Homesick, Homebound - Chapter 3 [Changmin/Victoria, PG-13, Chapter]
Pairing: Changmin/Victoria
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU!Drama, Family, Romance
Length: Chapter (3/6)
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, SME does. Plot is mine.
Summary: When she first met him, she was at her worst. At her best, he realized he's never seen anything good about her. That didn't stop her from breaking, though. It also didn't stop him from falling.
Warning: UN-BETA'D.
“Ever since Victoria left, you’ve all been a mess!”
Kyuhyun grits his teeth and ignores the shouts, the screams, the argument that’s going on between his parents in the kitchen. He sees Henry sitting with his head hung low on the sofa out of the corner of his eye and hisses under his breath, cursing at his father mentally.
Something slams on the counter and they both jump.
“As if you’re any better! If Victoria is so important to you, then you should have cherished her when we had her!” Their mother retorts.
Their fathers storms out into the living room and gestures towards their children. “Look at them!” He scoffs. “These kids are living well because of me! I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating your sons like kings and treating your daughter like a shadow.”
“Were you any different?!” Their father asks. “What have you done for her?”
Henry’s shoulders are shaking and Kyuhyun just knows that his brother must be crying. He stands from his computer and stomps over to Henry, holding him in his arms. “Will the two of you just shut up?!”
Their parents turn to glare at him, and it’s the first time Kyuhyun’s ever felt so afraid. They’ve never looked at him like this before.
“Tell that to your father!” His mom churns out. “If it weren’t for him and insisting on having a son,” she says, turning to her husband, “if it weren’t because of you, then we wouldn’t be so unhappy today!”
Kyuhyun knows that his mother misses Victoria and, that somewhere inside, his father is missing her, too. They all miss her, and they’re all worrying. When months passed and not a single phone call or e-mail had been received after the simple notification that she had arrived and will take care of herself, they knew this day would come.
Did their mother regret having them? To the extent that she simply dreads the thought, and would place the blame on another for the mere fact that she gave life to two children who loved her?
They both watch as their mother walks out the front door and their father retreats to his room.
Not once had they ever been in such a big fight.
For the first time ever, Kyuhyun cries.
Things were falling apart. What once was a full, complete family was shattering before their eyes. The moment Victoria stepped out the door was the moment everything in the family began to crumble; piece by piece, fragment followed by fragment.
That night, Kyuhyun, for the first time ever, sent his sister an e-mail.
[Vic,
Come home. Mom and dad are fighting. Henry’s crying again. We’re all breaking apart.
Kyuhyun.]
-
“Don’t stay up, just go to bed. I’m okay now. I’ll call you later, okay?”
Henry pulled his cellular from his ears, leaning over Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “Hyung, do you think Vic will come back soon?”
After a moment of serious thought, Kyuhyun turns to Henry and smiles. “Of course,” he says, and the words are painfully familiar to the both of them. “Blood will always be thicker than water. We’re family,” he emphasizes, “she has to come back.”
The hope Henry holds is close to zero. He clutches his phone in his hands and the urge to dial the number to the one closest to his heart now is unbearable, but he knows that family will always be the one he can rely on most. So, he nods and allows Kyuhyun to drape an arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer.
“I’ve seen you and that guy,” Kyuhyun remarks with a smirk. “More than you’d like, believe it or not.”
Henry blushes, and shoves his brother away. “Don’t tell anyone!”
It’s cute, and Kyuhyun can only laugh. “It’s okay, I won’t. I don’t mind that you’re with a guy, Henry-ah, but be discreet, please. People might think I swing the same way.”
“Hyung!” Henry pouts.
Oddly enough, neither of them feel uncomfortable discussing this topic. Henry had always avoided introducing his boyfriend to his family, afraid that they wouldn’t be able to accept his sexual orientation. Talking about this important person in his life with his brother felt easy - easier than he had ever imagined it to be on the day Kyuhyun would discover it.
Henry hadn't expected Kyuhyun to accept it so casually; he never accepted anything from Victoria that was out of ordinary, so, naturally, Henry expected the same treatment towards himself.
(Perhaps it was easier to accept things when you've already lost someone important from your own previous ignorance.)
Unexpectedly, Kyuhyun had lifted this burden off of his shoulder. It’s done a lot, even if Kyuhyun doesn’t realize it.
But Kyuhyun does. He knows exactly what Henry is worried about, and Henry has enough he has to worry about in life.
Kyuhyun, though - all he worries about is his family, and until Victoria comes back, nothing will be at peace.
-
“You’re leaving on short notice.”
Victoria smiles apologetically, and weaves her arms around the man’s waist. “I’m sorry,” she whispers against his shoulder. “Something has happened in my family and I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
The man raises a brow and waves her away. He glances at Changmin, who is sitting in the opposite end of the room. “Is the mute going with you?”
“He’s not mute,” Victoria counters, “but no, Yoochun, I haven’t asked him to.”
Yoochun hums in response and walks to his desk. Victoria stabs her hands at her waist, and he motions for her to join him. “It’s not bad, actually,” he says, “it’s pretty good timing, to be honest.”
Panic runs through her as she lowers herself into his lap, allowing him to snake his arms around her. “What do you mean?”
“I have an exchange that needs a moderator in Taiwan at the beginning of next week. Since you’re there, you can handle it for me. I trust you.” Yoochun smiles sweetly.
And though Victoria relaxes, she still feels uneasy. She turns to face him. “There’s a catch, isn’t there?”
Changmin turns away from the scene and focuses on the patterns on the ground.
“I’m opening a chain of bars in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. We’ll be having a base at each location. Although I have a sufficient staff group in planning, I want you to take charge of the project for South Korea and Taiwan,” Yoochun explains. “We both know you’re good at your job, Victoria.”
Victoria purses her lips. “You want me to stay there from now on?”
“You’ll be travelling back and forth between South Korea and Taiwan, but it will only be for no more than a year. By the end of the year, I’ll have a new staff team tailored for those two locations, and then you can come back if you want.”
It isn’t as if that’s what Victoria’s worried about. She doesn’t mind moving back to Asia, she’s always wanted to. “What about you?”
“I’ve no choice but to stay here,” Yoochun shrugs. “There’s too much here for me to handle. I’ll visit when I have time, I promise.”
Despite all that he was saying, Victoria was certain he held no truce in what he was saying. For the women that Yoochun have been with, he’d never once let her leave his side during the time they were together.
Perhaps it was his possessiveness, but when a territory was marked his, he would never let it go until he didn’t want it anymore. Their time, she realized, was over.
“I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon,” she said, standing.
Yoochun raised his arms and backed his chair away, hands in the air. “Have a safe trip. I’ll have someone send you the details in South Korea.”
It’s pathetic, she thinks, that Yoochun wouldn’t even send her off before she leaves. After she gathers her bag and items, she walks to the door briskly. Changmin stands and follows her, pausing when she stops just at the frame of the exit. “Oh,” she says, “don’t bother visiting.”
Yoochun blinks at her blankly before the lightbulb hits him, and he shrugs again, returning his attention to the documents on his desk.
Changmin can see the pain in her eyes when Yoochun glanced away, without a second thought or any hesitance, and takes her by the hand, guiding her away.
“I know I’m stupid,” she mutters, “but I think I might have actually given him a genuine piece of me.”
When they enter her car, the chauffeur immediately starts driving off.
Victoria sighs and Changmin can feel her trembling beside him. “It’s karma,” she scoffs, “being unwanted because I aspired for more, and being thrown away because he aspired for more than me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
The voice is strange in Victoria’s ears. When she looks at Changmin, her orbs half blinded by tears, he’s staring directly into her eyes.
Changmin simply reaches over and shields her eyes with his hands, blocking her view and hiding her tears. “It’s not wrong to want more in life.”
She raises a hand and clasps Changmin’s, pulling it down to the seat. As she leans her head over, resting it on his shoulder, she feels everything that she’s been holding inside of herself being released.
Their fingers intervene and she holds onto him tightly.
“Can you go with me?” She asks. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. “To South Korea, I mean.”
Everything on her mind settles and she relaxes when she feels him nodding against the crown of her head. There’s something familiar about Changmin; about the way he holds her and the way they fit so perfectly against each other. Victoria can’t really name it, but she knows this feeling.
Changmin feels like home.
-
[Chapter 2] ♦ [ Chapter 4]
-
A/N: This series is completed. It will be updated every Monday and Friday.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU!Drama, Family, Romance
Length: Chapter (3/6)
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, SME does. Plot is mine.
Summary: When she first met him, she was at her worst. At her best, he realized he's never seen anything good about her. That didn't stop her from breaking, though. It also didn't stop him from falling.
Warning: UN-BETA'D.
“Ever since Victoria left, you’ve all been a mess!”
Kyuhyun grits his teeth and ignores the shouts, the screams, the argument that’s going on between his parents in the kitchen. He sees Henry sitting with his head hung low on the sofa out of the corner of his eye and hisses under his breath, cursing at his father mentally.
Something slams on the counter and they both jump.
“As if you’re any better! If Victoria is so important to you, then you should have cherished her when we had her!” Their mother retorts.
Their fathers storms out into the living room and gestures towards their children. “Look at them!” He scoffs. “These kids are living well because of me! I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating your sons like kings and treating your daughter like a shadow.”
“Were you any different?!” Their father asks. “What have you done for her?”
Henry’s shoulders are shaking and Kyuhyun just knows that his brother must be crying. He stands from his computer and stomps over to Henry, holding him in his arms. “Will the two of you just shut up?!”
Their parents turn to glare at him, and it’s the first time Kyuhyun’s ever felt so afraid. They’ve never looked at him like this before.
“Tell that to your father!” His mom churns out. “If it weren’t for him and insisting on having a son,” she says, turning to her husband, “if it weren’t because of you, then we wouldn’t be so unhappy today!”
Kyuhyun knows that his mother misses Victoria and, that somewhere inside, his father is missing her, too. They all miss her, and they’re all worrying. When months passed and not a single phone call or e-mail had been received after the simple notification that she had arrived and will take care of herself, they knew this day would come.
Did their mother regret having them? To the extent that she simply dreads the thought, and would place the blame on another for the mere fact that she gave life to two children who loved her?
They both watch as their mother walks out the front door and their father retreats to his room.
Not once had they ever been in such a big fight.
For the first time ever, Kyuhyun cries.
Things were falling apart. What once was a full, complete family was shattering before their eyes. The moment Victoria stepped out the door was the moment everything in the family began to crumble; piece by piece, fragment followed by fragment.
That night, Kyuhyun, for the first time ever, sent his sister an e-mail.
[Vic,
Come home. Mom and dad are fighting. Henry’s crying again. We’re all breaking apart.
Kyuhyun.]
-
“Don’t stay up, just go to bed. I’m okay now. I’ll call you later, okay?”
Henry pulled his cellular from his ears, leaning over Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “Hyung, do you think Vic will come back soon?”
After a moment of serious thought, Kyuhyun turns to Henry and smiles. “Of course,” he says, and the words are painfully familiar to the both of them. “Blood will always be thicker than water. We’re family,” he emphasizes, “she has to come back.”
The hope Henry holds is close to zero. He clutches his phone in his hands and the urge to dial the number to the one closest to his heart now is unbearable, but he knows that family will always be the one he can rely on most. So, he nods and allows Kyuhyun to drape an arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer.
“I’ve seen you and that guy,” Kyuhyun remarks with a smirk. “More than you’d like, believe it or not.”
Henry blushes, and shoves his brother away. “Don’t tell anyone!”
It’s cute, and Kyuhyun can only laugh. “It’s okay, I won’t. I don’t mind that you’re with a guy, Henry-ah, but be discreet, please. People might think I swing the same way.”
“Hyung!” Henry pouts.
Oddly enough, neither of them feel uncomfortable discussing this topic. Henry had always avoided introducing his boyfriend to his family, afraid that they wouldn’t be able to accept his sexual orientation. Talking about this important person in his life with his brother felt easy - easier than he had ever imagined it to be on the day Kyuhyun would discover it.
Henry hadn't expected Kyuhyun to accept it so casually; he never accepted anything from Victoria that was out of ordinary, so, naturally, Henry expected the same treatment towards himself.
(Perhaps it was easier to accept things when you've already lost someone important from your own previous ignorance.)
Unexpectedly, Kyuhyun had lifted this burden off of his shoulder. It’s done a lot, even if Kyuhyun doesn’t realize it.
But Kyuhyun does. He knows exactly what Henry is worried about, and Henry has enough he has to worry about in life.
Kyuhyun, though - all he worries about is his family, and until Victoria comes back, nothing will be at peace.
-
“You’re leaving on short notice.”
Victoria smiles apologetically, and weaves her arms around the man’s waist. “I’m sorry,” she whispers against his shoulder. “Something has happened in my family and I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
The man raises a brow and waves her away. He glances at Changmin, who is sitting in the opposite end of the room. “Is the mute going with you?”
“He’s not mute,” Victoria counters, “but no, Yoochun, I haven’t asked him to.”
Yoochun hums in response and walks to his desk. Victoria stabs her hands at her waist, and he motions for her to join him. “It’s not bad, actually,” he says, “it’s pretty good timing, to be honest.”
Panic runs through her as she lowers herself into his lap, allowing him to snake his arms around her. “What do you mean?”
“I have an exchange that needs a moderator in Taiwan at the beginning of next week. Since you’re there, you can handle it for me. I trust you.” Yoochun smiles sweetly.
And though Victoria relaxes, she still feels uneasy. She turns to face him. “There’s a catch, isn’t there?”
Changmin turns away from the scene and focuses on the patterns on the ground.
“I’m opening a chain of bars in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. We’ll be having a base at each location. Although I have a sufficient staff group in planning, I want you to take charge of the project for South Korea and Taiwan,” Yoochun explains. “We both know you’re good at your job, Victoria.”
Victoria purses her lips. “You want me to stay there from now on?”
“You’ll be travelling back and forth between South Korea and Taiwan, but it will only be for no more than a year. By the end of the year, I’ll have a new staff team tailored for those two locations, and then you can come back if you want.”
It isn’t as if that’s what Victoria’s worried about. She doesn’t mind moving back to Asia, she’s always wanted to. “What about you?”
“I’ve no choice but to stay here,” Yoochun shrugs. “There’s too much here for me to handle. I’ll visit when I have time, I promise.”
Despite all that he was saying, Victoria was certain he held no truce in what he was saying. For the women that Yoochun have been with, he’d never once let her leave his side during the time they were together.
Perhaps it was his possessiveness, but when a territory was marked his, he would never let it go until he didn’t want it anymore. Their time, she realized, was over.
“I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon,” she said, standing.
Yoochun raised his arms and backed his chair away, hands in the air. “Have a safe trip. I’ll have someone send you the details in South Korea.”
It’s pathetic, she thinks, that Yoochun wouldn’t even send her off before she leaves. After she gathers her bag and items, she walks to the door briskly. Changmin stands and follows her, pausing when she stops just at the frame of the exit. “Oh,” she says, “don’t bother visiting.”
Yoochun blinks at her blankly before the lightbulb hits him, and he shrugs again, returning his attention to the documents on his desk.
Changmin can see the pain in her eyes when Yoochun glanced away, without a second thought or any hesitance, and takes her by the hand, guiding her away.
“I know I’m stupid,” she mutters, “but I think I might have actually given him a genuine piece of me.”
When they enter her car, the chauffeur immediately starts driving off.
Victoria sighs and Changmin can feel her trembling beside him. “It’s karma,” she scoffs, “being unwanted because I aspired for more, and being thrown away because he aspired for more than me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
The voice is strange in Victoria’s ears. When she looks at Changmin, her orbs half blinded by tears, he’s staring directly into her eyes.
Changmin simply reaches over and shields her eyes with his hands, blocking her view and hiding her tears. “It’s not wrong to want more in life.”
She raises a hand and clasps Changmin’s, pulling it down to the seat. As she leans her head over, resting it on his shoulder, she feels everything that she’s been holding inside of herself being released.
Their fingers intervene and she holds onto him tightly.
“Can you go with me?” She asks. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. “To South Korea, I mean.”
Everything on her mind settles and she relaxes when she feels him nodding against the crown of her head. There’s something familiar about Changmin; about the way he holds her and the way they fit so perfectly against each other. Victoria can’t really name it, but she knows this feeling.
Changmin feels like home.
-
[Chapter 2] ♦ [ Chapter 4]
-
A/N: This series is completed. It will be updated every Monday and Friday.