ficlet: Understanding (HoMin, dbsk)
Title: Understanding
Length: One-shot ficlet
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: pg
Genre: angst, AU
Pairing/Characters: MinHo
Warnings: RPS
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: Follows directly after the events from their new MV, Before U Go. (if you haven't seen it, this won't make any sense at all). Also, I haven't written dbsk or MinHo in so long... I may be a bit rusty. ^^;;
Summary: It's about protecting the one you loved. Yunho can understand that.
~*~*~
“Do not tell me that you forgive him. If you do, I will hit you, I swear.”
“That’s not what I said, Minnie.” Yunho sighed and followed his partner into the locker room. “I said that I understood. It’s not really the same thing.”
“He shot you! He was going to shoot me.” Changmin slammed a fist into the locker at the end as he walked by and Yunho had to wince in sympathy. That was going to bruise.
“And if it had come down to a choice between your life and his, I would have killed him.” Yunho’s gut tightened a little at the very idea. To find out that his shooter had been a friend had been bad enough. To find out that Min was his next target… He swallowed hard and forced himself to back away from the thought of what could have happened if he’d been just a few minutes later. “I wouldn’t have even hesitated. Because your life means more to me. Just like hers meant more to him.”
Changmin slammed his locker open and put his gun away, careful to make sure it was unloaded no matter how upset he was. He stripped off his vest before he finally turned to face Yunho. “That’s not the point.”
“That is the point. He was backed into a corner and he had to choose who meant more to him. Are you honestly saying if you had to choose between my life and his or Ara’s, you wouldn’t choose mine?” Changmin wasn’t always the most affectionate of lovers, but Yunho was pretty sure the younger man loved him. Most of the time.
“It’s a rigged deck! Any idiot knows that if you cave to the threat once, they’ll own you. He’s a - was a cop. He should have known that better than anyone. They were never going to back off and she never would have been safe. The only way to protect her was to take down the threat.”
Changmin gestured wide with agitated hands and Yunho glanced around to make sure they were alone before snagging one and pulling his partner into a hug. “It’s easy to see that on the outside. I think it’s harder when it’s your loved one that’s at risk.”
“We’re at work,” Changmin muttered, even as he relaxed against Yunho, letting his hands settle on the older man’s hips.
“We’re off duty.”
With a sigh, Changmin shook his head. “The facts don’t change just because you care more about the person being threatened. I didn’t want her to die, either. If he’d come to us, we could have helped him, then none of this would have happened.”
“If it’d been us-”
“If it’d been us, we’d have been smarter about it.”
Yunho rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing that trying to convince Changmin he was wrong was impossible. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
He knew that if he’d been forced to make a choice between Changmin and a friend…
Yes, he could understand the decision their friend had made. The guilt and the pain would have been hell, but nothing would have been worse than losing Changmin.
Something on his face must have given away his thoughts because his partner’s hands were there, suddenly, tight enough to bruise as they held him still for a moment, forcing him to focus only on Changmin - as if that were ever an issue. “You listen to me, Jung Yunho. If someone ever uses me against you like that, you had better not give in. I won’t ever forgive you if you do. Promise me.”
Yunho stayed silent.
“Yunho, dammit-”
“I can’t make that promise, Minnie.” He carefully pulled Changmin’s hands away from his face. “I’d rather have you angry with me forever and alive than dead.”
As long as Changmin was alive, there was always a chance for forgiveness.
Dead was so… permanent.
The younger man growled in frustration and jerked away, slamming his locker closed, and stormed off.
Yunho sighed and opened his own locker, opting to give his partner some time to cool off. Changmin would never agree with him on the matter, but he’d calm down and they’d agree to disagree like they did on so many other matters. Things would be a little tense for a while, but they’d be okay.
He stared at the picture of four beaming NDI agents that was tacked inside the door and hesitated a moment. He thought about the man he’d always considered one of his best friends. His leg ached at the memory of the shooting - it had really been far too soon for him to be staging heroic rescues.
He thought about a hard-worked case, lost. A bullet that could have just as easily hit Ara or Changmin. An office that could have seen Changmin dead if Yunho had been slower, if the book hadn’t been left behind for him to find.
He thought of his friend who’d judged Changmin’s life as less valuable than the girl he loved.
With a sigh, he shook his head and left the picture where it was before shutting his locker.
Yunho wouldn’t forgive.
But he did understand.
Length: One-shot ficlet
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: pg
Genre: angst, AU
Pairing/Characters: MinHo
Warnings: RPS
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: Follows directly after the events from their new MV, Before U Go. (if you haven't seen it, this won't make any sense at all). Also, I haven't written dbsk or MinHo in so long... I may be a bit rusty. ^^;;
Summary: It's about protecting the one you loved. Yunho can understand that.
~*~*~
“Do not tell me that you forgive him. If you do, I will hit you, I swear.”
“That’s not what I said, Minnie.” Yunho sighed and followed his partner into the locker room. “I said that I understood. It’s not really the same thing.”
“He shot you! He was going to shoot me.” Changmin slammed a fist into the locker at the end as he walked by and Yunho had to wince in sympathy. That was going to bruise.
“And if it had come down to a choice between your life and his, I would have killed him.” Yunho’s gut tightened a little at the very idea. To find out that his shooter had been a friend had been bad enough. To find out that Min was his next target… He swallowed hard and forced himself to back away from the thought of what could have happened if he’d been just a few minutes later. “I wouldn’t have even hesitated. Because your life means more to me. Just like hers meant more to him.”
Changmin slammed his locker open and put his gun away, careful to make sure it was unloaded no matter how upset he was. He stripped off his vest before he finally turned to face Yunho. “That’s not the point.”
“That is the point. He was backed into a corner and he had to choose who meant more to him. Are you honestly saying if you had to choose between my life and his or Ara’s, you wouldn’t choose mine?” Changmin wasn’t always the most affectionate of lovers, but Yunho was pretty sure the younger man loved him. Most of the time.
“It’s a rigged deck! Any idiot knows that if you cave to the threat once, they’ll own you. He’s a - was a cop. He should have known that better than anyone. They were never going to back off and she never would have been safe. The only way to protect her was to take down the threat.”
Changmin gestured wide with agitated hands and Yunho glanced around to make sure they were alone before snagging one and pulling his partner into a hug. “It’s easy to see that on the outside. I think it’s harder when it’s your loved one that’s at risk.”
“We’re at work,” Changmin muttered, even as he relaxed against Yunho, letting his hands settle on the older man’s hips.
“We’re off duty.”
With a sigh, Changmin shook his head. “The facts don’t change just because you care more about the person being threatened. I didn’t want her to die, either. If he’d come to us, we could have helped him, then none of this would have happened.”
“If it’d been us-”
“If it’d been us, we’d have been smarter about it.”
Yunho rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing that trying to convince Changmin he was wrong was impossible. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
He knew that if he’d been forced to make a choice between Changmin and a friend…
Yes, he could understand the decision their friend had made. The guilt and the pain would have been hell, but nothing would have been worse than losing Changmin.
Something on his face must have given away his thoughts because his partner’s hands were there, suddenly, tight enough to bruise as they held him still for a moment, forcing him to focus only on Changmin - as if that were ever an issue. “You listen to me, Jung Yunho. If someone ever uses me against you like that, you had better not give in. I won’t ever forgive you if you do. Promise me.”
Yunho stayed silent.
“Yunho, dammit-”
“I can’t make that promise, Minnie.” He carefully pulled Changmin’s hands away from his face. “I’d rather have you angry with me forever and alive than dead.”
As long as Changmin was alive, there was always a chance for forgiveness.
Dead was so… permanent.
The younger man growled in frustration and jerked away, slamming his locker closed, and stormed off.
Yunho sighed and opened his own locker, opting to give his partner some time to cool off. Changmin would never agree with him on the matter, but he’d calm down and they’d agree to disagree like they did on so many other matters. Things would be a little tense for a while, but they’d be okay.
He stared at the picture of four beaming NDI agents that was tacked inside the door and hesitated a moment. He thought about the man he’d always considered one of his best friends. His leg ached at the memory of the shooting - it had really been far too soon for him to be staging heroic rescues.
He thought about a hard-worked case, lost. A bullet that could have just as easily hit Ara or Changmin. An office that could have seen Changmin dead if Yunho had been slower, if the book hadn’t been left behind for him to find.
He thought of his friend who’d judged Changmin’s life as less valuable than the girl he loved.
With a sigh, he shook his head and left the picture where it was before shutting his locker.
Yunho wouldn’t forgive.
But he did understand.