Waiting 2/2
The next morning, Jay woke up with a blinding headache. Rolling over, the blankets around him moved a bit and he looked around him in surprise. Blinking at the too bright light coming through the blinds (which totally wasn't helping his headache to say the least, even though the clock on the bedside table said it was 5 in the morning), he wondered how he had gotten into a soft bed. Blinking a few more times to get rid of the sleep in his eyes, Jay looked around the room and saw a certain tall traffic light sleeping on the other bed.
His first thought was to recoil and check his body. Looking under the blankets, headache suddenly forgotten, he sighed in relief when he saw that he was wearing a pair of baggy shorts (that reached past his knees, and weren't his) and a ragged t-shirt that he distinctly remembered seeing on this particular giant. Glancing at Taecyeon again, he grinned and thought of how he used to take care of him when they shared a dorm. They weren't roommates, but Jay remembered that Taecyeon used to pick up after him, give him massages, help him with Korean, etc.
Reminiscing the old days, his eyes landed on the giant suitcase that was laying in the corner. Realizing where he was all of a sudden, he groaned. If their fans knew about this, he would get mobbed. Wait, never mind the fans, the other members (coughcoughWooyoungcoughcough) would mob him.
Hearing rustling coming from the other bed, Jay jumped and stared at the giant. Taecyeon sat up, rubbing at his head and yawning. His hand absentmindedly reached across the aisle and touched Taecyeon's hair, to make sure he was real and not an illusion (Jay wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had these illusions a lot, ever since he left Korea).
Chuckling (as though he could read Jay's mind), Taecyeon stretched and hit his hand away.
"How'd you sleep?" his words still slurred a bit, he yawned and gazed expectedly at Jay, waiting for an answer. "You seemed pretty wasted last night, does your head hurt?"
Right when the headache was mentioned, it slammed back on Jay's brain full force. Grabbing his head in pain, he gasped, "It hurts like a bitch. Like my head's splitting in two."
Taecyeon jumped out of bed, and pushed Jay down into a laying position.
"Stay in bed! I'll make you some porridge." Kissing Jay on the forehead, Taecyeon rushed to get his shoes on, threw on his leather jacket from last night, and bolted out the door. Jay stared after him, his forehead burning where Taecyeon's lips had touched him. He had also never seen his best friend (and maybe more) move so quickly out the door. He hadn't even changed out of his pink Mickey Mouse pajamas (which Jay had given him a few years back, and he was surprised that Taecyeon still wore them to sleep.)
Rolling over onto his side, he gazed fondly (as fondly as he could, with the headache and all) over to where Taecyeon's body had been nestled just a few minutes before. Attempting to stand up, and lurching forward, Jay fell over onto Taecyeon's bed. Smiling softly to himself, he snuggled into the covers, and breathed in Taecyeon's achingly familiar scent.
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Something was nudging him. Shifting a bit, so his weight wasn't so hard on his arm, Jay ignored the finger that was poking him. But then another familiar smell invaded his nostrils. Something that he hadn't smelt in a while.
Sitting up, he could see Taecyeon kneeling near the bed, look at him strangely. Riiiight, he was in Taecyeon's bed. Not the one he was supposed to be in. Grinning sheepishly at Taec, Jay scratched his head, opening his mouth to try to explain himself. But something else distracted him.
"Porridge?" His eyes widened. The porridge that Taecyeon always used to cook for him when he was hung over. He hadn't had that for ages! Taecyeon, seeing him glancing at the porridge, opened the lid off the Tupperware container and handed it over to him with a smile.
"I had the ingredients packed, since I figured one of the members would get drunk on the trip." he explained, smiling at Jay.
Not replying, his mouth was drooling at the sight of the porridge. (What? He used to eat it all the time, and he hadn't had it for months, and now it was just .. sitting there, and he wanted some. Badly.)
Taecyeon chuckled, and handed him a spoon.
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After finishing the porridge, Taecyeon decided to surf the internet while leaving Jay to take a shower (he still smelt like beer) and change into his clothes (that Taecyeon had washed while Jay was still asleep).
In the bathroom, Jay stood in his clothes from last night, and gripped at the t-shirt and shorts he had been wearing just 15 minutes before. Not wanting to give them back, he clutched them to his chest and breathed in Taecyeon's scent. (So what if it was creepy? He hadn't smelt it for months, and used to everyday.)
Realizing that he was still sniffing the clothes, he smiled to himself and thought about how Taecyeon would call him cheesy if he told him about this. Looking at himself in the mirror, Jay wondered what the others would think if they saw him like this. Acting all lovey-dovey towards Taecyeon of all people, especially since Jay kept on rejecting Taecyeon way back when they used to actually live together.
Sighing, Jay collected his thoughts. He definitely liked Taecyeon more than a friend. He worried over him, and lost sleep when they weren't together. For Jaysus' sake, he was standing in an effing bathroom, smelling a shirt, dammit. Yes, Jay definitely liked Taecyeon. Why couldn't he have realized this sooner? He could've saved himself a lot of heartache, and saved Taecyeon a lot of heartache. but it was better late than never right? Summoning up his courage, he stepped out of the bathroom.
Into Taecyeon. "Dammit, Taec. Why the fuck are you so tall?" Oops. That wasn't what was supposed to come out of his mouth. "I mean.."
Arms suddenly wrapping around his, obviously shorter, frame cut him off in surprise. "T-Taec?"
"Jay. You know how I feel about you, right? You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"YAH! You ignorant giant. Do I see that old? I may be the pink grandpa but that DOES NOT mean that I'm old. Okay, I might be the oldest out of all you guys, and I am older than you, but I. AM. NOT. OLD!"
Chuckling, Taecyeon hugged the shorter figure, and pressed him to his chest. "Oh Jay, I missed your rambling." Grinning into the giant's chest, Jay sighed contentedly. Then, remembering his decision, he struggled out of Taecyeon's arms. (He was like tangled. How long were his arms?!)
Taking a deep breath, Jay looked deep into Taecyeon's eyes to prepare himself. He could see some confusion, a bit of anticipation, nervousness, but mostly an emotion that Jay could see himself reflected in, something that was so strong, so deep, something that seemed to engulf his entire body into that he could feel himself falling deeper, suffocating himself within it. He could feel its pull so strongly, and felt as if he never wanted it to let go. That emotion? Love.
Seeing and feeling its pull on him reassured him. "Taecyeon.. I .."
Taking another deep breath, his voice faltered underneath the stare the other was giving him. God, he could drown in those deep brown orbs. They seemed to read his mind, and drain him of his energy, but Jay pushed ahead anyway. He needed to say it, to acknowledge it.
"Ok Taecyeon. I love you."
Taecyeon had a dumbfounded look on his face, as though he wasn't expecting those words to come from Jay's mouth. But then also, underneath the surprise, was a look of relief.
"J-Jay? Do you mean it?"
Thwack!
"Of course I mean it you giant traffic cone! Why would I kid about something like this?" Grinning at the giant, Jay's hand once again came close to Taecyeon's head, but this time he was rubbing the spot where his hand had made contact with the giant's skull just moments before.
"Oh my Jaysus, I'm sorry Taec! I didn't mean to hit you that hard, I'm so sor-"
A pair of lips cut him off this time. And also a tongue, begging for entrance which was gladly granted. A battle of dominance ensued.
Breaking apart for air after a few minutes, Taecyeon grinned at Jay. "Why are you so self-centered? Still calling yourself Jaysus after all this time?"
"Shut up."
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Jay somehow got out of the hotel without seeing any of the other 2PM members (it was a miracle really), and Taecyeon somehow got through the rest of the performances and back to Korea without giving away any fact that he had seen or talked to Jay at all. The other members had noticed a definite change in Taecyeon's attitude though. Instead of moping around and being short-tempered all the time, he was once again the goofy dork who did too much aegyo and could be in the same room with KhunYoung and Chansung goofing around at the same time without breaking a sweat or having to raise his voice.
They all wondered what caused this change (they secretly thought it Jay, since Taecyeon became moody and horrible after he left, but they didn't see Jay around anytime while they were in the States, so they had to rule it out), and just assumed a night of drinking alone and thinking had caused it. They were all glad to have his old self back.
Laying on his bed, Taecyeon was surfing on the internet when his cell phone rang. Picking it up, he checked caller ID. It was a number from a payphone, but it was from someplace.. in Korea?!
"Yaboseyo?"
"Yo, Taec." He'd know that voice anywhere. It was a voice he dreamed of hearing every night, but not over the phone. He hoped to hear in person again sometime soon. Their time together in the States seemed so short.
"Jay?!" Taecyeon exclaimed, then clamped his mouth shut, listening for any tell-tale signs of the other members hearing his shout.
"Yah, you babo. Shut up. Do you want the other members to hear you?" tutted Jay. Taecyeon chuckled, once Leader, always Leader. Jay couldn't seem to get rid of the habit of scolding him.
"Why are you calling? Are you in Korea?!" Taecyeon sat up, and abruptly hit his head on the bottom of Junsu's bunk. He yelped in surprise and pain, dropping his phone in the process.
Eyes watering, head throbbing, he reached to get his phone. Rubbing his head, he placed the phone receiver over his ear once again. "Owwww..."
He could hear the concern in Jay's voice. "Yah! Taec! Are you okay? What happened? TAEC! YOU GIANT IDIOT WITH TOO MUCH TEETH. WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?"
"Calm down Jay, I hit my head on Junsu's bunk.. again."
"That's what you get for being too tall."
"Maybe you're just so short that you can't hit your head. It's like physically impossible for you."
"YAH! You giant traffic light. I'm back in Seoul, I can whoop your giant ass anytime."
"Who's ass is gonna be-- Wait, WHAT?! You're back in Seoul? Really?"
He could hear the exasperation in Jay's voice. "No you stupid giant. I hacked the phone booth in Seattle so the number would be a Korean number. Of course, I'm back in Seoul." He could just see Jay rolling his eyes.
Jumping off the bottom bunk, Taecyeon hurried out of the dorm (just pausing to put on some sunglasses and a hat). "Which phone booth are you at? I'm coming."
"Babo. You should look before you start running. I'm right behind you."
Spinning around. Taecyeon saw a short figure, in an insanely bright pink sweater, smiling at him. He then realized the voice wasn't coming from his phone at all.
Breaking into a run, he sprinted back up the path to his dorm and scooped the older man into his arms; where he belonged.
Jay snuggled in Taecyeon's warmth, not caring if all the other 2PM members came out and saw them. Being back in Taecyeon's arms was what he had been waiting for since they last saw each other in LA. Smiling to himself, he knew that every time they parted ways, they would both always be waiting to be together once more.