The Quartermaster - [3.2] [Jaejoong]

[ayase123]

Jaejoong noticed that Yunho had been quiet all afternoon after they recorded the new round of Bigeast Station episodes.  He figured it had something to do with the fact that he had blurted out Changmin’s name instead of Yunho’s, but there was nothing for Yunho to worry about.  The only reason Changmin had been on his mind for that question was because the youngest had been sneaking around and spying on him recently, staring like a total creep and the question reminded Jaejoong of being stalked.  How could his answer be Yunho if he felt like the question was about being stalked?  He couldn’t, so his answer was Changmin.  How was he supposed to know that the deep, underlying reason for his answer was something so silly?

Jaejoong didn’t like Changmin more than Yunho, end of story.

And he surely didn’t like Changmin in the way he liked Yunho.  Changmin was tall and had grown into a good looking man, but he wasn’t Jaejoong’s type, not in the least.  And even if he was, Yunho was the perfect boyfriend and the only one that Jaejoong’s heart saw.

As they entered their Tokyo apartment, steps behind the other three who scattered in different directions once inside, Jaejoong slung and arm over Yunho’s shoulder, leaning close to his ear in hopes of brightening his lover’s mood.  “Think we can fool around before my play date with Yoochun?”

He felt Yunho’s body tense as the leader turned his head, his eyes cold and lifeless.  “I can’t.  I promised Lee-shi that I’d go over the new changes to the schedule.”

“Again?” Jaejoong pouted, trying to tug his ornery boyfriend closer, but finding his efforts futile.  “You just did that.”

“Yeah, but that was last week.  With the Korean album coming up and extra stuff being added in Japan, it’s constantly changing,” Yunho said, a slight tone of irritation in his voice.

Jaejoong knew that if Yunho sounded irritated, something was definitely wrong.  “You’re mad about earlier, aren’t you?”  Jaejoong stopped walking, his arm on Yunho’s shoulder causing him to halt as well.  “You know I don’t like Changmin like that, right?”

Yunho sighed and looked away.  “I know.”

“Do you?” Jaejoong reached out to touch Yunho’s chin.  Their eyes met and finally, Jaejoong saw the warmth return to Yunho’s soft eyes.

“Hey, Jaejoong…oh, um…” Yoochun’s voice startled them and Jaejoong’s hand fell away from Yunho’s face out of habit.  “Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you for a second?”

Frustrated by the incredibly bad timing, Jaejoong clenched his jaw.  “What?” he asked, not bothering to turn and look at the other member, he needed to keep eye contact with Yunho, otherwise his boyfriend would withdraw and that always led to trouble.

“I can’t hang out tonight,” Yoochun said bluntly, causing Jaejoong to whirl around in shock.

“What!  Why not?”  Jaejoong heard Yunho sigh again and whipped his head back toward Yunho.  “Yunho…”

“I’ve got to meet with Lee-shi anyway,” Yunho said, starting to walk away.

“Wait!” Jaejoong called after him.  “Let’s talk later, okay?”

Yunho nodded.  “Sure, later.”  And then he was gone, disappearing into the kitchen.

“Jaejoong…” Yoochun started.  “Is everything okay?”

“I think so, but I don’t know.  I think Yunho’s upset about me picking Changmin earlier instead of him,” Jaejoong said.  He was nervous that Yunho had walked away, but relieved that he could confide in Yoochun now and ask for advice.

“He’ll be fine, but hey, about tonight, I really can’t hang out,” Yoochun said, but he didn’t really look apologetic.  In fact, he looked rather eager to get on with his evening.

“Why?  Do you have a date?” Jaejoong asked, totally bummed.  His day had started off great, but then he’d discovered Changmin spying on him earlier and since then, his day had spiraled into one uncomfortable moment after another.

“Uh…not exactly.  I just have something to do.  We can work on the song tomorrow night, right?  Our schedule is pretty relaxed the next few days.

“We have A-Nation rehearsal during the day, so I guess we have time in the evening,” Jaejoong said, that is, if they don’t make us rehearse into the night like they usually do, he couldn’t help think as an afterthought.  “Do you have time for one drink before you leave?”

“Yeah, sure, is there any beer left?”  Yoochun asked as they started to make their way into the kitchen.

Jaejoong was hoping to find Yunho in the kitchen so he could snuggle up to him, wrap his arms around his waist and make everything right between them, but the kitchen was empty.  Yunho must have snuck off into one of the bedrooms.

Yoochun popped the refrigerator open and pulled out two beer bottles while Jaejoong dug around the utensil drawer for a bottle opener.  “So Yunho thinks you have the hots for Changmin?”

“I certainly hope not, but he seems pretty down.  How was I supposed to know that the answer meant it was the person you like most, I mean, that’s the whole point of the psych questions, right?  That we don’t know what it means.  I thought the question meant who is stalking you?”  Jaejoong took a cold bottle of beer from Yoochun, popping the lid off before handing it back then taking the other bottle to open it as well.

“So naturally when you think of a stalker, you think of Changmin,” Yoochun said, tipping the bottle back for a sip.

Jaejoong leaned against the counter and took a long swallow of his beer before answering.  “He’s been lurking recently, so yeah, I guess I do associate Changmin with the word stalker.  But that’s not the point, the point is that Yunho’s upset about it.”

“Maybe that is the point.”  Yoochun chugged half his beer down, making Jaejoong wonder why he was drinking so fast.  “Look, you’ve been talking about Changmin a lot in the last few months and before you disagree with me, let me remind you that the more he pulls away from you, the more you chase after him, wondering how to fix it.”

Jaejoong opened his mouth to argue, but Yoochun was right.

“When people obsess over someone, it’s usually because they like them, so it’s no wonder Yunho’s reacting to this.  I’m not saying he should worry, because I know you don’t like Changmin romantically, but I am saying that you should be more aware of how your Changmin-complex is affecting others.”  Yoochun set his half-empty bottle of beer on the counter.

“I’m not obsessed…” Jaejoong sighed, pouting as Yoochun started to walk away.  “Where are you going?”

“I told you, I’m going out,” Yoochun said.

Jaejoong reached for his arm, pulling him closer.  He wasn’t about to let him get away just yet, he still had to ask him about his boy-boy activities.  Putting on a big smile, Jaejoong put his arm around the back of Yoochun’s waist and leaned in to whisper, “I was thinking about that blowjob you got from some guy and it’s sorta hot.  Care to tell me who he was so I can put a face to my fantasy?”

Yoochun chuckled and leaned his head on Jaejoong’s shoulder.  “Does Yunho know that you’re a horny bastard?”

“He knows.” Jaejoong tried again.  “A backup dancer?  Or maybe one of our own, Changmin?  Junsu?  Come on, you can tell me.”

Jaejoong was losing his hold on Yoochun as he pulled away.  “Look at you, you’re practically foaming at the mouth,” Yoochun said, laughing at him.

“Oh come on, are you going to tell me or not?” Jaejoong reverted back to pouting, hoping his friend would take pity on him and share the secret.

Yoochun’s eyes crinkled up into little half-moons in amusement.  “I don’t know, it seems to be more fun not telling you.”

“Fine, but at least tell me this, is it someone I know?” Jaejoong asked, knowing that Yoochun was side-stepping a direct answer.  He knew his friend too well and knew that he wouldn’t break, not tonight at least.

Yoochun’s eyes drifted away, roaming the kitchen as if he was thinking or making up a lie.  By the time they came back to meet Jaejoong’s, Yoochun had the most devilish smirk on his face.  “Oh, it’s definitely someone you know.”

“Is there anything to eat?” Junsu’s voice bounded around the corner before they saw him, loud and boisterous with a slight giggle to it.  “What are you guys talking about?” He asked as he came to stand near the refrigerator door.

“We were just talking about you, weren’t we Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked, anxious to see if Yoochun would react and give away if it was Junsu he’d messed around with or not.

“Hmmmm…I think we were talking about your perverted fantasies,” Yoochun said, smacking Jaejoong on the back in a friendly manner.  “He wanted to know if I’ve ever shacked up with a guy before so he could think about it later.”

Junsu raised one eyebrow at them as Jaejoong jabbed at Yoochun’s waist.  “So have you?” Junsu asked, always innocent and inquisitive.

Jaejoong’s eyes flitted between Junsu and Yoochun, looking for any small indication that something had happened between them, but there was nothing.  Either they were good actors or it wasn’t Junsu that Yoochun had screwed around with.

“Only in your dreams,” Yoochun said, his smile turning into a greasy leer.  “But I gotta go, so you guys have fun.”

Jaejoong followed him out of the kitchen and toward the front door.  “When will you be back?”

Yoochun slipped his shoes on then turned to face him.  “I’m not sure, it might be early, it might be late, depends.”

“Depends on what?” Jaejoong wasn’t even sure why he was harassing Yoochun, it was just his motherly instinct to know what he was up to.

“Depends on my date,” Yoochun said and with that, he left, ducking out into small streets of their Tokyo neighborhood.

“You said it wasn’t a date,” Jaejoong called after him as the door shut.  He stared at the door for a minute before sliding the bolt into place then returning to the kitchen, mildly depressed that his two favorite people were busy.  Sure, he still had Junsu, but he’d been giddy and distracted recently, always texting on his phone and walking out of earshot to take calls.

Maybe Junsu was dating someone new, maybe that person he was interested in.  Filled with refreshed enthusiasm to solve a new mystery, Jaejoong decided to do whatever it took to get Junsu to open up.  Perhaps Junsu’s favorite meal would entice the singer into blabbing about his new “friend.”

He found Junsu standing in the kitchen with a giant rice cake in his mouth, texting as he tried to swallow the thing whole.

“Someone needs to teach you how to eat gracefully, your new friend is likely to find your stuff-and-go approach to food caveman like,” Jaejoong said, grabbing the apron Yunho had given him for his birthday off its hook.  “Let me make you some real food.”

Finished with his text, Junsu put his phone in his pocket and broke the rice cake in two, inhaling the part in his mouth with one or two chews and a great big swallow.  “Ah, I don’t have much time to eat, I have to, um, call my mom.  I promised.”

Jaejoong grabbed the handle of his favorite pot, but stopped mid-action to confront Junsu’s obvious white lie.  “Your mom?  Really?  Is that who you’ve been texting non-stop?”

Junsu shoved the remainder of his crunchy rice cake into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out as he found a way to push it down his throat with minimal effort.  “No, that’s someone else…”  He coughed, choking a little.

“Water?” Jaejoong filled a glass for him.

Junsu took the water and downed it, another amazing eating feat from The Great Junsu; The Magician Who Could Make Food Disappear in a Flash.

“Thanks.”  Junsu coughed a little more then jumped when his cell phone started vibrating in his pants. He dug the phone out and read the new message, grinning like an idiot as he started to reply.

“Your mom?” Jaejoong asked, inching closer to see if he could read what was on the screen.  “Does she know how to text?”

“Not really, she can read them, but she has a hard time sending them.  She makes Junho or my dad text me for her,” Junsu said, hitting send before Jaejoong could get a clear look at what he wrote or who he was writing it to.  “I should really go call her…before she goes to bed.”

Jaejoong looked at the clock hanging near their small stove.  “She goes to bed at seven-thirty?”

“Uh…well, I wanted to talk to her for a long time so…but you could make something and leave it out for me,” Junsu said with a bright smile, his lame attempt to change the subject making Jaejoong wonder even more who he was chatting with.

“I suppose Yunho and Changmin will need to eat later too, so maybe I’ll make something for everyone and you can grab a bowl whenever and warm it up,”  Jaejoong said, sighing as he realized that this was the third member in less than ten minutes that had run away from him.  Well, there was always Changmin.  Maybe it was time Jaejoong had a talk with him and clear up all the confusion, he owed Yunho that much after the misunderstanding that happened earlier in the day.  And Yoochun’s insight, while brief and to the point, made him want to settle the whole Changmin thing sooner rather than later.

“Thanks Jaejoong, that’d be great.  Not too spicy tonight please, my stomach has been a little sensitive recently,” Junsu said, his eyes darting back to his phone as it vibrated again with another new message.

Jaejoong watched his fingers fumble around, trying to type back.  It seemed Junsu hadn’t fallen far from the proverbial tree-his mom couldn’t text well and neither could Junsu.  His texts were always full of spelling mistakes and half formed sentences.  He texted like he ate, fast and messy.

When he finished and shut his phone, Jaejoong gave his sleuthing one last shot.  “So you like Yunho, huh?” he asked, grinning.

That caught Junsu’s attention in a heartbeat.  “Huh?  What? No, of course not.  Why would you ask?”

Jaejoong thought it was cute how quickly Junsu jumped to defend himself.  It wasn’t like he really though Junsu liked Yunho, it was just a good segue into finding out who he had been so chummy with over the phone.  “The Tohoshinri question, you picked Yunho…”

“Oh, that.”  Junsu’s whole body relaxed and he chuckled nervously.  “Well, if that’s true, then you like Changmin and since we all know that you like Yunho, it’s just a silly psychology question one of our fans made up.  Plus, I picked someone in the group because that’s what we’re supposed to do, right?”

Junsu’s long explanation gave Jaejoong a moment of pause as he considered his next move.  “Right, I guess that makes sense.  The fans wouldn’t want to hear how your favorite person is someone outside the group, like…like your friend that keeps texting you.”

Junsu glanced down at his phone just as it vibrated again.

“Who is it?” Jaejoong asked.  He figured being blunt was his best option in the current situation.  Junsu didn’t always pick up on subtleties and Jaejoong could feel that he was itching to bolt out of the kitchen and lock himself away all night cooing and giggling on the phone again.

“Who is what?  The person texting me or the person I like most?” Junsu looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Both.” Jaejoong folded his arms across his chest.  “Or maybe they’re the same person?”

Junsu looked down at his phone again, as though debating if he should read the new text message or not.  Or perhaps he was debating on telling Jaejoong who his mystery friend was.  Stepping forward, Jaejoong reached for the phone and found it easy to take it from Junsu’s hand.

Their eyes met as Jaejoong opened the message, glancing down to see who it was from.  The sender’s name was Soccer…Jaejoong blinked, making sure he saw it correctly.  “Soccer?”

Junsu snatched the phone back and laughed, his ue kyang kyang resonating through their tiny kitchen.  “You don’t think I’m stupid enough to put their name in my phone, do you?  What if I lose it and a fan finds it?”

Not used to being on the receiving end of teasing and pranks, Jaejoong grimaced before coming up with a good retort.  “All the fan would have to do is hit send and call Mr. Soccer and someone would answer and then they’d know that you’re dating a boy!”

The laughter died off as Junsu thrust his hip out, one hand perched atop it as he went into attack mode.  “I’m not dating anyone, much less a boy.  If a fan got my phone and read all my text messages, they’d think, wow, how nice for Junsu that he has a friend who loves soccer as much as he does, because that’s all we talk about.”

“Yeah, but who is he?” Jaejoong just knew it had to be a guy.

“A friend,” Junsu said.

Jaejoong wasn’t ready to let it go.  “A friend that you like?”

Junsu’s head fell back and he let out a groan of frustration.  “If I start dating someone, I’ll be sure to tell you, but until then, don’t worry about it.”

“Is this the person you told me about before?  You know, I do have experience in dating, maybe I could help-“

Junsu’s phone vibrated again.  “Yep, thanks for the offer, I’ll be sure to take you up on it if I need anything.”  He checked the messages then headed for the hallway.  “I’ll be working in the office, can you bring my food there when it’s done?”  Junsu looked over his shoulder to ask.

“Yeah…” Jaejoong said, depressed that he’d failed again.

“Great, just leave it by the door and knock so I know.  You’re the best!” Junsu said and then he too was gone, just like Yunho had disappeared and then Yoochun.

Just as he was ready to throw himself a pity party, streamers and balloons and all, Changmin sauntered through the kitchen, his hair still wet from a recent shower.  Ah, Changmin!  He’d almost forgotten.  His night was saved after all now that the baby was there.

“Is there anything to eat?” Changmin asked, looking in their empty fridge.

“Not yet.  I’m going to make jigae, but I may have to run to the store now that I see we don’t anything to make it with,” Jaejoong said, untying his apron.

Changmin let out a disappointed sigh then turned to the cupboards, taking a rice cake like the one Junsu had just devoured.  “I don’t have time to wait, but god that sounds good.”

“Why? Where are you going?” Now Jaejoong was starting to panic.  Changmin was the holy grail of all mysteries that he wanted to solve.  Not only that, but if he left, Jaejoong would be sitting home alone.  Alone!  How could Kim Jaejoong, the heart and soul of Dong Bang Shin Ki be socially abandoned?

“Out,” Changmin said, nibbling on the rice cake as he continued to look for something else to eat.

“I’ll go with you,” Jaejoong said, smoothing out his t-shirt.  He had a new vest he could put over it that would style-up his outfit.

Changmin started choking on the dry rice cake and Jaejoong had a sense of déjà vu from when Junsu had done the same thing.  “These suck.”  Changmin tossed the rest of it into the trash.  “I would invite you, but I’m meeting Miho.”

“Miho?” He sorted through all the faces of Japanese girls they knew, trying to figure out who he meant, but then it hit him.  “Oh!  You mean Miho, the cute little intern you’ve been shacking up with,” Jaejoong said, nudging Changmin’s side with manly pride and well wishes.

“Yeah, she texted me and said she was in town.  Her internship ended a few months ago and she’s been back in Hiroshima, finishing college,” Changmin said.  “I guess she’s in Tokyo for a few days visiting a friend.”

“Awww, how sweet that she wants to see you.  You must have rocked her world,” Jaejoong said, giddy because Changmin was being open and honest with him and because he was finally getting information about his love life.  “Is this a date?”

Changmin shook his head.  “No, more like a hook up.  We’re meeting at a love hotel.  She only wants me for my body.”

Jaejoong squealed.  “A love hotel!  How exciting.  I remember when Yunho and I went to one for our anniversary-“

“And that’s all I need to know about that,” Changmin interrupted, holding his hand up, pretending to look queasy.  “Look, I know I’m your favorite person and all, but since I have to live with you and Yunho, that’s too much information.”

Jaejoong pouted.  “Speaking of, you didn’t think it was weird that I picked you in Tohoshinri today, did you?”

Changmin shrugged.  “I am the center of the universe, so no, it’s not weird.”  His phone dingled.  “Oh hey, I bet this is her,” Changmin said, retrieving his text message.

Jaejoong felt a sense of pride as he watched the youngest text his friends-with-benefits sex partner back.  “Remember to be safe.  Do you need condoms?”

Shutting his phone and jamming it into his back pocket, Changmin chuckled.  “No, I’m good, thanks.”

“Wow, you’re in such a good mood,” Jaejoong said, happy to see the glow radiating off him.  “Wear a hat.”

“Check,” Changmin said, pulling an old worn out baseball hat out of his bag.  It was sad, but they did have to go out in disguise sometimes, especially now that they were becoming more well known in Japan.

“And promise you’ll tell me all about it tomorrow,” Jaejoong said, following him as he headed for the front door.

Changmin half-snorted, half-laughed.  “No promises, but we’ll see.”  And then Changmin was gone too, heading out into the world with hope of living his life as a regular guy and not a member of a famous boy band.

Seeing Yunho’s shoes on the floor reminded Jaejoong that he wouldn’t be alone for too long.  Eventually, the schedule meeting would end and he wanted to surprise Yunho with dinner.  Then after dinner, they could talk and fix this little misunderstanding.  After that, they could make love since Yoochun and Changmin were out.  Junsu wouldn’t mind, he’d be busy having phone sex or chatting up his new love anyway, because Jaejoong wasn’t about to believe that Junsu wasn’t head over heels for someone.  Anyone with eyes could see that that boy was acting like a lovesick fool.

As for the others, there were times when they were all close and times when they all did their own things.  This was just one of those times when they all went their separate ways and Jaejoong knew better than to let it bother him.  But sometimes, like now, he wished they would all pile onto the sofa and watch their favorite anime and talk until they all fell asleep.

Oh well, they’d have a night like that again one day, just not tonight.  Feeling better, Jaejoong slipped into his own shoes, grabbing his keys and sunglasses (even though the sun was setting) and headed out to the nearby market.  If he was lucky, he could grab what he needed before it closed at eight.  And if he was even luckier, Yunho would be in a good mood when his meeting was over.

Knowing that that was a slim chance, Jaejoong put the power of positive thinking into action and imagined his lover smiling at him.  Because all he really needed was a smile and then he’d know that everything was okay.

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