![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
[law!verse] Here With Me
adfkjadshk this is so long. 6,001 words fml
A mantra was running through Jaejoong’s head as Yunho sped towards Jihye’s house; They’re fine, they’re fine, they’re fine, they’re fine.
Jaejoong didn’t believe a word of what he said to himself, even though Yoochun said he had called to check, until Sun Hea was held tightly in his arms and Jaejoong’s tears were spilling over her pink-clad shoulder.
“Jaejae,” she squealed, and then gasped, “Jaejae hurt!”
“Hi baby,” he murmured, barely registering Yunho scooping up Ha Neul and ruffling Seungyon’s hair. “I’m okay, I just hurt my ankle.” He relaxed as the tension in the air disappeared (momentarily), and he gestured for Yunho to shut the door firmly, and lock it.
“What is going on?” His sister demanded. Jaejoong let Yunho pull Jihye into the living room to explain.
“In trouble?” Sun Hea asked, obviously worried for her mother, and Jaejoong shook his head.
“No one here. There are some very bad men that I’m mad at, though, who I intend to hurt.”
“Time out them!” Sun Hea declared, before yawning.
“Yes,” Jaejoong laughed, though he was not at all amused, “A very, very long time out called jail.”
“Someone’s going to jail?” Seungyon asked, awed.
“Perhaps,” Jaejoong allowed, “You’re going to have a sleep over with Yunho and I tonight.”
“Yay!” Ha Neul shrieked, taking off at a run before Jaejoong could stop her. Visions of men in black breaking through windows and snatching her away flashed in front of Jaejoong’s eyes and he almost had a heart attack, right there.
“Ha Neul don’t-aish, Seungyon, come on, we’re all going to help each other pack.”
“What?”
“Don’t sound so unimpressed,” Jaejoong chided his nephew, and steered his wheelchair after Ha Neul.
Jaejoong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ha Neul at the bottom of the steps and their were no ninjas assaulting Ha Neul. “Get your sister’s bag,” Jaejoong directed. Sun Hea had somehow managed to fall asleep on his lap, despite her excitement, and Jaejoong cradled her as he yelled up to Ha Neul that she didn’t need five sets of clothing.
“Here,” Seungyon said, after after a stressful few minutes of waiting for them; the sparkle hurt Jaejoong’s eyes.
“Roll her blankie up for me, will you?”
“Just for the record, I’m capable of packing all by myself,” Seungyon said.
“I know,” Jaejoong said, “But we’re all staying together right now.”
Seungyon choked, slightly. In retrospect, Jaejoong realized he should have known his nephew would be far too smart to fool for long.
“You’re scared,” Seungyon said quietly, over Ha Neul’s loud chatter to her stuffed animals, explaining to them that Seungyon hadn’t picked out a big enough bag and therefore, she couldn’t bring them along. Jaejoong was not surprised that he could hear her even though she was on a different floor.
“Yes,” Jaejoong admitted, shifting Sun Hea so he could free a hand to ruffle Seungyon’s hair, “but you don’t have to be. Just go stay upstairs with her, and pack a bag for Sun HEa.”
Seungyon did not look convinced and he didn’t complain; progress.
Yunho and his sister appeared at that moment, and Jaejoong watched her take Seungyon into his room while Yunho went to get Ha Neul.
“Come on,” Yunho was holding out his free hand for Ha Neul and she took it, sending kisses to her stuffed animals as she walked down the staors.
“Are they sad to see you go?” Jaejoong asked.
“Yeah,” Ha Neul nodded, “but it’s okay.”
“You can make something to bring back to them when we get to our apartment, okay?”
She brightened at this, and Jaejoong almost laughed as she bounced excitedly. “Cupcakes?”
“If you want,” Jaejoong smiled, thinking that cupcakes would be a wonderful distraction, “I might even let you decorate them.”
Yunho groaned a little, and Jaejoong hid his smile in Sun Hea’s hair, knowing full well that the lawyer was remembering the amount of sugar that ended up on the last batch of Cupcakes a la Ha Neul.
“You shouldn’t complain,” Jaejoong whispered into Yunho’s ear, “or do you not remember what we did after we had her cupcakes the last time? We could make it a tradition.”
Yunho blinked before hissing back, “How can you be thinking of that right now?”
“Because if I think of anything else, I will die from fear.”
There was a moment of rustling as Yunho placed the bags down by the front door. Then an arm wrapped around Jaejoong’s side and he was pressed up against a very welcome chest, Sun Hea, wheelchair, and all. “I’m right here.”
“I know,” Jaejoong fought down tears (of frustration, anger, relief,) before waking Sun Hea and helping her put on shoes and a coat.
“Seepohfer,” she mumbled and Jaejoong just kissed her forehead.
“Sun Hea, I’m going to make cupcakes!” Ha Neul declared, her arms only half in her coat’s arm holes; Yunho wrapped her scarf around her neck and Jaejoong wondered if the soft angora scarf had been a gift from his sister. “Ppbt,” Ha Neul scrunched her nose and blew her lips apart as the threads stuck to her mouth. Jaejoong chuckled as Yunho cleared it away.
“So you have sprinkles?” Ha Neul questions, no doubt forming a list inside her head, “And frosting. We can stick a lollipop in it right?”
“I’ll make you some frosting, how about that?” Jaejoong asked, “You liked it the last time I made it, right?”
Ha Neul grinned.
Jaejoong wasn’t really sure where she had picked up the idea that it was okay to stick lollipops into cakes. He lifted Sun Hea back into his arms where she promptly fell back to sleep.
“How far is it?” His sister’s voice asked from the hallway and Jaejoong turned to see her there with Seungyon, both with bags.
“Fifteen minutes,” Yunho said, “Give or take.”
“Noona,” Jaejoong started, “I’m sorry you got involved in this. I’m so-“
“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him,” Jihye hissed, pointing her finger at Yunho, “This is not your fault. Do not apologize for things that you cannot help. Now let’s leave.”
“Umma, I’m going to make cupcakes!”
“And I was just thinking to myself that I was really hungry,” Jihye cooed, “How perfect!”
Ha Neul showed her teeth as Jihye lifted her up and cradled her, “They’ll be yummy,” Ha Neul said, and Jaejoong knew they would be, so long as no one died from a sugar overdose first.
~~~~
“They’re not picking up,” Changmin complained, “God, this is so annoying. What is going on?”
Yejin was sitting on Yunho’s couch, holding a pillow to herself, “I like this couch.”
Changmin glanced behind him and smiled at the sight of Yejin’s face half-burrowed into fabric. “It’s like heaven in material form. Chai tea solidified and soft. Like...” she trailed off and Changmin caught a sight of her blush before her entire face was hidden from view.
“Like what?” he asked, his cell phone still in his hand.
“Nothing,” was the mumble, and he knew, somewhere inside of him, that his name, or a pronoun referring to his name was somewhere beyond that like. And he really wanted to hear it.
“You’re killing me,” he muttered and went to sit beside her.
“It’s nothing,” the pillow said.
“You all are,” Changmin continued, “Yoochun calls and says to not let you out of my sight, and then hangs up on me. I try to call Jaejoong and Yunho but neither of them are answering, and then I try to talk to you and you won’t tell me anything. I’m dead to you all.”
He let out an exasperated sigh and let his head fall back, as he listened to Yejin’s quiet breathing. After a moment he felt her shift and his eyes flew open in shock as she slid onto his lap. “You’re not dead to me,” she said seriously.
“Yejin,” he started, but had to swallow. Not that he had known what he would have said anyway.
“I have something important to tell you.”
He meant to ask, “Do you need to sit on my lap to tell me?” but instead, he let out a very quiet squeak.
“And maybe I already said it and I forgot, but Leeteuk said I have to get it out.”
Unsure of what to do with his hands, he decided to just let them hang in midair. He tried to not think of how it looked.
“Okay,” he finally managed to breathe.
“I like you.”
Changmin blinked. Hadn’t they already gone over this?
“You-what?”
“Did I already say it?”
“I-No? I said it.”
The tension left her face and she smiled softly, “oh.”
That meant he didn’t have to say anything back, right? NO. Jaejoong screamed inside his head, RESPOND. NOW.
“I suck with words,” he said, finally deciding to put his hands to good use, and let them rest on her hips.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she whispered, and Changmin had watched enough dramas to know what she wanted.
And he wanted to so bad. Kiss her. Make out. Tangle himself around her and breathe her in and, “I can see the lamp reflected in your eyes.”
She was frowning. Fantastic. “Sorry,” he apologized, “Sorry I’m so dumb. Oh God, I just went and ruined a moment. I’m so sorry.”
“Then fix it,” she whispered, and Changmin swallowed as he tugged on her hips without thinking. He thought he understood why Jaejoong loved this couch so damn much. It was like an aphrodisiac. Better than that, he amended, as Yejin’s hands slid around his face and into his hair. So much better.
Quite honestly, he was a little afraid to touch her. Afraid that if he held onto her for too long he’d compare her to Soo Ae, afraid that if he kissed her for too long, he’d want Soo Ae, afraid that if he fell in love, he wouldn’t be falling in love with her. So he pulled back, gently.
“Do you remember what I said to you?” he asked.
She looked a little heartbroken, but he didn’t let it faze him. There was a right way to go about this, and he had promised himself that he wasn’t going to damn everything to hell.
“Yejin, I do like you. I want you,” he added, squeezing her hips, loving how right they felt against his palms, loving how she smelled, she loving how looked, staring down at him, loving everything.
“I know,” she whispered, “I know, we need to find ourselves first.”
He caught her face with his fingertips as she tried to look away. “I promise you that it will be better.”
“I-I don’t--I feel so much, what am I supposed to do?”
Changmin wet his lips and tugged her down into a hug, “I don’t know, baby. I’m sorry. I really am. But this is smart.”
Her arms wound around him and he felt a sigh released against his shoulder, “I know. I just don’t like it.”
He chuckled and held up a pinky finger, “No more kisses,” he said, “not until we know who we are as individuals.”
She glared at the finger.
“I promise that the next kiss I give will be yours. This are no more kisses across the board. I won’t even kiss Jaejoong.”
“You’ve kissed Jaejoong?”
Changmin smiled, “Once. He was pining over Yunho and I tried to comfort him. It distracted him, at best.”
Yejin laughed. “Okay,” she agreed, and linked her pinky with his.
“Kiss your thumb,” Changmin directed, touching his own thumb to his lips.
She did as directed and Changmin pressed their thumbs together. “There. Sealed with a kiss,” he said.
Yejin snorted.
“What were you going to say?” Changmin finally asked, when Yejin made no move to vacate his lap after a few minutes had passed.
“When?”
“Before, when you were describing the couch. You said it feels like...what?”
He let her stew in her embarrassment before poking her side incessantly until she sighed.
“You,” she admitted, pushing his hand away, “It feels like you when you hold me tight.”
He swallowed and cursed the pact they had just made. If that wasn’t a sentence that could make you want to kiss someone, he didn’t know what was.
There was a key sounding in the lock, and Yejin scrambled off of him just before Jaejoong wheeled in, Sun Hea on his hip. “Where have you been? And you’re in a wheelchair? Why?” Changmin demanded, slightly thankful that he hadn’t had to respond. He squeezed Yejin’s fingers before standing.
Jaejoong held up a finger to his lips, and Changmin winced as he noticed that Sun Hea was sleeping. His friend disappeared for a second, and then was back, Sun Hea-less, and looking exhausted. Changmin could hear Ha Neul talking about cupcakes.
“What have you been doing?” Jaejoong asked, and Changmin noted the thread of suspicion in his voice.
“Talking. Trying to get ahold of you. Making fun of your furniture. What’s going on?”
“Your appearances tell me that you’ve been doing more than just talking.”
Changmin wasn’t sure how to reply, but Yejin sinking further into the couch and blushing furiously solved his dilemma, though not in the way he wanted.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “You two need a chaperone.”
~~~~
Yunho was helping Ha Neul take off her coat and scarf (that in his opinion was far too adult looking for a five year old, but who was he to judge?) when his phone rang.
“You will not believe what I just found out.”
“Oh?” Yunho asked, sighing heavily as Ha Neul skipped into the kitchen, leaving her mother and brother with all the bags. “You can put those in the other bedroom. I’m sorry I only have one to spare.”
“Yunho, pay attention!” Heechul’s voice shrieked, and Yunho winced.
“I am.”
“You remember my government friend? The one I had speak in class?”
“What? Oh, yeah. Lee Hongki, right?”
“Glad you remember,” Heechul bit out, “I had him look up some of the Dean’s records.”
“That quick?”
“He likes me. Anyway, the point is, did you know that he’s married?”
“The Dean is married?” Yunho asked, “Ha Neul, do not touch the stove. You need to wait for Jaejoong before you do anything. I didn’t know he was married.”
“Yeah, and you’ll never guess to whom.”
Yunho thought about it for a second. “I don’t know, Heechul. Who?”
“Guess.”
“Heechul, this really isn’t the time for games.”
“Sangmi.”
Yunho’s hand paused over the faucet. “What?”
“He’s married to Sangmi, Yunho. He’s younger than he says, and she’s older.”
“What.”
“They’re married. Hongki searched around on the web for me and found some wedding photos. You’ll never freaking guess who the Dean’s best man was.”
“Oh my God,” Yunho breathed, walking out of the kitchen, searching desperately for Jaejoong.
“Yeah,” Heechul snorted, “The asshole you prosecuted. I’m having Hongki print it all out, I’ll be over with Donghae in a few minutes.”
Yunho thought that he made some sort of acknowledgment before shutting his phone. “Go watch Ha Neul,” he looked at Changmin and Yejin, his finger pointing in the direction of the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Changmin asked.
“Changmin.”
The younger narrowed his eyes, but he grasped Yejin’s hand in his own.
“Yunho,” Jaejoong said cautiously, coming up beside him, hopping on one foot.
“Fuck, Jaejoong, they’re married.”
“Who?”
“The Dean. The Dean and Sangmi.”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, “Married?” he squeaked. “How are they married?”
“Heechul has the documents. His best man...shit, Jae, this is ridiculous.”
Jaejoong led him to the couch, and Yunho collapsed, folding into Jaejoong’s arms, the emotions threatening to pour out of him. “What is it?”
“His best man was the senator. The one from my case.”
“Fuck,” Jaejoong swore.
“They must have done it. They pushed me, they wrecked the apartment, made the fake case. Oh my God. Jaejoong, what am I supposed to do?”
“Call the authorities. Or better yet, let Heechul do it, I don’t think you can think straight.”
Yunho let out another stream of curses and he desperately hope that none of the kids could hear. “Distract me,” he pleaded softly, “just for a minute.”
Jaejoong kissed him.
A minute (or two or five) later, his phone went off again and Jaejoong pulled it from Yunho’s hands before the lawyer could open it.
“Yoochun? We’re at our apartment.”
Yunho took a moment to appreciate the way Jaejoong said our apartment; it really did sound lovely.
“Yeah, the kids are here.”
Yunho spaced out as Jaejoong relayed the new information. In honestly, he supposed he that he should have seen in coming. Stupid curve balls.
Seungyon came into the living room, nervously, looking anxious and Yunho wondered if Sun Hea had woken or if Ha Neul had gotten into the fridge or--
“Outside,” Seungyon said.
“Hmm?”
“There’s people outside,” Seungyon clarified. “That guy, the one who came before.”
Yunho had no idea who Seungyon meant, but having people outside whose names weren’t Yoochun or Junsu wasn’t good. Yunho peeked out beyond the curtain and almost peed in relief when he saw Heechul and Donghae standing awkwardly in the parking lot.
“You gave me a heart attack,” Yunho accused, adding, “It’s just Heechul,” to soothe Jaejoong’s terrified look.
Jaejoong smacked Seungyon on the head.
“No,” Seungyon said, “Not them. I know them. There’s the other guy.”
Yunho’s relief caught in his throat and he looked back out. He didn’t see anything but Heechul hefting a large leaf of papers in his arms and Donghae leading him towards the entrance to the apartment building. “Where?”
“In the car. I saw it from the bedroom window.”
Yunho made a small guesstimate in his head and angled his view slightly.
Sangmi’s brother was leaning against a car watching Heechul and Donghae with great amusement.
“Changmin, come here.”
Yunho hoped that his voice made it apparent that he didn’t want to be graced with Yejin’s presence. Had he not been so upset, he would have congratulated himself when Changmin showed up alone.
“What?”
Yunho pointed and helped Jaejoong over whose face had long since lost all it’s color.
Changmin swore viciously.
The door buzzed, signaling Heechul and Donghae’s arrival and Yunho hurried to answer it, leaving Changmin and Jaejoong staring at the window, Yoochun shouting over the phone, demanding to know what had happened this time.
Yunho wrenched the door open, blew past Heechul and Donghae, and headed straight into the parking lot.
“You.”
He didn’t yell it, but there was so much force that Sangmi’s cousin paused mid-drag.
“Jung,” he acknowledged, smoke slipping from his lips.
“Why the hell are you in my parking lot?”
“I wasn’t aware that this was your parking lot.”
“This is for tenants only,” Yunho hissed out of his teeth.
The man only smiled.
“Leave, or I’ll call the cops.”
“I’m not trespassing.”
Yunho smiled tightly. “Yejin is with me, right now. You cannot be this close to her. Get out.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
“I swear to God,” Yunho hissed, “If you do not move yourself to an appropriate distance, your ass will spend several, long, years in jail.”
The other stared for a minute before tossing his cigarette and stamping it out. “Fine. But I’ll get her. I swear to you, I will get her.”
“Over my dead, fucking, body.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
Yunho saw the punch coming (it was the sloppiest punch ever,) and he decided not to move. He’d taken harder hits, to be sure, but he still stumbled back as the other man’s knuckles cracked into his cheekbone.
“Fag,” the other man spat, and Yunho took it, because really, it just wasn’t worth it.
~~~~
“You idiot.”
Jaejoong was seething, torn between whacking Yunho over the head with something hard, or just landing another punch over the bruise he already had. He settled for thwacking the top of Yunho’s head with a pillow. “Ow?”
“You complete moron, what were you thinking?”
“Um.”
“God, Yunho, I almost had a heart attack when I saw you run out there. Are you trying to kill me?”
“No.”
“What the hell, then.”
“I’m sorry?”
Jaejoong ground his teeth. “What were you thinking?”
“Um. I don’t want him anywhere near Yejin?”
“And so you charged right out like some freaking knight in shining armor? Genius.”
“I’m sorry,” Yunho said again.
Jaejoong sighed, and decided that maybe he could wait to be mad until after he got Yunho some ice. “Wait here.”
He belatedly thought that their apartment was getting increasingly crowded. Heechul handed him an icepack.
“Cupcakes?” Ha Neul asked, perking up as soon as she saw Jaejoong in the kitchen.
“Not now, sweetie,” his sister cooed, “Let’s go set up the beds, okay? I’m sure Jaejoong won’t mind at all if we make a fort. Alright?”
Jaejoong didn’t wait to hear the rest of the exchange, wheeling back into the living room and sitting down next to Yunho, pressing the ice to his face. “What am I going to do with you? You really scared me.”
“It was stupid,” Yunho whispered, “But shit Jae, I was just so damn angry.”
“We’re all angry,” Jaejoong soothed.
“I’m sorry.”
“You need to go talk to Yejin. She’s a mess.”
Yunho swallowed, taking the ice pack from Jaejoong. “In our room,” Jaejoong directed, and he followed Yunho.
Yejin was curled into the blankets, crying quietly, Changmin smoothing her hair from her face and whispering into her ear. It took no encouragement for Yunho to lift Yejin up and pull her close.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m so sorry, all this because of me.”
“It’s not because of you. It’s my fault, Yejin. I was stupid.”
“I think I might have Ha Neul deprive you of your cupcake, if we ever get around to making them.”
“See?” Yunho grumbled, and Yejin sniffed, a smile breaking through her tears.
“You don’t have to keep doing this. It’s not worth all of you getting hurt,” she gently touch the ice pack that Jaejoong was holding up for Yunho.
“It’s nothing, I’ve been hit worse. And you’re worth it.” Yunho raised her chin, “Never, ever think that you aren’t worth saving, Yejin, because you are.”
She didn’t smile, but she nodded, and Jaejoong let out an inner sigh of relief.
~~~~
After a day, Yunho’s bruise had gone down. There were sleeping bags and blankets all over the floor because Yunho hadn’t wanted Yejin to leave, which meant that Changmin also stayed. Jaejoong thanked whatever higher power existed that the drama was going down over the weekend, because it allowed his sister to not have to commute to work.
Food had proven difficult until Donghae had offered himself and Heechul to run errands. Heechul hadn’t at all looked pleased about it, but he said nothing, and delivered take out with a pleasant smile.
Saturday night added Junsu and Yoochun into the mix, and Jaejoong had finally settled enough to make cupcakes. He was also limping around instead of wheeling himself, which was a major plus. He and Ha Neul spent the evening dousing them in pink frosting and sprinkles.
“Lollipops,” she insisted, loudly.
“No,” Jaejoong said, at the same time his sister shouted it from the living room.
Her bottom lip quivered a little.
“Ha Neul, girls who cry cannot make cupcakes.”
The movement ceased immediately. “More frosting?”
“There isn’t any other place to put frosting, move onto the next one.”
Ha Neul set the sticky cake aside and Jaejoong sighed as he surreptitiously wiped the excess sugar off.
“Jae!”
Jaejoong beckoned to Yejin as she walked by, instructing her to watch the Sugar Queen for a minute, and set off to find Yunho. “What?”
Yunho was slipping on shoes with Heechul.
“Where are you going?”
“To find the Dean.”
“What.”
“Don’t be mad.”
“Yunho.”
“This needs to happen. I need to confront him, Jaejoong.”
“What about me?”
Yunho pulled him in for a hug. “No.”
“That’s not fair,” Jaejoong pouted, and Yunho pulled back enough to wipe a bit of frosting off his cheek.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
“Please.”
“This is my problem. I don’t want you involved.”
“Don’t be stupid, that’s exactly what Yejin said.”
Yunho swallowed. “She was right. This is about me and how I need to fix this. I called the cops, we’re going to his house. This ends tonight, Jae.”
“You have nothing on him.”
“I have a lot on him,” Heechul said, “Enough to indict and convict for several things. That, with Yejin’s testimony that she wrote out, and we’ll get Sangmi too.”
“I want to be there.”
“I don’t want you hurt; you’re still limping, Jae, if Kangin knew that you were walking around--”
“I’m not a woman; don’t leave me here because you think I’m weak.”
“I know who you are,” Yunho said, with so much fervor, Jaejoong wondered why he had brought it up, “You will be there in court. Right now, you need to be here, with the kids, Jae. With Yejin. Please.”
“No one’s going off to war, here,” Heechul interrupted, “We’re just going to watch them get arrested. He’ll be back before you know it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I’ll be fine,” Yunho kissed him, once, soundly, “Save me a cupcake.”
Jaejoong wasn’t sure what he was feeling as Yunho and Heechul slipped outside, Yunho giving him one last reassuring smile before closing the apartment door.
“Where are they going?”
Turning, Jaejoong licked his lips, trying to make his words come out. Junsu had his eyebrows raised.
“Jae?”
“The Dean. They’re going to arrest the Dean. I mean, not by themselves, just, I,” Jaejoong swallowed.
Junsu pulled Jaejoong into a hug, “Hey, you don’t have to freak out.”
“How can I not?” he moaned, “Why couldn’t I have gone? What right does he have to tell me to stay here?”
“Jaejoong,” Junsu warned softly.
“It’s not fair. We’re in things together, aren’t we? I love him, Junsu, we’re supposed to share our burdens, not ‘shoulder our own problems’ so the other person doesn’t have to deal with them.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go with him. Sharing a problem with someone doesn’t mean doing everything exactly equal. Being equal doesn’t always mean doing the exact same thing. You’re supposed to compliment each other, Jaejoong.”
“This and that are not related,” Jaejoong’s voice was raising slightly, as he pulled away from his friend. His confusion and hurt was quickly being replaced with anger, and he was quite willing to accept that.
“Yes they are,” Junsu placated, “Jaejoong, however you see it, this is Yunho’s case. Honestly, if it was you, if all of this was revolving around you, and you had a chance to go and fix it, would you want Yunho there, or would you want him waiting for you when you came home?”
Jaejoong shut his eyes, trying not explode.
“Do you think he wants you to see him like that? Especially after what happened with Sangmi’s cousin and how you reacted?”
“How was I supposed to react?” Jaejoong asked, sensing the tears of frustration, “He always puts himself in danger, every single time and I can’t do anything about it. He doesn’t let me!”
Junsu reached out, a sad smile gracing his features, and ran his fingers through Jaejoong’s hair.
“Does he not trust me?”
“He is trusting you,” Junsu assured his friend, “He’s trusting you with everyone else here.”
“That’s such a cop out. I don’t want to be trusted with this.”
“It’s not often that we’re given what we want.”
“I want to be trusted with him,” Jaejoong moaned, moving forward, back into the safety of Junsu’s arms.
“You have been,” Junsu assured him, “You have his heart, Jae, that’s the most important thing.”
“Damn heart had better come back to me so I can beat his ass,” was the muffled reply.
“It will,” Junsu promised, “He will.”
There was a sudden, loud wail from the kitchen that sounded suspiciously like Ha Neul, and Jaejoong sighed once, before hurrying back, wincing every time he put weight on his bad foot. Yejin immediately hid behind him like Ha Neul was a child of the devil. Jaejoong knew how that felt.
“I-I said she couldn’t put in a lollipop. She can’t right? I thought I heard you say that.”
Jaejoong did not hold back as he glared at Ha Neul; she rubbed her nose and covered it in frosting. “Are you done with decorating, Ha Neul?”
“No.”
“I think you should be. Yejin is going to decorate the last few. Apologize to her, please, and we’ll go wash the frosting off of you.”
Ha Neul pouted but muttered an apology.
“Come on.”
Jaejoong hadn’t noticed his sister, but he was grateful as she took her daughter’s hand and led her towards the bathroom. “Not so bad, right?” Jaejoong asked a still cowering Yejin, “Don’t let her intimidate you.”
Yejin nodded.
“I’ll make a good babysitter of you yet,” he promised, “Now, help me do these last few. We should have at least a few that are more cake than frosting.”
She smiled and Jaejoong frosted a heart onto one the cupcakes and set it aside for Yunho.
Jaejoong cleaned the kitchen, helped Seungyon with a little homework, played a game he couldn’t remember with Yejin and Changmin, and cleaned some more, because with so many people crowded into such a small space, it got very dirty, very fast. He knew he shouldn’t have, should have rested, put his feet up, but he couldn’t stay still. He ignored the pain.
He almost spilled his cleaning solution all over the floor when the phone rang.
“Hey.”
“I hope you’re on your way home, because I am itching to beat you senseless.”
“We don’t know where they are.”
Jaejoong blinked, “What?”
“They are’t anywhere. They think he skipped town, maybe a few towns. I don’t know.”
Jaejoong slid down against the wall and cradled the phone, “I’m sorry,” he said honestly.
“It’s fine,” Yunho replied, “They’ll find them eventually; they have an arrest warrant, so I’m happy.”
He listened to Yunho take a few breaths before saying, “I frosted a cupcake just for you.”
“Keep it away from Changmin.”
They both chuckled.
“I’ll be back soon, then you can kick my knees, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I know,” Jaejoong replied, “I love you too.”
~~~~
When the doorbell rang ten minutes later, Jaejoong practiced his lines in his head. “Did you lose your keys now? On top of everything?” Ha Neul skipped ahead of him (newly cleaned and grinning, despite the recent lecture Jaejoong had over heard Jihye delivering,) and tried to open the door.
“It’s locked, baby,” Jaejoong chided, and slid the bolt across, letting her twist the door knob. “Yunho!” Ha Neul grinned.
Jaejoong’s blood ran cold.
“You’re not Yunho,” Ha Neul managed, before Jaejoong grabbed her and hid her behind himself.
“We’re friends.”
“You are not a friend,” Jaejoong hissed.
“What am I?”
“Screwed,” Jaejoong proclaimed, eyes narrowed, “You lied to us.”
The Dean crossed his arms. “Can I come in?”
Jaejoong was torn for moment. The longer he stalled, the greater the chance of Yunho coming back while the Dean was here.
“What would you say if I let you in, exactly?”
“I want to know why you think I’ve lied.”
There was a scuffle in the kitchen and Yoochun appeared in the doorway, Junsu following. “I have some very strong words to say to you,” Yoochun started.
“Jaejoong, get Ha Neul out of here,” Junsu directed.
Jaejoong didn’t think twice, he grasped Ha Neul’s hand and hurriedly limped away, heading straight for the phone. He didn’t really remember much of the conversation. There was a lot of whispering and a lot of swearing, and the sounds of Heechul yelling. He did recall promising Yunho to keep the Dean occupied for as long as possible. “Give him a cupcake if you have to, Jae, we’re almost there.”
Jaejoong was not at all about to give him any of the sweets that Ha Neul had spent so long making. Suddenly, every single one of them seemed more precious than gold.
His ankle was throbbing and sat down on the floor gingerly, listening to the murmur of voices by the door: Yoochun’s low growling and Junsu’s high squeaking. The Dean started to sound more and more upset. Jaejoong hope that no one would get hurt.
It seemed like forever until there was the pounding of foot steps and yelling and finally, Jaejoong heard sirens and he thought that he might cry.
Instead, he fainted.
~~~~
When Jaejoong woke, blearily, someone was stroking his hair. “Mmmfff.”
“Hey,” Yunho’s voice murmured.
“Mmm.”
“Stop making those noises. They remind me of things I can’t do to you right now.”
Jaejoong smiled and blinked, clearing the fog from his brain. “Hey,” he said, “What happened?”
“You passed out,” Yunho said, “I almost died when I walked in and saw you out cold on the floor. Yejin was hysterical; sobbing her eyes out. She thought someone had shot you and Changmin had to spend a very large amount of time calming her down. I’m not sure how he did it.”
“M’sorry.”
“I hate to say I told you so,” Yunho started, “but, isn’t it a good thing you didn’t come with me?”
Jaejoong pulled a face that Yunho was very quick to kiss away. “Did you find your cupcake?” Jaejoong asked, licking at his kissed lips as soon as Yunho pulled away.
“It was delicious,” Yunho assured him, “The perfect amount of everything. Ha Neul saw me with it and tried to share some of her frosting with me, but I persuaded her otherwise.”
“Mmm.”
“Don’t,” Yunho warned.
Jaejoong felt his inner devil do a little dance. “The Dean?” he finally asked.
“Arrested,” Yunho’s answer was smug, “You can commend me for impeccable timing whenever you want.”
Jaejoong scoffed, but he squeezed Yunho’s hand tightly, “Now what?”
“Now we have a case,” Yunho replied, immensely pleased.
Jaejoong savored the thrill the words sent through his body. A case. A real case that he could fight with Yunho. Oh, how he had dreamt of this.
“Yejin?”
“Buying dinner with Changmin. Are you up for visitors, or shall I continue to turn them away?” Yunho eyed him carefully, “Ha Neul did say she had a present for you. It was very suspiciously wrapped and I think I saw some frosting leaking out of it.”
Jaejoong laughed. “Help me up; you’re here with me, so I can face the masses.”
Yunho lifted him and set him carefully into the wheelchair. “Kangin came and rewrapped your ankle. He said you shouldn’t have walked on it.”
“Too much to do.”
“Which is why you fainted, idiot.” Yunho flicked his forehead.
“Ow.”
“Now we’re even,” Yunho smirked, and bent down to kiss Jaejoong again. “Are you really mad at me?”
“I was. But now I’m glad that I was here. You were right; I’m in no shape to traipse about arresting people. Or watch them get arrested. I realized that as soon as I saw the Dean in the doorway.”
Yunho leaned in for another kiss.
“But if you ever leave me alone like that again, I really will kill you.”
“I won’t,” Yunho promised, “You’re involved from now on. You’ll only ever be here. With me.”
Jaejoong’s smile returned and he felt as though he could take on the world, “Wheel me out, I have a cupcake to eat.”
~~~~
A mantra was running through Jaejoong’s head as Yunho sped towards Jihye’s house; They’re fine, they’re fine, they’re fine, they’re fine.
Jaejoong didn’t believe a word of what he said to himself, even though Yoochun said he had called to check, until Sun Hea was held tightly in his arms and Jaejoong’s tears were spilling over her pink-clad shoulder.
“Jaejae,” she squealed, and then gasped, “Jaejae hurt!”
“Hi baby,” he murmured, barely registering Yunho scooping up Ha Neul and ruffling Seungyon’s hair. “I’m okay, I just hurt my ankle.” He relaxed as the tension in the air disappeared (momentarily), and he gestured for Yunho to shut the door firmly, and lock it.
“What is going on?” His sister demanded. Jaejoong let Yunho pull Jihye into the living room to explain.
“In trouble?” Sun Hea asked, obviously worried for her mother, and Jaejoong shook his head.
“No one here. There are some very bad men that I’m mad at, though, who I intend to hurt.”
“Time out them!” Sun Hea declared, before yawning.
“Yes,” Jaejoong laughed, though he was not at all amused, “A very, very long time out called jail.”
“Someone’s going to jail?” Seungyon asked, awed.
“Perhaps,” Jaejoong allowed, “You’re going to have a sleep over with Yunho and I tonight.”
“Yay!” Ha Neul shrieked, taking off at a run before Jaejoong could stop her. Visions of men in black breaking through windows and snatching her away flashed in front of Jaejoong’s eyes and he almost had a heart attack, right there.
“Ha Neul don’t-aish, Seungyon, come on, we’re all going to help each other pack.”
“What?”
“Don’t sound so unimpressed,” Jaejoong chided his nephew, and steered his wheelchair after Ha Neul.
Jaejoong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ha Neul at the bottom of the steps and their were no ninjas assaulting Ha Neul. “Get your sister’s bag,” Jaejoong directed. Sun Hea had somehow managed to fall asleep on his lap, despite her excitement, and Jaejoong cradled her as he yelled up to Ha Neul that she didn’t need five sets of clothing.
“Here,” Seungyon said, after after a stressful few minutes of waiting for them; the sparkle hurt Jaejoong’s eyes.
“Roll her blankie up for me, will you?”
“Just for the record, I’m capable of packing all by myself,” Seungyon said.
“I know,” Jaejoong said, “But we’re all staying together right now.”
Seungyon choked, slightly. In retrospect, Jaejoong realized he should have known his nephew would be far too smart to fool for long.
“You’re scared,” Seungyon said quietly, over Ha Neul’s loud chatter to her stuffed animals, explaining to them that Seungyon hadn’t picked out a big enough bag and therefore, she couldn’t bring them along. Jaejoong was not surprised that he could hear her even though she was on a different floor.
“Yes,” Jaejoong admitted, shifting Sun Hea so he could free a hand to ruffle Seungyon’s hair, “but you don’t have to be. Just go stay upstairs with her, and pack a bag for Sun HEa.”
Seungyon did not look convinced and he didn’t complain; progress.
Yunho and his sister appeared at that moment, and Jaejoong watched her take Seungyon into his room while Yunho went to get Ha Neul.
“Come on,” Yunho was holding out his free hand for Ha Neul and she took it, sending kisses to her stuffed animals as she walked down the staors.
“Are they sad to see you go?” Jaejoong asked.
“Yeah,” Ha Neul nodded, “but it’s okay.”
“You can make something to bring back to them when we get to our apartment, okay?”
She brightened at this, and Jaejoong almost laughed as she bounced excitedly. “Cupcakes?”
“If you want,” Jaejoong smiled, thinking that cupcakes would be a wonderful distraction, “I might even let you decorate them.”
Yunho groaned a little, and Jaejoong hid his smile in Sun Hea’s hair, knowing full well that the lawyer was remembering the amount of sugar that ended up on the last batch of Cupcakes a la Ha Neul.
“You shouldn’t complain,” Jaejoong whispered into Yunho’s ear, “or do you not remember what we did after we had her cupcakes the last time? We could make it a tradition.”
Yunho blinked before hissing back, “How can you be thinking of that right now?”
“Because if I think of anything else, I will die from fear.”
There was a moment of rustling as Yunho placed the bags down by the front door. Then an arm wrapped around Jaejoong’s side and he was pressed up against a very welcome chest, Sun Hea, wheelchair, and all. “I’m right here.”
“I know,” Jaejoong fought down tears (of frustration, anger, relief,) before waking Sun Hea and helping her put on shoes and a coat.
“Seepohfer,” she mumbled and Jaejoong just kissed her forehead.
“Sun Hea, I’m going to make cupcakes!” Ha Neul declared, her arms only half in her coat’s arm holes; Yunho wrapped her scarf around her neck and Jaejoong wondered if the soft angora scarf had been a gift from his sister. “Ppbt,” Ha Neul scrunched her nose and blew her lips apart as the threads stuck to her mouth. Jaejoong chuckled as Yunho cleared it away.
“So you have sprinkles?” Ha Neul questions, no doubt forming a list inside her head, “And frosting. We can stick a lollipop in it right?”
“I’ll make you some frosting, how about that?” Jaejoong asked, “You liked it the last time I made it, right?”
Ha Neul grinned.
Jaejoong wasn’t really sure where she had picked up the idea that it was okay to stick lollipops into cakes. He lifted Sun Hea back into his arms where she promptly fell back to sleep.
“How far is it?” His sister’s voice asked from the hallway and Jaejoong turned to see her there with Seungyon, both with bags.
“Fifteen minutes,” Yunho said, “Give or take.”
“Noona,” Jaejoong started, “I’m sorry you got involved in this. I’m so-“
“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him,” Jihye hissed, pointing her finger at Yunho, “This is not your fault. Do not apologize for things that you cannot help. Now let’s leave.”
“Umma, I’m going to make cupcakes!”
“And I was just thinking to myself that I was really hungry,” Jihye cooed, “How perfect!”
Ha Neul showed her teeth as Jihye lifted her up and cradled her, “They’ll be yummy,” Ha Neul said, and Jaejoong knew they would be, so long as no one died from a sugar overdose first.
~~~~
“They’re not picking up,” Changmin complained, “God, this is so annoying. What is going on?”
Yejin was sitting on Yunho’s couch, holding a pillow to herself, “I like this couch.”
Changmin glanced behind him and smiled at the sight of Yejin’s face half-burrowed into fabric. “It’s like heaven in material form. Chai tea solidified and soft. Like...” she trailed off and Changmin caught a sight of her blush before her entire face was hidden from view.
“Like what?” he asked, his cell phone still in his hand.
“Nothing,” was the mumble, and he knew, somewhere inside of him, that his name, or a pronoun referring to his name was somewhere beyond that like. And he really wanted to hear it.
“You’re killing me,” he muttered and went to sit beside her.
“It’s nothing,” the pillow said.
“You all are,” Changmin continued, “Yoochun calls and says to not let you out of my sight, and then hangs up on me. I try to call Jaejoong and Yunho but neither of them are answering, and then I try to talk to you and you won’t tell me anything. I’m dead to you all.”
He let out an exasperated sigh and let his head fall back, as he listened to Yejin’s quiet breathing. After a moment he felt her shift and his eyes flew open in shock as she slid onto his lap. “You’re not dead to me,” she said seriously.
“Yejin,” he started, but had to swallow. Not that he had known what he would have said anyway.
“I have something important to tell you.”
He meant to ask, “Do you need to sit on my lap to tell me?” but instead, he let out a very quiet squeak.
“And maybe I already said it and I forgot, but Leeteuk said I have to get it out.”
Unsure of what to do with his hands, he decided to just let them hang in midair. He tried to not think of how it looked.
“Okay,” he finally managed to breathe.
“I like you.”
Changmin blinked. Hadn’t they already gone over this?
“You-what?”
“Did I already say it?”
“I-No? I said it.”
The tension left her face and she smiled softly, “oh.”
That meant he didn’t have to say anything back, right? NO. Jaejoong screamed inside his head, RESPOND. NOW.
“I suck with words,” he said, finally deciding to put his hands to good use, and let them rest on her hips.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she whispered, and Changmin had watched enough dramas to know what she wanted.
And he wanted to so bad. Kiss her. Make out. Tangle himself around her and breathe her in and, “I can see the lamp reflected in your eyes.”
She was frowning. Fantastic. “Sorry,” he apologized, “Sorry I’m so dumb. Oh God, I just went and ruined a moment. I’m so sorry.”
“Then fix it,” she whispered, and Changmin swallowed as he tugged on her hips without thinking. He thought he understood why Jaejoong loved this couch so damn much. It was like an aphrodisiac. Better than that, he amended, as Yejin’s hands slid around his face and into his hair. So much better.
Quite honestly, he was a little afraid to touch her. Afraid that if he held onto her for too long he’d compare her to Soo Ae, afraid that if he kissed her for too long, he’d want Soo Ae, afraid that if he fell in love, he wouldn’t be falling in love with her. So he pulled back, gently.
“Do you remember what I said to you?” he asked.
She looked a little heartbroken, but he didn’t let it faze him. There was a right way to go about this, and he had promised himself that he wasn’t going to damn everything to hell.
“Yejin, I do like you. I want you,” he added, squeezing her hips, loving how right they felt against his palms, loving how she smelled, she loving how looked, staring down at him, loving everything.
“I know,” she whispered, “I know, we need to find ourselves first.”
He caught her face with his fingertips as she tried to look away. “I promise you that it will be better.”
“I-I don’t--I feel so much, what am I supposed to do?”
Changmin wet his lips and tugged her down into a hug, “I don’t know, baby. I’m sorry. I really am. But this is smart.”
Her arms wound around him and he felt a sigh released against his shoulder, “I know. I just don’t like it.”
He chuckled and held up a pinky finger, “No more kisses,” he said, “not until we know who we are as individuals.”
She glared at the finger.
“I promise that the next kiss I give will be yours. This are no more kisses across the board. I won’t even kiss Jaejoong.”
“You’ve kissed Jaejoong?”
Changmin smiled, “Once. He was pining over Yunho and I tried to comfort him. It distracted him, at best.”
Yejin laughed. “Okay,” she agreed, and linked her pinky with his.
“Kiss your thumb,” Changmin directed, touching his own thumb to his lips.
She did as directed and Changmin pressed their thumbs together. “There. Sealed with a kiss,” he said.
Yejin snorted.
“What were you going to say?” Changmin finally asked, when Yejin made no move to vacate his lap after a few minutes had passed.
“When?”
“Before, when you were describing the couch. You said it feels like...what?”
He let her stew in her embarrassment before poking her side incessantly until she sighed.
“You,” she admitted, pushing his hand away, “It feels like you when you hold me tight.”
He swallowed and cursed the pact they had just made. If that wasn’t a sentence that could make you want to kiss someone, he didn’t know what was.
There was a key sounding in the lock, and Yejin scrambled off of him just before Jaejoong wheeled in, Sun Hea on his hip. “Where have you been? And you’re in a wheelchair? Why?” Changmin demanded, slightly thankful that he hadn’t had to respond. He squeezed Yejin’s fingers before standing.
Jaejoong held up a finger to his lips, and Changmin winced as he noticed that Sun Hea was sleeping. His friend disappeared for a second, and then was back, Sun Hea-less, and looking exhausted. Changmin could hear Ha Neul talking about cupcakes.
“What have you been doing?” Jaejoong asked, and Changmin noted the thread of suspicion in his voice.
“Talking. Trying to get ahold of you. Making fun of your furniture. What’s going on?”
“Your appearances tell me that you’ve been doing more than just talking.”
Changmin wasn’t sure how to reply, but Yejin sinking further into the couch and blushing furiously solved his dilemma, though not in the way he wanted.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “You two need a chaperone.”
~~~~
Yunho was helping Ha Neul take off her coat and scarf (that in his opinion was far too adult looking for a five year old, but who was he to judge?) when his phone rang.
“You will not believe what I just found out.”
“Oh?” Yunho asked, sighing heavily as Ha Neul skipped into the kitchen, leaving her mother and brother with all the bags. “You can put those in the other bedroom. I’m sorry I only have one to spare.”
“Yunho, pay attention!” Heechul’s voice shrieked, and Yunho winced.
“I am.”
“You remember my government friend? The one I had speak in class?”
“What? Oh, yeah. Lee Hongki, right?”
“Glad you remember,” Heechul bit out, “I had him look up some of the Dean’s records.”
“That quick?”
“He likes me. Anyway, the point is, did you know that he’s married?”
“The Dean is married?” Yunho asked, “Ha Neul, do not touch the stove. You need to wait for Jaejoong before you do anything. I didn’t know he was married.”
“Yeah, and you’ll never guess to whom.”
Yunho thought about it for a second. “I don’t know, Heechul. Who?”
“Guess.”
“Heechul, this really isn’t the time for games.”
“Sangmi.”
Yunho’s hand paused over the faucet. “What?”
“He’s married to Sangmi, Yunho. He’s younger than he says, and she’s older.”
“What.”
“They’re married. Hongki searched around on the web for me and found some wedding photos. You’ll never freaking guess who the Dean’s best man was.”
“Oh my God,” Yunho breathed, walking out of the kitchen, searching desperately for Jaejoong.
“Yeah,” Heechul snorted, “The asshole you prosecuted. I’m having Hongki print it all out, I’ll be over with Donghae in a few minutes.”
Yunho thought that he made some sort of acknowledgment before shutting his phone. “Go watch Ha Neul,” he looked at Changmin and Yejin, his finger pointing in the direction of the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Changmin asked.
“Changmin.”
The younger narrowed his eyes, but he grasped Yejin’s hand in his own.
“Yunho,” Jaejoong said cautiously, coming up beside him, hopping on one foot.
“Fuck, Jaejoong, they’re married.”
“Who?”
“The Dean. The Dean and Sangmi.”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, “Married?” he squeaked. “How are they married?”
“Heechul has the documents. His best man...shit, Jae, this is ridiculous.”
Jaejoong led him to the couch, and Yunho collapsed, folding into Jaejoong’s arms, the emotions threatening to pour out of him. “What is it?”
“His best man was the senator. The one from my case.”
“Fuck,” Jaejoong swore.
“They must have done it. They pushed me, they wrecked the apartment, made the fake case. Oh my God. Jaejoong, what am I supposed to do?”
“Call the authorities. Or better yet, let Heechul do it, I don’t think you can think straight.”
Yunho let out another stream of curses and he desperately hope that none of the kids could hear. “Distract me,” he pleaded softly, “just for a minute.”
Jaejoong kissed him.
A minute (or two or five) later, his phone went off again and Jaejoong pulled it from Yunho’s hands before the lawyer could open it.
“Yoochun? We’re at our apartment.”
Yunho took a moment to appreciate the way Jaejoong said our apartment; it really did sound lovely.
“Yeah, the kids are here.”
Yunho spaced out as Jaejoong relayed the new information. In honestly, he supposed he that he should have seen in coming. Stupid curve balls.
Seungyon came into the living room, nervously, looking anxious and Yunho wondered if Sun Hea had woken or if Ha Neul had gotten into the fridge or--
“Outside,” Seungyon said.
“Hmm?”
“There’s people outside,” Seungyon clarified. “That guy, the one who came before.”
Yunho had no idea who Seungyon meant, but having people outside whose names weren’t Yoochun or Junsu wasn’t good. Yunho peeked out beyond the curtain and almost peed in relief when he saw Heechul and Donghae standing awkwardly in the parking lot.
“You gave me a heart attack,” Yunho accused, adding, “It’s just Heechul,” to soothe Jaejoong’s terrified look.
Jaejoong smacked Seungyon on the head.
“No,” Seungyon said, “Not them. I know them. There’s the other guy.”
Yunho’s relief caught in his throat and he looked back out. He didn’t see anything but Heechul hefting a large leaf of papers in his arms and Donghae leading him towards the entrance to the apartment building. “Where?”
“In the car. I saw it from the bedroom window.”
Yunho made a small guesstimate in his head and angled his view slightly.
Sangmi’s brother was leaning against a car watching Heechul and Donghae with great amusement.
“Changmin, come here.”
Yunho hoped that his voice made it apparent that he didn’t want to be graced with Yejin’s presence. Had he not been so upset, he would have congratulated himself when Changmin showed up alone.
“What?”
Yunho pointed and helped Jaejoong over whose face had long since lost all it’s color.
Changmin swore viciously.
The door buzzed, signaling Heechul and Donghae’s arrival and Yunho hurried to answer it, leaving Changmin and Jaejoong staring at the window, Yoochun shouting over the phone, demanding to know what had happened this time.
Yunho wrenched the door open, blew past Heechul and Donghae, and headed straight into the parking lot.
“You.”
He didn’t yell it, but there was so much force that Sangmi’s cousin paused mid-drag.
“Jung,” he acknowledged, smoke slipping from his lips.
“Why the hell are you in my parking lot?”
“I wasn’t aware that this was your parking lot.”
“This is for tenants only,” Yunho hissed out of his teeth.
The man only smiled.
“Leave, or I’ll call the cops.”
“I’m not trespassing.”
Yunho smiled tightly. “Yejin is with me, right now. You cannot be this close to her. Get out.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
“I swear to God,” Yunho hissed, “If you do not move yourself to an appropriate distance, your ass will spend several, long, years in jail.”
The other stared for a minute before tossing his cigarette and stamping it out. “Fine. But I’ll get her. I swear to you, I will get her.”
“Over my dead, fucking, body.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
Yunho saw the punch coming (it was the sloppiest punch ever,) and he decided not to move. He’d taken harder hits, to be sure, but he still stumbled back as the other man’s knuckles cracked into his cheekbone.
“Fag,” the other man spat, and Yunho took it, because really, it just wasn’t worth it.
~~~~
“You idiot.”
Jaejoong was seething, torn between whacking Yunho over the head with something hard, or just landing another punch over the bruise he already had. He settled for thwacking the top of Yunho’s head with a pillow. “Ow?”
“You complete moron, what were you thinking?”
“Um.”
“God, Yunho, I almost had a heart attack when I saw you run out there. Are you trying to kill me?”
“No.”
“What the hell, then.”
“I’m sorry?”
Jaejoong ground his teeth. “What were you thinking?”
“Um. I don’t want him anywhere near Yejin?”
“And so you charged right out like some freaking knight in shining armor? Genius.”
“I’m sorry,” Yunho said again.
Jaejoong sighed, and decided that maybe he could wait to be mad until after he got Yunho some ice. “Wait here.”
He belatedly thought that their apartment was getting increasingly crowded. Heechul handed him an icepack.
“Cupcakes?” Ha Neul asked, perking up as soon as she saw Jaejoong in the kitchen.
“Not now, sweetie,” his sister cooed, “Let’s go set up the beds, okay? I’m sure Jaejoong won’t mind at all if we make a fort. Alright?”
Jaejoong didn’t wait to hear the rest of the exchange, wheeling back into the living room and sitting down next to Yunho, pressing the ice to his face. “What am I going to do with you? You really scared me.”
“It was stupid,” Yunho whispered, “But shit Jae, I was just so damn angry.”
“We’re all angry,” Jaejoong soothed.
“I’m sorry.”
“You need to go talk to Yejin. She’s a mess.”
Yunho swallowed, taking the ice pack from Jaejoong. “In our room,” Jaejoong directed, and he followed Yunho.
Yejin was curled into the blankets, crying quietly, Changmin smoothing her hair from her face and whispering into her ear. It took no encouragement for Yunho to lift Yejin up and pull her close.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m so sorry, all this because of me.”
“It’s not because of you. It’s my fault, Yejin. I was stupid.”
“I think I might have Ha Neul deprive you of your cupcake, if we ever get around to making them.”
“See?” Yunho grumbled, and Yejin sniffed, a smile breaking through her tears.
“You don’t have to keep doing this. It’s not worth all of you getting hurt,” she gently touch the ice pack that Jaejoong was holding up for Yunho.
“It’s nothing, I’ve been hit worse. And you’re worth it.” Yunho raised her chin, “Never, ever think that you aren’t worth saving, Yejin, because you are.”
She didn’t smile, but she nodded, and Jaejoong let out an inner sigh of relief.
~~~~
After a day, Yunho’s bruise had gone down. There were sleeping bags and blankets all over the floor because Yunho hadn’t wanted Yejin to leave, which meant that Changmin also stayed. Jaejoong thanked whatever higher power existed that the drama was going down over the weekend, because it allowed his sister to not have to commute to work.
Food had proven difficult until Donghae had offered himself and Heechul to run errands. Heechul hadn’t at all looked pleased about it, but he said nothing, and delivered take out with a pleasant smile.
Saturday night added Junsu and Yoochun into the mix, and Jaejoong had finally settled enough to make cupcakes. He was also limping around instead of wheeling himself, which was a major plus. He and Ha Neul spent the evening dousing them in pink frosting and sprinkles.
“Lollipops,” she insisted, loudly.
“No,” Jaejoong said, at the same time his sister shouted it from the living room.
Her bottom lip quivered a little.
“Ha Neul, girls who cry cannot make cupcakes.”
The movement ceased immediately. “More frosting?”
“There isn’t any other place to put frosting, move onto the next one.”
Ha Neul set the sticky cake aside and Jaejoong sighed as he surreptitiously wiped the excess sugar off.
“Jae!”
Jaejoong beckoned to Yejin as she walked by, instructing her to watch the Sugar Queen for a minute, and set off to find Yunho. “What?”
Yunho was slipping on shoes with Heechul.
“Where are you going?”
“To find the Dean.”
“What.”
“Don’t be mad.”
“Yunho.”
“This needs to happen. I need to confront him, Jaejoong.”
“What about me?”
Yunho pulled him in for a hug. “No.”
“That’s not fair,” Jaejoong pouted, and Yunho pulled back enough to wipe a bit of frosting off his cheek.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
“Please.”
“This is my problem. I don’t want you involved.”
“Don’t be stupid, that’s exactly what Yejin said.”
Yunho swallowed. “She was right. This is about me and how I need to fix this. I called the cops, we’re going to his house. This ends tonight, Jae.”
“You have nothing on him.”
“I have a lot on him,” Heechul said, “Enough to indict and convict for several things. That, with Yejin’s testimony that she wrote out, and we’ll get Sangmi too.”
“I want to be there.”
“I don’t want you hurt; you’re still limping, Jae, if Kangin knew that you were walking around--”
“I’m not a woman; don’t leave me here because you think I’m weak.”
“I know who you are,” Yunho said, with so much fervor, Jaejoong wondered why he had brought it up, “You will be there in court. Right now, you need to be here, with the kids, Jae. With Yejin. Please.”
“No one’s going off to war, here,” Heechul interrupted, “We’re just going to watch them get arrested. He’ll be back before you know it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I’ll be fine,” Yunho kissed him, once, soundly, “Save me a cupcake.”
Jaejoong wasn’t sure what he was feeling as Yunho and Heechul slipped outside, Yunho giving him one last reassuring smile before closing the apartment door.
“Where are they going?”
Turning, Jaejoong licked his lips, trying to make his words come out. Junsu had his eyebrows raised.
“Jae?”
“The Dean. They’re going to arrest the Dean. I mean, not by themselves, just, I,” Jaejoong swallowed.
Junsu pulled Jaejoong into a hug, “Hey, you don’t have to freak out.”
“How can I not?” he moaned, “Why couldn’t I have gone? What right does he have to tell me to stay here?”
“Jaejoong,” Junsu warned softly.
“It’s not fair. We’re in things together, aren’t we? I love him, Junsu, we’re supposed to share our burdens, not ‘shoulder our own problems’ so the other person doesn’t have to deal with them.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go with him. Sharing a problem with someone doesn’t mean doing everything exactly equal. Being equal doesn’t always mean doing the exact same thing. You’re supposed to compliment each other, Jaejoong.”
“This and that are not related,” Jaejoong’s voice was raising slightly, as he pulled away from his friend. His confusion and hurt was quickly being replaced with anger, and he was quite willing to accept that.
“Yes they are,” Junsu placated, “Jaejoong, however you see it, this is Yunho’s case. Honestly, if it was you, if all of this was revolving around you, and you had a chance to go and fix it, would you want Yunho there, or would you want him waiting for you when you came home?”
Jaejoong shut his eyes, trying not explode.
“Do you think he wants you to see him like that? Especially after what happened with Sangmi’s cousin and how you reacted?”
“How was I supposed to react?” Jaejoong asked, sensing the tears of frustration, “He always puts himself in danger, every single time and I can’t do anything about it. He doesn’t let me!”
Junsu reached out, a sad smile gracing his features, and ran his fingers through Jaejoong’s hair.
“Does he not trust me?”
“He is trusting you,” Junsu assured his friend, “He’s trusting you with everyone else here.”
“That’s such a cop out. I don’t want to be trusted with this.”
“It’s not often that we’re given what we want.”
“I want to be trusted with him,” Jaejoong moaned, moving forward, back into the safety of Junsu’s arms.
“You have been,” Junsu assured him, “You have his heart, Jae, that’s the most important thing.”
“Damn heart had better come back to me so I can beat his ass,” was the muffled reply.
“It will,” Junsu promised, “He will.”
There was a sudden, loud wail from the kitchen that sounded suspiciously like Ha Neul, and Jaejoong sighed once, before hurrying back, wincing every time he put weight on his bad foot. Yejin immediately hid behind him like Ha Neul was a child of the devil. Jaejoong knew how that felt.
“I-I said she couldn’t put in a lollipop. She can’t right? I thought I heard you say that.”
Jaejoong did not hold back as he glared at Ha Neul; she rubbed her nose and covered it in frosting. “Are you done with decorating, Ha Neul?”
“No.”
“I think you should be. Yejin is going to decorate the last few. Apologize to her, please, and we’ll go wash the frosting off of you.”
Ha Neul pouted but muttered an apology.
“Come on.”
Jaejoong hadn’t noticed his sister, but he was grateful as she took her daughter’s hand and led her towards the bathroom. “Not so bad, right?” Jaejoong asked a still cowering Yejin, “Don’t let her intimidate you.”
Yejin nodded.
“I’ll make a good babysitter of you yet,” he promised, “Now, help me do these last few. We should have at least a few that are more cake than frosting.”
She smiled and Jaejoong frosted a heart onto one the cupcakes and set it aside for Yunho.
Jaejoong cleaned the kitchen, helped Seungyon with a little homework, played a game he couldn’t remember with Yejin and Changmin, and cleaned some more, because with so many people crowded into such a small space, it got very dirty, very fast. He knew he shouldn’t have, should have rested, put his feet up, but he couldn’t stay still. He ignored the pain.
He almost spilled his cleaning solution all over the floor when the phone rang.
“Hey.”
“I hope you’re on your way home, because I am itching to beat you senseless.”
“We don’t know where they are.”
Jaejoong blinked, “What?”
“They are’t anywhere. They think he skipped town, maybe a few towns. I don’t know.”
Jaejoong slid down against the wall and cradled the phone, “I’m sorry,” he said honestly.
“It’s fine,” Yunho replied, “They’ll find them eventually; they have an arrest warrant, so I’m happy.”
He listened to Yunho take a few breaths before saying, “I frosted a cupcake just for you.”
“Keep it away from Changmin.”
They both chuckled.
“I’ll be back soon, then you can kick my knees, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I know,” Jaejoong replied, “I love you too.”
~~~~
When the doorbell rang ten minutes later, Jaejoong practiced his lines in his head. “Did you lose your keys now? On top of everything?” Ha Neul skipped ahead of him (newly cleaned and grinning, despite the recent lecture Jaejoong had over heard Jihye delivering,) and tried to open the door.
“It’s locked, baby,” Jaejoong chided, and slid the bolt across, letting her twist the door knob. “Yunho!” Ha Neul grinned.
Jaejoong’s blood ran cold.
“You’re not Yunho,” Ha Neul managed, before Jaejoong grabbed her and hid her behind himself.
“We’re friends.”
“You are not a friend,” Jaejoong hissed.
“What am I?”
“Screwed,” Jaejoong proclaimed, eyes narrowed, “You lied to us.”
The Dean crossed his arms. “Can I come in?”
Jaejoong was torn for moment. The longer he stalled, the greater the chance of Yunho coming back while the Dean was here.
“What would you say if I let you in, exactly?”
“I want to know why you think I’ve lied.”
There was a scuffle in the kitchen and Yoochun appeared in the doorway, Junsu following. “I have some very strong words to say to you,” Yoochun started.
“Jaejoong, get Ha Neul out of here,” Junsu directed.
Jaejoong didn’t think twice, he grasped Ha Neul’s hand and hurriedly limped away, heading straight for the phone. He didn’t really remember much of the conversation. There was a lot of whispering and a lot of swearing, and the sounds of Heechul yelling. He did recall promising Yunho to keep the Dean occupied for as long as possible. “Give him a cupcake if you have to, Jae, we’re almost there.”
Jaejoong was not at all about to give him any of the sweets that Ha Neul had spent so long making. Suddenly, every single one of them seemed more precious than gold.
His ankle was throbbing and sat down on the floor gingerly, listening to the murmur of voices by the door: Yoochun’s low growling and Junsu’s high squeaking. The Dean started to sound more and more upset. Jaejoong hope that no one would get hurt.
It seemed like forever until there was the pounding of foot steps and yelling and finally, Jaejoong heard sirens and he thought that he might cry.
Instead, he fainted.
~~~~
When Jaejoong woke, blearily, someone was stroking his hair. “Mmmfff.”
“Hey,” Yunho’s voice murmured.
“Mmm.”
“Stop making those noises. They remind me of things I can’t do to you right now.”
Jaejoong smiled and blinked, clearing the fog from his brain. “Hey,” he said, “What happened?”
“You passed out,” Yunho said, “I almost died when I walked in and saw you out cold on the floor. Yejin was hysterical; sobbing her eyes out. She thought someone had shot you and Changmin had to spend a very large amount of time calming her down. I’m not sure how he did it.”
“M’sorry.”
“I hate to say I told you so,” Yunho started, “but, isn’t it a good thing you didn’t come with me?”
Jaejoong pulled a face that Yunho was very quick to kiss away. “Did you find your cupcake?” Jaejoong asked, licking at his kissed lips as soon as Yunho pulled away.
“It was delicious,” Yunho assured him, “The perfect amount of everything. Ha Neul saw me with it and tried to share some of her frosting with me, but I persuaded her otherwise.”
“Mmm.”
“Don’t,” Yunho warned.
Jaejoong felt his inner devil do a little dance. “The Dean?” he finally asked.
“Arrested,” Yunho’s answer was smug, “You can commend me for impeccable timing whenever you want.”
Jaejoong scoffed, but he squeezed Yunho’s hand tightly, “Now what?”
“Now we have a case,” Yunho replied, immensely pleased.
Jaejoong savored the thrill the words sent through his body. A case. A real case that he could fight with Yunho. Oh, how he had dreamt of this.
“Yejin?”
“Buying dinner with Changmin. Are you up for visitors, or shall I continue to turn them away?” Yunho eyed him carefully, “Ha Neul did say she had a present for you. It was very suspiciously wrapped and I think I saw some frosting leaking out of it.”
Jaejoong laughed. “Help me up; you’re here with me, so I can face the masses.”
Yunho lifted him and set him carefully into the wheelchair. “Kangin came and rewrapped your ankle. He said you shouldn’t have walked on it.”
“Too much to do.”
“Which is why you fainted, idiot.” Yunho flicked his forehead.
“Ow.”
“Now we’re even,” Yunho smirked, and bent down to kiss Jaejoong again. “Are you really mad at me?”
“I was. But now I’m glad that I was here. You were right; I’m in no shape to traipse about arresting people. Or watch them get arrested. I realized that as soon as I saw the Dean in the doorway.”
Yunho leaned in for another kiss.
“But if you ever leave me alone like that again, I really will kill you.”
“I won’t,” Yunho promised, “You’re involved from now on. You’ll only ever be here. With me.”
Jaejoong’s smile returned and he felt as though he could take on the world, “Wheel me out, I have a cupcake to eat.”
~~~~
One more to go...