Morning After
Title: Morning After
Rating: PG
Pairing: Homin
Genre: AU; Bodyswap
Summary: Yunho's never been a fan of the morning after, but this time seems a little bit...different.
Yunho wakes up in someone else’s bedroom. He quietly tenses, not wanting to see who might be lying behind him, but he determines that he’s alone after several uneventful minutes. He also determines that he’s clothed, much to his relief.
There’s no memories or lingering aches from last night that suggests it might have suddenly turned into a wild one- there's not many memories from last night at all, actually. He remembers going out to Boa's engagement party and getting wasted, but he's pretty sure he remembers making it to his own bed, in his own clothes, surrounded by his own belongings, in his own room.
He sits up, and takes in the room he’s in now. It’s cluttered and small, but neat, piles of books arranged in a bookcase and a desk shoved in the corner. A flatscreen TV takes up a shelf, and there’s a basket of laundry by the door.
Yunho gets out of bed and goes to the desk slowly, checking out the few photos stuck to the wall. There’s one of a few guys, but only one of the guys is also in other photos. He’s a happy looking guy with short hair and big eyes. In one photo, he holds a dog, and in another he’s holding a surfboard and laughing.
It’s either the owner of the room or maybe a boyfriend, considering how many times he shows up in the photos, though he kind of hopes it’s the former and not the latter. The guy is pretty hot, and Yunho could at least take comfort that his good taste didn’t abandon him while completely smashed- he wished he could remember some of that, but such was life. On the other hand, if it’s an ex-boyfriend (or worse, a current boyfriend), that has a whole other set of consequences Yunho doesn’t want to consider. Mr. Mystery is thin and looks happy enough, but he’s also the tallest person in most of the photos and seems like he wouldn’t be entirely enjoyable when angry. Yunho tries to avoid messy breakups and guys on the rebound, but alcohol has a beautiful way of impairing even the soundest judgment.
Yunho finally decides to venture out of the bedroom. When he opens the door, a little white ball of fur suddenly jumps onto his legs, yapping a few times and moving in a little circle. It’s the dog from the photo.
“Hi there, little guy,” Yunho says, reaching down and picking the dog up. He realizes something is very wrong.
His arm...is not right. It’s too long, and now that he’s looking at it, it’s not his arm. He looks down at his body, and almost drops the dog.
It’s not his body at all.
Yunho blindly rushes into the hallway, looking for a mirror or something. He finds the bathroom and he and the dog stare at his reflection.
The guy from the photos is gawking back at him from the mirror, and the face Yunho calls his own is nowhere to be seen.
He puts the dog down, and it watches him expectantly as he leans closer to the mirror.
Big, wide eyes and a straight, blunt nose. Full lips on a wide mouth and sweeping cheekbones, with a strong brow under a dark fringe. It’s the furthest thing from his own face Yunho could expect.
He still can’t understand what he’s seeing. When he looks down, he doesn’t see his own familiar body. In place of his thick and muscular form, there’s a slim torso and long legs, with an entirely different distribution of weight and stance.
The little dog yips and leaves, its claws clicking on the hardwood floor. Yunho stumbles out after it, unable to reconcile the current situation in his mind.
He is in somebody else’s body, in someone else’s room, in someone else’s house.
Absentmindedly, he drags a hand through his hair, freezing when the unfamiliarity of the length and thickness disorients him more. He decides he needs to get dressed before anything else happens.
Whoever the guy is, he has an enviable body. Yunho keeps himself in shape, but this guy has the type of naturally lean body that, with the addition of muscle from working out, is basically a dime among nickels. Yunho tries not to stare; it feels wrong to give a stranger a once over, even if you are in their body.
He hems and haws, finally changing into jeans and a tee. He can’t do anything in boxers. Despite the plain furnishings, the guy apparently kept up on his fashion, because his closet had quite a selection and range of items, including a good amount of designer labels.
After making his way through the small apartment, Yunho finds it’s fairly unremarkable, and it seems as though the guy lives alone. Yunho tries to find a name for his current, uh, host, and finally finds a stack of mail.
The addresses tell him this is the house of Shim Changmin. Yunho wonders if it’s still wrong to search through someone’s mail for clues if you’re stuck in their body, but he decides it’s a non-issue since it’s just bills and ads.
The little dog is still following him, and Yunho realizes it probably needs to pee. He’s leashing it up when another, smaller white puppy runs into the foyer, yipping and hiding under the other dog. He greets it, finds a smaller leash, and ventures outside with the two dogs.
Yunho checks out the area. It’s a nice, sunny morning, the sun high in the sky. It must be close to noon. He lets the dogs sniff around and pee on the flowers for awhile, only to freeze when someone calls Changmin’s name in the middle of dog #1 peeing.
“Hey! Shim Changmin! Good timing. You need to pay me back for last night,” a playful voice calls from behind him.
He turns around slowly, and sees a guy smiling on the next porch over. He looks like he just woke up, dark hair a mess around his head. Yunho has no clue what the guy’s talking about, or what to say in response.
“Uh...” he says eloquently after a few seconds.
The guy walks over to him, making a weird face.
“Hey man, what’s up? Hung over? You barely even drank.”
Yunho sucks in a breath and decides to roll with it.
“Y-yeah, I dunno, man. It must have got to me- probably gonna stay in for the day, try to sleep it off.”
The guy just stares at him, confusion all over his face.
“Why are you talking like that? You must be sick, you don’t even sound like yourself.”
Yunho inwardly panics, but manages to keep a nonchalant appearance. He thinks about attempting to alter his speech pattern again, but it seems pointless now.
“Mhm! So! I’m going to head inside and take a rest! Bye!” he says, practically dragging the dogs back with him to the door. Changmin’s friend looks freaked out bordering on suspicious before Yunho slams the door on him.
Yunho unclips the leashes with a sigh. As if things couldn’t get worse, now he’s sort of trapped in Changmin’s apartment. Yunho collapses on the couch, running a hand through his hair before realizing Changmin’s hair is a lot longer than his own and messing it up. He groans and tries to smooth it back into place.
The most logical thing to do is to find out what happened to the real Shim Changmin. Is he still...mentally present? Or worse, is he in Yunho’s body? Yunho winces. He’s been lucky enough not to run into anybody besides the neighbor guy, but Yunho’s got...weird friends. Who knows when one of them will drop by Yunho's apartment to do something bizarre? He decides he needs to get there pronto. It’ll mean spending some of Changmin’s money, which he vows to replace with his own as soon as he gets to his own wallet.
Speaking of wallets...
Yunho has no clue where Changmin's is.
Yunho is halfway through searching the living room and kitchen when he hears a wheedling melody.
A cellphone.
He runs to what he thinks is the direction of the ringtone, almost tripping on his as-of-today very long legs. His prayers are answered and he reaches the cellphone, lying innocently next to a black wallet.
Yunho breathes a sigh of relief and grabs the wallet. The cellphone says ‘one missed call’. He grimaces and clicks the screen blank, then pockets it. He’s flipping through the wallet when the phone buzzes and wheedles again. He lets out a frustrated sigh and pulls the phone out to check out who’s calling.
Wait, how is he calling himself?
He stares at his own number then feels like an idiot. He nearly crushes the ‘accept’ button.
“H-hello?” he gasps into the phone.
“Is this Jung Yunho?!” Holy shit. If hearing your own voice over the phone wasn’t weird, Yunho didn’t know what was. It was like a really screwed up answering machine.
“Yes! Is this Shim Changmin?”
“No, it’s Santa,” the voice snaps.
Yunho honestly doesn’t know how to handle that.
“...oh.”
“...yes this is Changmin! That was sarcasm.”
Yunho squints. Changmin sounds...kind of like a jerk so far.
Changmin sighs.
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I’m kind of freaking out because I have a seriously important thing to do today that I need to obviously be me for and not you, not that there’s anything wrong with being you, but, and you weren’t picking up my phone, so I thought maybe it wasn’t a clean switch, and then someone knocked on the door and-”
Even though Changmin’s a complete stranger who just snapped at him, Yunho feels a little sorry for him, and takes back the jerk thing. He just sounds scared, which is understandable.
“Calm down. I’m assuming you’re in my body then, right?” Yunho asks, deciding to be the calm one here, since Changmin seems...stressed, for lack of a better word.
“Right. I woke up in your bed about an hour ago. I fed and walked the husky, by the way. Listen, we need to get together now. I can’t fake being you, I’ve never even met you. And I really need to get to my exam and...let’s just meet at the subway station by my apartment, like, now. Where do you live, anyways? I don’t recognize this place at all. Is this even in Seoul?”
Yunho winces.
“I, uh, live in Gwangju,” he says hesitantly.
There is silence on the line.
“Oh my god.”
Yunho rubs his face. He idly wonders who knocked on his door.
“I’m leaving right now. Meet me at the train station in, what, three hours?” Changmin says decisively.
“Wait, what-”
“I’m hanging up.” And he does.
Yunho stares at the phone, blinking ‘disconnected’ briefly.
Okay. At least Changmin fed his dog.
Yunho spends a couple hours alternating between playing with Changmin’s dogs, checking himself out in the mirror, and nibbling on random things Changmin has in his fridge. He wonders if the dogs will be okay by themselves for a little while. Taepoong, his own dog, was apparently doing fine, so Yunho figures these little guys will be fine too, before scooting out the front door.
No curious neighbors are hanging around the place this time, but Yunho jogs down the street quickly just in case. He feels like everyone he passes will recognize him as the wrong person, so he keeps up the pace until he gets to the subway station. Then he wastes time trying to find the train station on a map, before he buckles down and uses Changmin’s apparently incredible smile to ask an elderly woman to tell him the way. She does, after cooing at his ‘healthy glow’ and ‘firm body’, and in the process thoroughly creeping Yunho out. He’s had his share of charmed ladies and gentlemen, but can’t help but be worried if Changmin gets that often.
He finally arrives at Yongsan station and runs to the right platform. Changmin’s body has a tendency to overheat quickly, he finds out, and leans on his knees, catching his breath.
“Finally, I was starting to think you got lost,” a familiar voice says above him.
Hearing his own voice from outside of his mouth was nowhere near as disorienting as looking up and seeing your own body and face frowning down at you, arms crossed. Almost like a mirror but nine times more unsettling as Shim Changmin-Yunho shifts his weight to one leg. The subtle, sophisticated body movements just don’t mesh with Yunho’s body, and Yunho wonders if he lends the same feeling to Changmin’s body.
Yunho straightens up.
“This is so weird,” he finally blurts out with a little laugh. He holds his hand out awkwardly. “Nice to finally meet you, I’m Yunho.”
Changmin takes a little breath and bites his- Yunho’s- lips, mouth flattening into a line.
Forget weird- this is surreal.
The handshake is quick and firm, and it’s interesting when their hands touch because it almost feels like he’s in his own body, back to normal.
“Changmin. We need to get to Kyunghee University right now,” Changmin says, before hurrying away. Yunho begins the bizarre task of keeping track of his own body through the crowd. He catches up to Changmin easily thanks to his borrowed stride, and adopts the same pace.
“What’s at the university again? An exam, right? Are you a student?” Yunho asks, trying not to seem obnoxious.
Changmin nods, glancing at him.
“Yes, today’s my exam for an exchange program overseas.” Yunho’s impressed, but wonders if the sudden nervous discomfort in his stomach belongs to himself or Changmin.
When they rush down the subway stairs, people seem to part like an ocean, stepping out of the way when they notice the pair coming.
Yunho wonders if it’s because together, they’re a pair of fairly attractive guys, lean and towering at over 180 cm, or if it's just the frightening expression Changmin is making with Yunho’s face.
Luckily, it’s a straight shot to Changmin’s school, no transfers, and they manage to find two seats in the back of a car, where they sit silently for a few minutes. Yunho sneaks a peek at Changmin, and scrutinizes his face. He always thought his eyes were a little bigger than that.
Changmin notices him looking, and catches him off guard by smiling.
“It’s kind of weird looking at your own face, isn’t it?” Changmin says hesitantly.
Yunho laughs a little.
“That’s what I was thinking. Um...why do you think we’re like...this?” Yunho asks, gesturing to his body.
Changmin tilts his head down, face thoughtful.
“I’ve been trying to figure it out. I haven’t done anything unusual or different lately, have you?”
Yunho shakes his head.
“Right. So I’m not sure it’s anything we ourselves did. I don’t want to chalk this up to magic or anything just yet. The way I see it, this is just a very strange occurrence that must have a cause or reason.”
Changmin does something distracting with his mouth while he talks, a little thoughtful hiss thing that fits totally wrong on Yunho’s mouth but would probably look rather intelligent and attractive on Changmin’s face. Changmin’s face looks rather intelligent and attractive anyways, and Yunho has to derail that train of thought before it distracts him any farther.
“That sounds a little more rational,” Yunho says. “Than a curse, I mean. So...how do we reverse it, then?”
Changmin frowns and looks at Yunho with a frustrated expression.
“I’m really...not sure at all. Logically, we need to reverse whatever the cause is. But if there is no obvious cause, how are we supposed to reverse it? This is a serious problem. We can’t just go to the doctor and get fixed. They’ll never believe us.”
Yunho doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just doesn’t say anything.
The rest of the ride is uneventful and a little awkward. Yunho studies Changmin’s legs stretched out where his own should be, long and skinny. Changmin, on the other hand, has started to fidget, before suddenly biting his lips and panicking.
“There’s no way this will work. They won’t let someone who isn’t me take the test, and you can’t possibly...I mean- you won’t be able to pass, because-”
Yunho frowns, and touches his shoulder.
“Changmin. Calm down. We’ll figure something out.”
Changmin turns to him suddenly.
“I don’t want to take the test,” he says, eyes wide as he stares at Yunho. He looks like he’s horrified by what he’s saying.
Yunho raises an eyebrow.
“Then...don’t?” he suggests slowly, confused.
Changmin sighs and drops his head, rubbing his eye with a knuckle.
“I...I don’t know. I applied for the test because I thought leaving would help, but...it’s stupid. This is stupid.”
The train starts to slow down, and Yunho grabs Changmin’s hand and tugs him upright. Changmin stumbles a little as the train jerks to a halt.
“What- this isn’t our stop,” he protests.
Yunho snorts.
“Come on. You obviously don’t want to take the test, and it’s gross seeing that wimpy expression on my face.”
That seems to light a flame under Changmin, and he yanks Yunho back, hard.
“It’s not being a wimp, it’s not even about- ugh, you wouldn’t understand-”
“So help me understand. What’s the big deal? Is this your dream or not? Do you want to go or not? Not that complicated.”
Changmin stares at him, then averts his eyes.
“No,” he says quietly, “It’s not my dream.”
“Then don’t take the spot from someone who really wants it. Come on, the doors are shutting." Yunho pulls Changmin up and lets go, heading to the door.
Yunho feels bad for the guy, but it needed to be done. Now that he’s found out what’s really going on, they can begin to get somewhere.
Changmin glances up at him, head bowed, miserable, but follows him silently off the train and out of the station, to a street lined with shops.
“Where is this?”
Yunho grins.
“You look like you could use a sugar boost. Always cheers me up.”
They end up at some cafe, sharing a huge bowl of shaved ice between them. Changmin unconsciously hoards all the red beans. Yunho lets him have them, since he looks like someone just broke his favorite mug.
It’s three minutes past the time the test was supposed to start, and Changmin’s gone from antsy and clock-watching to moody and resigned. He drags the spoon through his side of the bowl, gathering the melting sludge into a little pile.
“So. Now that you don’t have to worry about the test,” Yunho begins, trying to lighten the mood, “What's our next step? Any theories on how to switch back?”
Changmin shrugs.
“I don’t know. I...” He runs a hand through his hair, before grimacing at the unfamiliar shortness. “I guess we should figure out what we were doing before it happened. Maybe we’ll notice something similar. I was studying. For the test. I went out with my friend so he could get drunk around 7 PM, and finally decided to go to bed around 10 PM.”
“What did you drink?” Yunho asks.
“A beer,” Changmin says, levelling him with a flat look. “I don’t think it was the drink, Yunho.”
Yunho holds his arms up defensively.
“You never know! Uh, let’s see...I was also out drinking. With a few friends, we got pretty smashed...um, not that we do that often. My friend got engaged, so...”
Changmin nods.
“So we both drank. Did you notice anything strange?” he asks. Yunho crosses his arms and looks up at the ceiling, trying to remember.
“Ah...no. There was the usual bar stuff, dancing, joking...we all got super drunk, and I woke up in your bed. In your body.” A woman at the next table over looks at him, wide-eyed.
“Hot night,” Changmin murmurs, a cool little smile on his face. Yunho squints at him.
“Wait, what?”
Changmin ignores him and tilts his head.
“In that case, I don’t think what we did last night is the problem. Unless you peed on a grave or something when you were drunk, it would have to be on my end, as well, and I wasn’t drunk. And I don’t remember anything weird.”
Changmin scoops another mouthful of shaved ice up, and Yunho realizes it’s the last bite. He frowns.
“Hey, you basically just ate the entire thing by yourself. Make sure you work out later.”
Changmin glares at him.
“I won’t get fat,” he says testily.
“You won’t, but my body will, if you keep up like that. Just because you can look like this without working out-”
“I do work out! I lift weights!”
“Cardio, Changmin! You have the stamina of a newborn kitten. If you let my body lose its fitness, I will...be very upset!”
Changmin grimaces, pointing a spoon at Yunho.
“Then you have to promise to take care of me! I bet you didn’t even use moisturizer this morning!”
Yunho huffs and rolls his eyes.
“Don’t worry, Changmin, I’ll even make sure to do a face pack every night we’re stuck like this. Wouldn’t want your skin to be dry.”
He happens to glance a few tables over, and stops short when he notices most of the other customers are either staring at them or actively trying to avoid looking in their direction.
“Um...we should go,” Yunho says. Changmin notices too, and stands up quickly, face red.
Once they’re outside, Changmin takes a deep breath and looks down the street.
“So what now,” he says airily, letting the question linger in the air.
“We could go to my place,” Yunho suggests, “But my friends have a habit of dropping by unannounced.”
“Let’s go to mine, then. We can relax, think of what to do next. Maybe see if there’s anything we can find on the internet.”
They begin walking down the sidewalk towards the subway, and an awkward silence settles over the two. Changmin is looking idly into storefronts, occasionally tossing his head out of habit. Yunho smiles. It looks funny with Yunho’s short hair, and Yunho pushes Changmin’s bangs out of his own eyes.
After a short subway ride, they finally manage to get into Changmin’s apartment without incident.
The second Changmin steps inside, his feet are attacked by one of the little white dogs. Changmin scoops it up, but it squirms out of his grasp and runs to Yunho.
“Mangdoongi! Didn’t you miss me?” Changmin asks indignantly.
“I think it missed this,” Yunho says, gesturing to his borrowed body as he rubs Mangdoongi roughly on the back. It yips, and eyes Changmin, before scurrying back into the living room.
Changmin pouts, and removes his shoes before following it.
“What’s the other one called?” Yunho asks, taking off his own shoes.
“Mangnanie. Mangdoongie is the mom,” Changmin calls from the other room. “Are you thirsty?”
Yunho looks up and smiles. “A drink would be great.”
They end up sitting on Changmin’s couch, a six-pack of beer set out on the coffee table.
“It can’t hurt to see if we can’t replicate the circumstances,” Changmin explains offhandedly.
“So smart, “ Yunho teases, grabbing a bottle and getting comfortable. “What was it you study? Teaching, or...?”
Changmin opens a bottle of beer and takes a swig.
“I’m actually majoring in postmodern music,” he begins. “But...”
“But...?” Yunho prompts.
“I don’t know. Something, hm, came up. I want to try to finish my degree elsewhere.”
Yunho tilts his head.
“You feel like you’re not learning enough?”
Changmin scrubs at his hair a little, looking uncomfortable.
“Okay. Well. It’s a really long story- I just think I should...go somewhere else. For a while,” he says. Yunho leans closer.
“I have time. Really. I’m stuck in your body, I have quite a bit of time. Did something happen? School issues? Family problems?” Yunho knows he’s being sort of obnoxious, but he also thinks it’s sort of dumb to keep secrets when you’re talking to someone trapped in your own body for who knows how long.
Sure enough, Changmin squirms a little before throwing his head back on the couch cushions. He looks at the ceiling for a moment before straightening up and glaring at Yunho.
“It’s your fault if you feel awkward, then. So, I’m gay.” Changmin pauses, still glaring at Yunho like he expects Yunho to interrupt him. Yunho keeps perfectly still, but he can feel his slight smile growing a tiny bit.
“Okay.” He waits, and Changmin bites his lip, obviously thrown off a little.
“Well. That’s the problem. I came out to my parents two months ago. They didn’t disown me, but...they’ve changed. It’s like they expect less of me now. Like I’m not the same person I was.”
“Is that what happened,” Yunho says with an exaggerated gasp.
Changmin rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean. It didn’t bother me too much, since I had already moved out, but the worst part is, the guy that was the entire reason I came out to them disappeared. He ran off to Japan and stopped talking to me entirely. Blocked me from his social sites and everything.”
He draws his knees up and bangs his forehead against them, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“I took it badly. I’m still taking it badly. My parents act like I’m some kind of unpredictable deviant, and a guy I thought was going to be my rock ended up being a complete flake.”
Yunho moves a little closer. He hesitantly rubs Changmin’s back, taking a deep breath.
“If it helps, I had a rough time when I came out too,” Yunho says.
Changmin’s head snaps to look at him, eyes wide.
“Mhmm.” Yunho leans back, squishing into Changmin a little bit. “I was a little younger than you, I think. You’re, what, twenty?”
Changmin nods, resting his head back onto his knees and watching Yunho.
“Yeah. I told my parents when I was eighteen. Unfortunately, they couldn’t seem to get over it...they tried, but it was fairly obvious they weren’t fans of the idea of having a gay son. To save you a whole lot of boring, depressing stuff, I ended up moving out. Got myself a job at a friend’s bar and rented out a crappy apartment. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Changmin looks at him seriously, like he’s trying to see Yunho and not Yunho-in-Changmin’s-body, and Yunho’s not sure if he likes the scrutiny on his own face. He pats Changmin on the back, and smiles.
“I think you’ll be okay. Sometimes it takes the worst case to find your best case. But I don’t think you have to run as far as you think you do. Trouble’s going to find you no matter what. Use it as fuel, become a better person.”
Changmin narrows his eyes.
“You’re too positive. It’s gross,” he says.
Yunho lightly hits him on the head.
“I’m trying to drag you out of your self-pity and you call me gross?” Yunho asks, feigning indignation.
Changmin laughs a little, and sighs. “Sorry. Thanks, I guess.” He raises his bottle to Yunho, and they clink their bottles together and toast.
“To family and society,” Changmin says.
“To weird-ass magic and getting drunk,” Yunho adds.
Changmin snorts and they drink.
Changmin’s well along on his third drink, and Yunho’s starting to doubt the wisdom of drinking in the first place. Changmin drinks like someone who has a much higher tolerance, but Yunho can recognize the signs of a buzz on his own face. Yunho had stopped trying to match him after the second beer, realizing that Changmin wasn’t adjusting his intake to Yunho’s body. One of them had to be responsible.
“Hey, take it easy over there. You don’t have to get hammered. That’s my liver you’re destroying.” Yunho says.
Changmin just sighs, flopping back onto a couch pillow.
“I wish I wasn’t in your body. You get drunk so fast. And it’s weird talking to myself,” he says, his tone petulant.
“Likewise,” Yunho mutters. “I don’t like seeing myself slowly turn into a drunkard.”
Changmin turns onto his side, kicking Yunho’s thigh with socked feet.
“I like seeing who I’m getting drunk with. This was a terrible idea...” he moans, pulling the pillow over his face.
Yunho side-eyes Changmin. How does one make the transformation from clever, intelligent student to irritable couch potato in such a short period of time? He sighs and puts his bottle down.
He grabs Changmin’s bottle out of his hand, and tugs on Changmin’s wrist.
“Come on. Cutting you off. We won’t fix anything if you just get drunk.”
“I need a shower,” Changmin protests weakly.
“Okay, well, you go take one then,” Yunho says, pulling him up off the couch.
Changmin squints at Yunho suspiciously.
“What about you?” Changmin asks.
“What about me?”
“Are you going to take one?”
“Probably, yeah, after you’re done.” Yunho can’t tell where this conversation is going.
Changmin sits up quickly, almost headbutting Yunho.
“I don’t trust you with my body, or my hair,” Changmin blurts out, looking concerned.
Yunho gives him a flat look.
“I’ll take good care of your hair. And your skin.”
It’s then that Yunho notices Changmin’s skin is a bit redder than a drunken flush. He’s
blushing.
“I don’t want you to see me naked!” he exclaims.
Yunho rolls his neck and looks to the heavens.
“Changmin. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Haven’t you ever been to a sauna? You’re going to see my body naked, we’ll consider it a trade. Besides, I already saw your body, I was alone all morning.” Changmin looks scandalized. “I mean, I changed clothes! I didn’t check you out or anything. Anyways, you have nothing to worry about. You’re a fine specimen of male.”
Yunho’s not even sure what his argument is anymore.
Changmin seems unconvinced.
“We’ll shower together,” he finally says.
“How does showering together solve anything?” Yunho asks, seriously concerned about Changmin’s impaired logic.
“I’ll wash your- my body, and you’ll wash yours.”
“...You realize this is becoming nine hundred times more questionable than it was originally,” Yunho says.
Changmin just burns red, but doesn’t budge. Yunho is learning that Changmin might be just a tiny bit stubborn.
Yunho sighs. This kid.
“Fine, fine. We’ll do it your way.”
Yunho decides at some point that totally decimating any shred of self-consciousness Changmin has about his body is a good goal for the night.
“Shit, Changmin, where did you get these legs,” he says offhandedly. Changmin drops the bottle of shampoo he’s holding and glares furiously at Yunho as he picks it up.
“Would you stop it,” he snaps, face completely red.
They’re standing about a foot apart under the showerhead.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a creep. I just wanted to let you know your legs are abnormally amazing, that’s all. You’re the one who dragged me in here.”
Changmin slicks a wet strand of hair from Yunho’s face, and huffs.
“It’s not creepy, it’s just mean. And I didn’t want you wasting all my stuff. Some of it’s expensive. Lean down.” Yunho does, and Changmin smooths some shampoo into Yunho’s hair and runs his fingers through. It’s a weird feeling, being washed by someone, but it’s technically Changmin’s hair, so he probably knows best how to deal with it.
“Why’s it mean? I’m being serious, you’re in really good shape.” Yunho stares at him while they’re close, examining his own face. Changmin frowns, trying to ignore him.
“You don’t like being looked at, do you?” Yunho asks, genuinely curious.
“Hate it,” Changmin grits out.
“Any particular reason?”
Changmin grabs the showerhead and rinses Yunho’s hair out, before grabbing conditioner. He steps back and squeezes some on his hand, looking sullenly up at Yunho.
“I’m just...weird looking. My face, my eyes, my nose, my mouth-” he begins listing off, glassy eyes darting from feature to feature of his own face. Yunho suddenly knows what it’s like to feel attacked, someone judging your appearance and tearing it down bit by bit.
“Woa woa woa! Changmin. What? Okay, I might not be able to see what you look like right now, but I saw you in the mirror this morning and I’m pretty sure my thoughts were nothing like that. More like ‘when did I turn into a boy band idol?’ I have great taste, by the way.”
Changmin just slaps some conditioner into Yunho’s hair and rubs.
Once he rinses Yunho’s head, Yunho grabs a few towels and pulls him out of the shower.
“What do you think you’re doing,” Changmin protests.
“Drying us off. I want to show you something,” Yunho says, wrapping a towel around his waist as Changmin does the same.
Yunho grabs Changmin’s arms and steers him in front of the mirror.
Suddenly neither can tell which body is who. They look at it silently, until Yunho speaks.
“Okay. So. Ignoring the fine candy that is myself,” he says, gesturing to Changmin, “we’re going to take a moment to appreciate this,” he gestures to the body he’s currently borrowing.
He leans over the counter, scrutinizing himself in the mirror.
“Alright. I’m seeing some really great lips, they’re kind of full and wide in a really sexy way.” He runs his fingers over them, and smiles.
“Beautiful smile. There’s this...jawline, which should be illegal, and look at this freaking throat.” He runs a hand down it, tilting his head to admire the lighting.
Changmin’s gaping at him from behind. Yunho decides it’s a good sign and continues.
“Back up, can we just thank these cheekbones for existing?” He points at each, and makes a dumb cute face, puffing his cheeks out, before continuing.
“The nose,” he taps it, darting a look at Changmin. “Come on. It’s adorable. You can go mature or cute, that’s not just a talent, it’s a gift. And my favorite,” he turns and gets right up close to Changmin, who steps back a little bit.
“These eyes. They’re huge. You have some beautiful eyes, Changmin.”
Changmin looks like he’s torn between crying and laughing.
“I don’t even think my ex ever said any of that to me,” he says shakily. Yunho wants to hug him, wishes he could tell him how beautiful he is with his own lips. Instead he returns his gaze to the reflection of the real Changmin in the mirror, and speaks to it.
“Do you understand? You’re gorgeous, Changmin. Don’t let what you think of yourself because of a bad ex or whatever obscure what you can give to people. And you can give so, so much.”
Changmin doesn’t say anything, just looks at him in the mirror.
“The guy in those photos in your room,” Yunho says, “looks like he is loved. All those people are still here. Stop worrying about the ones who’ve left and just do what you want to do.”
“I wish I had dated someone like you before I told my parents,” Changmin says quietly.
It’s Yunho’s turn to be dumbstruck. He thinks for a moment, before turning back to Changmin and leaning on the counter.
“Is that an offer or what? You also have a gift for being stunningly ambiguous.”
Changmin laughs nervously, and fidgets with his towel.
“If..if I think you’re sexy, does that mean it’s you thinking I’m sexy, or am I just a narcissist?” he says, looking up at Yunho with a tentative smile.
“Can I assume you like me for my brain?” Yunho asks, grinning.
“Well, at the very least, we can assume that your body definitely likes my body,” Changmin says, voice husky as he steps closer to Yunho. There’s a kiss, a light and tentative press of lips, and it’s like completing an electric circuit. Yunho is himself, until they part.
Yunho strokes a hand through the short hair at the back of Changmin’s head. It’s still a shock to remember that it’s his own body, and he mentally takes back anything he’s deemed weird today- this is by far the weirdest.
Changmin seems to agree.
“I don’t think I can really get into making out with myself...” he says, moving back.
“Well, technically, you’re wouldn’t be making out with yourself, it’d be us making out. In each others’ bodies.” Yunho hopes that doesn’t sound as desperate as he think.
Changmin smiles, and laughs. He walks out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, where he rifles through some drawers. Yunho trails after him, and Changmin tosses him a pair of sweats and a shirt, pulling a pair on himself.
“Come here,” Changmin says, grabbing something off his desk. Yunho does, standing next to Changmin curiously. Changmin crooks a finger as he uncaps a little tin and rubs his finger in it.
“Gotta put this on. Hold still.”
Yunho lets Changmin smooth it onto his lips, and it all feels strangely intimate. Changmin finishes with a flourish and puts the lip balm down. He picks up another bottle of something, and squeezes it on his fingers.
“I’ll spare you from my usual routine, but moisturizer is really important,” Changmin says, completely serious.
“You are so damn adorable,” Yunho blurts out. Changmin just tsks and rubs the stuff into Yunho’s cheeks and forehead. It actually feels pretty good, and Yunho closes his eyes so Changmin can apply it more easily.
“I’m gonna go let the dogs out one more time. Feel free to relax,” Changmin says abruptly. Yunho watches him as he leaves, and finds himself a little antsy.
He’s still pretty heated up, but Changmin seems to have moved on. He flops onto the bed, and waits out his restlessness by examining the books on Changmin’s bookshelf.
Yunho’s not sure what any of this means. He’s not sure if the fondness he’s beginning to feel towards Changmin is actually directed at Changmin, or just a confusion cause by the fact that Changmin is inhabiting his own body.
He wants to be back to normal. He wants to get to know Changmin when they’re both
themselves.
Changmin comes back in after a while and grabs some of the photos off his wall. He flops down somewhere near Yunho’s feet, laying on his back and looking through the photos.
Yunho sits up and leans forward, wrapping his arms around his knees.
Changmin waves one of the photos around. It's one of the group shots.
“This is my ex,” he says, pointing to a guy in it.
Yunho grabs it to look closer.
“Hm,” is all he says, handing it back. The guy and Changmin do look happy, arms around each others’ shoulders. Changmin gives him the other group photo.
“The other guys are my friends...they’re all really great.”
Yunho recognizes one of them.
“This guy here is your neighbor, right?” he asks.
“You met Kyuhyun?” Changmin sounds shocked. “Did you talk to him?”
“Uh, a little...he thinks you’re sick, by the way.”
Changmin groans, covering his face with the photos.
“There’s no way he didn’t notice,” he says. "He's my best friend."
Yunho takes the other photos from him. They’re the solo shots of Changmin, with the surfboard and the dog.
“Do you surf? I love this shot,” Yunho says, showing Changmin. “It’s stunning. You look so happy and free.”
Changmin blushes a little. “I’m no good at surfing,” he mumbles. “My ex thought lessons for it were dumb since I barely get to the beach.”
Yunho scowls. “Well fuck that dude. Sorry. Do what you want. Besides, it’s a crime to withhold this sight from beachgoers. I’m sure the surf instructor had like a 300% increase in new students after they saw you stomping around on the beach.” He leans down close to Changmin. “When we get back to normal...want to take surfing lessons? I’ll take them with you. It sounds awesome." Yunho hopes Changmin will agree that spending more time with him sounds awesome.
Changmin looks at him, before nodding. He runs a hand over his face, and curls up around Yunho’s feet. He closes his eyes and relaxes against the comforter.
“That’ll be nice. It’s so annoying talking to you when I can’t see what you look like,” he says, sounding tired.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out,” Yunho says, leaning back against the pillows. Changmin is silent. “Are you going to sleep down there? At least come up to the pillows.”
Changmin wriggles up to Yunho, grabs his arm and makes himself comfortable against Yunho’s shoulder.
“Hey, the pillows are up here,” Yunho scolds.
“My body- can use it how I want,” Changmin says airily, nestling further into the crook of Yunho’s arm. There’s another few minutes of silence, and Yunho is wondering if he should turn off the lights they left on when Changmin speaks again.
“I can’t believe I didn’t take the test.”
Yunho says nothing. He doesn’t think Changmin is saying it for him. Laying like this, he can only see the top of Changmin’s head, and can almost pretend they are in the right bodies.
“I mean, I’ve been planning for it for...weeks, now. It was like, the thing. The thing I was gonna do,” Changmin says, waving his hands slightly.
Yunho pets Changmin’s head.
“Yup, it sure was. But you decided it wasn’t what you really wanted, remember? It was a band-aid.”
Changmin sighs.
“Yeah...I just...do you still think I’m a wimp?” he asks, turning and looking up at Yunho.
Now Yunho just gets the feeling he’s comforting himself as Changmin does some sort of odd puppy-dog eyes up at him.
“What? When did I- oh. Okay, back there, I just meant. I kind of hate when people who are obviously smart and talented- you- underestimate themselves and don’t do stuff with their whole heart.”
Changmin levels a flat look at him.
“So you still think I’m a wimp,” he says, deadpan.
“Hopefully not, now that your hyung got you back on track! Right, Changminnie?!” Yunho curls over and pinches Changmin’s cheeks, wishing desperately that they could be like this in their own bodies. Changmin protests and clamps his arms around Yunho’s ribcage, forcing them to stop moving.
They wait, and Yunho pokes Changmin’s arm.
“Are we really sleeping already? It’s only like...8 PM.”
Changmin shifts.
“We could watch a movie, but I’m gonna fall asleep anyways,” he warns.
Yunho smiles and gets out from under Changmin, turning off the lights throughout the apartment. The dogs look up at him from their pillow, and he pets them good night.
Changmin seems to have dozed off when Yunho gets back to the bed. It’s much earlier than Yunho would normally go to bed, but there’s really not much else to do. He’s still not quite ready to sleep yet, so he checks out the small collection of DVDs Changmin has. He pops some mindless action-comedy into the player hooked up to the flatscreen and presses play. He settles back in alongside Changmin’s sleeping form, wrapping an arm around him.
“Sweet dreams. Hope we wake up in the right place this time,” Yunho murmurs. Changmin makes a soft noise of agreement, then is quiet. Yunho watches the movie for a little longer, before he feels his eyelids getting heavy. Changmin turns a little closer, and Yunho grabs the remote and clicks the TV off.
He hopes this contentment he feels isn’t gone tomorrow.
Yunho wakes up in someone else’s bedroom, feeling hot. Someone’s arms -right, Changmin- are wrapped around him, and he gropes around until he feels a head of soft hair. Changmin groans, and Yunho runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. Yunho finally gets a look at Changmin's face. His breath catches, for more than one reason.
Changmin is back in his own body, and is blinking groggily at Yunho before his eyes get big and he bolts upright.
“Wh-...what...AH! You’re...Yunho, you’re you! You’re Yunho!”
Suddenly Yunho’s lap is full of Changmin, and his face is smushed into Changmin’s chest. Changmin’s arms are wound around his neck.
“We’re back to normal,” Changmin says breathlessly, before he sits back on Yunho’s legs. “Um.”
They stare at each other for a second, just taking each other in. Changmin looks stunned, eyes wide and face flushed, and Yunho is equally speechless. It’s one thing to be in Changmin’s body, but it’s another thing entirely now that he can see Changmin’s expressions completely, the sun shining down on his hair and the way he controls his face and hand movements how only he can and the way he’s leaning in shyly to hug Yunho again, enveloping him in a tight hug.
“I’m so glad I can see you, finally. What you really look like and move like and your face-” Changmin says in a whisper. Yunho runs his hands up Changmin’s strong back.
“I’ll save us both some time and say, ‘likewise’,” Yunho says. He pushes Changmin
away and grabs his hand, lifting it up to his mouth. Yunho presses a kiss to his knuckles, and looks into Changmin’s eyes.
“So I guess we can start over. I’m Jung Yunho, it’s nice to meet you.”
...uh, okay. This has been a visit to the twilight zone? I wish I knew something about surfing so I could write surfer!homin. sighhh. those board shorts...