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[law!verse] Unconditional Love 2
Second bit...
Fifteen minutes later, Yejin was seated in the wheelchair that Yunho had left the hospital in, dressed in a maternity shirt (the bottom expertly stuffed) that Jaejoong had found in a forgotten bag in his sister’s closet. He had left a rather large mess trying to get to the bag, but it had been worth it.
“So, could someone please enlighten me?” Changmin asked, “Why am I going again?”
“You are going to be her husband,” Leeteuk said. “You get to act worried, which isn’t a problem, since you are, but you have to be proud too. First child and all that.”
Changmin stared at Leeteuk like he had grown a third head.
“Minnie, pay attention!” Jaejoong snapped. “Worried, proud, first child. Repeat!”
“Worried, proud, first child.”
Yejin giggled and Changmin blushed.
“We’ll get you proper painkillers at the hospital, okay?” Leeteuk whispered, tucking strands of hair behind Yejin’s ears.
She nodded.
“Let’s go,” Kangin said and Jaejoong swallowed, immediately searching for the warmth that was Yunho.
“Be safe,” he whispered, a few seconds late, his words hitting the closed door.
Yunho held him a little bit tighter.
~~~~
Changmin wheeled Yejin into the ER slowly, bending close to ear and whispering to her. For all the world, it looked like he was attempting to placate his pregnant wife, when in fact, he was telling her about the day he had first met Jaejoong and Junsu. (“Junsu dropped his ice cream all over me, I wanted to kill him.”) Her head hidden by a hood and Changmin’s face, Kangin breezed them through the doors like he owned the place (which he practically did, as Leeteuk later divulged,) and Yejin was soon sitting comfortably in a room with no windows as Kangin worked her arm into a cast.
“There,” he said, admiring his finished work.
“You did very well,” Leeteuk said, as if humoring a child, “Let’s move on, I’m getting antsy.”
“Yes, umma,” Kangin muttered, and Leeteuk kissed his shoulder as he walked by, thoroughly amused.
Yejin was giggling again and Changmin found himself smiling.
They managed to get her a CAT scan right away (“I knew doctors purposefully made you wait forever,” Changmin whispered, making Leeteuk smack his head, “And you are picking up bad habits from Yunho and Jaejoong,”). Changmin watched, holding his breath, as Leeteuk and Kangin obseved the screens in front of them carefully. Neither of them were radiologists, but Kangin was trained enough to know if something was amiss. Or so they had assured the law student. He decided to believe them.
When they were done, they laid her carefully in a bed and Changmin went to sit beside her. He stroked her hair, telling her stories about Yunho and Jaejoong and Yoochun and Junsu until he was afraid that he was going to lose his voice.
Leeteuk finally came in and smiled. “You’re fine,” he said, “Or...at least your physical insides are,” and Changmin found that he could think properly again.
They wheeled her out a back entrance. As Kangin went to go get his car, Yejin pulled Changmin down and whispered, “Thank you,” into his ear, tears of gratitude pooling in her eyes.
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“You’re welcome.”
~~~~
Yoochun held Sun Hea to him as he ushered Ha Neul downstairs, skirting around the living room. Jaejoong was helping Yejin to sit comfortably on the couch, and Yoochun figured that she had just returned from the hospital.
"Teukie!" She murmured sleepily, somehow still managing to sound excited as she caught sight of him in the living room.
"Not now, Sun Hea," Junsu whispered from his position behind Yoochun, "They're busy having an adult conversation. Ha Neul, do not go in there, come sit and wait for your breakfast."
"But I want to see Jaejae!"
"Jaejoong is busy, you have to wait."
Seungyon popped his head inside the doorway, black hair all in disarray. "Why're so many people here?" He asked.
"It's nothing you need to worry about, come and sit down."
"What happened last night?" He questioned, heading for the living room.
"Kim Seungyon,” Yoochun cut in, “you are already in lots of trouble for your previous antics, there is no need for you to place yourself in more. And if you take one more step, you most certainly will be. Now come and sit."
Seungyon seemed to consider the plusses and minuses of being disobedient. When he turned and plopped down at the table, Yoochun sighed in relief.
"Thank you. Now, who wants juice?"
~~~~
"Do you want to eat anything to eat?" Jaejoong asked as he wrapped an arm around Yejin, careful not to jostle her cast.
"No."
"How about tea?" He murmured gently, hearing the kettle going in the kitchen, and Yunho dutifully plodded towards it as Yejin nodded against Jaejoong's chest.
Junsu stuck his head in and observed the straight faces in front of him. "This looks too serious for me," he decided, "I'll be in the kitchen with Yoochun."
"And kids," Jaejoong reminded him, "Please be aware that there are also kids in the kitchen, Junsu."
"I'm not blind, Jaejoong," Junsu said, and shot his friend a look that said, "I expect you to tell me everything later on." Jaejoong smiled reassurances at him and Junsu left, already placating a grumpy Sun Hea with promises to see Leeteuk later.
Yunho returned with a cup of tea and Jaejoong muttered with just the right amount of sardonic love, "How nice of you to not consider the rest of us."
Yunho placed a hand on his hip, "Would anyone else like me to play butler? No? Excellent."
Yejin giggled and Jaejoong decided to forgive him.
No one said anything as Yejin sipped at the black liquid, Jaejoong petting her head as the tears slipped out.
"Tastes good," she whispered, "Better than any tea I've ever had."
They must have sat there for a good fifteen minutes before Jaejoong asked if they could maybe have some of their questions answered, as long as she felt comfortable giving them. She took a couple more sips of her tea before nodding.
"Can you...is this a recent development? You showed some skin at the recital, and there were no bruises that I could see."
Not really the question Jaejoong wanted Yunho to ask, but it was a good start.
"He...he only...never before a performance."
"Who is this he?" Kangin asked and Jaejoong wondered if that was why her family didn’t like her dancing.
"My cousin."
"You have the worst cousins," Jaejoong bit out, "Seriously. The rest of your family condones this?"
"I suppose so. My family's never really cared for me."
"Why not?" Changmin asked, "What's not to care for?"
"I wasn't planned," Yejin muttered, "and then I turned out to be not as smart as the rest of them so..."
"Hello, Cinderella," Yunho inserted.
"Essentially. I suppose I'm lucky that my parent's didn't decide to have an abortion."
"Just goes to show you," Changmin said, "You never know how amazing a child will be. Life is a curious thing."
Yejin blushed.
"And how exactly do they fit into Yunho's case?" Jaejoong asked, not bothering to pay attention to Yunho's glare.
Yejin looked confused. "What case?"
"You knew about his apartment; that someone ransacked it. Was that your family?"
"Why...why would my family do that? I shouldn't be here if they know about you. God, I thought you might be the only thing they wouldn't be able to reach me through."
Jaejoong tried to process this information.
"What case are you talking about?" Changmin asked, and Jaejoong belatedly remembered that not everyone knew of Yunho’s departure.
"So you don't know how his apartment got like that?" He asked, to stall a discussion that he was not ready to have, that he knew not everyone was ready to hear.
"Of course not!" Yejin said, "You thought I was involved?"
"Well, you did refuse to tell us anything."
"And so you assumed a conclusion of your own?" Jaejoong didn’t know if he should be pleased that Yunho’s lecture was being thrown back into his face or not. Changmin seemed to find it amusing because he was beaming proudly, trying very hard not to laugh.
"Yejin, you aren't supposed to know where I live," Yunho pointed out, "what was I supposed to think when Jaejoong came home and told me that you told him not to go to my apartment? And then, when he did go, there wasn't one thing untouched inside?"
Yejin bit her lip.
"How did you know where he lived, then? Assuming we believe you."
"I asked Professor Lee," Yejin said.
"Donghae?" Jaejoong guessed, thinking about the large amount of Professor Lee's at SNU, and trying to pinpoint a few others.
Leeteuk sighed as Yejin nodded, "That boy cannot keep his mouth shut, I swear."
"He's not as bad as Heechul," Yejin said, obviously feeling a need to defend her source.
"True," Yunho said, "Donghae hasn't let slip anything about Jaejoong and I."
Changmin winced, looking slightly panicked and then pointed an accusing finger at Yejin when he realized that no one else was glaring at Yunho, “You knew! I wondered why you didn't freak out earlier when Jaejoong jumped into Yunho's lap."
Yejin giggled, looking between professor and TA who shared a look.
"She was far too excited about it," Jaejoong muttered.
"It's a wonder the whole world doesn't know," Yejin defended her enthusiasm, "You're so obvious because you try not to be obvious. I know I wasn't the only one to notice you wearing each other's clothing, especially not in a class of wannabe lawyers."
"You act like I should give you extra credit for your observation skills."
"I told you," Changmin said, victoriously, "I've been telling you forever, hyung, you’re so damn obvious."
"Can we please get back to Yejin?" Jaejoong was blushing furiously, and Yunho's extraordinarily amused expression was not helping. "Why did you ask for his address?"
"I...I didn't know he was staying here. I was going to tell you about Sangmi cheating. I didn't want to do it at school because I was afraid that someone might overhear."
"You did it anyway."
"And that's why I'm like this," Yejin whispered, and the weight of her words made the room sit in silence for a few minutes.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t just tell us that you walked into that mess accidentally,” Yunho said.
“I...I was just being safe. I told my family I was running errands that day. If someone overheard me saying that I had been at your apartment...I imagine that I would be much worse tonight.”
“So...what are you saying? That you knew that someone was listening?”
“I didn’t know. But I had a suspicion. There’s always someone watching me at school. My parents are very rich and influential; people will do anything to get money, to get on their good side.”
"Who overheard us?" Jaejoong whispered.
"What does it matter? The point is that someone told and it got back to the family and instead of Sangmi getting in trouble, it was me."
"How does that even work?" Kangin asked, and Jaejoong decided that the rough tone of his voice was characteristic of the ER doctor. Leeteuk probably finds it endearing. "One would think that cheating would be the thing punished."
"She said Yunho was too hard, that he asked too much of his students and he favored them. She said I was given help, that I you gave me the answers beforehand to study but made everyone else study on their own."
Changmin was spluttering angrily. After all the time and energy he had spent tutoring her, Jaejoong didn't blame him.
"She’s...she’s good at making people see what she wants them too. Especially when she’s talking to her brother.”
“Her brother is the one that hits you?” Jaejoong attempted to clarify.
Yejin nodded.
“I remember him, I think,” Yunho said. “He was in his last year when I was in my first. He didn’t like me much.”
“You were smarter than him, probably.” Yejin whispered.
“I was,” Yunho replied, smiling at some distant memory.
“Have a little humility, Professor.” Changmin muttered.
“What? It’s a fact; ask anyone. Ask Heechul, he had us debate each other and I beat your cousin into a pulp. Figuratively speaking.”
Jaejoong let out a small sigh of longing and Changmin rounded on him.
“Hyung, honestly. Yunho is right there, you’re dating him, you’re kissing him, all the time, and other things I won’t mention in front of other people, you don’t have to revert to your pre-Yunho self. Please. For the sake of my sanity.”
“I didn’t say anything, Changmin!” Jaejoong knew he was a bright red.
“You sighed! You always used to sigh like that when you stared and gushed and...and why is everyone laughing at me? Laugh at Jaejoong!”
Yejin reached out, giggling furiously, and patted Changmin’s head. “You’re cute, Changmin.”
Changmin groaned in frustration and hid his face in a pillow, no doubt cursing his life.
“You love me,” Jaejoong stated, guessing at what Changmin was railing to the cotton stuffing.
“I don’t,” Chanmgin annunciated carefully, his words barely audible.
“You do,” Jaejoong said, “You love me so much your going to give Yejin your bed and you can sleep on the couch.”
“What does that have to do with loving you?”
“You will do anything I say; I say you sleep on the couch.”
“Whatever. Enjoy my comforter; my mother made it especially for me.”
“See, you grovel,” Jaejoong said, pleased, though whether it was because of Changmin’s submission or Yunho’s chuckle at their banter, he didn’t know. Perhaps a little mix of both.
“Actually,” Kangin said, “I think it might be better if Yejin stays with us.”
Jaejoong could have sworn he felt Yejin deflate a little bit in his arms.
“Besides the obvious reason of just in case something happens, your family will be less likely to find you at my house. Plus, as has just been demonstrated, there isn’t room for you here, and there definitely isn’t room for Leeteuk and I.”
“It’s smart,” Jaejoong said, hoping that he sounded slightly reassuring. “I know it’s hard to stay with people you don’t know well, but-”
Yejin shook her head smiling, “I don’t mind. But...I don’t feel like moving right now.”
“How about just to Changmin’s bed?” Jaejoong coaxed, “You can take a nap and recharge before we move you to Kangin’s.”
He knew that’s what Yejin had wanted to hear and stood as she agreed. Kangin came over and lifted Yejin carefully into his arms. “Lead the way.”
~~~~
Jaejoong tucked himself into bed. Yunho was talking to Heechul (whose angry yelling Jaejoong had heard through the phone across the room) and when the professor had shown no sign of relenting his discussion, Jaejoong had kissed his distracted cheek and walked upstairs.
His body reacted (minutes? hours?) later to Yunho sliding into bed next to him, automatically seeking the lines of his body, finding his hands to grasp.
“Are you okay?” Yunho asked, and Jaejoong felt his hair brushed from his face.
“I’m fine,” Jaejoong replied, “Just worried.”
“She’ll be fine,” Yunho whispered, lips against his lover’s forehead, “Kangin and Leeteuk are superb doctors.”
“I know,” Jaejoong whispered, “But I’m still worried.”
“It’ll work out. I’m glad that we were wrong about Yejin being involved with my apartment. It was a little silly for us to assume that she was, but I am immensely relieved. I was afraid that I’d end up having to cross examine her in court or something.”
“Not a situation a person wants to be in?” Jaejoong asked.
“Never,” Yunho said, and Jaejoong imagined the parts of Yunho’s smirk that he couldn’t make out.
His half-imagined lips drew nearer and they kissed Jaejoong’s face gently. “You were amazing,” Yunho breathed into his mouth, “I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky.”
“How’s that?”
“You care so much, Jaejoong.” Yunho pulled away and watched Jaejoong in the semi-darkness that the shades were creating. “You just open up your heart and let everyone walk into it. You love so much and it blows me away.”
“I could name a few people that I don’t love,” Jaejoong protested, thinking immediately of Yejin’s family and the nameless face that had pushed Yunho down the stairs.
“You don’t love their actions, but I think that as a fellow human being, you love them because you pity them.”
Jaejoong considered this for a moment. Yunho was right of course. As much as Jaejoong wanted to hate people, he couldn’t. Because when he hated other people, it ended up hurting him; it turned him into something he didn’t particularly like to become.
“I suppose that’s true. Don’t ask me why though.”
“Jaejoong, if I could ever love half as well as you, I’m sure I’d be an angel.”
“What does that make me?” Jaejoong joked, expecting Yunho to say god.
“Just Jaejoong,” was the answer, “My Jaejoong, who I know will love me no matter what.”
~~~~
I feel like I have something important to say, but it's escaping me at the moment.
Love and cookies appreciated as usual <3
Fifteen minutes later, Yejin was seated in the wheelchair that Yunho had left the hospital in, dressed in a maternity shirt (the bottom expertly stuffed) that Jaejoong had found in a forgotten bag in his sister’s closet. He had left a rather large mess trying to get to the bag, but it had been worth it.
“So, could someone please enlighten me?” Changmin asked, “Why am I going again?”
“You are going to be her husband,” Leeteuk said. “You get to act worried, which isn’t a problem, since you are, but you have to be proud too. First child and all that.”
Changmin stared at Leeteuk like he had grown a third head.
“Minnie, pay attention!” Jaejoong snapped. “Worried, proud, first child. Repeat!”
“Worried, proud, first child.”
Yejin giggled and Changmin blushed.
“We’ll get you proper painkillers at the hospital, okay?” Leeteuk whispered, tucking strands of hair behind Yejin’s ears.
She nodded.
“Let’s go,” Kangin said and Jaejoong swallowed, immediately searching for the warmth that was Yunho.
“Be safe,” he whispered, a few seconds late, his words hitting the closed door.
Yunho held him a little bit tighter.
~~~~
Changmin wheeled Yejin into the ER slowly, bending close to ear and whispering to her. For all the world, it looked like he was attempting to placate his pregnant wife, when in fact, he was telling her about the day he had first met Jaejoong and Junsu. (“Junsu dropped his ice cream all over me, I wanted to kill him.”) Her head hidden by a hood and Changmin’s face, Kangin breezed them through the doors like he owned the place (which he practically did, as Leeteuk later divulged,) and Yejin was soon sitting comfortably in a room with no windows as Kangin worked her arm into a cast.
“There,” he said, admiring his finished work.
“You did very well,” Leeteuk said, as if humoring a child, “Let’s move on, I’m getting antsy.”
“Yes, umma,” Kangin muttered, and Leeteuk kissed his shoulder as he walked by, thoroughly amused.
Yejin was giggling again and Changmin found himself smiling.
They managed to get her a CAT scan right away (“I knew doctors purposefully made you wait forever,” Changmin whispered, making Leeteuk smack his head, “And you are picking up bad habits from Yunho and Jaejoong,”). Changmin watched, holding his breath, as Leeteuk and Kangin obseved the screens in front of them carefully. Neither of them were radiologists, but Kangin was trained enough to know if something was amiss. Or so they had assured the law student. He decided to believe them.
When they were done, they laid her carefully in a bed and Changmin went to sit beside her. He stroked her hair, telling her stories about Yunho and Jaejoong and Yoochun and Junsu until he was afraid that he was going to lose his voice.
Leeteuk finally came in and smiled. “You’re fine,” he said, “Or...at least your physical insides are,” and Changmin found that he could think properly again.
They wheeled her out a back entrance. As Kangin went to go get his car, Yejin pulled Changmin down and whispered, “Thank you,” into his ear, tears of gratitude pooling in her eyes.
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“You’re welcome.”
~~~~
Yoochun held Sun Hea to him as he ushered Ha Neul downstairs, skirting around the living room. Jaejoong was helping Yejin to sit comfortably on the couch, and Yoochun figured that she had just returned from the hospital.
"Teukie!" She murmured sleepily, somehow still managing to sound excited as she caught sight of him in the living room.
"Not now, Sun Hea," Junsu whispered from his position behind Yoochun, "They're busy having an adult conversation. Ha Neul, do not go in there, come sit and wait for your breakfast."
"But I want to see Jaejae!"
"Jaejoong is busy, you have to wait."
Seungyon popped his head inside the doorway, black hair all in disarray. "Why're so many people here?" He asked.
"It's nothing you need to worry about, come and sit down."
"What happened last night?" He questioned, heading for the living room.
"Kim Seungyon,” Yoochun cut in, “you are already in lots of trouble for your previous antics, there is no need for you to place yourself in more. And if you take one more step, you most certainly will be. Now come and sit."
Seungyon seemed to consider the plusses and minuses of being disobedient. When he turned and plopped down at the table, Yoochun sighed in relief.
"Thank you. Now, who wants juice?"
~~~~
"Do you want to eat anything to eat?" Jaejoong asked as he wrapped an arm around Yejin, careful not to jostle her cast.
"No."
"How about tea?" He murmured gently, hearing the kettle going in the kitchen, and Yunho dutifully plodded towards it as Yejin nodded against Jaejoong's chest.
Junsu stuck his head in and observed the straight faces in front of him. "This looks too serious for me," he decided, "I'll be in the kitchen with Yoochun."
"And kids," Jaejoong reminded him, "Please be aware that there are also kids in the kitchen, Junsu."
"I'm not blind, Jaejoong," Junsu said, and shot his friend a look that said, "I expect you to tell me everything later on." Jaejoong smiled reassurances at him and Junsu left, already placating a grumpy Sun Hea with promises to see Leeteuk later.
Yunho returned with a cup of tea and Jaejoong muttered with just the right amount of sardonic love, "How nice of you to not consider the rest of us."
Yunho placed a hand on his hip, "Would anyone else like me to play butler? No? Excellent."
Yejin giggled and Jaejoong decided to forgive him.
No one said anything as Yejin sipped at the black liquid, Jaejoong petting her head as the tears slipped out.
"Tastes good," she whispered, "Better than any tea I've ever had."
They must have sat there for a good fifteen minutes before Jaejoong asked if they could maybe have some of their questions answered, as long as she felt comfortable giving them. She took a couple more sips of her tea before nodding.
"Can you...is this a recent development? You showed some skin at the recital, and there were no bruises that I could see."
Not really the question Jaejoong wanted Yunho to ask, but it was a good start.
"He...he only...never before a performance."
"Who is this he?" Kangin asked and Jaejoong wondered if that was why her family didn’t like her dancing.
"My cousin."
"You have the worst cousins," Jaejoong bit out, "Seriously. The rest of your family condones this?"
"I suppose so. My family's never really cared for me."
"Why not?" Changmin asked, "What's not to care for?"
"I wasn't planned," Yejin muttered, "and then I turned out to be not as smart as the rest of them so..."
"Hello, Cinderella," Yunho inserted.
"Essentially. I suppose I'm lucky that my parent's didn't decide to have an abortion."
"Just goes to show you," Changmin said, "You never know how amazing a child will be. Life is a curious thing."
Yejin blushed.
"And how exactly do they fit into Yunho's case?" Jaejoong asked, not bothering to pay attention to Yunho's glare.
Yejin looked confused. "What case?"
"You knew about his apartment; that someone ransacked it. Was that your family?"
"Why...why would my family do that? I shouldn't be here if they know about you. God, I thought you might be the only thing they wouldn't be able to reach me through."
Jaejoong tried to process this information.
"What case are you talking about?" Changmin asked, and Jaejoong belatedly remembered that not everyone knew of Yunho’s departure.
"So you don't know how his apartment got like that?" He asked, to stall a discussion that he was not ready to have, that he knew not everyone was ready to hear.
"Of course not!" Yejin said, "You thought I was involved?"
"Well, you did refuse to tell us anything."
"And so you assumed a conclusion of your own?" Jaejoong didn’t know if he should be pleased that Yunho’s lecture was being thrown back into his face or not. Changmin seemed to find it amusing because he was beaming proudly, trying very hard not to laugh.
"Yejin, you aren't supposed to know where I live," Yunho pointed out, "what was I supposed to think when Jaejoong came home and told me that you told him not to go to my apartment? And then, when he did go, there wasn't one thing untouched inside?"
Yejin bit her lip.
"How did you know where he lived, then? Assuming we believe you."
"I asked Professor Lee," Yejin said.
"Donghae?" Jaejoong guessed, thinking about the large amount of Professor Lee's at SNU, and trying to pinpoint a few others.
Leeteuk sighed as Yejin nodded, "That boy cannot keep his mouth shut, I swear."
"He's not as bad as Heechul," Yejin said, obviously feeling a need to defend her source.
"True," Yunho said, "Donghae hasn't let slip anything about Jaejoong and I."
Changmin winced, looking slightly panicked and then pointed an accusing finger at Yejin when he realized that no one else was glaring at Yunho, “You knew! I wondered why you didn't freak out earlier when Jaejoong jumped into Yunho's lap."
Yejin giggled, looking between professor and TA who shared a look.
"She was far too excited about it," Jaejoong muttered.
"It's a wonder the whole world doesn't know," Yejin defended her enthusiasm, "You're so obvious because you try not to be obvious. I know I wasn't the only one to notice you wearing each other's clothing, especially not in a class of wannabe lawyers."
"You act like I should give you extra credit for your observation skills."
"I told you," Changmin said, victoriously, "I've been telling you forever, hyung, you’re so damn obvious."
"Can we please get back to Yejin?" Jaejoong was blushing furiously, and Yunho's extraordinarily amused expression was not helping. "Why did you ask for his address?"
"I...I didn't know he was staying here. I was going to tell you about Sangmi cheating. I didn't want to do it at school because I was afraid that someone might overhear."
"You did it anyway."
"And that's why I'm like this," Yejin whispered, and the weight of her words made the room sit in silence for a few minutes.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t just tell us that you walked into that mess accidentally,” Yunho said.
“I...I was just being safe. I told my family I was running errands that day. If someone overheard me saying that I had been at your apartment...I imagine that I would be much worse tonight.”
“So...what are you saying? That you knew that someone was listening?”
“I didn’t know. But I had a suspicion. There’s always someone watching me at school. My parents are very rich and influential; people will do anything to get money, to get on their good side.”
"Who overheard us?" Jaejoong whispered.
"What does it matter? The point is that someone told and it got back to the family and instead of Sangmi getting in trouble, it was me."
"How does that even work?" Kangin asked, and Jaejoong decided that the rough tone of his voice was characteristic of the ER doctor. Leeteuk probably finds it endearing. "One would think that cheating would be the thing punished."
"She said Yunho was too hard, that he asked too much of his students and he favored them. She said I was given help, that I you gave me the answers beforehand to study but made everyone else study on their own."
Changmin was spluttering angrily. After all the time and energy he had spent tutoring her, Jaejoong didn't blame him.
"She’s...she’s good at making people see what she wants them too. Especially when she’s talking to her brother.”
“Her brother is the one that hits you?” Jaejoong attempted to clarify.
Yejin nodded.
“I remember him, I think,” Yunho said. “He was in his last year when I was in my first. He didn’t like me much.”
“You were smarter than him, probably.” Yejin whispered.
“I was,” Yunho replied, smiling at some distant memory.
“Have a little humility, Professor.” Changmin muttered.
“What? It’s a fact; ask anyone. Ask Heechul, he had us debate each other and I beat your cousin into a pulp. Figuratively speaking.”
Jaejoong let out a small sigh of longing and Changmin rounded on him.
“Hyung, honestly. Yunho is right there, you’re dating him, you’re kissing him, all the time, and other things I won’t mention in front of other people, you don’t have to revert to your pre-Yunho self. Please. For the sake of my sanity.”
“I didn’t say anything, Changmin!” Jaejoong knew he was a bright red.
“You sighed! You always used to sigh like that when you stared and gushed and...and why is everyone laughing at me? Laugh at Jaejoong!”
Yejin reached out, giggling furiously, and patted Changmin’s head. “You’re cute, Changmin.”
Changmin groaned in frustration and hid his face in a pillow, no doubt cursing his life.
“You love me,” Jaejoong stated, guessing at what Changmin was railing to the cotton stuffing.
“I don’t,” Chanmgin annunciated carefully, his words barely audible.
“You do,” Jaejoong said, “You love me so much your going to give Yejin your bed and you can sleep on the couch.”
“What does that have to do with loving you?”
“You will do anything I say; I say you sleep on the couch.”
“Whatever. Enjoy my comforter; my mother made it especially for me.”
“See, you grovel,” Jaejoong said, pleased, though whether it was because of Changmin’s submission or Yunho’s chuckle at their banter, he didn’t know. Perhaps a little mix of both.
“Actually,” Kangin said, “I think it might be better if Yejin stays with us.”
Jaejoong could have sworn he felt Yejin deflate a little bit in his arms.
“Besides the obvious reason of just in case something happens, your family will be less likely to find you at my house. Plus, as has just been demonstrated, there isn’t room for you here, and there definitely isn’t room for Leeteuk and I.”
“It’s smart,” Jaejoong said, hoping that he sounded slightly reassuring. “I know it’s hard to stay with people you don’t know well, but-”
Yejin shook her head smiling, “I don’t mind. But...I don’t feel like moving right now.”
“How about just to Changmin’s bed?” Jaejoong coaxed, “You can take a nap and recharge before we move you to Kangin’s.”
He knew that’s what Yejin had wanted to hear and stood as she agreed. Kangin came over and lifted Yejin carefully into his arms. “Lead the way.”
~~~~
Jaejoong tucked himself into bed. Yunho was talking to Heechul (whose angry yelling Jaejoong had heard through the phone across the room) and when the professor had shown no sign of relenting his discussion, Jaejoong had kissed his distracted cheek and walked upstairs.
His body reacted (minutes? hours?) later to Yunho sliding into bed next to him, automatically seeking the lines of his body, finding his hands to grasp.
“Are you okay?” Yunho asked, and Jaejoong felt his hair brushed from his face.
“I’m fine,” Jaejoong replied, “Just worried.”
“She’ll be fine,” Yunho whispered, lips against his lover’s forehead, “Kangin and Leeteuk are superb doctors.”
“I know,” Jaejoong whispered, “But I’m still worried.”
“It’ll work out. I’m glad that we were wrong about Yejin being involved with my apartment. It was a little silly for us to assume that she was, but I am immensely relieved. I was afraid that I’d end up having to cross examine her in court or something.”
“Not a situation a person wants to be in?” Jaejoong asked.
“Never,” Yunho said, and Jaejoong imagined the parts of Yunho’s smirk that he couldn’t make out.
His half-imagined lips drew nearer and they kissed Jaejoong’s face gently. “You were amazing,” Yunho breathed into his mouth, “I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky.”
“How’s that?”
“You care so much, Jaejoong.” Yunho pulled away and watched Jaejoong in the semi-darkness that the shades were creating. “You just open up your heart and let everyone walk into it. You love so much and it blows me away.”
“I could name a few people that I don’t love,” Jaejoong protested, thinking immediately of Yejin’s family and the nameless face that had pushed Yunho down the stairs.
“You don’t love their actions, but I think that as a fellow human being, you love them because you pity them.”
Jaejoong considered this for a moment. Yunho was right of course. As much as Jaejoong wanted to hate people, he couldn’t. Because when he hated other people, it ended up hurting him; it turned him into something he didn’t particularly like to become.
“I suppose that’s true. Don’t ask me why though.”
“Jaejoong, if I could ever love half as well as you, I’m sure I’d be an angel.”
“What does that make me?” Jaejoong joked, expecting Yunho to say god.
“Just Jaejoong,” was the answer, “My Jaejoong, who I know will love me no matter what.”
~~~~
I feel like I have something important to say, but it's escaping me at the moment.
Love and cookies appreciated as usual <3
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