed that she’d just woken up.
As soon as she heard the door open, she turned her head, but her eyes widened the moment she recognized Jaejoong.
“Why are you here?” she asked before she hopped off the sofa and went over to look up at him. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “Are you the reason my daddy left last night?”
Jaejoong chuckled and leant down, “Don’t you remember me coming here last night? You even fell asleep on me.” He smiled while Minah blushed, “You should stop staying up so late. You never remember anything that happens.”
Minah pouted, “You should stop coming here so late.”
“That’s true,” Jaejoong said with a laugh as he stood up and straightened up to his full height. He smiled at the little girl, “Well, I have to go now. If you don’t mind, I’ll be coming back again.”
“When?” Minah asked curiously.
“Probably in less than an hour,” Jaejoong said as he noticed the wall clock that was nearby. He squatted down so that he could look at the young girl in the eyes. “Why are you up so early anyway? It’s a Saturday. You should still be sleeping…it’s only six.”
“I don’t know,” Minah said with a shrug. “I just woke up, and then I couldn’t go back to sleep.”
Jaejoong nodded in understanding and smiled. “Do you want me to help you with anything before I leave? I could brush your hair, or -“
“Take me outside,” Minah suggested brightly, her smile widening as she looked at Jaejoong expectantly. “Daddy and I usually go out on walks in the morning. It’s just that usually we go out a little later because daddy wakes up late. We also go out for breakfast because daddy can’t cook.”
Jaejoong laughed, “You should stop telling people that your daddy can’t cook.” He smiled at the young girl and tilted his head. “It’s not something that he’s very proud of, I’m sure.”
Minah looked at him. “Even if daddy can’t cook, I love him. I’m always proud of daddy, no matter what.”
The pianist resisted the urge to hug the little girl, and he nodded. “You should always be proud of him. He’s an amazing man.”
“I know, you don’t have to tell me that,” Minah mumbled before she took a step toward Jaejoong. “What about you?” she asked, “Do you know if there’s someone that always loves you?”
“Oh…well,” Jaejoong trailed off, unsure of what to answer. He knew he didn’t want to say Yunho, so he decided to go for a safer answer. “Well, I know my family loves me. I haven’t seen them in a long time though.”
“Why not?”
The pianist let out a small sigh but smiled anyway. “They live far away from me. It’s hard to see them.” He stood up and looked down at the little girl, “Well, I have to be on my way now. I don’t know if your daddy would be okay with me taking you out…”
“We can ask him!” Minah said happily, “Is he awake?”
Jaejoong glanced back at the shut door, “Oh…I don’t know. He wasn’t awake when I left the room, so maybe not.”
“I think we should check then,” the young girl suggested. “We just have to make sure to be quiet so that we don’t wake up daddy if he isn’t awake yet.” She looked at Jaejong with hopeful eyes, “Please? Let’s go ask daddy?”
Unable to resist such a cute expression, Jaejoong nodded and held out his hand for Minah to hold. “Alright then, but you have to be very quiet, okay?”
Minah squeezed his hand and nodded. “Okay. I promise.”
With Minah’s hand in his, Jaejoong carefully twisted open the doorknob and opened the door slightly. Yunho’s face was buried into his pillow, and his body was entangled in the sheets. His soft snoring filled the room, and Jaejoong looked down at Minah, making sure she’d seen her father before he quietly shut the door once more.
“Well, your daddy’s still asleep,” Jaejoong said softly. “I can’t take you out without his permission, so you just have to stay here and make sure you greet him good morning for me. Alright?”
Minah nodded, and Jaejoong noticed that the young girl’s face seem to be changed into a thoughtful expression. When she didn’t say anything, Jaejoong decided to press the issue a little.
“Minah? Is something wrong?”
The young girl looked at him. “How come you came out of daddy’s room? Did you and daddy sleep in the same bed?” she asked, and Jaejoong’s eyes widened at her question.
“Uhm, no, I slept on the floor -“ Jaejoong lied, but before he could finish his excuse, the young girl spoke up in protest.
“How could daddy let you sleep in the floor?” Minah questioned, her expression showing her great amount of disapproval. She touched Jaejoong’s back with her small hands and looked up at him, “Daddy was bad to let you sleep on the floor! You should’ve slept in his bed -“
“It’s really okay Minah -“
Minah’s lips formed a pronounced pout. “Daddy told me a few days ago that he liked you a lot. If he liked you a lot, why would he let you sleep on the floor?” She shook her head in disapproval. “I like you a lot too, and I wouldn’t let you sleep on the floor. Do you want to sleep on my bed?”
Jaejoong laughed and shook his head, “I’ll be okay Minah.” He took the young girl into his arms and hugged her tightly, pleased that she’d openly admitted the fact that she liked him. He buried his face into her hair, “You’re such a sweet little girl.”
“Don’t say that, Ms. Kwon says that,” Minah mumbled, and Jaejoong pulled away from her to look at her eyes.
He smiled at her and smoothened out her hair once more. “What should I call you then?” Jaejoong asked, a bright and wide smile on his face. “Should call you princess?”
Minah wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I don’t like that.”
“What about…cutie pie?”
“I don’t like that either!” Minah frowned, “I don’t like you anymore.” She pretended to huff, and Jaejoong laughed and took her into his arms once again. He lifted her off the floor, and she giggled as he carried her all the way into the kitchen. He set her down onto the counter and placed his hands on either side of her legs.
“I think I’ll do my little errand later,” Jaejoong said as he smiled at the little girl. He looked around the kitchen and then looked back at her. “Even though your lovely daddy doesn’t cook, does he keep non-cooked food in the house?”
Minah nodded, “He does!”
“Good,” Jaejoong turned away from the young girl, and he could hear the sound her feet made whenever it hit the counter as she swung her legs. He opened the refrigerator door and was surprised to find it well-stocked with food. He looked back at Minah, and she smiled.
“There’s a lot of food in the refrigerator.”
Minah nodded, “Daddy went to the market yesterday morning, and I went to the supermarket with him in the afternoon. We always go on Fridays so that Auntie Jihye has ingredients on Sunday.”
Jaejoong shut the refrigerator door and walked back to Minah. “Do you think your daddy and Auntie Jihye would mind if I made breakfast?” he asked.
The young girl’s mouth opened in surprise, “You can cook?”
“Yes, I can.” Jaejoong said with a smile. “I can cook pretty well too…would you want to try some of my cooking? If you want me to make breakfast for you and your daddy, all you would have to do is ask.”
“Make breakfast for daddy and me!”
Noticing that something was lacking in her request, Jaejoong frowned at her. “I think you should’ve included a word in that request -“
“Can you please make breakfast for daddy and me?” Minah asked, “I’m sure daddy and Auntie Jihye won’t mind if you use the food. No one really uses it, and I’m sure daddy would be very happy to have breakfast with you. Daddy talks about you all the time -“
Jaejoong paused, “He does?”
Minah nodded excitedly. “Daddy always tells me to be nice to you, and he told me that you can play the piano. I told daddy that I wanted to know how the piano too, and he said that maybe you could teach me. I also asked him if he could buy a piano, and he told me he would think about it, and -“
“I’d love to teach you how to play the piano,” Jaejoong said with a smile, cutting in as Minah spoke and allowing her a much needed opportunity to catch her breath. “You know, I have a piano at home. It’s not the nicest one, but I love it a lot.”
“That’s why you should bring me to your home,” Minah said with a pout. “I’m sure daddy wouldn’t mind. I’m sure he trusts you lots, and I’m sure you’d be okay to stay with for a while…much nicer than Ms. Kwon.”
Jaejoong laughed, “You really don’t like her much, do you?”
Minah shook her head. “Nope. Not one bit. I told you before! She’s trying to steal my daddy away.” She looked over Jaejoong’s shoulder then looked back at him, “Are we going to make breakfast? Daddy might wake up soon. We should surprise him!”
“Maybe you should dress up a bit first?” Jaejoong asked. “I don’t think your daddy would like to see you still dressed in your sleeping clothes…”
“You’re still in your sleeping clothes.”
Jaejoong laughed and glanced down at his outfit. “Well…” He trailed off and realized that he didn’t need to try to argue his way out of anything. “Fine then, but how about you brush your hair first? You look like a baby lion.”
“Okay,” Minah said. She stretched out her arms, “Help me down please.”
Jaejoong helped her back down onto the floor, and he watched her as she disappeared out of the kitchen and headed for her room. As soon as she was gone, Jaejoong turned away and looked around in the refrigerator to see what he could use in order to make breakfast.
o-o-o
Minah was singing some song while he cooked, and Jaejoong hummed while she sang. It was around the fourth or fifth time she’d sung it, and seeing as he’d been unable to get a good grasp of the lyrics, he was content to just follow her lead. He flipped the pancake over on the pan, and just as he was about to ask Minah to hand him his glass of water, Yunho came in and made his presence known.
“What’s going on here?”
A delighted squeal escaped Minah’s lips, and Jaejoong turned around to see Yunho pick his daughter up off the counter. She hugged him tightly, and Yunho walked over to see what he was cooking. He glanced down at the pancakes, and when his eyes met Jaejoong’s, he shot the other man a delighted smile.
“You’re making this for…”
“For Minah,” Jaejoong said softly, “And for you. She told me that you can’t cook you know.”
Yunho laughed and he looked at his daughter. “Did you really tell him that?” He glanced at the pancake. “Well, I have to agree with her. Your pancake looks so much better than the way mine usually turn out.”
“Daddy’s pancakes are always a very dark brown -“
Jaejoong laughed and he turned away briefly to take the pancake off the pan. He set it down on a larger plate, and just as he was about to place more batter back onto the pan, he felt a hand tug at the apron that was around his waist. He turned around, and Yunho smiled at him. Minah was no longer in her arms, and when Jaejoong looked around, he realized that the little girl was no longer in the kitchen.
“Where’s Minah?”
“I told her to start getting her stuff ready so that she can take a bath,” Yunho murmured as he walked up to Jaejoong and wrapped his arms around the other man. The other man breathed in deeply, and Jaejoong said nothing as Yunho rested against him.
“I haven’t gotten back to my apartment yet,” Jaejoong murmured when Yunho didn’t move to say anything. “I might smell a little because these clothes are from yesterday. I left you a note, and I had intended to leave, but I saw Minah, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“I see,” Yunho said softly against Jaejoong’s skin. “We can go to your apartment later if you want,” he said as he pulled away from Jaejoong to look into his eyes. “You, Minah and I…we can all go - that is, if you wouldn’t mind both of us tagging along. We could go after breakfast?”
Jaejoong stared into Yunho’s eyes. “Are you sure?”
The soldier nodded. “Yes, that’s what I would like…but no pressure,” he murmured before he pressed soft kiss to Jaejoong’s forehead. “If you don’t want us to come along, I understand. Minah is -“
“I would love for you to come,” Jaejoong whispered as he stared into Yunho’s eyes. “I think you should two should just follow after me though. I have to clean up…make things a little more appropriate for a little girl.”
Yunho chuckled and pressed a kiss to Jaejoong’s neck, making shivers run down the other man’s spine. “Alright then,” he said softly against Jaejoong’s skin before he continued to kiss further down his neck. “I can delay Minah for a bit.”
Jaejoong smiled, “Maybe I’ll teach her a bit of the piano?”
The other man chuckled. “Why not?” He held Jaejoong a little tighter. “But she may not ever want to leave your apartment if she doesn’t get it immediately.”
“Maybe another day then,” Jaejoong replied quietly.
They stood that way for a little longer, Yunho leaving chaste kisses on every single inch of Jaejoong’s exposed skin and his arms holding Jaejoong securely against him. Jaejoong merely let the other man touch him and hold him gently and was content to whisper insignificant things into Yunho’s ear while he touched him. It was a heavenly moment, and they were so fulfilled in their tiny little world until they heard Minah’s shouts.
“Daddy! Daddy! I’m done! I wanna take a bath now!”
Jaejoong smiled against Yunho’s skin and drew away from the other man. “You should go to her. I’ll finish the pancakes, and as soon as I’m done, we can eat together.”
“Alright.” Yunho replied before he moved to walk out the door. Jaejoong watched him leave, but just as he was about to step out of the room, he turned around and smiled at Jaejoong from the doorway. “You didn’t have to do this for us…”
“It’s something I wanted to do,” Jaejoong replied, a smile on his face. “Don’t worry.”
Yunho stared at him for a few seconds, and just as he’d opened his mouth to say something, there was another loud shout.
“Daddy! Where are you?”
Jaejoong smiled. “You should go to her now. She needs you.”
Yunho looked back in the direction of Minah’s shouts. “Hold on honey! I’m just helping Jaejoong!” He lingered by the doorway before he pushed off the wall and smiled at the other man. “Thank you…for everything. You don’t know how much you’ve helped both of us…especially me.”
With one last smile, he turned away, and Jaejoong watched him go, his heart fluttering in his chest and his soul overflowing with contentment and happiness.
o-o-o
Jaejoong stared in horror at Minah. He’d kept his eyes off the girl for a couple of minutes in order to play something on the piano for Yunho, and she’d somehow found her way through his things. She had a very familiar box in her hands, and the pianist couldn’t even begin comprehend how she’d gotten them. He’d arrived at his apartment early in order to make everything child friendly, yet somehow…
Somehow, Minah had found his box of condoms.
The one thing Jaejoong was glad for was that he’d taken them out of his original packaging, so the young girl wouldn’t be able to read anything particularly sensitive or mature. The condom packets were also nothing special, so he was sure that she wouldn’t know what they were for. The only major problem was trying to come up with an explanation for everything.
“Where did you get that?” Jaejoong choked out finally, and he could feel himself die a little more when Yunho came into his bedroom. He glanced at Yunho helplessly, and Yunho quickly strode over to his daughter with an expressionless look on his face.
Minah looked up at her father, and he knelt down then plucked the box of condoms out of her hands. “What did I tell you about looking through other people’s things?” he asked, his voice low and stern. “Jaejoong’s been very kind to let us inside his home, and then you messed with his things -“
“I’m sorry,” Minah mumbled, her eyes downcast.
“It’s…it’s okay,” Jaejoong said slowly. “Just don’t do it again.”
The young girl nodded before she quickly escaped the room to busy herself with Jaejoong’s piano. As soon as Minah was gone, Yunho turned around and faced the embarrassed pianist with a teasing smile on his lips and the box of condoms still in his hands. He took a step forward, and Jaejoong’s face reddened.
“I’m sorry, I thought I had put it away -“
Jaejoong’s words died on the tip of his tongue as he watched Yunho open the box, take several packets out and then place them into his pocket.
“Do you keep this in the usual place?” Yunho questioned as he walked away from Jaejoong and headed over to the nightstand. He looked at Jaejoong for affirmation, and when the pianist nodded, Yunho turned around and slid the drawer open. He placed the box back inside, and Jaejoong swallowed hard when he saw Yunho take out his bottle of lube and place it in his pants.
Jaejoong remained rooted to his spot as Yunho walked over to him, and the soldier smiled. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest, and he nearly let out a moan when Yunho touched him to cup his face.
“We’re going to have a nice weekend, don’t you think?” he murmured before he pulled his hand away and walked out of the room, leaving Jaejoong behind to ponder the numerous meanings behind such a simple sentence.
o-o-o
“Can I watch TV?”
Jaejoong looked at his young student and smiled, “Why not? You’ve already learned so much today.” Just as he was about to help the young girl off the stool, she’d already hopped off and was making her way over to where her father was seated. Jaejoong watched as Minah sat down beside her father and snuggled against him, and he felt his heart melt when he saw that Yunho’s arm immediately wrapped around Minah and pulled her closer.
The pianist slowly walked over to them to see what Yunho was watching, and just as he’d settled down beside Minah, the young girl sat up sharply.
“Daddy, can I watch cartoons?”
Yunho glanced at his daughter, “I don’t know…”
“Daddy!”
“Hm…”
“Daddy!” The young girl pouted cutely, and it took only a few seconds before Yunho gave in and laughed. He ruffled her hair, and he got off the sofa to change the television channel. He knelt down beside the television then looked at Jaejoong.
“Do you know what channel the cartoons are at?”
Jaejoong laughed and shrugged, “I really don’t know. I don’t watch TV that often…”
Yunho chuckled then turned to face the television. “I guess we’ll just have to go looking for them then.” He changed the channels, and as soon as he landed upon the network with cartoons, he turned to smile at his daughter.
“Is this what you were looking for?”
“Yes daddy!”
Jaejoong smiled at Yunho, and the other man smiled back at him. Yunho got up off the floor, but just as he’d drawn himself up to his full height, the cartoon was interrupted by a news flash. A news reporter appeared on the screen, and Jaejoong shuffled a little closer to Minah so that he could get a better look at the screen.
“Just today -“
The television was shut off before the reporter could even finish her sentence. Before either Minah or Jaejoong could say anything, Yunho cleared his throat and spoke first.
“Are you two hungry? We should go out and eat.”
His tone made it clear that his words were more of an order rather than a suggestion, and Minah looked up at Jaejoong. Jaejoong looked down at her and bit his lip, unsure of what to say. He smoothened back her hair, and just as he was about to speak, the television turned back on.
The news reporter was gone, and the station had resumed the cartoon.
Jaejoong met Yunho’s gaze, but the other turned away and headed out the door of the apartment before a single word could be spoken.
“Is daddy angry?” Minah asked softly as she curled up closer to Jaejoong for comfort.
The pianist looked down at the young girl and shook his head before he drew her into his arms. He inhaled deeply and kissed her forehead. “No, he’s just…” Jaejoong shut his eyes and buried his face into her soft hair. In all honesty, Jaejoong had no idea about what to tell Minah. He wasn’t fully aware of how much Yunho had disclosed to his daughter about their country’s current situation, and he did not want to talk about something that was not his to share.
“He’s just tired Minah,” Jaejoong murmured as he cast a sad glance at the door of his apartment. He sighed then directed his eyes back to the cartoon, and watched as the animated characters on screen laughed and celebrated something that was unknown to him.
“Will he be okay?”
Jaejoong glanced at Minah and smiled reassuringly, “Of course he will.” He widened his smile. “He has you after all, right? You’ll make your daddy happy, and you’ll take care of him.”
“And you too!” Minah said before she giggled and set her head against Jaejoong’s chest. She snuggled in closer and sighed, her worries obviously abated. “We’ll make daddy happy,” she murmured before she focused on her cartoon and was unable to see the bright smile that she’d brought to Jaejoong’s lips.
o-o-o
There was a knock on the door, and Jaejoong quickly got up off the sofa to head for the door. Minah had fallen asleep beside him, and he’d transferred the young girl over to his bed a couple of minutes prior. He quickly walked over to the door, and when he opened it, he was unsurprised to see who was standing out in the corridor.
Jaejoong looked at the brown paper bag that Yunho was clenching tightly, and then raised his eyes up to look at the soldier. “I’m sorry,” Yunho whispered. “I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s okay,” Jaejoong murmured understandingly as he reached out to take the bag from Yunho’s hand. He used his other hand to pull Yunho into the apartment by the wrist. As soon as he was inside, he pushed Yunho lightly against the door, effectively shutting it, and kissed him softly.
His lips lingered against Yunho’s for a few seconds, not pressing for anything further than to remind the other man that he’d done nothing wrong. They all had their own ways of coping with war - he had his music, and if Yunho took pride in protecting his daughter from the horrors of his occupation, then Jaejoong would not seek to disrupt that. After all, he very much had the same feelings. Minah was innocent and untainted, she was completely unaware of the true devastation of war, and how it went beyond physical damage and shattered numerous hopes and dreams.
The reach of the effects war was not limited to the battlefield, and Jaejoong knew that Yunho was well aware of that.
“I just want to protect -“
“You want to protect her, I know.” Jaejoong murmured against Yunho’s lips before he used his other arm to hug Yunho tightly. He buried his face into the other man’s neck and breathed in deeply before he kissed his jaw. “I understand, and -”
“Not just her,” Yunho replied, and he cupped Jaejoong’s face and tilted it upwards so that they would meet eye to eye. He stared into Jaejoong’s eyes, his own pair filled with a searching intensity that reeled the pianist in. He swallowed hard, and then spoke to explain himself.
“You wanted to be part of this,” Yunho whispered, “And now you are. Just…just as I’ve spent so much of an effort protecting Minah, and loving her…I promise I’ll do the same for you.”
“Yunho -“
“I’ve wasted so much time not acting further, and…I’ve realized, we don’t have much time do we?” The soldier continued, and Jaejoong’s heart clenched tightly as a result of his words. “You know…you know I’ll have to leave, someday -“
“Yunho -“
Jaejoong didn’t want to hear the words that were tumbling out of the other man’s lips. He didn’t want to think about Yunho leaving, and least of all, he didn’t want to think of the possibility of Yunho dying in war. They’d lived so happily in their own little world for most of the day, and now the truth was crashing down upon him and pulling him back down into reality.
He wanted to fight it, for things to back to how they were, but the force of reality was much too strong. Just as he was powerless to prevent Yunho from leaving, he was powerless to fight against the truth.
“So until that day, I’ll take care of you and Minah as best as I can…so that when I leave, I won’t have a single regret, and neither of you will be unconvinced of how much I loved both of you.”
Jaejoong turned his eyes away, trying his best not to cry, and he gripped the bag in his hand tightly. His throat was tight with emotion, and not a single proper sentence could be strung together in his distraught mind.
“Jaejoong, look at me.”
Their eyes met, and a shared thought crossed both their minds, but before Jaejoong could speak it aloud, Yunho spoke the words that Jaejoong knew would resonate in his memory for the years to come.
“I’ll never forget you.”
← Part A
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Author’s Note: FIRST THING’S FIRST, SEUNGRI GOT A TWITTER. @___@ LOL. Alright, moving on, haha. XD Well…I don’t know what to say. OTL This story is going to get a bit heavier, and by that, I mean more dramatic, so ready tissues - just in case. Also, just as a head’s up, please be ready for character death. I don’t like it, but I may include it in future chapters - not sure yet though. I think the next chapter is going to be really interesting by the way, so I hope you all look forward to that. And LOL, I never meant for Ms. Kwon to be Boa, hahaha. XD Thank you for reading and commenting! ♥