Gravity [4A]
Title: Gravity
Beta: atriums
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: One of his rules was that he didn’t sleep with military men, but this man was different.
Jaejoong watched Yunho sleep, the other man having slipped into a fitful slumber after he’d successfully coaxed him back into bed and away from the bottles of beer that he’d been downing on his own.
So caught up with guarding Yunho from the thought of meeting his ex-wife, Jaejoong didn’t realize that Minah had slipped into the room until she was climbing into bed beside him. The young girl wiggled into bed, helped herself onto Jaejoong’s lap and effectively wedged her small body between the pianist and her father.
“What happened to daddy?”
Jaejoong held Minah tightly, unsure of what to say. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face in her hair. “It’s late baby lion, you shouldn’t be awake right now.”
“But…”
“Why are you awake?” Jaejoong murmured before he pulled away slightly from Minah to impulsively comb his fingers through her soft hair. He carefully made sure to tilt her away from her father’s sleeping figure, and made her face him. “Did we wake you up?”
“I heard something fall.”
Jaejoong sighed. He cast a glance at Yunho then turned his eyes to look at Minah, who was watching him with equally worried eyes. They stared at each other, sharing a mutual pained feeling for the man they both loved.
o-o-o
When Jaejoong woke up in the morning, Minah was stretched out on the spot where Yunho had been. He carefully got up, making sure not to wake the young girl, and walked out of the room. Yunho was seated at the dining table, but when he heard Jaejoong’s footsteps, he turned his head.
The pianist paused, unsure if he should take another step closer to Yunho.
Before a word could escape his lips, Yunho pushed back his chair, causing it to scrape against the floor, and took Jaejoong into his arms. He said nothing for a few seconds and simply held Jaejoong tightly.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed out, his warm breath ghosting against the skin of Jaejoong’s neck. “We should talk about this.”
Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. Fear gripped his heart as he tried to brace himself for the words that would come next. He had no clue as to what they would be. There were so many thoughts spiraling in his mind that he couldn’t even attempt to compose himself, and there were so many things Yunho could say, but there was only one thing that Jaejoong really wanted to hear.
He took a step back from Yunho and quickly moved away to sit down. Jaejoong couldn’t look at Yunho, and he simply kept his eyes fixed on his hands which were clamped together tightly.
“Did you read the letter?”
“No.”
Yunho took a deep breath then replied. “Yoojung told me that she wants…she wants to see me…so that she can see Minah.”
Jaejoong licked his dry lips and kept his eyes focused on his hands. His grip tightened, and he took a deep breath before he replied. “Is that all she wants? To see Minah? Why were you -“
“I don’t want to leave my daughter with a stranger.” Yunho spoke, his voice growing colder. Jaejoong turned his head, and he saw that Yunho had turned his eyes to the nearby window. “Yoojung…she knows, she knows that I’ll have to leave…”
“Yunho -“
“Saying that she didn’t love me anymore wasn’t…” Yunho shook his head and slowly faced Jaejoong.
“Saying that she felt nothing for our daughter, that day…that day she left…it hurt more than anything she could’ve said about my failures as a husband.”
“Minah was our daughter, and as far as I’m concerned, the moment Yoojung told me that she felt nothing for her…she doesn’t deserve the right to get back what she chose to leave behind.” Yunho began to sob, and he turned away from Jaejoong, his shoulders shaking.
Jaejoong sat frozen in his seat, and he watched as Yunho’s sturdy exterior began to crumble in front of him. After a few seconds, he was able to stand, and he slowly turned Yunho to face him.
“I don’t want to leave her. If I could do anything in this world to stay for her and make sure I could protect her from more pain, I would do it.” Yunho whispered in between tears, “Minah doesn’t deserve to lose her father and to be left with the woman who didn’t love her enough to try to come back to her sooner.”
“Yunho -“
“I love you, not just because you love Minah, but because…but because you’re but because you’re you, and no one else. When I’m with you, I wish that I could give you the kind of security and protection that you deserve. I don’t want to leave you.”
Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered shut, and he held Yunho even tighter. He buried his face into Yunho’s neck and breathed in deeply, praying that Yunho wouldn’t let him go as he sought his comfort.
“I want you to know that…that I don’t love her anymore,” Yunho continued as he continued to hold onto Jaejoong. “When I leave, I -“
“I’ll take care of her.”
Silence fell between them, the weight of Jaejoong’s words sinking in as they stared at one another. Yunho’s lips twisted into a sad smile while Jaejoong tried to fight back the emotions he’d been trying to hold back.
“I know you’ll take care of her much better than Yoojung ever could.”
The tears rolled down Jaejoong’s cheeks before he could even try holding them back for another second longer, and he felt Yunho squeeze him tighter. He began to sob quietly into Yunho’s neck, the pent up fears and frustrations of the past days finally overflowing from their containments. There were no words that could express the amount of relief he felt in his chest, and he didn’t even know if Yunho was aware of how much of a hold he had upon him.
Although he knew that he should be feeling relieved that Yunho trusted him, his heart refused to be reminded that one day, Yunho would leave.
“Baby, don’t cry,” Yunho whispered lovingly, but Jaejoong simply held him tighter and refused to let go. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t cry for me, or for Minah, or for anyone. Stop, don’t -“
“Jaejoong! Daddy!”
Minah’s sharp cry caused for Jaejoong to jerk back from out of Yunho’s grasp. He turned his teary eyes to the young girl, her hair askew and her face contorted into an expression of visible worry. It seemed like the combination of seeing her father and Jaejoong so upset in the morning was too much for her, and the young girl burst into tears. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried, and both men quickly rushed over to placate her.
Jaejoong grabbed the crying girl, taking her into his arms before Yunho could, and he let her wrap her arms around him tightly. The tears refused to stop rolling down his own cheeks, and at that point, Jaejoong didn’t even know why he was crying anymore. It was some bizarre combination of relief and fear, but he couldn’t even begin dissecting the overwhelming emotions that were taking over him.
“Baby lion, don’t cry,” Jaejoong whispered as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He looked up helplessly, and Minah elbowed his chest as she tried to get a better grip around his neck. “Honey, don’t -“
Jaejoong met Yunho’s gaze, and before he could say anything, Yunho burst out into sudden laughter. They were a chaotic trio - all of them sporting messy hair and red eyes, a complete embodiment of some sort of comedic tragedy. Yunho quickly moved closer to his lover and daughter, taking hold of his emotions so that he could help them gather theirs.
“Daddy’s okay,” Yunho whispered as he took a step closer and urged his daughter to tear her face away from Jaejoong’s neck so that she could look at him. He smoothened out her hair and kissed her forehead, “Baby, daddy and Jaejoong are fine.”
Jaejoong squeezed Minah in his arms, prompting her to look at him with her beautiful yet teary eyes, “Baby lion, no tears so early in the morning. Don’t cry, aren’t you your daddy’s beautiful girl? Everyone’s more beautiful with a smile -”
“Sweetheart, do you love daddy?”
Minah turned her head and sniffled before she nodded slowly.
“Do you love Jaejoong?”
Once again, the little girl nodded.
“Daddy and Jaejoong don’t like seeing you sad,” Jaejoong watched as Yunho smiled at his daughter and tried to coax her into a better mood. “Minah, don’t cry. Daddy and Jaejoong are fine.”
As soon as the last words had escaped his lips, it didn’t take long before Minah somehow pushed Jaejoong away and latched onto Yunho. Yunho laughed as he took the welcome baggage into his arms, and as Minah burst out into another round of overjoyed tears, all Jaejoong could do was smile.
“My beautiful family, crying so early in the morning,” Yunho whispered, his voice relaxed, as if he wasn’t responsible for all the tears, and so quiet that Jaejoong almost hadn’t heard him.
As much as he wished that hearing the word family hadn’t meant anything to him, it did. Jaejoong felt his heart swell, and he glanced at Yunho.
The two lovers’ eyes met, and before Yunho could speak another word, the tears began to roll down the pianist’s cheeks. Jaejoong tried to stop crying, but he couldn’t, so he wormed his way into the father and daughter’s embrace just as easily as he’d made his way into their hearts.
o-o-o
“Are you afraid?”
Yunho turned around, halfway finished with knotting his tie, and Jaejoong stared at him silently. His heart was pounding in his chest knowing that Yunho would be meeting with Yoojung, and he had no clue if Yunho could sense his trepidation.
Jaejoong got up off the bed and walked over to finish knotting Yunho’s tie. With shaking hands, he tried to finish knotting it but soon gave up and simply rested his forehead against Yunho’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” Jaejoong whispered as he tried to hold back everything he was feeling at that moment. Firm arms wrapped around him, and he let out a shuddery sigh as he stepped closer. “Shit, Yunho…”
“It’s just a few days. Don’t be scared.”
The pianist pressed a kiss to Yunho’s jaw then took a step back, easing himself out of the other man’s hold. He met Yunho’s eyes then proceeded to finish knotting his tie, and as soon as he was done, he forced a small smile.
“Be back in time for Christmas, okay?”
“I promise.”
o-o-o
They were all seated around the table for their small meeting. Everything from dinner and dessert had been cleared away, and all that was left was Minah’s glass of warm milk. Jaejoong glanced at Yunho, who was whispering something into his daughter’s ear, and just before he was going to voice out a complaint about being left behind, Yunho edged away from her.
“Minah doesn’t like asparagus,” Yunho said fondly as he glanced at his daughter. “She doesn’t eat too much, and she has a tendency to eat too many sweets when unwatched, so make sure you watch her at all times.”
“Daddy doesn’t eat asparagus too.” Minah mumbled as she glanced at the table in embarrassment. “One time he ate all the cookies that Auntie Jihye gave us -“
“Minah!”
The young girl pouted at her father. “You’re bad too!”
Father and daughter began to bicker amongst themselves about various issues, and Jaejoong was completely forgotten. He leaned back into his seat and watched them, his tiny family bickering over who’d eaten more cookies.
o-o-o
Jaejoong watched as Yunho packed the last of his things, and as soon as he was done, the military man turned back to look at him. The room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of early morning slipping in through the windows, but Jaejoong could still see the tension in his face easily enough. In one fluid movement, Jaejoong left his spot on the bed and made his way over to Yunho.
He pressed his lips against Yunho’s, and he felt the other man noticeably relax against him. Wanting to keep things chaste, Jaejoong pulled away and left a light kiss on Yunho’s jaw. “You’ll be fine.” He whispered as he held Yunho tight. “You’ll be fine.”
“Jaejoong…”
The pianist backed away slightly, but Yunho kept a firm hold of him. Jaejoong looked up, and before he could say anything, Yunho spoke first.
“We’ll spend Christmas Eve together, okay?”
Jaejoong smiled up at him and nodded, “I’ll prepare dinner.”
A small smile crossed Yunho’s lips. “Will you decorate our home too?”
At the mention of the word our, Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, the overflowing amount of emotions he was feeling causing him to pause. He could only smile up at Yunho, and after a few seconds, he finally replied.
“Of course. I’ll ask Minah to help, and we’ll get a tree too.”
“I’ll try to get you two presents while I’m away,” Yunho murmured as he leaned down to kiss Jaejoong once again. When he pulled away, Jaejoong reached out stubbornly and brought their lips back together.
He didn’t know if he could convey to Yunho how much gratitude he felt. The other man had given him an immeasurable amount of love, and had brought him into the most perfect family in the world. Perhaps he’d fallen in love too fast, and perhaps they’d fallen into one another’s lives too quickly, but everything about their romance had fallen so perfectly into place that Jaejoong could only wish that it was a sign of their being fated for one another.
Yunho kissed his cheek, and Jaejoong was jolted out of his thoughts. He looked up, and the other man smiled down at him.
“What do you want for Christmas?” he asked softly, and Jaejoong couldn’t miss the way Yunho shifted and held him a little tighter.
Jaejoong stared up at the face of the man in front of him and took in everything. From the way Yunho looked at him, from the way Yunho held him, everything was exactly wanted. There was nothing he could possibly want from Yunho that he had not already given him.
“Nothing,” Jaejoong whispered. “Absolutely nothing.”
He could ask for nothing more.
o-o-o
Minah had been asleep when Yunho had left, and Jaejoong anxiously waited for her to wake up. Although she’d already been informed about her father’s departure and that Jaejoong would be sleeping over to take care of her, he was still incredibly nervous about everything. Spending a few hours with someone was completely different from spending more than a day with that person.
Jaejoong took another sip of his already lukewarm water and cast a glance at Minah’s bedroom door as he waited for her to come out. He let five minutes pass by before he finally decided to just get up and check on her. He pushed the door open slowly, and he was surprised to see the little girl sitting up on her bed, looking as if she’d been waiting for him the entire time.
“Minah -“
“Daddy’s gone?” she asked, her voice soft.
She looked at him with her wide, innocent eyes, and Jaejoong didn’t quite know how to answer her. The answer was simple - he was supposed to say yes, but something in his heart couldn’t bring him to speak that one word. Deep down, he knew that Yunho would be coming back to them this time, but his insecurities and fears gripped him so tightly at that moment.
To say that Yunho was gone meant so many things. Although Minah’s question was phrased in the most innocent and simplest manner, Jaejoong couldn’t prevent himself from taking the question the wrong way.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, Minah rephrased her question.
“Will daddy be home for Christmas?”
Jaejoong felt his fears slip away, and he smiled brightly at her. “Of course he will. So we’ll have to get the house ready for him, right? I told him that you and I would get everything fixed up for him to come home to. You’d love to help, right?”
Minah smiled brightly and replied with an excited yes, and the last of Jaejoong’s fears crept back into a distant corner of his heart, mind and soul.
o-o-o
Jaejoong heard his door open, and he sat up to see Minah’s silhouetted figure at the door.
He hadn’t expected her, and he was still tired from his shift at the bar, so he said nothing and waited for her to explain herself. The young girl fidgeted, her toy deer gripped tightly in her fist and brushing against the floor.
When after a few seconds, she had still not said anything, Jaejoong finally spoke up.
“Is something wrong?”
“Daddy tells me I should sleep alone, but…”
Quickly picking up where the conversation was heading, Jaejoong turned on the bedside lamp and smiled at Minah. He pulled at the other side of the bed’s blanket and patted the empty side of the mattress.
“Your daddy won’t know.”
Minah headed back to turn off the light in the corridor before she scrambled over to make herself comfortable. She held her deer close to her chest, and Jaejoong helped tuck her in. As soon as she was set, he reached over to turn off the light and lied back down.
He turned his head and met Minah’s gaze in the darkness.
“I miss daddy,” Minah whispered as she snuggled closer to Jaejoong, eager to bask in more of his warmth and comfort. “Joongie is okay too, but I miss daddy…”
“I miss your daddy too,” Jaejoong murmured before he kissed Minah’s forehead. Yunho hadn’t called since his departure, and although that fact worried Jaejoong, he tried his best not to let it bother him too much. After all, there were millions of reasons as to why Yunho hadn’t called, so he refused to let himself give into his insecurities and allow himself to worry over such a matter.
Love entailed trust, and he both loved and trusted Yunho, so he would be patient.
“He’ll be back in a few days. So, we should just wait for him patiently.”
“Who is daddy visiting?”
Jaejoong was silent, unsure of what to answer. He knew Yunho had distinctly made sure not to tell Minah that he was meeting with her mother. He didn’t know either what Minah knew about her mother aside from the fact that she was gone. He didn’t know if Yunho had lied to Minah about what had happened, or if he’d told her the truth.
Was Yunho’s reason for leaving a secret that he was allowed to tell?
He held Minah a little tighter and decided against telling her the truth. To tell her that Yunho was visiting her mother would bring too many questions, and he was sure that it was not his place to inform Minah about such a matter. Their shared world together was fine the way it was, and there was no need to bring in something so complicated into their universe.
“Just somebody he used to know,” Jaejoong answered, and he met Minah’s eyes in the dark so that he could smile at her. Minah shot a small smile at him, and he felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. The young girl was looking at him with such fondness, and he’d only ever seen her stare at her father in such a way.
“I love you Joongie.”
Jaejoong smile grew, his happiness exuding off him in waves. He held Minah even more closely in the dark, and whispered his reply against her hair. “I love you too baby lion.”
o-o-o
The phone was ringing despite the hour, so Jaejoong carefully untangled himself from Minah and headed out of the room. He had a fairly good idea of who was calling, and as soon as he picked up the phone, he spoke.
“Why didn’t you call sooner?” Jaejoong asked, his voice calm and simply questioning.
Yunho let out a small sigh then replied. “I had a hard time finding a place to stay. It seems like everywhere is full because of the holidays…”
Jaejoong bit his lip and stared down at the phone, “I’m sorry -“
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
The line went quiet for a few seconds, and Jaejoong was simply content to know that Yunho was on the other end of the line. Although he had numerous questions in his head, he didn’t quite know what to ask and how to ask them. Even though he and Yunho tried to be as open as possible with one another, there were still some lines he was hesitating to cross, and talking about Yunho’s ex-wife was one of them.
“I met her today,” Yunho said softly, his voice betraying no emotion except for tiredness. Jaejoong could hear the squeaking of a mattress, and he could imagine Yunho settling into bed.
“How did it go?”
“Everything went as I expected,” Yunho murmured. “I saw her husband today, and it seems like she has a step-son too.”
Jaejoong fell silent, unsure of what to say.
“As I thought, she wants to take care of Minah as soon as I leave for…” Yunho trailed off, and Jaejoong shut his eyes, well aware of what Yunho meant. “But I told her no, that I couldn’t leave Minah with her, not after what she’d done.”
“Did she accept that?”
“She had to,” Yunho answered. “After all, she’s…she’s the one who left our daughter and was content with years without contact. Also…I told her about you.”
“What?”
“I told her I was with someone now and that I would be leaving Minah with that person. She backed off after I said that, so Jaejoong…”
“You don’t need to ask me again Yunho.” Jaejoong said softly as he opened his eyes. He smiled to himself and grasped the phone a bit tighter. “You know I’m willing, and you know I’ll take care of her.”
“I love you. I’ll be back home soon.”
“I love you too,” Jaejoong murmured, “And you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be here, waiting for you, I promise.”
o-o-o
Jaejoong stared at the numerous dresses that Minah had pulled out of her closet. While the young girl was more than capable of dressing up on her own, it seemed like after she’d openly declared her affection for him, she was intent on monopolizing all of their time together. Although her attempts to have his attention on her all the time was cute, it was this time that Jaejoong wished that Minah wasn’t so determined to have him around her constantly.
How was he supposed to choose between all these dresses?
He turned back to look at Minah, who was seated on a small stool in her room. “Minah, baby lion, we have to go out soon or else -“
“But Joongie, I don’t know what to wear,” Minah mumbled. She looked down at her feet, and Jaejoong stared at her sympathetically. “I want our whole day to be special.”
“You and I went around town yesterday, wasn’t that special?” Jaejoong said comfortingly as he knelt down in front of Minah and put his hand on her knee. “Come on, you and I have to go out. Your daddy will be coming home tomorrow, and that’s Christmas Eve! We need to get everything ready.”
Minah nodded, “Okay.”
Jaejoong smiled at her then stepped back. He watched Minah, waiting for her to pick out one of her dresses, but the young girl remained seated. They stared at each other, and after a few more seconds had passed, Jaejoong spoke.
“Baby lion, why aren’t you getting dressed?”
“I don’t want to get dressed in front of a boy! You’re not daddy!”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, and he blushed profusely. “I’m sorry,” he said hastily as he escaped the room, Minah’s delighted and amused laughter ringing in his ears.
o-o-o
Jaejoong held Minah’s hand tightly, and he glanced at her, his smile widening when he saw how happy she was. He had to admit, she looked nothing like she usually did when she was with Yunho. When Yunho was around, Minah looked absolutely perfect - almost doll like, but this time, she looked more like a normal child. Her hair was tied into a messy braid due to his own inability to tie her hair properly, and the front of her dress had flecks of chocolate ice cream on it.
But, Jaejoong thought, at least she looked happy and radiant - which was what mattered most after all.
“I think daddy’s going to like his gift,” Minah said happily as she swung the bag that contained her present. She looked up at Jaejoong and smiled brightly, “What did you get me Joongie? What did you get me?”
Jaejoong laughed at her impatience and shook his head, “I’m not telling.”
Minah let out a yell of protest, and she yanked at Jaejoong’s hand. When Jaejoong refused to stop walking, she tried to fight against him by staying still. The battle raged on in the middle of the sidewalk for a minute or so before Jaejoong gave up and turned around.
“Minah…”
The young girl smiled at him mischievously, showing that she was well aware of what she was doing.
“If you don’t start walking with me right now, I’m going to do something to you, and you’re not going to like it.” Jaejoong warned, trying to fight off the smile that was making its way across his lips.
Minah crossed her arms. “No. I’m not going ‘til -“
Before the young girl could finish her sentence, Jaejoong grabbed her and hauled her off the sidewalk. Minah let out a delighted shriek, and Jaejoong held her and all the bags tightly. He could feel Minah squirming against his hold, but he refused to let go of her and made his way up the apartment stairs with the young girl still in his arms.
He put her down when they reached the front door, and as soon as he’d gotten it unlocked, Minah ran inside to change her clothes. Jaejoong shook his head at the young girl in amusement then moved to place the groceries they’d bought into the kitchen. As he unpacked things, the doorbell rang.
“Minah, could you get it?”
“Okay!”
Jaejoong could hear the young girl’s quick footsteps as she ran to the door, and his smile widened. For such a small girl, she had such heavy footsteps. He waited for her to call him, but no call came. Before he could raise his voice and ask her about who was at the door, a loud yell reached the kitchen.
“Daddy!”
The pianist immediately dropped the things he’d been holding and rushed out of the kitchen, his heart pounding in his chest. He caught sight of father and daughter immediately, Minah in her father’s arms and chattering away about everything that’d happened in the past few days. They were a beautiful sight, and Jaejoong stood still, waiting for either of them to acknowledge his presence.
“Minah, where is -“ Yunho paused, his sentence unfinished, as he finally caught sight of Jaejoong.
A smile slowly stretched across Jaejoong’s lips, and he took a step forward. Yunho began to walk forward, Minah’s ears falling on deaf ears as the two men were focused solely on one another. As soon as Yunho was right in front of Jaejoong, he stopped, put Minah back down, and smiled.
“You’re here early,” Jaejoong said softly.
“I know.”
They were all silent, even Minah, and Jaejoong waited for Yunho to speak again. The older man smiled, aware of what Jaejoong wanted from him.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home,” Jaejoong replied, before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Yunho’s, uncaring that they were in front of Minah. He could feel Yunho’s surprise, but it wasn’t long before Yunho pressed back, eagerly reciprocating his kiss.
When they pulled away, before either of them could say anything, Minah spoke up.
“Kissing is gross!” she squealed, sticking her tongue out at both of the men.
Yunho turned to his daughter, a smile on his face. “Is it now? So you don’t want daddy to kiss you anymore?”
“No! Daddy is gross!”
Jaejoong and Yunho laughed, and they both turned to the young girl, trapping her within their arms as they held and kissed her teasingly, showering her with all the love and affection in the world.
Part B →
< >
Author’s Note: SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE I LAST UPDATED. D: But my muse has come back to me, so I will try to get Part B (and I promise it has smut! ;A;) up soon. Thank you so much for sticking through with me, I really appreciate everything so, so, so much.♥
Beta: atriums
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: One of his rules was that he didn’t sleep with military men, but this man was different.
Jaejoong watched Yunho sleep, the other man having slipped into a fitful slumber after he’d successfully coaxed him back into bed and away from the bottles of beer that he’d been downing on his own.
So caught up with guarding Yunho from the thought of meeting his ex-wife, Jaejoong didn’t realize that Minah had slipped into the room until she was climbing into bed beside him. The young girl wiggled into bed, helped herself onto Jaejoong’s lap and effectively wedged her small body between the pianist and her father.
“What happened to daddy?”
Jaejoong held Minah tightly, unsure of what to say. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face in her hair. “It’s late baby lion, you shouldn’t be awake right now.”
“But…”
“Why are you awake?” Jaejoong murmured before he pulled away slightly from Minah to impulsively comb his fingers through her soft hair. He carefully made sure to tilt her away from her father’s sleeping figure, and made her face him. “Did we wake you up?”
“I heard something fall.”
Jaejoong sighed. He cast a glance at Yunho then turned his eyes to look at Minah, who was watching him with equally worried eyes. They stared at each other, sharing a mutual pained feeling for the man they both loved.
o-o-o
When Jaejoong woke up in the morning, Minah was stretched out on the spot where Yunho had been. He carefully got up, making sure not to wake the young girl, and walked out of the room. Yunho was seated at the dining table, but when he heard Jaejoong’s footsteps, he turned his head.
The pianist paused, unsure if he should take another step closer to Yunho.
Before a word could escape his lips, Yunho pushed back his chair, causing it to scrape against the floor, and took Jaejoong into his arms. He said nothing for a few seconds and simply held Jaejoong tightly.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed out, his warm breath ghosting against the skin of Jaejoong’s neck. “We should talk about this.”
Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. Fear gripped his heart as he tried to brace himself for the words that would come next. He had no clue as to what they would be. There were so many thoughts spiraling in his mind that he couldn’t even attempt to compose himself, and there were so many things Yunho could say, but there was only one thing that Jaejoong really wanted to hear.
He took a step back from Yunho and quickly moved away to sit down. Jaejoong couldn’t look at Yunho, and he simply kept his eyes fixed on his hands which were clamped together tightly.
“Did you read the letter?”
“No.”
Yunho took a deep breath then replied. “Yoojung told me that she wants…she wants to see me…so that she can see Minah.”
Jaejoong licked his dry lips and kept his eyes focused on his hands. His grip tightened, and he took a deep breath before he replied. “Is that all she wants? To see Minah? Why were you -“
“I don’t want to leave my daughter with a stranger.” Yunho spoke, his voice growing colder. Jaejoong turned his head, and he saw that Yunho had turned his eyes to the nearby window. “Yoojung…she knows, she knows that I’ll have to leave…”
“Yunho -“
“Saying that she didn’t love me anymore wasn’t…” Yunho shook his head and slowly faced Jaejoong.
“Saying that she felt nothing for our daughter, that day…that day she left…it hurt more than anything she could’ve said about my failures as a husband.”
“Minah was our daughter, and as far as I’m concerned, the moment Yoojung told me that she felt nothing for her…she doesn’t deserve the right to get back what she chose to leave behind.” Yunho began to sob, and he turned away from Jaejoong, his shoulders shaking.
Jaejoong sat frozen in his seat, and he watched as Yunho’s sturdy exterior began to crumble in front of him. After a few seconds, he was able to stand, and he slowly turned Yunho to face him.
“I don’t want to leave her. If I could do anything in this world to stay for her and make sure I could protect her from more pain, I would do it.” Yunho whispered in between tears, “Minah doesn’t deserve to lose her father and to be left with the woman who didn’t love her enough to try to come back to her sooner.”
“Yunho -“
“I love you, not just because you love Minah, but because…but because you’re but because you’re you, and no one else. When I’m with you, I wish that I could give you the kind of security and protection that you deserve. I don’t want to leave you.”
Jaejoong’s eyes fluttered shut, and he held Yunho even tighter. He buried his face into Yunho’s neck and breathed in deeply, praying that Yunho wouldn’t let him go as he sought his comfort.
“I want you to know that…that I don’t love her anymore,” Yunho continued as he continued to hold onto Jaejoong. “When I leave, I -“
“I’ll take care of her.”
Silence fell between them, the weight of Jaejoong’s words sinking in as they stared at one another. Yunho’s lips twisted into a sad smile while Jaejoong tried to fight back the emotions he’d been trying to hold back.
“I know you’ll take care of her much better than Yoojung ever could.”
The tears rolled down Jaejoong’s cheeks before he could even try holding them back for another second longer, and he felt Yunho squeeze him tighter. He began to sob quietly into Yunho’s neck, the pent up fears and frustrations of the past days finally overflowing from their containments. There were no words that could express the amount of relief he felt in his chest, and he didn’t even know if Yunho was aware of how much of a hold he had upon him.
Although he knew that he should be feeling relieved that Yunho trusted him, his heart refused to be reminded that one day, Yunho would leave.
“Baby, don’t cry,” Yunho whispered lovingly, but Jaejoong simply held him tighter and refused to let go. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t cry for me, or for Minah, or for anyone. Stop, don’t -“
“Jaejoong! Daddy!”
Minah’s sharp cry caused for Jaejoong to jerk back from out of Yunho’s grasp. He turned his teary eyes to the young girl, her hair askew and her face contorted into an expression of visible worry. It seemed like the combination of seeing her father and Jaejoong so upset in the morning was too much for her, and the young girl burst into tears. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried, and both men quickly rushed over to placate her.
Jaejoong grabbed the crying girl, taking her into his arms before Yunho could, and he let her wrap her arms around him tightly. The tears refused to stop rolling down his own cheeks, and at that point, Jaejoong didn’t even know why he was crying anymore. It was some bizarre combination of relief and fear, but he couldn’t even begin dissecting the overwhelming emotions that were taking over him.
“Baby lion, don’t cry,” Jaejoong whispered as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He looked up helplessly, and Minah elbowed his chest as she tried to get a better grip around his neck. “Honey, don’t -“
Jaejoong met Yunho’s gaze, and before he could say anything, Yunho burst out into sudden laughter. They were a chaotic trio - all of them sporting messy hair and red eyes, a complete embodiment of some sort of comedic tragedy. Yunho quickly moved closer to his lover and daughter, taking hold of his emotions so that he could help them gather theirs.
“Daddy’s okay,” Yunho whispered as he took a step closer and urged his daughter to tear her face away from Jaejoong’s neck so that she could look at him. He smoothened out her hair and kissed her forehead, “Baby, daddy and Jaejoong are fine.”
Jaejoong squeezed Minah in his arms, prompting her to look at him with her beautiful yet teary eyes, “Baby lion, no tears so early in the morning. Don’t cry, aren’t you your daddy’s beautiful girl? Everyone’s more beautiful with a smile -”
“Sweetheart, do you love daddy?”
Minah turned her head and sniffled before she nodded slowly.
“Do you love Jaejoong?”
Once again, the little girl nodded.
“Daddy and Jaejoong don’t like seeing you sad,” Jaejoong watched as Yunho smiled at his daughter and tried to coax her into a better mood. “Minah, don’t cry. Daddy and Jaejoong are fine.”
As soon as the last words had escaped his lips, it didn’t take long before Minah somehow pushed Jaejoong away and latched onto Yunho. Yunho laughed as he took the welcome baggage into his arms, and as Minah burst out into another round of overjoyed tears, all Jaejoong could do was smile.
“My beautiful family, crying so early in the morning,” Yunho whispered, his voice relaxed, as if he wasn’t responsible for all the tears, and so quiet that Jaejoong almost hadn’t heard him.
As much as he wished that hearing the word family hadn’t meant anything to him, it did. Jaejoong felt his heart swell, and he glanced at Yunho.
The two lovers’ eyes met, and before Yunho could speak another word, the tears began to roll down the pianist’s cheeks. Jaejoong tried to stop crying, but he couldn’t, so he wormed his way into the father and daughter’s embrace just as easily as he’d made his way into their hearts.
o-o-o
“Are you afraid?”
Yunho turned around, halfway finished with knotting his tie, and Jaejoong stared at him silently. His heart was pounding in his chest knowing that Yunho would be meeting with Yoojung, and he had no clue if Yunho could sense his trepidation.
Jaejoong got up off the bed and walked over to finish knotting Yunho’s tie. With shaking hands, he tried to finish knotting it but soon gave up and simply rested his forehead against Yunho’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” Jaejoong whispered as he tried to hold back everything he was feeling at that moment. Firm arms wrapped around him, and he let out a shuddery sigh as he stepped closer. “Shit, Yunho…”
“It’s just a few days. Don’t be scared.”
The pianist pressed a kiss to Yunho’s jaw then took a step back, easing himself out of the other man’s hold. He met Yunho’s eyes then proceeded to finish knotting his tie, and as soon as he was done, he forced a small smile.
“Be back in time for Christmas, okay?”
“I promise.”
o-o-o
They were all seated around the table for their small meeting. Everything from dinner and dessert had been cleared away, and all that was left was Minah’s glass of warm milk. Jaejoong glanced at Yunho, who was whispering something into his daughter’s ear, and just before he was going to voice out a complaint about being left behind, Yunho edged away from her.
“Minah doesn’t like asparagus,” Yunho said fondly as he glanced at his daughter. “She doesn’t eat too much, and she has a tendency to eat too many sweets when unwatched, so make sure you watch her at all times.”
“Daddy doesn’t eat asparagus too.” Minah mumbled as she glanced at the table in embarrassment. “One time he ate all the cookies that Auntie Jihye gave us -“
“Minah!”
The young girl pouted at her father. “You’re bad too!”
Father and daughter began to bicker amongst themselves about various issues, and Jaejoong was completely forgotten. He leaned back into his seat and watched them, his tiny family bickering over who’d eaten more cookies.
o-o-o
Jaejoong watched as Yunho packed the last of his things, and as soon as he was done, the military man turned back to look at him. The room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of early morning slipping in through the windows, but Jaejoong could still see the tension in his face easily enough. In one fluid movement, Jaejoong left his spot on the bed and made his way over to Yunho.
He pressed his lips against Yunho’s, and he felt the other man noticeably relax against him. Wanting to keep things chaste, Jaejoong pulled away and left a light kiss on Yunho’s jaw. “You’ll be fine.” He whispered as he held Yunho tight. “You’ll be fine.”
“Jaejoong…”
The pianist backed away slightly, but Yunho kept a firm hold of him. Jaejoong looked up, and before he could say anything, Yunho spoke first.
“We’ll spend Christmas Eve together, okay?”
Jaejoong smiled up at him and nodded, “I’ll prepare dinner.”
A small smile crossed Yunho’s lips. “Will you decorate our home too?”
At the mention of the word our, Jaejoong felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, the overflowing amount of emotions he was feeling causing him to pause. He could only smile up at Yunho, and after a few seconds, he finally replied.
“Of course. I’ll ask Minah to help, and we’ll get a tree too.”
“I’ll try to get you two presents while I’m away,” Yunho murmured as he leaned down to kiss Jaejoong once again. When he pulled away, Jaejoong reached out stubbornly and brought their lips back together.
He didn’t know if he could convey to Yunho how much gratitude he felt. The other man had given him an immeasurable amount of love, and had brought him into the most perfect family in the world. Perhaps he’d fallen in love too fast, and perhaps they’d fallen into one another’s lives too quickly, but everything about their romance had fallen so perfectly into place that Jaejoong could only wish that it was a sign of their being fated for one another.
Yunho kissed his cheek, and Jaejoong was jolted out of his thoughts. He looked up, and the other man smiled down at him.
“What do you want for Christmas?” he asked softly, and Jaejoong couldn’t miss the way Yunho shifted and held him a little tighter.
Jaejoong stared up at the face of the man in front of him and took in everything. From the way Yunho looked at him, from the way Yunho held him, everything was exactly wanted. There was nothing he could possibly want from Yunho that he had not already given him.
“Nothing,” Jaejoong whispered. “Absolutely nothing.”
He could ask for nothing more.
o-o-o
Minah had been asleep when Yunho had left, and Jaejoong anxiously waited for her to wake up. Although she’d already been informed about her father’s departure and that Jaejoong would be sleeping over to take care of her, he was still incredibly nervous about everything. Spending a few hours with someone was completely different from spending more than a day with that person.
Jaejoong took another sip of his already lukewarm water and cast a glance at Minah’s bedroom door as he waited for her to come out. He let five minutes pass by before he finally decided to just get up and check on her. He pushed the door open slowly, and he was surprised to see the little girl sitting up on her bed, looking as if she’d been waiting for him the entire time.
“Minah -“
“Daddy’s gone?” she asked, her voice soft.
She looked at him with her wide, innocent eyes, and Jaejoong didn’t quite know how to answer her. The answer was simple - he was supposed to say yes, but something in his heart couldn’t bring him to speak that one word. Deep down, he knew that Yunho would be coming back to them this time, but his insecurities and fears gripped him so tightly at that moment.
To say that Yunho was gone meant so many things. Although Minah’s question was phrased in the most innocent and simplest manner, Jaejoong couldn’t prevent himself from taking the question the wrong way.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, Minah rephrased her question.
“Will daddy be home for Christmas?”
Jaejoong felt his fears slip away, and he smiled brightly at her. “Of course he will. So we’ll have to get the house ready for him, right? I told him that you and I would get everything fixed up for him to come home to. You’d love to help, right?”
Minah smiled brightly and replied with an excited yes, and the last of Jaejoong’s fears crept back into a distant corner of his heart, mind and soul.
o-o-o
Jaejoong heard his door open, and he sat up to see Minah’s silhouetted figure at the door.
He hadn’t expected her, and he was still tired from his shift at the bar, so he said nothing and waited for her to explain herself. The young girl fidgeted, her toy deer gripped tightly in her fist and brushing against the floor.
When after a few seconds, she had still not said anything, Jaejoong finally spoke up.
“Is something wrong?”
“Daddy tells me I should sleep alone, but…”
Quickly picking up where the conversation was heading, Jaejoong turned on the bedside lamp and smiled at Minah. He pulled at the other side of the bed’s blanket and patted the empty side of the mattress.
“Your daddy won’t know.”
Minah headed back to turn off the light in the corridor before she scrambled over to make herself comfortable. She held her deer close to her chest, and Jaejoong helped tuck her in. As soon as she was set, he reached over to turn off the light and lied back down.
He turned his head and met Minah’s gaze in the darkness.
“I miss daddy,” Minah whispered as she snuggled closer to Jaejoong, eager to bask in more of his warmth and comfort. “Joongie is okay too, but I miss daddy…”
“I miss your daddy too,” Jaejoong murmured before he kissed Minah’s forehead. Yunho hadn’t called since his departure, and although that fact worried Jaejoong, he tried his best not to let it bother him too much. After all, there were millions of reasons as to why Yunho hadn’t called, so he refused to let himself give into his insecurities and allow himself to worry over such a matter.
Love entailed trust, and he both loved and trusted Yunho, so he would be patient.
“He’ll be back in a few days. So, we should just wait for him patiently.”
“Who is daddy visiting?”
Jaejoong was silent, unsure of what to answer. He knew Yunho had distinctly made sure not to tell Minah that he was meeting with her mother. He didn’t know either what Minah knew about her mother aside from the fact that she was gone. He didn’t know if Yunho had lied to Minah about what had happened, or if he’d told her the truth.
Was Yunho’s reason for leaving a secret that he was allowed to tell?
He held Minah a little tighter and decided against telling her the truth. To tell her that Yunho was visiting her mother would bring too many questions, and he was sure that it was not his place to inform Minah about such a matter. Their shared world together was fine the way it was, and there was no need to bring in something so complicated into their universe.
“Just somebody he used to know,” Jaejoong answered, and he met Minah’s eyes in the dark so that he could smile at her. Minah shot a small smile at him, and he felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. The young girl was looking at him with such fondness, and he’d only ever seen her stare at her father in such a way.
“I love you Joongie.”
Jaejoong smile grew, his happiness exuding off him in waves. He held Minah even more closely in the dark, and whispered his reply against her hair. “I love you too baby lion.”
o-o-o
The phone was ringing despite the hour, so Jaejoong carefully untangled himself from Minah and headed out of the room. He had a fairly good idea of who was calling, and as soon as he picked up the phone, he spoke.
“Why didn’t you call sooner?” Jaejoong asked, his voice calm and simply questioning.
Yunho let out a small sigh then replied. “I had a hard time finding a place to stay. It seems like everywhere is full because of the holidays…”
Jaejoong bit his lip and stared down at the phone, “I’m sorry -“
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
The line went quiet for a few seconds, and Jaejoong was simply content to know that Yunho was on the other end of the line. Although he had numerous questions in his head, he didn’t quite know what to ask and how to ask them. Even though he and Yunho tried to be as open as possible with one another, there were still some lines he was hesitating to cross, and talking about Yunho’s ex-wife was one of them.
“I met her today,” Yunho said softly, his voice betraying no emotion except for tiredness. Jaejoong could hear the squeaking of a mattress, and he could imagine Yunho settling into bed.
“How did it go?”
“Everything went as I expected,” Yunho murmured. “I saw her husband today, and it seems like she has a step-son too.”
Jaejoong fell silent, unsure of what to say.
“As I thought, she wants to take care of Minah as soon as I leave for…” Yunho trailed off, and Jaejoong shut his eyes, well aware of what Yunho meant. “But I told her no, that I couldn’t leave Minah with her, not after what she’d done.”
“Did she accept that?”
“She had to,” Yunho answered. “After all, she’s…she’s the one who left our daughter and was content with years without contact. Also…I told her about you.”
“What?”
“I told her I was with someone now and that I would be leaving Minah with that person. She backed off after I said that, so Jaejoong…”
“You don’t need to ask me again Yunho.” Jaejoong said softly as he opened his eyes. He smiled to himself and grasped the phone a bit tighter. “You know I’m willing, and you know I’ll take care of her.”
“I love you. I’ll be back home soon.”
“I love you too,” Jaejoong murmured, “And you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be here, waiting for you, I promise.”
o-o-o
Jaejoong stared at the numerous dresses that Minah had pulled out of her closet. While the young girl was more than capable of dressing up on her own, it seemed like after she’d openly declared her affection for him, she was intent on monopolizing all of their time together. Although her attempts to have his attention on her all the time was cute, it was this time that Jaejoong wished that Minah wasn’t so determined to have him around her constantly.
How was he supposed to choose between all these dresses?
He turned back to look at Minah, who was seated on a small stool in her room. “Minah, baby lion, we have to go out soon or else -“
“But Joongie, I don’t know what to wear,” Minah mumbled. She looked down at her feet, and Jaejoong stared at her sympathetically. “I want our whole day to be special.”
“You and I went around town yesterday, wasn’t that special?” Jaejoong said comfortingly as he knelt down in front of Minah and put his hand on her knee. “Come on, you and I have to go out. Your daddy will be coming home tomorrow, and that’s Christmas Eve! We need to get everything ready.”
Minah nodded, “Okay.”
Jaejoong smiled at her then stepped back. He watched Minah, waiting for her to pick out one of her dresses, but the young girl remained seated. They stared at each other, and after a few more seconds had passed, Jaejoong spoke.
“Baby lion, why aren’t you getting dressed?”
“I don’t want to get dressed in front of a boy! You’re not daddy!”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, and he blushed profusely. “I’m sorry,” he said hastily as he escaped the room, Minah’s delighted and amused laughter ringing in his ears.
o-o-o
Jaejoong held Minah’s hand tightly, and he glanced at her, his smile widening when he saw how happy she was. He had to admit, she looked nothing like she usually did when she was with Yunho. When Yunho was around, Minah looked absolutely perfect - almost doll like, but this time, she looked more like a normal child. Her hair was tied into a messy braid due to his own inability to tie her hair properly, and the front of her dress had flecks of chocolate ice cream on it.
But, Jaejoong thought, at least she looked happy and radiant - which was what mattered most after all.
“I think daddy’s going to like his gift,” Minah said happily as she swung the bag that contained her present. She looked up at Jaejoong and smiled brightly, “What did you get me Joongie? What did you get me?”
Jaejoong laughed at her impatience and shook his head, “I’m not telling.”
Minah let out a yell of protest, and she yanked at Jaejoong’s hand. When Jaejoong refused to stop walking, she tried to fight against him by staying still. The battle raged on in the middle of the sidewalk for a minute or so before Jaejoong gave up and turned around.
“Minah…”
The young girl smiled at him mischievously, showing that she was well aware of what she was doing.
“If you don’t start walking with me right now, I’m going to do something to you, and you’re not going to like it.” Jaejoong warned, trying to fight off the smile that was making its way across his lips.
Minah crossed her arms. “No. I’m not going ‘til -“
Before the young girl could finish her sentence, Jaejoong grabbed her and hauled her off the sidewalk. Minah let out a delighted shriek, and Jaejoong held her and all the bags tightly. He could feel Minah squirming against his hold, but he refused to let go of her and made his way up the apartment stairs with the young girl still in his arms.
He put her down when they reached the front door, and as soon as he’d gotten it unlocked, Minah ran inside to change her clothes. Jaejoong shook his head at the young girl in amusement then moved to place the groceries they’d bought into the kitchen. As he unpacked things, the doorbell rang.
“Minah, could you get it?”
“Okay!”
Jaejoong could hear the young girl’s quick footsteps as she ran to the door, and his smile widened. For such a small girl, she had such heavy footsteps. He waited for her to call him, but no call came. Before he could raise his voice and ask her about who was at the door, a loud yell reached the kitchen.
“Daddy!”
The pianist immediately dropped the things he’d been holding and rushed out of the kitchen, his heart pounding in his chest. He caught sight of father and daughter immediately, Minah in her father’s arms and chattering away about everything that’d happened in the past few days. They were a beautiful sight, and Jaejoong stood still, waiting for either of them to acknowledge his presence.
“Minah, where is -“ Yunho paused, his sentence unfinished, as he finally caught sight of Jaejoong.
A smile slowly stretched across Jaejoong’s lips, and he took a step forward. Yunho began to walk forward, Minah’s ears falling on deaf ears as the two men were focused solely on one another. As soon as Yunho was right in front of Jaejoong, he stopped, put Minah back down, and smiled.
“You’re here early,” Jaejoong said softly.
“I know.”
They were all silent, even Minah, and Jaejoong waited for Yunho to speak again. The older man smiled, aware of what Jaejoong wanted from him.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home,” Jaejoong replied, before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Yunho’s, uncaring that they were in front of Minah. He could feel Yunho’s surprise, but it wasn’t long before Yunho pressed back, eagerly reciprocating his kiss.
When they pulled away, before either of them could say anything, Minah spoke up.
“Kissing is gross!” she squealed, sticking her tongue out at both of the men.
Yunho turned to his daughter, a smile on his face. “Is it now? So you don’t want daddy to kiss you anymore?”
“No! Daddy is gross!”
Jaejoong and Yunho laughed, and they both turned to the young girl, trapping her within their arms as they held and kissed her teasingly, showering her with all the love and affection in the world.
Part B →
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Author’s Note: SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE I LAST UPDATED. D: But my muse has come back to me, so I will try to get Part B (and I promise it has smut! ;A;) up soon. Thank you so much for sticking through with me, I really appreciate everything so, so, so much.♥