Dream A Little Dream of Me
Title: Dream A Little Dream of Me (2/3)
Author: his_angel16
Pairing: YuWook, YuMin, HanWook (slight)
Genre: Romance, angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Yuchun and Ryeowook were best friends in their childhood. Now that they’ve grown up away from each other, how have they turned out and where do they stand in terms of relationships?
Ryeowook climbed out of Hankyung’s car, smiling at the apartment building the elder lived in. He smiled as he followed the other inside and up to the fourth floor, down the hall and to the right. Hankyung opened his front door, allowing Ryeowook in ahead of him. He carried Ryeowook’s suitcase into his bedroom and set it down, grabbing a blanket and pillow from a closet and tossing them on the couch.
“You can use my room while you stay here. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Hankyung said, sitting down on it and leaning back.
Ryeowook looked at him. “Are you sure? It’ll probably be easier if I slept on the couch. This is your home after all and I’m already intruding. I shouldn’t take your bed, too,” he replied, feeling slightly guilty already.
“No, no, it’s fine. Really. You’re my guest so you use the bedroom. You want to order Chinese food or a pizza? I don’t feel like cooking.”
“Chinese is fine. I haven’t had it in a while.” Ryeowook watched as Hankyung stretched over the arm of the couch, grabbing his phone book and opening it up. He could tell the elder ordered out often just by the way the book looked. The top corners of the pages that he went to the most were folded down to make searching less of a pain. He flipped through, coming across his favorite place.
“What sounds good?” Hankyung looked up at the younger, seeing him shrug. Hankyung chuckled as he dialed the number, placing his phone to his ear. “Hi, it’s me. Yeah, I’m ordering something. I’ll take one of everything. Put it on my credit card. Oh, can you tell Grandpa to send the hot delivery boy instead of that scrawny girl he usually sends? Okay, thanks.” Hankyung hung up, placing the book down and looking up to see Ryeowook gawking at him.
“One of everything?”
Hankyung shrugged. “My family owns the restaurant. It’ll be here in ten minutes. You can do whatever you want. I’m going to grab a shower before it arrives.”
Ryeowook watched as Hankyung got up and left the room. He sat down on the edge of the couch, wondering if he had made the right choice by coming here for a few days. He sighed, not knowing how things were going back at home. He wanted to call, just to see how his parents were, but with even the slimmest chance of Yuchun picking up the phone, he decided against it. Fighting once with his old friend was enough for one day. He stayed on the couch the duration of the ten minutes, getting up when someone knocked on the door. He opened it, stepping aside for the delivery boy to come inside.
“Who are you?” he asked, setting the boxes down and turning to Ryeowook. “You look too scrawny for my Hankyung’s tastes.”
“I’m just a friend of his. I’m Kim Ryeowook. Nice to meet you.”
“Kim Heechul. Where’s Hankyung at, kid?”
“In the bathroom.” Ryeowook watched Heechul walk through the apartment toward the bathroom, clearly knowing where everything was. He heard the door to the bathroom open and watched as Heechul was tugged inside. Hankyung peered around the corner, skin still glistening with water.
“Ryeowook, you might want to play music or something loudly. I don’t want to disturb you.” The smirk he cast the younger before disappearing back into the bathroom made Ryeowook’s face flush a deep red.
He inched toward Hankyung’s bedroom, having to pass by the bathroom on the way there. He hurried to his suitcase, grabbed his iPod and blared the music once he had his headphones over his ears. He went back to the living room and sat down, pressing the headphones closer to his head. By the time Heechul and Hankyung had come out of the bathroom, Ryeowook had nearly dozed off on the couch. They were both fully dressed, Heechul’s uniform for work being a bit disheveled on his body as he fixed his hair.
“Make sure you take care of your friend,” Heechul told Hankyung before giving him a rather intense kiss, their lips mashed together so much that one would think they shared a pair of lips. After breaking the kiss, Heechul smiled. “I need to get back before your Grandpa fires me.”
“He won’t fire you. He knows I like you too much for him to fire you.” After closing the door behind Heechul, Hankyung smiled and went to the couch, shaking Ryeowook gently. The younger blinked, sitting up and pulling his headphones off. “Let’s eat so you can go sleep.”
When they were finished, Ryeowook headed for the bedroom while Hankyung cleaned up all the boxes and the rest of their mess. It was after midnight before he could fall asleep. Being in an unfamiliar place plus Hankyung shouting at his television in the living room in Chinese due to some sports game made it hard to drift off. When he opened his eyes, it was due to the early morning sun filtering through the blinds. He sat up and stretched, getting up and grabbing his school uniform to head for the bathroom. After showering, he entered the living room, finding Hankyung passed out on the couch, his feet on the coffee table and the television still on.
“Hankyung hyung,” Ryeowook whispered as he tiptoed over to him. He tapped Hankyung lightly before smiling at the way the elder leaned over, burying his face into the cushions and curling into a ball. Rolling his eyes, Ryeowook decided that he’d just leave a note for the elder saying that he left for school. Finding a pen and paper nearby, Ryeowook scrawled a short message to the other.
Hyung~!
I left for school. It’s your day off so I didn’t want to disturb you.
Sleep well, okay? ^ ^ See you when I get back.
-Ryeowook
Closing the door behind himself, Ryeowook left the apartment complex. He headed for school, enjoying the fresh air and warm breeze swirling around. Halfway there, he noticed a car stopped at a light, glancing over and seeing that behind the wheel sat Yuchun. He turned away quickly, hastening his steps to a near run as he crossed the street. He felt eyes on him and immediately broke into a sprint. Hearing the car speed up, he stopped abruptly, almost falling forward as the car screeched to a halt in front of him. Yuchun climbed out, leaving a confused Changmin in the passenger seat.
“Want a ride to school?” Yuchun asked, leaning against the car door.
“No, I’d rather walk,” Ryeowook replied, sounding crueler than intended. He sighed at the look Yuchun gave him. “Sorry, that came across wrong. Thanks, but I want to walk. It’s been a while since I’ve walked to school.” Ryeowook offered him a smiled before he walked around the car and started down the road.
Before he could get too far away, Yuchun followed him, grabbing his wrist and halting his movements. “Can I talk to you?” He waited for Ryeowook to face him, but sighed when the younger didn’t. He walked around the younger, turning to face him. “Look, I’m sorry for arguing with you yesterday. It’s hard being back after all these years and finding out how much you’ve changed since I last saw you.”
Ryeowook looked at Yuchun, pulling his wrist free and taking a step back. “I’m not trying to be mean, Yuchun, but I have to get to school. We’ll talk later, okay?” Just as Ryeowook turned to leave, something caught his eye. He stopped and stared as a motorcycle stopped beside where he and Yuchun stood, the driver cutting the engine. Hankyung pulled off his helmet and smiled at Ryeowook.
“You should have woken me up. Here,” Hankyung said, handing a second helmet to the younger. “Hop on. I’ll give you a ride.”
Ryeowook glanced quickly at Yuchun before he pulled the helmet on and climbed on behind Hankyung. Yuchun looked at Hankyung, the smirk on his face irritating him. Hankyung placed his own helmet back on, turned the engine back on. He raised the visor on his helmet, his eyes taunting Yuchun as he revved the engine and snapped the visor closed. He turned and sped off, it growing quiet as Yuchun got back in his car.
“Micky, who was that who picked up Ryeowook hyung?” Changmin asked, looking in their general direction with a worried expression.
Yuchun ignored him, starting the engine and following after them. By the time they arrived at the school, Ryeowook was already inside, Hankyung alone in the parking lot. “Changmin, go on inside. I want to talk with him for a minute before I leave.” Changmin did as he was told, always glancing back as he went inside. Yuchun approached Hankyung, the other not seeming worried at all.
“Hello, Park Yuchun,” Hankyung greeted him, leaning against his motorcycle. He had his arms crossed and a smile on his face. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
“What’s your relationship with Ryeowook?”
Hankyung looked out over the sea of cars parked in the lot before turning back to the younger. “If you’re wondering about anything happening between us, you can stop worrying. I have a boyfriend and Ryeowook is just a friend. When you left, I replaced you. He doesn’t need you any more than you need him. You’re practically strangers anyway. You have a boyfriend, too, so why are you going around worrying over a friendly stranger?”
Before he could think about what he was saying, Yuchun blurted out his answer. “I love him. I’ve loved him since we were little, but I suppressed those feelings while I grew up, thinking that he had already found someone other than me, someone better. But coming back here, seeing that he was alone like he always was back then, seeing him go off with you made me realize that those feelings still exist. I still love him.”
Hankyung didn’t let his shock show, instead he just gave the other a simply reply. “You love Changmin more.” It was when Yuchun shook his head that Hankyung’s expression faltered. “You’re telling me that you love Ryeowook more?”
Yuchun sighed before looking directly at Hankyung. He nodded once. “I love Ryeowook more than I love Changmin. Even when Changmin and I started dating, I felt that it was different. I do love Changmin, but Ryeowook is the one who holds my heart.”
Inside the school, Changmin hurried down the hall. He passed his class and headed straight for Ryeowook’s. Once he arrived, he entered the room, ignoring all the stares he was receiving for entering so boldly. He walked up to the elder, stopping at his desk and waited for him to look up. Ryeowook slowly lifted his head up, his eyes finding Changmin’s and he gulped.
“Changmin, what are you doing in my class?” Ryeowook asked.
“I’m going to ask you once and only once, hyung. Tell me the truth, okay?” Changmin replied, his voice as unwavering as his gaze. “What are your feelings toward Micky?”
Ryeowook’s breath caught in his throat, him not wanting to answer the question. The bell rang and he thought he was safe until he noticed that Changmin didn’t care about being tardy and still stood before him. He glanced up at the younger, feeling intimidated. He wasn’t going to answer that question truthfully. He couldn’t answer it truthfully. If he did, things would be an even bigger mess than they already were and he didn’t want to be on bad terms with Changmin, too.
“Go to class, Changmin, before you’re late and have to stay after school.”
“Hyung, answer my question.” He sighed and looked away before he grabbed Ryeowook’s wrist, pulling him from his seat and escorting him from the room. Ryeowook’s classmates watched with wide eyes as they departed, too startled to do anything. Changmin led Ryeowook to the roof, pulling him around and finally releasing him.
Ryeowook stumbled a little, but once he regained his footing, he kept his back to the younger. “I told you back in my room that I no longer have any feelings for him.”
“If that’s the truth then look me in the eye and say it again.” Changmin knew he was being a little harsh, but he got the feeling that Ryeowook was lying to him. When Yuchun had offered the other a ride to school earlier and Ryeowook refused, Changmin saw a glimmer in his hung’s eyes. He knew that Ryeowook liked Yuchun still. The way Ryeowook acted around him proved it.
Ryeowook turned to face the younger, his eyes steely as he carefully spoke each word. “I don’t love him anymore.”
Changmin was about to accept that as confirmation before he saw that same glimmer in Ryeowook’s eyes. It wasn’t tears or the lighting that made them sparkle like that. It was him faltering behind that lie. Changmin closed his eyes, not wanting to face the truth, but knowing they both had to. “I see through your lie, hyung. Admit it. You love Yuchun as much as me…possibly even more than me if you’re willing to let him be with someone else. I could never see him with another person.”
Ryeowook looked away, a tear slipping down his cheek. “How can you see it so easily and he can’t seem to see it at all?”
Changmin shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m considered an outsider in this situation. If you love Micky, you need to tell him.”
Ryeowook’s head snapped back toward Changmin, his eyes wide. “Even if I did tell him, he would only laugh. He likes you, Changmin. Not me.”
Changmin cursed himself mentally for what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, steadying himself and trying to muster up all the courage he had. “I’ll make a deal with you, Ryeowook hyung. You confess to him and if by chance he returns your feelings, I’ll go back to England so the two of you can be together.”
Ryeowook could only stare at him, disbelief clouding his face. “You wouldn’t do that, Changmin. You love Yuchun too much to be able to leave him.”
“It’s true that I love him a lot, but I told you already. I can’t see him with anyone other than me. Confess to him and if your feelings are mutual, I’ll go back home. I have Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yunho to look after me.” Ryeowook’s silence made Changmin sigh. “Give me your answer by the end of the day.”
The rest of the day passed quickly, Ryeowook not being able to focus on anything except Changmin’s proposal. Approaching the doors to leave, he noticed Changmin waiting for him. He stopped in front of the younger, looking over with the most serious expression Changmin had ever seen on him.
“I’ll take you up on your offer. Give me until the weekend to muster up enough courage to do it, please. And if Yuchun rejects me, I’ll leave and you can stay here and be with him forever.”
Changmin was stunned by the elder’s decision, not fully expecting him to accept the deal. He nodded in agreement to Ryeowook. “The one who gets rejected leaves Korea then. If you don’t tell him by midnight Sunday night, then neither of us leaves and we both forget about our discussion on the roof. Does that sound fair?”
“It’s fine with me. I won’t be home all of this week. Hopefully not seeing him before confessing will be to my advantage. See you tomorrow, Changmin.” Ryeowook walked through the door, leaving the younger standing there to wait for Yuchun to arrive to pick him up.
I was hoping that you wouldn’t take up my offer, he thought to himself. He frowned, knowing that by the end of next week either Ryeowook or himself would be leaving after getting their heart nearly ripped out. Ryeowook hyung, I’m a selfish person. I won’t allow you to take Micky away so easily. I’m sorry.
He turned when Yuchun arrived and poked his head in through the door, smiling that perfect smile of his. Changmin quickly gave him a kiss before walking out and being followed by a confused Yuchun. They were quiet the entire way to the Kim residence and the deafening silence was getting to be too much for the elder.
“Changmin, why aren’t you talking?” Yuchun asked, turning the engine of and resting his forearms on the steering wheel. He kept his eyes locked on something in the distance through the windshield, hoping that Changmin would talk to him.
“I just had a tiring day is all. I’ll be better after I get some sleep. Coming over from England with the time change and then starting school the nest day is a challenge for someone as young as me. Let’s go in before your dad gets worried that we aren’t back yet.” Changmin reached for the handle, Yuchun reaching over and covering his hand.
“Changmin, tell me what’s bothering you. You’re always too quiet when there’s something weighing too heavily on your mind. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
Without turning to Yuchun, Changmin sighed. “It doesn’t concern you, Micky. It’s between me and a friend. We made a bet and I’m not sure how well the two of us will follow through on it. That’s all.” He removed the elder’s hand from his and opened the car door, slamming it behind himself and going into the house. Yuchun sat there, eyes fixated on the door before he sighed.
“I hope you didn’t bet something stupid.” After a minute of sitting there, he turned the engine on and backed out of the driveway. He drove down the road, not paying too much attention to where he was going until he was parked in front of his house. He climbed out and walked to the gate that led to the backyard, opening it and stepping through it. He walked until he reached the little stone path that led to the tree house in the very back.
He smiled as he remembered running around with Ryeowook when they were younger. He approached the tree house, looking up at the rope ladder that they had used to get into it. He tugged on it, making sure it would hole him before he attempted to climb up it again. He started up the ladder, surprised that the old rope held his weight. Once he was there, he hoisted himself inside the structure, smiling at the old makeshift table they had made. He sat down at it, laughing when he noticed that they had been right in the middle of a card game when they stopped coming up. He heard something outside and he went to the window, smiling at seeing Changmin and his dad arriving out front. They noticed the gate was open and they came back, Yuchun waving at them as they walked toward him.
“What are you doing up in a tree?” Changmin asked, stopping a short distance away. “Come down and help us clean up inside so we can move in already.”
Yuchun disappeared from the window and appeared once he started climbing down the rope ladder. He looked at Changmin before smiling at his dad. “It’s exactly the way Wook and I left it,” he said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Well, it has about a foot of dust coating everything, but other than that, it’s exactly how it was back then.”
Changmin pouted a little and tugged on Yuchun’s hand. “Can I go up and see it?”
Yuchun immediately shook his head, causing a smile to spread across his dad’s face, but a deep frown to set on Changmin’s. “I don’t want anyone other than Wook and me up there. It’s nothing personal, just more for sentimental reasons. We spent hours up there and I’m thinking that if he and I spend more time up there, we’ll get back to being friends.” He looked at his dad. “I’m going to go pick him up and bring him back so we can start cleaning it up. You two can handle some more of the house, right?”
Mr. Park nodded. “Go on. Changmin and I can handle cleaning up a bit inside. Come on, Changmin. Let’s leave Yuchun to his task of making amends with Ryeowook.” He motioned for the younger to follow him. Changmin frowned, arms crossed as he trailed after Mr. Park. He got the odd feeling that the old man liked Ryeowook a lot more than him and it irked him.
Yuchun pulled out his phone, dialing Ryeowook’s number and placing it to his ear. “Yah, Wook, where does your friend live? I’m coming to pick you up. We have something we need to do.”
Ryeowook sat on Hankyung’s couch, fidgeting as he waited for Yuchun to arrive. Hankyung had invited Heechul over after he found out that the younger would be leaving. Heechul had arrived in minutes, telling Ryeowook to get out as quickly as possible and had nearly tackled Hankyung into the bedroom. A knock on the door and Ryeowook bolted over to it, pulling it open and finding Yuchun standing there.
“I need to get out of here,” Ryeowook said, nearly pushing Yuchun down to escape. Yuchun gave him a confused look before he head a scream come from inside the apartment. He slammed the door, his face going beet red.
“Why the hell is he doing that with you in the apartment?” Yuchun asked as they headed for the elevator.
“It’s his apartment so he can do what he wants in it.” Ryeowook looked at Yuchun. “What do we need to do anyway? Not that I’m not grateful you saved me from that horror in there.” He shuddered, shaking his head as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.
Yuchun hit the button for the first floor, laughing at Ryeowook. “I was back at my house and I went to the backyard. Our tree house is still in tact. The only thing it needs is a little bit of cleaning. I thought that if we cleaned it up together, it would feel like old times and we’d get back to being friends. You could move back home and leave that apartment.”
“You were in our old tree house?” Ryeowook smiled at Yuchun’s nod. “The rope ladder still works?”
“Yeah, I was already up there. Changmin and Dad are cleaning up the house so I figured we could clean up our tree house.”
Ryeowook nodded in agreement. “I haven’t been up there since before you left.” The doors opened again and they stepped out, walking to the front doors and outside. They climbed in Yuchun’s car and he drove away, heading toward his house. “Yuchun, do you really think we could get back to being friends?”
“I hope so. For the past two days we haven’t gotten to hang out together, just the two of us. It’s part of the reason why I said we should clean up the tree house. It’s where all of our best memories happened and I want to make new ones.”
They arrived a few minutes later at Yuchun’s home, both getting out and heading for the backyard. Changmin was sitting on the front porch and saw them walk by without so much as a glance toward him. He frowned at being ignored by Yuchun, pulling out his phone and dialing a number impulsively. The person answered on the first ring.
“Micky’s ignoring me,” he whined into the phone, knowing the person on the other line would be angry. “It’s not entirely his fault. It’s his childhood friend’s fault. Make hyung stop stealing all of Micky’s attention.” He smiled at what the other said. “I’ll see you in ten hours then. Bring Junsu and Jaejoong, too. Micky will be happy to see all of you again. It’ll be like old times.” He hung up and went back inside, already counting down the minutes before Ryeowook would be closed out of their little group. He looked out the back window, watching as the two disappeared into the tree house. “I told you that I can’t see Micky with anyone but me. You might want to watch your back, Ryeowook hyung, because there will soon be a knife in it.”
Yuchun closed the wooden trapdoor to the tree house, looking over to see cleaning supplies left by their table. He went over and read the note, smiling at his dad’s horrible handwriting. “Wook, Dad already left us some things to clean with so we won’t have to run back and forth.” He looked around, spotting a bucket of soapy water and a couple of deck brushes. “Looks like he thought of everything.”
The two got started on cleaning, Yuchun scrubbing the floor as Ryeowook started dusting off the shelves they had built with their dads and everything else that had layers of dust on it. Ryeowook stopped near the bucket of water, smirking as an idea popped into his head. He quickly shoved the cloth he was dusting with into the water, walking over and wringing it over Yuchun’s back, causing the elder to jump and whirl around. He gazed up at Ryeowook, their gaze locking for a moment before Yuchun got to his feet.
“Yuchun, what are you doing?” Ryeowook asked, backing away from the elder as he picked up the bucket of water. He watched as Yuchun turned back toward him, smiling as he walked over and dumped the bucket over Ryeowook’s head. He laughed as the younger spluttered, looking up at him through drenched hair. Ryeowook smiled, taking a step toward Yuchun.
“S-stay over there!” Yuchun hollered, taking a step back for every step the younger took toward him. Ryeowook lunged at him, Yuchun jumping out of the way and watching as the other regained his balance.
“Come here, Chun, I want a hug.” Ryeowook held his arms out and approached Yuchun again, backing him into the wall. He laughed as he hugged the elder, Yuchun’s face scrunching up as the water started seeping into his clothes. “Now we’re even.” Ryeowook took a step back, his feet slipping in the soapy water on the floor.
Yuchun grabbed his arm, trying to keep him from falling, but only managed to get pulled down with him. He opened his eyes, using his arms to push himself up as he looked down at Ryeowook. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to squish you.”
Ryeowook slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the elder. He could feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest at being so close to him. Before Ryeowook could respond, Yuchun closed the space between them, kissing the younger. Ryeowook’s eyes were wide in shock, his arms seeming to move automatically up to wrap themselves around Yuchun’s neck. He knew he shouldn’t be kissing Yuchun, but he had wanted to for so long that it was a relief to him. His eyes closed as Yuchun’s lips continued to move against his. A minute later, Yuchun pulled away, both of them opening their eyes.
They sat up and silence enveloped them until Ryeowook closed his eyes and spoke. “Um…so, should we act like that didn’t happen or what do we do?”
Yuchun shrugged, looking away from the younger. “It’s not like we can totally forget about it, but I advise that we don’t tell Changmin.”
“Changmin and I made a deal today. He told me that I should confess to the person I like and I think I need to…today before things go back to the way they were.”
“So, who is it? I’ll take you to them,” Yuchun replied, his heart hurting at the mere thought of Ryeowook liking someone other than him.
Ryeowook took a deep breath before he faced Yuchun. “We don’t have to go anywhere, Yuchun, because you’re the one I like.”
The words registered slowly in his mind and Yuchun looked at Ryeowook as they finally sunk in. “You…like me? Like me as in, genuinely like me how I like you?”
“I thought you liked Changmin…?”
“I do, but I realized that I like you more. Yesterday, when you were telling Changmin that you didn’t like me anymore, I felt really sad and I thought it was for no reason. But when I saw you leave with your friend, and before I knew he was seeing someone, I got jealous just from seeing you with him. It got worse when you accepted his offer for a ride to school today after refusing mine.”
Ryeowook looked down at his hands. Hearing Yuchun say that he didn’t like Changmin as much as him made him more than happy. “Where do we go from here then?”
“Tonight, I’ll dump Changmin if you tell me that you’ll be mine and we’ll get together tomorrow. But you have to promise me that you won’t change your mind by tomorrow.”
“Yuchun, my mind didn’t change in twelve years. There’s no way that it would change in one night. Let’s finish cleaning so we can get dried off.”
After they finished cleaning, they climbed down the rope ladder and headed for the front. Changmin and Mr. Park were sitting on the front porch and gave them odd looks for Ryeowook’s clothes being saturated. “Do I even want to know?” Mr. Park asked, chuckling at the look Ryeowook and Yuchun gave each other.
“The bucket malfunctioned,” Ryeowook said, causing Mr. Park to laugh harder.
“Micky, let’s go back to Ryeowook’s house. Mrs. Kim called and said that she’ll have supper ready by the time we get back.” He didn’t wait for an answer and grabbed Yuchun’s wrist, pulling him to Yuchun’s car. “Ryeowook hyung, you don’t mind getting a ride back to your friend’s by Dad, do you?”
Ryeowook smiled at the younger. “Actually, I’m coming back home. It’s too awkward with my friend when his boyfriend is over. I’m almost a hundred percent sure that Heechul hyung is still there, so I’ll be back home now.”
Changmin forced a smile. “Really? So you and my Micky made up? That’s good then. The three of us are going to be able to get closer then.” He thought for a moment before turning to Yuchun. “Ah, that’s right. I spoke with Yunho. He and the others are flying in from England. They’ll be here in the morning.”
Yuchun gave Changmin a confused look. “Why are Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yunho coming?”
“They missed us. Anyway, let’s get back. I’m hungry.”
In England, Yunho walked with Jaejoong and Junsu, each of them pulling their luggage behind their bodies as they walked for the plane. They climbed up the stairs and went to their first class seats, stowing their carry-on bags overhead. Jaejoong fluffed a pillow and was asleep in mere seconds and Junsu sat beside him, headphones on as he listened to an old song. Yunho stared out the window from his seat across the aisle from them. He smirked as he looked down at his phone. He had received a message from Changmin, it containing the address where he and Yuchun were staying and even a photo of Yuchun’s childhood friend.
“So, this is the boy who is trying to steal your man, huh, Changmin?” Yunho said, closing his phone and returning to gazing out the window as the plane started to ascend. “Don’t worry, Changmin,. Your hyung will take care of everything…”
Author: his_angel16
Pairing: YuWook, YuMin, HanWook (slight)
Genre: Romance, angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Yuchun and Ryeowook were best friends in their childhood. Now that they’ve grown up away from each other, how have they turned out and where do they stand in terms of relationships?
Ryeowook climbed out of Hankyung’s car, smiling at the apartment building the elder lived in. He smiled as he followed the other inside and up to the fourth floor, down the hall and to the right. Hankyung opened his front door, allowing Ryeowook in ahead of him. He carried Ryeowook’s suitcase into his bedroom and set it down, grabbing a blanket and pillow from a closet and tossing them on the couch.
“You can use my room while you stay here. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Hankyung said, sitting down on it and leaning back.
Ryeowook looked at him. “Are you sure? It’ll probably be easier if I slept on the couch. This is your home after all and I’m already intruding. I shouldn’t take your bed, too,” he replied, feeling slightly guilty already.
“No, no, it’s fine. Really. You’re my guest so you use the bedroom. You want to order Chinese food or a pizza? I don’t feel like cooking.”
“Chinese is fine. I haven’t had it in a while.” Ryeowook watched as Hankyung stretched over the arm of the couch, grabbing his phone book and opening it up. He could tell the elder ordered out often just by the way the book looked. The top corners of the pages that he went to the most were folded down to make searching less of a pain. He flipped through, coming across his favorite place.
“What sounds good?” Hankyung looked up at the younger, seeing him shrug. Hankyung chuckled as he dialed the number, placing his phone to his ear. “Hi, it’s me. Yeah, I’m ordering something. I’ll take one of everything. Put it on my credit card. Oh, can you tell Grandpa to send the hot delivery boy instead of that scrawny girl he usually sends? Okay, thanks.” Hankyung hung up, placing the book down and looking up to see Ryeowook gawking at him.
“One of everything?”
Hankyung shrugged. “My family owns the restaurant. It’ll be here in ten minutes. You can do whatever you want. I’m going to grab a shower before it arrives.”
Ryeowook watched as Hankyung got up and left the room. He sat down on the edge of the couch, wondering if he had made the right choice by coming here for a few days. He sighed, not knowing how things were going back at home. He wanted to call, just to see how his parents were, but with even the slimmest chance of Yuchun picking up the phone, he decided against it. Fighting once with his old friend was enough for one day. He stayed on the couch the duration of the ten minutes, getting up when someone knocked on the door. He opened it, stepping aside for the delivery boy to come inside.
“Who are you?” he asked, setting the boxes down and turning to Ryeowook. “You look too scrawny for my Hankyung’s tastes.”
“I’m just a friend of his. I’m Kim Ryeowook. Nice to meet you.”
“Kim Heechul. Where’s Hankyung at, kid?”
“In the bathroom.” Ryeowook watched Heechul walk through the apartment toward the bathroom, clearly knowing where everything was. He heard the door to the bathroom open and watched as Heechul was tugged inside. Hankyung peered around the corner, skin still glistening with water.
“Ryeowook, you might want to play music or something loudly. I don’t want to disturb you.” The smirk he cast the younger before disappearing back into the bathroom made Ryeowook’s face flush a deep red.
He inched toward Hankyung’s bedroom, having to pass by the bathroom on the way there. He hurried to his suitcase, grabbed his iPod and blared the music once he had his headphones over his ears. He went back to the living room and sat down, pressing the headphones closer to his head. By the time Heechul and Hankyung had come out of the bathroom, Ryeowook had nearly dozed off on the couch. They were both fully dressed, Heechul’s uniform for work being a bit disheveled on his body as he fixed his hair.
“Make sure you take care of your friend,” Heechul told Hankyung before giving him a rather intense kiss, their lips mashed together so much that one would think they shared a pair of lips. After breaking the kiss, Heechul smiled. “I need to get back before your Grandpa fires me.”
“He won’t fire you. He knows I like you too much for him to fire you.” After closing the door behind Heechul, Hankyung smiled and went to the couch, shaking Ryeowook gently. The younger blinked, sitting up and pulling his headphones off. “Let’s eat so you can go sleep.”
When they were finished, Ryeowook headed for the bedroom while Hankyung cleaned up all the boxes and the rest of their mess. It was after midnight before he could fall asleep. Being in an unfamiliar place plus Hankyung shouting at his television in the living room in Chinese due to some sports game made it hard to drift off. When he opened his eyes, it was due to the early morning sun filtering through the blinds. He sat up and stretched, getting up and grabbing his school uniform to head for the bathroom. After showering, he entered the living room, finding Hankyung passed out on the couch, his feet on the coffee table and the television still on.
“Hankyung hyung,” Ryeowook whispered as he tiptoed over to him. He tapped Hankyung lightly before smiling at the way the elder leaned over, burying his face into the cushions and curling into a ball. Rolling his eyes, Ryeowook decided that he’d just leave a note for the elder saying that he left for school. Finding a pen and paper nearby, Ryeowook scrawled a short message to the other.
Hyung~!
I left for school. It’s your day off so I didn’t want to disturb you.
Sleep well, okay? ^ ^ See you when I get back.
-Ryeowook
Closing the door behind himself, Ryeowook left the apartment complex. He headed for school, enjoying the fresh air and warm breeze swirling around. Halfway there, he noticed a car stopped at a light, glancing over and seeing that behind the wheel sat Yuchun. He turned away quickly, hastening his steps to a near run as he crossed the street. He felt eyes on him and immediately broke into a sprint. Hearing the car speed up, he stopped abruptly, almost falling forward as the car screeched to a halt in front of him. Yuchun climbed out, leaving a confused Changmin in the passenger seat.
“Want a ride to school?” Yuchun asked, leaning against the car door.
“No, I’d rather walk,” Ryeowook replied, sounding crueler than intended. He sighed at the look Yuchun gave him. “Sorry, that came across wrong. Thanks, but I want to walk. It’s been a while since I’ve walked to school.” Ryeowook offered him a smiled before he walked around the car and started down the road.
Before he could get too far away, Yuchun followed him, grabbing his wrist and halting his movements. “Can I talk to you?” He waited for Ryeowook to face him, but sighed when the younger didn’t. He walked around the younger, turning to face him. “Look, I’m sorry for arguing with you yesterday. It’s hard being back after all these years and finding out how much you’ve changed since I last saw you.”
Ryeowook looked at Yuchun, pulling his wrist free and taking a step back. “I’m not trying to be mean, Yuchun, but I have to get to school. We’ll talk later, okay?” Just as Ryeowook turned to leave, something caught his eye. He stopped and stared as a motorcycle stopped beside where he and Yuchun stood, the driver cutting the engine. Hankyung pulled off his helmet and smiled at Ryeowook.
“You should have woken me up. Here,” Hankyung said, handing a second helmet to the younger. “Hop on. I’ll give you a ride.”
Ryeowook glanced quickly at Yuchun before he pulled the helmet on and climbed on behind Hankyung. Yuchun looked at Hankyung, the smirk on his face irritating him. Hankyung placed his own helmet back on, turned the engine back on. He raised the visor on his helmet, his eyes taunting Yuchun as he revved the engine and snapped the visor closed. He turned and sped off, it growing quiet as Yuchun got back in his car.
“Micky, who was that who picked up Ryeowook hyung?” Changmin asked, looking in their general direction with a worried expression.
Yuchun ignored him, starting the engine and following after them. By the time they arrived at the school, Ryeowook was already inside, Hankyung alone in the parking lot. “Changmin, go on inside. I want to talk with him for a minute before I leave.” Changmin did as he was told, always glancing back as he went inside. Yuchun approached Hankyung, the other not seeming worried at all.
“Hello, Park Yuchun,” Hankyung greeted him, leaning against his motorcycle. He had his arms crossed and a smile on his face. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
“What’s your relationship with Ryeowook?”
Hankyung looked out over the sea of cars parked in the lot before turning back to the younger. “If you’re wondering about anything happening between us, you can stop worrying. I have a boyfriend and Ryeowook is just a friend. When you left, I replaced you. He doesn’t need you any more than you need him. You’re practically strangers anyway. You have a boyfriend, too, so why are you going around worrying over a friendly stranger?”
Before he could think about what he was saying, Yuchun blurted out his answer. “I love him. I’ve loved him since we were little, but I suppressed those feelings while I grew up, thinking that he had already found someone other than me, someone better. But coming back here, seeing that he was alone like he always was back then, seeing him go off with you made me realize that those feelings still exist. I still love him.”
Hankyung didn’t let his shock show, instead he just gave the other a simply reply. “You love Changmin more.” It was when Yuchun shook his head that Hankyung’s expression faltered. “You’re telling me that you love Ryeowook more?”
Yuchun sighed before looking directly at Hankyung. He nodded once. “I love Ryeowook more than I love Changmin. Even when Changmin and I started dating, I felt that it was different. I do love Changmin, but Ryeowook is the one who holds my heart.”
Inside the school, Changmin hurried down the hall. He passed his class and headed straight for Ryeowook’s. Once he arrived, he entered the room, ignoring all the stares he was receiving for entering so boldly. He walked up to the elder, stopping at his desk and waited for him to look up. Ryeowook slowly lifted his head up, his eyes finding Changmin’s and he gulped.
“Changmin, what are you doing in my class?” Ryeowook asked.
“I’m going to ask you once and only once, hyung. Tell me the truth, okay?” Changmin replied, his voice as unwavering as his gaze. “What are your feelings toward Micky?”
Ryeowook’s breath caught in his throat, him not wanting to answer the question. The bell rang and he thought he was safe until he noticed that Changmin didn’t care about being tardy and still stood before him. He glanced up at the younger, feeling intimidated. He wasn’t going to answer that question truthfully. He couldn’t answer it truthfully. If he did, things would be an even bigger mess than they already were and he didn’t want to be on bad terms with Changmin, too.
“Go to class, Changmin, before you’re late and have to stay after school.”
“Hyung, answer my question.” He sighed and looked away before he grabbed Ryeowook’s wrist, pulling him from his seat and escorting him from the room. Ryeowook’s classmates watched with wide eyes as they departed, too startled to do anything. Changmin led Ryeowook to the roof, pulling him around and finally releasing him.
Ryeowook stumbled a little, but once he regained his footing, he kept his back to the younger. “I told you back in my room that I no longer have any feelings for him.”
“If that’s the truth then look me in the eye and say it again.” Changmin knew he was being a little harsh, but he got the feeling that Ryeowook was lying to him. When Yuchun had offered the other a ride to school earlier and Ryeowook refused, Changmin saw a glimmer in his hung’s eyes. He knew that Ryeowook liked Yuchun still. The way Ryeowook acted around him proved it.
Ryeowook turned to face the younger, his eyes steely as he carefully spoke each word. “I don’t love him anymore.”
Changmin was about to accept that as confirmation before he saw that same glimmer in Ryeowook’s eyes. It wasn’t tears or the lighting that made them sparkle like that. It was him faltering behind that lie. Changmin closed his eyes, not wanting to face the truth, but knowing they both had to. “I see through your lie, hyung. Admit it. You love Yuchun as much as me…possibly even more than me if you’re willing to let him be with someone else. I could never see him with another person.”
Ryeowook looked away, a tear slipping down his cheek. “How can you see it so easily and he can’t seem to see it at all?”
Changmin shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m considered an outsider in this situation. If you love Micky, you need to tell him.”
Ryeowook’s head snapped back toward Changmin, his eyes wide. “Even if I did tell him, he would only laugh. He likes you, Changmin. Not me.”
Changmin cursed himself mentally for what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, steadying himself and trying to muster up all the courage he had. “I’ll make a deal with you, Ryeowook hyung. You confess to him and if by chance he returns your feelings, I’ll go back to England so the two of you can be together.”
Ryeowook could only stare at him, disbelief clouding his face. “You wouldn’t do that, Changmin. You love Yuchun too much to be able to leave him.”
“It’s true that I love him a lot, but I told you already. I can’t see him with anyone other than me. Confess to him and if your feelings are mutual, I’ll go back home. I have Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yunho to look after me.” Ryeowook’s silence made Changmin sigh. “Give me your answer by the end of the day.”
The rest of the day passed quickly, Ryeowook not being able to focus on anything except Changmin’s proposal. Approaching the doors to leave, he noticed Changmin waiting for him. He stopped in front of the younger, looking over with the most serious expression Changmin had ever seen on him.
“I’ll take you up on your offer. Give me until the weekend to muster up enough courage to do it, please. And if Yuchun rejects me, I’ll leave and you can stay here and be with him forever.”
Changmin was stunned by the elder’s decision, not fully expecting him to accept the deal. He nodded in agreement to Ryeowook. “The one who gets rejected leaves Korea then. If you don’t tell him by midnight Sunday night, then neither of us leaves and we both forget about our discussion on the roof. Does that sound fair?”
“It’s fine with me. I won’t be home all of this week. Hopefully not seeing him before confessing will be to my advantage. See you tomorrow, Changmin.” Ryeowook walked through the door, leaving the younger standing there to wait for Yuchun to arrive to pick him up.
I was hoping that you wouldn’t take up my offer, he thought to himself. He frowned, knowing that by the end of next week either Ryeowook or himself would be leaving after getting their heart nearly ripped out. Ryeowook hyung, I’m a selfish person. I won’t allow you to take Micky away so easily. I’m sorry.
He turned when Yuchun arrived and poked his head in through the door, smiling that perfect smile of his. Changmin quickly gave him a kiss before walking out and being followed by a confused Yuchun. They were quiet the entire way to the Kim residence and the deafening silence was getting to be too much for the elder.
“Changmin, why aren’t you talking?” Yuchun asked, turning the engine of and resting his forearms on the steering wheel. He kept his eyes locked on something in the distance through the windshield, hoping that Changmin would talk to him.
“I just had a tiring day is all. I’ll be better after I get some sleep. Coming over from England with the time change and then starting school the nest day is a challenge for someone as young as me. Let’s go in before your dad gets worried that we aren’t back yet.” Changmin reached for the handle, Yuchun reaching over and covering his hand.
“Changmin, tell me what’s bothering you. You’re always too quiet when there’s something weighing too heavily on your mind. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
Without turning to Yuchun, Changmin sighed. “It doesn’t concern you, Micky. It’s between me and a friend. We made a bet and I’m not sure how well the two of us will follow through on it. That’s all.” He removed the elder’s hand from his and opened the car door, slamming it behind himself and going into the house. Yuchun sat there, eyes fixated on the door before he sighed.
“I hope you didn’t bet something stupid.” After a minute of sitting there, he turned the engine on and backed out of the driveway. He drove down the road, not paying too much attention to where he was going until he was parked in front of his house. He climbed out and walked to the gate that led to the backyard, opening it and stepping through it. He walked until he reached the little stone path that led to the tree house in the very back.
He smiled as he remembered running around with Ryeowook when they were younger. He approached the tree house, looking up at the rope ladder that they had used to get into it. He tugged on it, making sure it would hole him before he attempted to climb up it again. He started up the ladder, surprised that the old rope held his weight. Once he was there, he hoisted himself inside the structure, smiling at the old makeshift table they had made. He sat down at it, laughing when he noticed that they had been right in the middle of a card game when they stopped coming up. He heard something outside and he went to the window, smiling at seeing Changmin and his dad arriving out front. They noticed the gate was open and they came back, Yuchun waving at them as they walked toward him.
“What are you doing up in a tree?” Changmin asked, stopping a short distance away. “Come down and help us clean up inside so we can move in already.”
Yuchun disappeared from the window and appeared once he started climbing down the rope ladder. He looked at Changmin before smiling at his dad. “It’s exactly the way Wook and I left it,” he said, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Well, it has about a foot of dust coating everything, but other than that, it’s exactly how it was back then.”
Changmin pouted a little and tugged on Yuchun’s hand. “Can I go up and see it?”
Yuchun immediately shook his head, causing a smile to spread across his dad’s face, but a deep frown to set on Changmin’s. “I don’t want anyone other than Wook and me up there. It’s nothing personal, just more for sentimental reasons. We spent hours up there and I’m thinking that if he and I spend more time up there, we’ll get back to being friends.” He looked at his dad. “I’m going to go pick him up and bring him back so we can start cleaning it up. You two can handle some more of the house, right?”
Mr. Park nodded. “Go on. Changmin and I can handle cleaning up a bit inside. Come on, Changmin. Let’s leave Yuchun to his task of making amends with Ryeowook.” He motioned for the younger to follow him. Changmin frowned, arms crossed as he trailed after Mr. Park. He got the odd feeling that the old man liked Ryeowook a lot more than him and it irked him.
Yuchun pulled out his phone, dialing Ryeowook’s number and placing it to his ear. “Yah, Wook, where does your friend live? I’m coming to pick you up. We have something we need to do.”
Ryeowook sat on Hankyung’s couch, fidgeting as he waited for Yuchun to arrive. Hankyung had invited Heechul over after he found out that the younger would be leaving. Heechul had arrived in minutes, telling Ryeowook to get out as quickly as possible and had nearly tackled Hankyung into the bedroom. A knock on the door and Ryeowook bolted over to it, pulling it open and finding Yuchun standing there.
“I need to get out of here,” Ryeowook said, nearly pushing Yuchun down to escape. Yuchun gave him a confused look before he head a scream come from inside the apartment. He slammed the door, his face going beet red.
“Why the hell is he doing that with you in the apartment?” Yuchun asked as they headed for the elevator.
“It’s his apartment so he can do what he wants in it.” Ryeowook looked at Yuchun. “What do we need to do anyway? Not that I’m not grateful you saved me from that horror in there.” He shuddered, shaking his head as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.
Yuchun hit the button for the first floor, laughing at Ryeowook. “I was back at my house and I went to the backyard. Our tree house is still in tact. The only thing it needs is a little bit of cleaning. I thought that if we cleaned it up together, it would feel like old times and we’d get back to being friends. You could move back home and leave that apartment.”
“You were in our old tree house?” Ryeowook smiled at Yuchun’s nod. “The rope ladder still works?”
“Yeah, I was already up there. Changmin and Dad are cleaning up the house so I figured we could clean up our tree house.”
Ryeowook nodded in agreement. “I haven’t been up there since before you left.” The doors opened again and they stepped out, walking to the front doors and outside. They climbed in Yuchun’s car and he drove away, heading toward his house. “Yuchun, do you really think we could get back to being friends?”
“I hope so. For the past two days we haven’t gotten to hang out together, just the two of us. It’s part of the reason why I said we should clean up the tree house. It’s where all of our best memories happened and I want to make new ones.”
They arrived a few minutes later at Yuchun’s home, both getting out and heading for the backyard. Changmin was sitting on the front porch and saw them walk by without so much as a glance toward him. He frowned at being ignored by Yuchun, pulling out his phone and dialing a number impulsively. The person answered on the first ring.
“Micky’s ignoring me,” he whined into the phone, knowing the person on the other line would be angry. “It’s not entirely his fault. It’s his childhood friend’s fault. Make hyung stop stealing all of Micky’s attention.” He smiled at what the other said. “I’ll see you in ten hours then. Bring Junsu and Jaejoong, too. Micky will be happy to see all of you again. It’ll be like old times.” He hung up and went back inside, already counting down the minutes before Ryeowook would be closed out of their little group. He looked out the back window, watching as the two disappeared into the tree house. “I told you that I can’t see Micky with anyone but me. You might want to watch your back, Ryeowook hyung, because there will soon be a knife in it.”
Yuchun closed the wooden trapdoor to the tree house, looking over to see cleaning supplies left by their table. He went over and read the note, smiling at his dad’s horrible handwriting. “Wook, Dad already left us some things to clean with so we won’t have to run back and forth.” He looked around, spotting a bucket of soapy water and a couple of deck brushes. “Looks like he thought of everything.”
The two got started on cleaning, Yuchun scrubbing the floor as Ryeowook started dusting off the shelves they had built with their dads and everything else that had layers of dust on it. Ryeowook stopped near the bucket of water, smirking as an idea popped into his head. He quickly shoved the cloth he was dusting with into the water, walking over and wringing it over Yuchun’s back, causing the elder to jump and whirl around. He gazed up at Ryeowook, their gaze locking for a moment before Yuchun got to his feet.
“Yuchun, what are you doing?” Ryeowook asked, backing away from the elder as he picked up the bucket of water. He watched as Yuchun turned back toward him, smiling as he walked over and dumped the bucket over Ryeowook’s head. He laughed as the younger spluttered, looking up at him through drenched hair. Ryeowook smiled, taking a step toward Yuchun.
“S-stay over there!” Yuchun hollered, taking a step back for every step the younger took toward him. Ryeowook lunged at him, Yuchun jumping out of the way and watching as the other regained his balance.
“Come here, Chun, I want a hug.” Ryeowook held his arms out and approached Yuchun again, backing him into the wall. He laughed as he hugged the elder, Yuchun’s face scrunching up as the water started seeping into his clothes. “Now we’re even.” Ryeowook took a step back, his feet slipping in the soapy water on the floor.
Yuchun grabbed his arm, trying to keep him from falling, but only managed to get pulled down with him. He opened his eyes, using his arms to push himself up as he looked down at Ryeowook. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to squish you.”
Ryeowook slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the elder. He could feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest at being so close to him. Before Ryeowook could respond, Yuchun closed the space between them, kissing the younger. Ryeowook’s eyes were wide in shock, his arms seeming to move automatically up to wrap themselves around Yuchun’s neck. He knew he shouldn’t be kissing Yuchun, but he had wanted to for so long that it was a relief to him. His eyes closed as Yuchun’s lips continued to move against his. A minute later, Yuchun pulled away, both of them opening their eyes.
They sat up and silence enveloped them until Ryeowook closed his eyes and spoke. “Um…so, should we act like that didn’t happen or what do we do?”
Yuchun shrugged, looking away from the younger. “It’s not like we can totally forget about it, but I advise that we don’t tell Changmin.”
“Changmin and I made a deal today. He told me that I should confess to the person I like and I think I need to…today before things go back to the way they were.”
“So, who is it? I’ll take you to them,” Yuchun replied, his heart hurting at the mere thought of Ryeowook liking someone other than him.
Ryeowook took a deep breath before he faced Yuchun. “We don’t have to go anywhere, Yuchun, because you’re the one I like.”
The words registered slowly in his mind and Yuchun looked at Ryeowook as they finally sunk in. “You…like me? Like me as in, genuinely like me how I like you?”
“I thought you liked Changmin…?”
“I do, but I realized that I like you more. Yesterday, when you were telling Changmin that you didn’t like me anymore, I felt really sad and I thought it was for no reason. But when I saw you leave with your friend, and before I knew he was seeing someone, I got jealous just from seeing you with him. It got worse when you accepted his offer for a ride to school today after refusing mine.”
Ryeowook looked down at his hands. Hearing Yuchun say that he didn’t like Changmin as much as him made him more than happy. “Where do we go from here then?”
“Tonight, I’ll dump Changmin if you tell me that you’ll be mine and we’ll get together tomorrow. But you have to promise me that you won’t change your mind by tomorrow.”
“Yuchun, my mind didn’t change in twelve years. There’s no way that it would change in one night. Let’s finish cleaning so we can get dried off.”
After they finished cleaning, they climbed down the rope ladder and headed for the front. Changmin and Mr. Park were sitting on the front porch and gave them odd looks for Ryeowook’s clothes being saturated. “Do I even want to know?” Mr. Park asked, chuckling at the look Ryeowook and Yuchun gave each other.
“The bucket malfunctioned,” Ryeowook said, causing Mr. Park to laugh harder.
“Micky, let’s go back to Ryeowook’s house. Mrs. Kim called and said that she’ll have supper ready by the time we get back.” He didn’t wait for an answer and grabbed Yuchun’s wrist, pulling him to Yuchun’s car. “Ryeowook hyung, you don’t mind getting a ride back to your friend’s by Dad, do you?”
Ryeowook smiled at the younger. “Actually, I’m coming back home. It’s too awkward with my friend when his boyfriend is over. I’m almost a hundred percent sure that Heechul hyung is still there, so I’ll be back home now.”
Changmin forced a smile. “Really? So you and my Micky made up? That’s good then. The three of us are going to be able to get closer then.” He thought for a moment before turning to Yuchun. “Ah, that’s right. I spoke with Yunho. He and the others are flying in from England. They’ll be here in the morning.”
Yuchun gave Changmin a confused look. “Why are Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yunho coming?”
“They missed us. Anyway, let’s get back. I’m hungry.”
In England, Yunho walked with Jaejoong and Junsu, each of them pulling their luggage behind their bodies as they walked for the plane. They climbed up the stairs and went to their first class seats, stowing their carry-on bags overhead. Jaejoong fluffed a pillow and was asleep in mere seconds and Junsu sat beside him, headphones on as he listened to an old song. Yunho stared out the window from his seat across the aisle from them. He smirked as he looked down at his phone. He had received a message from Changmin, it containing the address where he and Yuchun were staying and even a photo of Yuchun’s childhood friend.
“So, this is the boy who is trying to steal your man, huh, Changmin?” Yunho said, closing his phone and returning to gazing out the window as the plane started to ascend. “Don’t worry, Changmin,. Your hyung will take care of everything…”