fic: The Game {Chapter 7}
Title: The Game - Chapter 7
Length: Chaptered
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG13
Genre: Angst
Pairing/Characters: MinHo; past-JaeHo
Warnings: cursing, mostly
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: Hopefully this reads okay... Sorry it took so long, but hey, at least I managed to finish Unbalanced, right? So that's one less thing to take up my attention. ^_^v
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Summary: Being the leader was hard, sometimes...
~*~*~
The first three times his phone buzzed to tell him he had a txt message, Yunho ignored it.
He pulled the blanket closer around his shoulders and stared out over the skyline of Seoul. Before life had become an endless revolving door of flashing lights and screaming fans, sunset had always been his favorite time of day. He loved sitting in the peace and quiet and watching as the sun sank below the horizon. He loved imagining the world going to sleep like in one of those old cartoons.
As an adult, it was hard to recapture the childlike wonder he'd once had for it, but Yunho sometimes tried.
The fourth time his phone buzzed, he sighed and fished it out of his pocket.
Clearly Jaejoong wasn't going to give up today. He checked the messages briefly - more as confirmation than anything else - and then called his friend back.
“When I don't call back after the second message, that's usually a sign, Boo.”
He could easily imagine the pout that settled on Jaejoong's face. “We're worried about you, Yunnie. You've been gone for hours and it's winter now.”
“I'm fine.”
“If you don't come down soon, Changmin is going to wear a hole in the living room floor with his pacing and muttering.”
Yunho made a face. Changmin was the main person he was avoiding. “You didn't tell him where I was?”
Only Jaejoong knew about Yunho's habit of creating a secret little haven on the roofs of their apartment buildings for times when he needed to be alone and think.
There was a moment's silence before Jaejoong sighed. “I didn't think it was my place. Should I?”
“No.” This time it was Yunho's turn to sigh. “No, I need.... I just need some more time....”
“It's been three days, Yunnie.... You're going to get sick if you keep spending the night up there. Do you at least have a blanket this time?”
“Yes, Umma,” Yunho teased lightly. “I remembered my blankie.”
“Brat. I'll have hot chocolate waiting for you, okay?” There was another long pause. “He's really worried about you, Yun. About more than just your health.”
“I know.” He did know. He'd seen the worry and fear in Changmin's eyes every time he'd returned to the group for work, eyes that scanned him up and down for illness or injury. He'd seen how Changmin had forced himself not to press, not to venture too close, not to upset the tenuous balance Yunho had at the moment.
“Come home soon. We miss you. All of us.”
Jaejoong didn't give him a chance to respond. Which was just as well. Yunho wasn't any closer to settling his mind than he had been before.
~*~*~
“Fuck,” Changmin muttered as they went down in a tangle of limbs. “Ow.”
“Sorry.” Yunho sighed and stood, reaching out a hand to help the younger man up.
Their choreographer descended upon them almost immediately. “Are you feeling okay, Jung? Is your back hurting you?”
Yunho grimaced even as he shook his head and assured the man that he was fine, just a little out of sorts. He never had so many problems with dance routines as he had in the last few weeks. As injury prone as he seemed to be sometimes, he couldn't fault Park-sshi for his assumptions. He hoped no one would ask for a deeper explanation.
It wasn't like he could explain that his preoccupation with the youngest member of his band was starting to effect his professionalism, after all.
The man was looking like he didn't quite believe Yunho's assurances so the dancer did a few bouncing stretches and forced a grin. If the looks it garnered were anything to go by, it must have looked more like a grimace than anything. “Really. I was just... distracted.”
“Can we stop for the day?” Jaejoong suddenly whined from his position on the floor. “I'm hungry.”
Yoochun snickered and pushed him over. “Now you're starting to sound like Changmin.”
“I do not always whine about being hungry,” Changmin complained with a pout. “And I certainly don't sound that pathetic.”
“Yes you do!” Came the return in triple stereo. Even Yunho cracked a genuine smile.
Laughing at their antics, Park-sshi put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I guess we've accomplished about all that we're going to accomplish for the day. Go home, eat, and get plenty of rest. We'll start fresh again in the morning. Jung,” he pointed at Yunho with a severe look, “take a hot shower, maybe get one of the others to rub some Tiger Balm on your back. Even if you really are 'just distracted' we're not taking any chances, okay?”
“Yes, sir!” Yunho replied with a sharp salute.
The man just rolled his eyes and waved them out. He had other more attentive pupils to torture, Yunho was sure.
“You owe me,” Jaejoong whispered against his back as the older man began herding him out of the room.
Yunho grimaced even as he agreed, shuddering to imagine what Jaejoong might do with such a marker.
Damn Changmin getting under his skin so bad, anyway.
~*~*
He should have known that Jaejoong would take matters into his own hands. His friend wasn't exactly known for having infinite patience, especially when he thought someone he cared about was being stupid.
When Jaejoong declared that they all needed a night out and simply refused to take no for an answer, Yunho was grumpy and annoyed.... but not suspicious.
When Jaejoong dragged them all into an exclusive gay club where the man at the door smiled and called him by name before letting them in without any questions, Yunho was too busy trying to keep from getting pissed off to be suspicious.
When Jaejoong got them a nice table overlooking the dance floor, Yunho laughed at the wide eyed scandalized look on Junsu's face and began to relax and enjoy the rare night of normalcy.
It still hurt to see the easy way Jaejoong would flirt and tease the hopeful men who ventured his way, but he had no rights there any longer and Yunho was getting better at pushing away the tiny stabs. Half aware as he leaned back in his seat and let his eyes drift away from Jaejoong to settle onto Changmin, it crossed his mind to wonder if he was finally getting over Jaejoong.
After a few drinks, he wasn't thinking about any of it anymore. Yoochun and Junsu had apparently decided there was safety in each other and had taken to dancing together every other song. Every now and again, Jaejoong would pull Changmin onto the dance floor, protesting and laughing though the former got more and more scarce the more the younger man had to drink.
A few hopefuls stopped by the table to get Yunho out on the floor, but he waved them away. He didn't want to dance. He just wanted to watch his band mates relax. After yet another wandered away, not looking too crushed that Yunho had turned him down, the leader glanced back over the dance floor and frowned when he didn't see Changmin with Jaejoong.
Jaejoong had both his arms wrapped around the neck of some guy with more metal stuck through his face than a pin cushion.
Freak, Yunho thought, his lip curling in disgust. Couldn't Jaejoong at least pretend to have taste?
“You look lonely, Yuuuuunie!” Warm weight fell against his back and Yunho breathed a sigh of relief. At least he knew where Changmin was.
An unbidden smile escaped and Yunho reached up to tug Changmin's arms away from his throat where they threatened to gag him. “So you came to keep me company?”
“I did! I'm a good dongsaeng, see?” Then, without further ado, Changmin pulled Yunho and the chair back before plopping down into his lap. He purred lightly, nuzzling Yunho's neck. “You should give me a reward.”
“Changmin...” Feeling pleasantly buzzed from alcohol and the intoxicating way the younger man felt all pressed against him, it took more effort than it should have to say no. “You're drunk.”
Which seemed to be a recurring theme with them. He sincerely hoped he wasn't driving Changmin to become an alcoholic at such a young age.
Dark eyes narrowed dangerously, but for once, Changmin didn't argue the point. The dark look cleared and Changmin pouted. “Dance with me?”
“I don't think that'd be a very good idea...” If choreographed dance practice had worked him up to the boiling point, Yunho could only imagine how quickly club dancing with Changmin would get out of hand. Even if they had been dating, Yunho would have been leery to risk it.
Changmin threw his hands up in disgust. “You know what, Yunho? You're an amazing guy most of the time, but sometimes you really are just a pain in the ass. And a wet blanket. Fine. You don't want to dance with me? I'll go find someone who does.”
Then he was gone, a lot more quickly than someone who'd had so much to drink probably should have been able to move.
“You're being stupid,” Jaejoong said, coming up a few minutes later to steal away his drink. “And Changmin is going to get himself in trouble trying to prove his point.”
“What do you mean?” Yunho asked, giving his friend an irritated look.
Rather than answer, Jaejoong simply pointed. Yunho's eyes followed the line of Jaejoong's finger, followed on towards where Changmin had immersed himself in some of the less savory looking dancers. He danced between them like a wild thing, ignoring the leers and lusty looks he was getting, ignoring the less than innocent hands that touched him.
No.... Yunho's eyes narrowed as he watched the way Changmin jutted and shimmied. He wasn't ignoring them. He was encouraging them. “That little idiot-“
“Yunho-“
But he ignored Jaejoong, pushing him aside and stomping his way through the crowd to reach his tormentor.
Changmin yelped when Yunho jerked him away from the other men. “What the fuck-“
“Shut up.”
“Yunho-“
“Just... shut up, Changmin.”
Thankfully, Changmin didn't put up a fight as Yunho began pulling him towards the door. They didn't get far, though, before their way was blocked by the men Changmin had been dancing with.
“We're leaving,” Yunho said, clearly and mostly calmly, even as he relaxed into a more defensive stance, easing Changmin behind him. He didn't want to get into a fight here, but he was leaving and Changmin was leaving with him. If anyone intended to try and stop him, he would deal with them.
“But he doesn't wanna leave,” the apparent ring leader said, sneering down at Yunho as if his couple of inches of extra height should be intimidating. “And we don't want him to leave.”
“I really don't care.”
Long fingers dug into his ribs with bruising force, though Yunho wasn't sure if it was because Changmin didn't want him to get into a fight or if it was because Changmin had just realized the kind of mess he might have caused. Or, though Yunho didn't really want to consider it, perhaps he really did want to stay with these losers.
Intervention came in the form of Jaejoong, sliding in between them, pressing himself against the ugly man's side. “Let them go... I'm a lot more fun....”
Yunho sneered slightly, both annoyed and relieved when the distraction worked. He managed to hold back words like 'whore and 'thanks'. Jaejoong didn't respond with words like 'boring' or 'you're welcome'. Things between Jaejoong and himself were complicated, but at least they understood each other. Jaejoong's own smile was wryly acknowledging as Yunho slid past him with Changmin in tow.
“Let's go.” He did have to tug Changmin this time, as the younger man kept trying to look back at Jaejoong.
“But what about-“
“He's a grown man. He can take care of himself.”
Changmin jerked them to a stop, scowling when Yunho turned to face him. “So I'm not?”
“That's not what I said.”
“That's what you implied.”
“Dammit, Changmin,” Yunho growled, pushing Changmin the rest of the way out of the club. He didn't bother acknowledging the bouncer who pretended not to notice them. “I didn't imply any such thing.”
“Yes, you did.” There was frustration and irritation clear in Changmin's voice as he pushed Yunho back. It was only made more evident when he dropped his tone in mocking imitation of Yunho's own. “he's a grown man, he can take care of himself, but you're dragging me out like a little kid being scolded and sent home. I'm not a fucking kid, Yunho. I can take care of myself, too.”
The alley next to the club was no place for them to be having such a conversation, but if Changmin was going to insist... “You really want to get fucked in the bathroom by those guys, be my guest. Because that's probably what Jaejoong's doing right now. Quite frankly, I doubt he'd thank you for your interruption.”
It was painful knowledge to accept, but it was something he'd had to deal with a long time ago. Anonymous sex with strangers in clubs was something Jaejoong enjoyed. He craved it like some kind of sick drug and its pull over him had been too strong for Yunho to overcome.
“Yunho...” Startled awareness or something close to it flashed through Changmin's eyes and before he was quite aware of it, Yunho found himself between the wall and Changmin's body, not quite embraced, but near enough that he had to close his eyes against the threat of losing his composure. Jaejoong had been apologetic, but any sympathy from that corner had always lost a great deal in the face of his inability to actually stop and who else would have cared to look beyond the surface and understand just how hurt Yunho had been?
He hadn't even realized how much he needed someone to care.
Yunho let his head rest against Changmin's shoulder and sighed. “I'm not trying to treat you like a child.”
Seeing Changmin dancing with those men, looking like walking and willing sex.... It brought back old pains and insecurities. A bitter laugh escaped as he recognized it for what it was. “I just couldn't stand to see them touching you.”
The whisper of his name was soft against his ear before Changmin's lips ghosted over his cheek. “I didn't want them. Not like this.”
Then he captured Yunho's own lips in a searing kiss that left the older man breathless and aching.
Yunho moaned into Changmin's mouth, grasping at the arms that held him upright against the wall. When had the softness of the boy he'd known grown into the hardness of this man that he was now discovering?
The question never fully formed in his mind as Changmin pressed closer, evidence of a more immediate hardness impossible to ignore.
“Not-“ It was hard to think clearly and the hot mouth suckling and nipping its way down his neck was not helping. “We can't-“
We can't. Even Yunho wasn't sure what they couldn't do anymore.
Whatever he meant, Changmin took it for rejection.
He slammed Yunho back harder and growled against his mouth. “No. You've been fucking teasing me for six months.” Despite the near savagery, there was also a sense of desperation and longing in Changmin's voice that weakened Yunho's will even further. “I want you. Please.. Why do you have to be so-“
Something in Yunho finally let go, loosened, during Min's tirade. He wasn't worrying about where they were. He wasn't reminding himself of how young and inexperienced Changmin was. He wasn't even thinking about Jaejoong at all. The only thing on his mind was that with his eyes flashing fire and his face flushed with passion.... Changmin was fucking hot. And he wanted, maybe even needed Yunho.
“This isn't the place, Changmin.” Yunho grasped Changmin's shoulders and spun them around, kissing the startled young man quiet. Then he pressed their foreheads together and kissed Min a second time, more gently. “Let's go home, okay?”
For a moment Changmin held his gaze, searching for assurance perhaps that this was a step forward instead of backwards. Then he wrapped his arms around Yunho and hugged him tightly. “Yeah... Home sounds good.”
~*~*~
Chapter 8
Length: Chaptered
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG13
Genre: Angst
Pairing/Characters: MinHo; past-JaeHo
Warnings: cursing, mostly
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: Hopefully this reads okay... Sorry it took so long, but hey, at least I managed to finish Unbalanced, right? So that's one less thing to take up my attention. ^_^v
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Summary: Being the leader was hard, sometimes...
~*~*~
The first three times his phone buzzed to tell him he had a txt message, Yunho ignored it.
He pulled the blanket closer around his shoulders and stared out over the skyline of Seoul. Before life had become an endless revolving door of flashing lights and screaming fans, sunset had always been his favorite time of day. He loved sitting in the peace and quiet and watching as the sun sank below the horizon. He loved imagining the world going to sleep like in one of those old cartoons.
As an adult, it was hard to recapture the childlike wonder he'd once had for it, but Yunho sometimes tried.
The fourth time his phone buzzed, he sighed and fished it out of his pocket.
Clearly Jaejoong wasn't going to give up today. He checked the messages briefly - more as confirmation than anything else - and then called his friend back.
“When I don't call back after the second message, that's usually a sign, Boo.”
He could easily imagine the pout that settled on Jaejoong's face. “We're worried about you, Yunnie. You've been gone for hours and it's winter now.”
“I'm fine.”
“If you don't come down soon, Changmin is going to wear a hole in the living room floor with his pacing and muttering.”
Yunho made a face. Changmin was the main person he was avoiding. “You didn't tell him where I was?”
Only Jaejoong knew about Yunho's habit of creating a secret little haven on the roofs of their apartment buildings for times when he needed to be alone and think.
There was a moment's silence before Jaejoong sighed. “I didn't think it was my place. Should I?”
“No.” This time it was Yunho's turn to sigh. “No, I need.... I just need some more time....”
“It's been three days, Yunnie.... You're going to get sick if you keep spending the night up there. Do you at least have a blanket this time?”
“Yes, Umma,” Yunho teased lightly. “I remembered my blankie.”
“Brat. I'll have hot chocolate waiting for you, okay?” There was another long pause. “He's really worried about you, Yun. About more than just your health.”
“I know.” He did know. He'd seen the worry and fear in Changmin's eyes every time he'd returned to the group for work, eyes that scanned him up and down for illness or injury. He'd seen how Changmin had forced himself not to press, not to venture too close, not to upset the tenuous balance Yunho had at the moment.
“Come home soon. We miss you. All of us.”
Jaejoong didn't give him a chance to respond. Which was just as well. Yunho wasn't any closer to settling his mind than he had been before.
~*~*~
“Fuck,” Changmin muttered as they went down in a tangle of limbs. “Ow.”
“Sorry.” Yunho sighed and stood, reaching out a hand to help the younger man up.
Their choreographer descended upon them almost immediately. “Are you feeling okay, Jung? Is your back hurting you?”
Yunho grimaced even as he shook his head and assured the man that he was fine, just a little out of sorts. He never had so many problems with dance routines as he had in the last few weeks. As injury prone as he seemed to be sometimes, he couldn't fault Park-sshi for his assumptions. He hoped no one would ask for a deeper explanation.
It wasn't like he could explain that his preoccupation with the youngest member of his band was starting to effect his professionalism, after all.
The man was looking like he didn't quite believe Yunho's assurances so the dancer did a few bouncing stretches and forced a grin. If the looks it garnered were anything to go by, it must have looked more like a grimace than anything. “Really. I was just... distracted.”
“Can we stop for the day?” Jaejoong suddenly whined from his position on the floor. “I'm hungry.”
Yoochun snickered and pushed him over. “Now you're starting to sound like Changmin.”
“I do not always whine about being hungry,” Changmin complained with a pout. “And I certainly don't sound that pathetic.”
“Yes you do!” Came the return in triple stereo. Even Yunho cracked a genuine smile.
Laughing at their antics, Park-sshi put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I guess we've accomplished about all that we're going to accomplish for the day. Go home, eat, and get plenty of rest. We'll start fresh again in the morning. Jung,” he pointed at Yunho with a severe look, “take a hot shower, maybe get one of the others to rub some Tiger Balm on your back. Even if you really are 'just distracted' we're not taking any chances, okay?”
“Yes, sir!” Yunho replied with a sharp salute.
The man just rolled his eyes and waved them out. He had other more attentive pupils to torture, Yunho was sure.
“You owe me,” Jaejoong whispered against his back as the older man began herding him out of the room.
Yunho grimaced even as he agreed, shuddering to imagine what Jaejoong might do with such a marker.
Damn Changmin getting under his skin so bad, anyway.
~*~*
He should have known that Jaejoong would take matters into his own hands. His friend wasn't exactly known for having infinite patience, especially when he thought someone he cared about was being stupid.
When Jaejoong declared that they all needed a night out and simply refused to take no for an answer, Yunho was grumpy and annoyed.... but not suspicious.
When Jaejoong dragged them all into an exclusive gay club where the man at the door smiled and called him by name before letting them in without any questions, Yunho was too busy trying to keep from getting pissed off to be suspicious.
When Jaejoong got them a nice table overlooking the dance floor, Yunho laughed at the wide eyed scandalized look on Junsu's face and began to relax and enjoy the rare night of normalcy.
It still hurt to see the easy way Jaejoong would flirt and tease the hopeful men who ventured his way, but he had no rights there any longer and Yunho was getting better at pushing away the tiny stabs. Half aware as he leaned back in his seat and let his eyes drift away from Jaejoong to settle onto Changmin, it crossed his mind to wonder if he was finally getting over Jaejoong.
After a few drinks, he wasn't thinking about any of it anymore. Yoochun and Junsu had apparently decided there was safety in each other and had taken to dancing together every other song. Every now and again, Jaejoong would pull Changmin onto the dance floor, protesting and laughing though the former got more and more scarce the more the younger man had to drink.
A few hopefuls stopped by the table to get Yunho out on the floor, but he waved them away. He didn't want to dance. He just wanted to watch his band mates relax. After yet another wandered away, not looking too crushed that Yunho had turned him down, the leader glanced back over the dance floor and frowned when he didn't see Changmin with Jaejoong.
Jaejoong had both his arms wrapped around the neck of some guy with more metal stuck through his face than a pin cushion.
Freak, Yunho thought, his lip curling in disgust. Couldn't Jaejoong at least pretend to have taste?
“You look lonely, Yuuuuunie!” Warm weight fell against his back and Yunho breathed a sigh of relief. At least he knew where Changmin was.
An unbidden smile escaped and Yunho reached up to tug Changmin's arms away from his throat where they threatened to gag him. “So you came to keep me company?”
“I did! I'm a good dongsaeng, see?” Then, without further ado, Changmin pulled Yunho and the chair back before plopping down into his lap. He purred lightly, nuzzling Yunho's neck. “You should give me a reward.”
“Changmin...” Feeling pleasantly buzzed from alcohol and the intoxicating way the younger man felt all pressed against him, it took more effort than it should have to say no. “You're drunk.”
Which seemed to be a recurring theme with them. He sincerely hoped he wasn't driving Changmin to become an alcoholic at such a young age.
Dark eyes narrowed dangerously, but for once, Changmin didn't argue the point. The dark look cleared and Changmin pouted. “Dance with me?”
“I don't think that'd be a very good idea...” If choreographed dance practice had worked him up to the boiling point, Yunho could only imagine how quickly club dancing with Changmin would get out of hand. Even if they had been dating, Yunho would have been leery to risk it.
Changmin threw his hands up in disgust. “You know what, Yunho? You're an amazing guy most of the time, but sometimes you really are just a pain in the ass. And a wet blanket. Fine. You don't want to dance with me? I'll go find someone who does.”
Then he was gone, a lot more quickly than someone who'd had so much to drink probably should have been able to move.
“You're being stupid,” Jaejoong said, coming up a few minutes later to steal away his drink. “And Changmin is going to get himself in trouble trying to prove his point.”
“What do you mean?” Yunho asked, giving his friend an irritated look.
Rather than answer, Jaejoong simply pointed. Yunho's eyes followed the line of Jaejoong's finger, followed on towards where Changmin had immersed himself in some of the less savory looking dancers. He danced between them like a wild thing, ignoring the leers and lusty looks he was getting, ignoring the less than innocent hands that touched him.
No.... Yunho's eyes narrowed as he watched the way Changmin jutted and shimmied. He wasn't ignoring them. He was encouraging them. “That little idiot-“
“Yunho-“
But he ignored Jaejoong, pushing him aside and stomping his way through the crowd to reach his tormentor.
Changmin yelped when Yunho jerked him away from the other men. “What the fuck-“
“Shut up.”
“Yunho-“
“Just... shut up, Changmin.”
Thankfully, Changmin didn't put up a fight as Yunho began pulling him towards the door. They didn't get far, though, before their way was blocked by the men Changmin had been dancing with.
“We're leaving,” Yunho said, clearly and mostly calmly, even as he relaxed into a more defensive stance, easing Changmin behind him. He didn't want to get into a fight here, but he was leaving and Changmin was leaving with him. If anyone intended to try and stop him, he would deal with them.
“But he doesn't wanna leave,” the apparent ring leader said, sneering down at Yunho as if his couple of inches of extra height should be intimidating. “And we don't want him to leave.”
“I really don't care.”
Long fingers dug into his ribs with bruising force, though Yunho wasn't sure if it was because Changmin didn't want him to get into a fight or if it was because Changmin had just realized the kind of mess he might have caused. Or, though Yunho didn't really want to consider it, perhaps he really did want to stay with these losers.
Intervention came in the form of Jaejoong, sliding in between them, pressing himself against the ugly man's side. “Let them go... I'm a lot more fun....”
Yunho sneered slightly, both annoyed and relieved when the distraction worked. He managed to hold back words like 'whore and 'thanks'. Jaejoong didn't respond with words like 'boring' or 'you're welcome'. Things between Jaejoong and himself were complicated, but at least they understood each other. Jaejoong's own smile was wryly acknowledging as Yunho slid past him with Changmin in tow.
“Let's go.” He did have to tug Changmin this time, as the younger man kept trying to look back at Jaejoong.
“But what about-“
“He's a grown man. He can take care of himself.”
Changmin jerked them to a stop, scowling when Yunho turned to face him. “So I'm not?”
“That's not what I said.”
“That's what you implied.”
“Dammit, Changmin,” Yunho growled, pushing Changmin the rest of the way out of the club. He didn't bother acknowledging the bouncer who pretended not to notice them. “I didn't imply any such thing.”
“Yes, you did.” There was frustration and irritation clear in Changmin's voice as he pushed Yunho back. It was only made more evident when he dropped his tone in mocking imitation of Yunho's own. “he's a grown man, he can take care of himself, but you're dragging me out like a little kid being scolded and sent home. I'm not a fucking kid, Yunho. I can take care of myself, too.”
The alley next to the club was no place for them to be having such a conversation, but if Changmin was going to insist... “You really want to get fucked in the bathroom by those guys, be my guest. Because that's probably what Jaejoong's doing right now. Quite frankly, I doubt he'd thank you for your interruption.”
It was painful knowledge to accept, but it was something he'd had to deal with a long time ago. Anonymous sex with strangers in clubs was something Jaejoong enjoyed. He craved it like some kind of sick drug and its pull over him had been too strong for Yunho to overcome.
“Yunho...” Startled awareness or something close to it flashed through Changmin's eyes and before he was quite aware of it, Yunho found himself between the wall and Changmin's body, not quite embraced, but near enough that he had to close his eyes against the threat of losing his composure. Jaejoong had been apologetic, but any sympathy from that corner had always lost a great deal in the face of his inability to actually stop and who else would have cared to look beyond the surface and understand just how hurt Yunho had been?
He hadn't even realized how much he needed someone to care.
Yunho let his head rest against Changmin's shoulder and sighed. “I'm not trying to treat you like a child.”
Seeing Changmin dancing with those men, looking like walking and willing sex.... It brought back old pains and insecurities. A bitter laugh escaped as he recognized it for what it was. “I just couldn't stand to see them touching you.”
The whisper of his name was soft against his ear before Changmin's lips ghosted over his cheek. “I didn't want them. Not like this.”
Then he captured Yunho's own lips in a searing kiss that left the older man breathless and aching.
Yunho moaned into Changmin's mouth, grasping at the arms that held him upright against the wall. When had the softness of the boy he'd known grown into the hardness of this man that he was now discovering?
The question never fully formed in his mind as Changmin pressed closer, evidence of a more immediate hardness impossible to ignore.
“Not-“ It was hard to think clearly and the hot mouth suckling and nipping its way down his neck was not helping. “We can't-“
We can't. Even Yunho wasn't sure what they couldn't do anymore.
Whatever he meant, Changmin took it for rejection.
He slammed Yunho back harder and growled against his mouth. “No. You've been fucking teasing me for six months.” Despite the near savagery, there was also a sense of desperation and longing in Changmin's voice that weakened Yunho's will even further. “I want you. Please.. Why do you have to be so-“
Something in Yunho finally let go, loosened, during Min's tirade. He wasn't worrying about where they were. He wasn't reminding himself of how young and inexperienced Changmin was. He wasn't even thinking about Jaejoong at all. The only thing on his mind was that with his eyes flashing fire and his face flushed with passion.... Changmin was fucking hot. And he wanted, maybe even needed Yunho.
“This isn't the place, Changmin.” Yunho grasped Changmin's shoulders and spun them around, kissing the startled young man quiet. Then he pressed their foreheads together and kissed Min a second time, more gently. “Let's go home, okay?”
For a moment Changmin held his gaze, searching for assurance perhaps that this was a step forward instead of backwards. Then he wrapped his arms around Yunho and hugged him tightly. “Yeah... Home sounds good.”
~*~*~
Chapter 8