lotus_beauty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lotus_beauty) wrote2009-07-23 11:07 pm
lotus_beauty) wrote2009-07-23 11:07 pm
[Fic] Redefine: Part 10
Title: Redefine
Author: LotusBeauty
Type: Multi-chapter
Rating: R to NC-17
Pairings: JaeChun, JaeHo, other ot5 stuff eventually
Genre: AU, fantasy, crossover, comedy/drama/emo
Summary: He was trying to keep me safe. I wished he was wrong, but he was right. (Sequel to Feel)
Notes: you know the drill. disastrous win, etc :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, but a girl can dream through fiction.
For previous chapters, please refer to the main post HERE, which also has links for the previous arc.
10: Sun Red Sky Blue
Jae tried to reach for his phone. He really did! Yunho wouldn’t let him go the extra five inches to actually grab it off of the bedside table. Jae rolled his eyes and turned in Yunho’s arms to deliver a deep kiss then turned and reached over to grab the phone just before Yunho could pull him back for another round. He didn’t get that extra round when Jae flipped his phone open.
“Hello?” He smirked as Yunho pouted, knowing Kendra was on the other end.
“Took your sweet time to answer,” she grumbled.
“Stop it,” Jae hissed at Yunho when a hand gripped his left buttock and squeezed.
“Oh, I see. Maybe I shouldn’t interrupt,” she said teasingly as Jae rolled his eyes.
“He got some last night, he’ll survive,” Jae said warningly as Yunho held his hands up and rolled away to get off the bed. “What’s up?”
“Heard you guys got into a fight, but it sounds like you made up,” she said through laughter.
“How did you hear about that?” he asked, wondering who was such a damn gossip and who had whose phone number.
“Doesn’t matter. Chester wants me to invite you to go camping.”
Jae tilted his head curiously as Yunho pulled a clean pair of boxer briefs on and turned back to raise an eyebrow at Jae’s silence. “When?”
“Saturday. Shut up, Chester,” Kendra said exasperated to the unintelligible voice on the other end. “He says its boys only. I guess you qualify, unlike me.”
Jae snorted and looked up at Yunho. “Boys only camping on Saturday. Wanna go and show off?” he asked as he remembered their camping trips as kids.
Yunho grinned. “I haven’t gone camping for a while.”
“Where do we meet up?” Jae asked immediately as he reached to the bedside table for the notebook and pen he’d left. As he was listening to Kendra and writing everything down, Jae noticed he still had Yunho’s necklace around his wrist. Once he hung up, he slipped it off and put it back around his neck, making sure the tie was tight before he looked to Yunho who was now dressed in sweats. “No shower?”
“Time to work,” he told Jae and cracked his knuckles. Tilting his head curiously, Jae soon found out exactly what he meant. He was the one who got to help Yunho unpack everything and place all of his belongings around the loft. He particularly enjoyed the fact that Yunho had bought himself new cookwear and decided he would have to break it in that night so they could have a good meal before camping. He had checked the fridge after they got up to see it fully stocked and a note from Yunho’s friends asking him to actually eat properly for once. Jae had grinned and looked through it all to plan what to make. He put all of the pots in the dishwasher as Yunho called him over to the area he’d deemed the dance space earlier.
“What’s up?” he asked as he watched Yunho lining mirrors up against the wall.
“This is why we didn’t shower yet,” Yunho explained and picked up a drill. “Time to install these.”
Jae wilted as he looked at the task before them. This wasn’t going to be easy—and he was right. They spent the majority of the afternoon slowly and carefully measuring and installing all of the mirrors on the wall. Jae wondered where Yunho had gotten the money for all of these large mirrors, but he had a feeling Yunho had saved up for it. He always was very careful about money and if he’d invested in these mirrors, he was obviously very serious about his dancing. He found he didn’t mind at all when they finished and he looked up to see the elated look on Yunho’s face. If he could always see Yunho this happy, he wouldn’t mind enduring this again.
“Clothing in the washer?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Dishes in dishwasher?”
He’d just switched those out. “Yep.”
“Then we dance.” Yunho grinned.
“What?!” The rest he’d been hoping for was slipping away.
He laughed at Jae’s disturbed expression. “Gotta wait for the hot water. And we skipped dance lessons this week as well as jogging this morning, so we might as well. Rest is for the wicked!”
Jae made a face at him. “But I am wicked!”
“Well, then lazy people.”
“I like being lazy!” He hit the floor in protest.
“Get your butt up or no sex,” Yunho threatened.
Jae let out a frustrated growl and stood. “Fine.”
Apparently, it was wear-the-hell-out-of-Jae day so he wouldn’t have any energy left for sex after dinner anyway. In addition to moving and unpacking boxes, Jae was made to learn new dance moves and dance through them with Yunho as well as do stretches to keep from getting sore when they were finished. Sometimes he hated Yunho. He had a mind to start up what they’d had last night. But when he glanced over to see Yunho’s bright smile, he couldn’t hate him at all.
Jae stole into the shower first hoping to leave cold water for Yunho, but knowing the wolf, he’d probably like that. Once finished, Jae quickly dressed in comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt and made his way into the kitchen area to start his plans. He was fairly far into the making when Yunho caught him up from behind and his arms wrapped around Jae’s waist. Jae leaned back into the embrace as he felt a kiss on his neck. He had to smile as he thought back. He’d come a long way from not liking people behind him. Yunho nuzzled his neck and kissed it again.
“If you keep distracting me, you’ll never get dinner. Or I’ll cut a finger off. Your call,” he warned as a warm laugh echoed in the area.
Yunho stole a kiss from his lips this time before moving away to wash his hands. Jae had to admit, he was smooth. The rest of the preparation was done together and Jae didn’t even have to tell Yunho what he was making, the man seemed to know already from what he’d started and the ingredients.
Dinner went by uneventfully, for which Jae was grateful. He needed a little normalcy after everything that had happened over the last week. After rinsing everything and sticking it in the dishwasher, Jae flopped down on the sofa situated in front of Yunho’s television and ended up falling asleep to some show about the history of Egypt. At some point he felt someone lift him up, but after that, he was truly gone.
He awoke to pounding on the door and a soft curse from Yunho in his ear. Yunho slipped out of the bed and Jae buried himself in the blankets. He knew exactly who was outside that door and he had a mind to shoot him in the head. Muffled by the blankets, he could hear Chester and a few other people greeting Yunho happily and loudly.
“Wake up, JJ!” Chester called happily as the bed bounced and Jae could feel the blankets being torn away.
“Go to hell,” he snapped and hid with the pillow atop his head.
“Tickle him,” Yunho suggested.
Jae pulled the pillow off and shot a deathly glare at them.
“Dude, I’m not sure that’s really the best idea,” Chester said nervously.
Yunho just grinned. His plan had worked. Jae was now fully awake and groaned as he flopped back down on the bed. “You all suck,” he grumbled as Chester ran away.
“No, just some of us,” Yunho smirked as he dragged Jae out of bed. “Get packed, we’re going hiking.”
Jae whined as their friends attacked the fridge. “But I wanna stay in beeeed…” he said with a pout as he stood to mold his body against Yunho’s. He knew the offer was hard to refuse when had to look at the wall before he could push Jae away.
“G-go shower so we can get going,” he stuttered and went to keep the guys from eating all of their food.
Jae sighed and grabbed a towel. It was worth a try. He wasted time in the shower and dressed before coming out to pack his bag. Waiting around for Yunho to shower, Jae found pancake batter in the cupboard and made pancakes for his friends. When Aaron arrived with some of the guys from the res, Jae knew this was going to be a big overnight thing. He wondered if they had enough makings for smores to actually feed all of them. Conferring with Chester, he found out they had thought of food and everything in advance. Once Yunho was showered and ready, everyone packed into cars and headed out of town. This was much more organized than he’d expected.
“How do you think this is going to go?” Jae asked as he stared out at the landscape flying by.
“About as well as an event planned for a group of idiot guys can go,” Yunho replied. Jae could feel the smirk in his voice without even looking.
“Relatively well, then,” Jae answered with a grin.
They drove quite a ways into the hills before the lead car led them off the highway and onto a dirt road that began to narrow as the trees got thicker. Chester’s lead car led them past a national park sign and to a parking space that it seemed they had all to themselves. Soon after they were all geared up and began their hike to wherever Chester had decided they were going to be camping. Chester led this merry band of hikers while Yunho brought up the rear. Jae was right in front of him and had a sneaking suspicion Yunho liked looking at his rear. At some point during the hike a comment was made about Jae’s hair and how if he got lost, he’d be easy to find. He had no intention of telling them he’d already gotten lost once and Yunho would be able to find him faster than any of them. He had to wonder how he would feel if he saw that particular location again and made a mental note to go back there and find out.
Everything did look familiar though. Trees of course populated the area but the look was just a bit different. Up and down on the trail they went and Jae tried to keep his eyes on the ground to see where he was going, but they kept wandering up to the bushes and trees. Ferns populated most of the area between the trees, but they weren’t as interesting as the trees. The moss that covered the branches of some of the trees hung down and moved in the wind, like hair. Jae touched them a few times as they passed while Yunho chuckled from behind.
“Some people think that stuff is creepy,” Yunho commented.
“I think it’s cool. Like Halloween,” Jae replied with a grin.
“You would.”
And although Jae found the moss interesting, he had to be glad for the trees. They kept the sun at bay, and though the air was cool, the sun would have had them sweating even more than they already were. They kept the pace steady as they hiked. Though the trail wasn’t difficult, they came upon some troublesome spots along the way as trees had fallen over the trail and they had to find their way over and around them. After about an hour, they took a rest stop as the trail snaked down next to a large stream, but it wasn’t long before they were off again.
After hiking for a few hours, Chester led them onto a smaller trail for a little while before they came to a clearing and the young man claimed they’d arrived. Jae had to admit; he knew how to pick a good, clean camping spot and had obviously been here many times before. Before long they were putting down packs and breaking out gear to set up tents in the open area. As Yunho opened Jae’s bag, Jae noticed the trees clear in one direction and walked toward it. His eyebrows rose when the trees opened up to a large valley and nostalgia swept through him. He’d seen this valley, he knew he had, but from another direction.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Chester asked as Jae nodded absently. “We’re facing west, so if there are some clouds later on, we’ll have a spectacular sunset!” He held up his camera and Jae could only laugh.
“Ulterior motives?” he asked to watch his friend nod. Jae rolled his eyes in amusement and returned to the group to help set things up.
“So,” Aaron called as they were finishing the tents. “How are we splitting sleeping arrangements?”
“Yunho and JJ can have the big tent,” Chester offered with a devious smile as everyone leered and hooted.
Jae could only grin. “Sounds good to me, not that we’ll be sleeping anyway,” he implied as a few groaned and others laughed. Yunho just shook his head with a smile and kept working. Chester seemed miffed that no one had fought his suggestion and Jae was satisfied with landing the biggest and most comfortable tent by accident. Leave it to Chester to put his foot in his mouth. They spent the rest of the day, well, being boys. A group of them, Jae included, hiked for a while to find that stream again and had a water fight that left them a bit wet when they returned to camp closer to the evening.
“Why didn’t you catch any fish?” Yunho demanded as he took in their state.
“Chester scared them away with his obnoxiously loud, girly voice,” Aaron said with a shrug before the other boy attacked him and they wrestled around in the open area. Jae skirted away from them and toward Yunho.
“You get this wet and come back empty handed?” Yunho shook his head, disappointed.
Jae mock frowned and crossed his arms. “I come back all wet and sexy, and this is the greeting I get?”
“Don’t you think for one second that I don’t like it,” Yunho replied, shaking a finger at Jae.
“Well, fine then, I’ll just have to do this all the time then!” Jae threw up his hands and stalked away as a few of their friends bent over laughing. They skipped the cheesy make-up scene when Yunho later found Jae near the fire they’d built and handed over a list of food they’d brought. Jae couldn’t make much from it, but they did have a portable grill Chester had carried, so at least he would have some control over a few things they cooked. Jae had a feeling his cooking skills were the reason he’d been invited on this little adventure. He was also glad that his friends were so comfortable around him. No one even implied that he and Yunho couldn’t do the work just because they were in a relationship. It made him proud to have friends who didn’t care about his sexual orientation.
Aaron sat next to Jae as he set up the mini grill. “Did Yunho tell you what the pendant is from?”
Jae raised an eyebrow at him. “No.” He’d always thought it was just Yunho’s necklace. He’d had the thing since they met.
Aaron reached out to tap the pendant. “It’s an old, I guess you’d say talisman for protection. I believe Yunho’s grandfather gave it to him when he was a kid. My dad gave me one too, but I never wore it around like Yunho.”
Jae glanced at Yunho. Knowing his grandfather, it was probably something that was supposedly spelled to protect a person from vampires. “Family heirloom?” Jae asked and pointed to the hot dogs.
“Nah, nothing that fancy,” Aaron waved a hand before he handed over the package of hot dogs. “Just thought you might like to know,” he said with a grin.
Jae could only smile. He hadn’t known the item was so important. He laughed when Aaron pushed him for the light blush on his cheeks. “Come on man, I’m trying to cook!”
“You’re talented, I’m sure you can manage!”
“Tickle him, he’s ticklish,” Yunho suggested and ducked when Jae threw ice at him.
“No food for you if anyone touches me!” Jae countered and Yunho whined before he put his hands up in defeat.
“Are you?” Aaron asked as he and Jae arranged the food on a large tree stump that became a makeshift table covered in a cloth.
“I admit to nothing,” Jae sniffed, “but I know for a fact if you get Yunho in the right spot, he squeals like a little girl and flails.” He smirked to himself when Aaron doubled over laughing, probably imagining the description.
Jae of course, had cooking detail, which meant when the talking was over and food was finished being devoured, he didn’t have to clean up a thing. He got to kick back while everyone else cleaned and gathered garbage. It was then he noticed the sun beginning near the horizon and he snuck away from everyone to find Chester setting his camera up at the tree line.
“Yo,” he said when Jae walked up and nodded. “I think it might look pretty damn good.” He grinned at the horizon that was scattered with clouds. Jae knew that they would be turning bright, vibrant colors anytime soon.
It wasn’t a surprise that when everyone else joined them, Yunho hugged Jae from behind. They then sat and Jae let himself be pulled back between Yunho’s legs to be held tightly. He didn’t care if anyone else saw it; he had a backrest and was warm. A smile snuck onto his face though when Yunho rested a chin on his shoulder. Jae glanced over when he heard a click and saw Chester grinning at them from behind his camera, the snot. He would get that photo later on sometime.
They all quietly watched the sunset together while the night cooled. The sunlight burned red across the blue sky and Jae hoped that Chester would share his pictures. He hadn’t seen a sunset as beautiful as this in quite a long time. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay vivid for long as the colors eventually shifted and finally started to fade. Once the sun had dipped below the horizon, Chester made everyone get together to take a big group picture before they all scattered to go back to the camp. A few of them made kissy noises at Yunho and Jae, who hung back as everyone left.
Jae smirked and poked Yunho in a particular spot to make him squeak and flail. He held the smirk when Yunho glared at him, the glare soon melting into a smile as he couldn’t stay mad for long. Jae then let Yunho pull him close and steal a kiss. He hadn’t had one all day, it was about damn time! As an afterthought, Jae wondered who had bets on how long they would last without kissing.
“Do you think they’ll mind if we don’t make it back for a while?” Jae asked as he nuzzled Yunho’s neck.
“Hmmm, I think they sort of expect it,” he replied before catching Jae’s chin to tilt his face back up for another kiss.
“Almost sad I didn’t bring anything,” Jae remarked when they parted, only to stare when Yunho held up a condom. “Perv,” he pushed at Yunho who laughed and then pocketed the item.
“Gotta always be prepared,” Yunho said with a shrug and pulled Jae close again. “Besides, who knows how amorous you’re feeling at any given point in time.”
Jae leveled a stare at him. “You say that like I’ll just put out whenever you want.”
Yunho pouted. “Isn’t that what a boyfriend is for?”
Jae tried to hold back his smile. “Maybe you,” he suggested as Yunho pulled him close, a smile already on his lips as they kissed. “Remember the last time we went camping?”
Yunho snickered. “Going for firewood?”
“And how we ‘got lost’ on our way back?” Jae used his fingers for emphasis.
“How could they not know after that?” Yunho laughed.
“Maybe your sister just got lucky?” Jae suggested.
“Nah, Dad probably knew. Even now he’s cool with it, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he just didn’t say anything,” Yunho told him with a grin. “I don’t know how my dad got so laid back.”
“To balance your mom’s OCD-ness?” he asked to get a fond smile. “I miss her.” He hugged Yunho then, feeling him squeeze back.
“Yeah,” Yunho replied quietly. “Did I tell you she apologized for yelling at me?”
“No.” Jae pulled back in surprise. “What did she say?”
He smiled softly. “She said she was sorry for yelling at me so much. She said she wanted me to be happy.”
Jae had a feeling there was more, but if Yunho said it, he might start crying. With a smile, he pulled Yunho into another hug and just held him for a while. He would never be a substitute for Yunho’s mom, but the least he could do was comfort his lover.
The twilight began to fade to darkness then and Yunho suggested they head back. Jae agreed as Yunho took his hand and led him back. Too much dwelling might be bad. They could talk about it another day when they had some real privacy.
“Yo,” Chester greeted them when they returned. “I drew the short straw so I’m sharing the big tent with you.”
Jae raised an eyebrow. “I thought we got it to ourselves.”
“We calculated wrong.” Chester scratched his head sheepishly.
The two looked at each other and shrugged. “I don’t mind,” Yunho said.
“Yeah, we’ll just scoot closer together so there’s more space,” Jae agreed.
“And no turning this into some Brokeback Mountain thing!” Chester threatened with a grin.
“But you might like it,” Jae whined.
“Yeah. I’m sure your camera could take video for Kendra,” Yunho offered.
“You two are horrible. No wonder I’m friends with you.” Chester grinned and Jae was somehow glad it was Chester who was in the tent with them, and not someone else.
The night after that was uneventful. They joined everyone in making smores over the fire and told ridiculous stories before turning in as the cool of the night set in. Jae and Yunho laid their sleeping bags down next to each other and ended up curling up on top of them with a couple of blankets atop them as Chester took the rest of the space. Jae was extremely glad for his living space heater in Yunho as Chester was probably thankful for being in the warmest tent in the group.
In the morning, they had a light breakfast and set out before even noon hit and made it back to the cars as everyone was getting hungry for lunch. Yunho was slowly puttering around with things in the trunk and told everyone to go on ahead as Jae munched on a sandwich he had left. He waved as their friends drove away then turned to his lover.
“I’m assuming there’s a reason we’re loitering?” Jae asked.
“I can feel a vampire and I think I might know who it is.” Yunho glanced up and flashed a smile.
“He’s getting good at this!”
Jae jumped to see Kumi standing beside him and held his chest. “Don’t do that!”
“You humans are so cute.” She smacked his arm with a laugh and moved to Yunho. “Ready for some training?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied and looked to Jae. “You?”
“I completely forgot,” Jae admitted. “Let me get my guns out,” he said before stuffing the rest of his sandwich in his mouth.
“Get them and let’s go,” Kumi said and leaned on the car as Jae tore into his pack to get the guns out. Once Yunho finished helping him get the straps in place, she held out a bag for him. “You can use this from now on, and there are vials in there for you as well as extra magazines. I’ll give you more bullets later.”
“More than one vial?” he asked and shouldered the bag she’d given him.
“You might need them.” She shrugged then turned sweet and gave him a cute look. “I worry about you!”
Jae stared at her deadpan. “Right.”
Jae had wanted to go home and rest after their little camping trip, but no, he had his Sunday training all afternoon and into the evening. This time he got more hand to hand combat with Yunho, which was a lot more effective with someone who was more his size. But training with Kumi did have its perks. He was used to someone who was smaller and a lot faster than Yunho, so his blocks and counterattacks were faster than Yunho expected.
They also took some time to let Jae work with his shields, but they didn’t get very far before Jae felt the day catch up with him. Everything had been far more tiring than he’d expected. Kumi told him after they were finished, if he wanted to take time to work with the shields without her around, he could use the vials she had given him, and to write down anything he figured out. She had given him plenty of vials, so he figured he would give it a shot sometime during the week. He would probably have to do it at Yunho’s place, because his father might be disturbed by the eyes if he managed to catch Jae in the sunlight. When they finally parted, it was nearly sunset and Jae wanted nothing more than his bed. And food. Food sounded really good about now.
Upon reaching home, Jae almost fell asleep in Yunho’s arms when the young man kissed then hugged him goodbye. Yunho laughed and led him up the stairs, giving him a stern look and telling him to eat before he slept. Easier said than done. Jae dragged his feet inside to greet his fully awake father who was almost finished making ramen for the both of them. Extremely grateful, Jae flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs and began slurping up the noodles.
“So, how are things going with Yunho?”
Jae choked on his noodles and stared at his father. He knew? Yet, he was so casual about it, Jae couldn’t tell if he was walking into a trap or should answer just as casually. He finally managed a meek, “Fine.”
Mr. Kim chuckled and stirred his ramen. “Come on, Jaejoong. I’m your father. I know when you’re dating someone.”
Jae could feel his face burning as he stared at his ramen bowl, unable to think of one damn word to say in response.
“Yunho’s mother told me when they found out, back in California,” he went on. “I must admit, I wasn’t as surprised as she thought I would be. I think I always kind of knew.”
Jae wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or proud of his father’s intuition.
“Let’s just say,” his father said as he stood, finished with his meal, “I’m happy you aren’t the way you were after the Parks left.” He nodded as he set his bowl in the sink then walked out to the living room. Jae could only stare in shock.
“Am I really that transparent?” Jae muttered, disturbed.
“Yes,” his father replied loudly as Jae sensed amusement in his tone. “As the windows.”
Jae glared in the general direction of his father’s lounge chair before he shook his head as a smile touched his lips.
He was quite sure he didn’t mind at all.
~***~
plot thoughts? tell me what you like about how things are developing. comments are ♥
Part 11
Author: LotusBeauty
Type: Multi-chapter
Rating: R to NC-17
Pairings: JaeChun, JaeHo, other ot5 stuff eventually
Genre: AU, fantasy, crossover, comedy/drama/emo
Summary: He was trying to keep me safe. I wished he was wrong, but he was right. (Sequel to Feel)
Notes: you know the drill. disastrous win, etc :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, but a girl can dream through fiction.
For previous chapters, please refer to the main post HERE, which also has links for the previous arc.
10: Sun Red Sky Blue
Jae tried to reach for his phone. He really did! Yunho wouldn’t let him go the extra five inches to actually grab it off of the bedside table. Jae rolled his eyes and turned in Yunho’s arms to deliver a deep kiss then turned and reached over to grab the phone just before Yunho could pull him back for another round. He didn’t get that extra round when Jae flipped his phone open.
“Hello?” He smirked as Yunho pouted, knowing Kendra was on the other end.
“Took your sweet time to answer,” she grumbled.
“Stop it,” Jae hissed at Yunho when a hand gripped his left buttock and squeezed.
“Oh, I see. Maybe I shouldn’t interrupt,” she said teasingly as Jae rolled his eyes.
“He got some last night, he’ll survive,” Jae said warningly as Yunho held his hands up and rolled away to get off the bed. “What’s up?”
“Heard you guys got into a fight, but it sounds like you made up,” she said through laughter.
“How did you hear about that?” he asked, wondering who was such a damn gossip and who had whose phone number.
“Doesn’t matter. Chester wants me to invite you to go camping.”
Jae tilted his head curiously as Yunho pulled a clean pair of boxer briefs on and turned back to raise an eyebrow at Jae’s silence. “When?”
“Saturday. Shut up, Chester,” Kendra said exasperated to the unintelligible voice on the other end. “He says its boys only. I guess you qualify, unlike me.”
Jae snorted and looked up at Yunho. “Boys only camping on Saturday. Wanna go and show off?” he asked as he remembered their camping trips as kids.
Yunho grinned. “I haven’t gone camping for a while.”
“Where do we meet up?” Jae asked immediately as he reached to the bedside table for the notebook and pen he’d left. As he was listening to Kendra and writing everything down, Jae noticed he still had Yunho’s necklace around his wrist. Once he hung up, he slipped it off and put it back around his neck, making sure the tie was tight before he looked to Yunho who was now dressed in sweats. “No shower?”
“Time to work,” he told Jae and cracked his knuckles. Tilting his head curiously, Jae soon found out exactly what he meant. He was the one who got to help Yunho unpack everything and place all of his belongings around the loft. He particularly enjoyed the fact that Yunho had bought himself new cookwear and decided he would have to break it in that night so they could have a good meal before camping. He had checked the fridge after they got up to see it fully stocked and a note from Yunho’s friends asking him to actually eat properly for once. Jae had grinned and looked through it all to plan what to make. He put all of the pots in the dishwasher as Yunho called him over to the area he’d deemed the dance space earlier.
“What’s up?” he asked as he watched Yunho lining mirrors up against the wall.
“This is why we didn’t shower yet,” Yunho explained and picked up a drill. “Time to install these.”
Jae wilted as he looked at the task before them. This wasn’t going to be easy—and he was right. They spent the majority of the afternoon slowly and carefully measuring and installing all of the mirrors on the wall. Jae wondered where Yunho had gotten the money for all of these large mirrors, but he had a feeling Yunho had saved up for it. He always was very careful about money and if he’d invested in these mirrors, he was obviously very serious about his dancing. He found he didn’t mind at all when they finished and he looked up to see the elated look on Yunho’s face. If he could always see Yunho this happy, he wouldn’t mind enduring this again.
“Clothing in the washer?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Dishes in dishwasher?”
He’d just switched those out. “Yep.”
“Then we dance.” Yunho grinned.
“What?!” The rest he’d been hoping for was slipping away.
He laughed at Jae’s disturbed expression. “Gotta wait for the hot water. And we skipped dance lessons this week as well as jogging this morning, so we might as well. Rest is for the wicked!”
Jae made a face at him. “But I am wicked!”
“Well, then lazy people.”
“I like being lazy!” He hit the floor in protest.
“Get your butt up or no sex,” Yunho threatened.
Jae let out a frustrated growl and stood. “Fine.”
Apparently, it was wear-the-hell-out-of-Jae day so he wouldn’t have any energy left for sex after dinner anyway. In addition to moving and unpacking boxes, Jae was made to learn new dance moves and dance through them with Yunho as well as do stretches to keep from getting sore when they were finished. Sometimes he hated Yunho. He had a mind to start up what they’d had last night. But when he glanced over to see Yunho’s bright smile, he couldn’t hate him at all.
Jae stole into the shower first hoping to leave cold water for Yunho, but knowing the wolf, he’d probably like that. Once finished, Jae quickly dressed in comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt and made his way into the kitchen area to start his plans. He was fairly far into the making when Yunho caught him up from behind and his arms wrapped around Jae’s waist. Jae leaned back into the embrace as he felt a kiss on his neck. He had to smile as he thought back. He’d come a long way from not liking people behind him. Yunho nuzzled his neck and kissed it again.
“If you keep distracting me, you’ll never get dinner. Or I’ll cut a finger off. Your call,” he warned as a warm laugh echoed in the area.
Yunho stole a kiss from his lips this time before moving away to wash his hands. Jae had to admit, he was smooth. The rest of the preparation was done together and Jae didn’t even have to tell Yunho what he was making, the man seemed to know already from what he’d started and the ingredients.
Dinner went by uneventfully, for which Jae was grateful. He needed a little normalcy after everything that had happened over the last week. After rinsing everything and sticking it in the dishwasher, Jae flopped down on the sofa situated in front of Yunho’s television and ended up falling asleep to some show about the history of Egypt. At some point he felt someone lift him up, but after that, he was truly gone.
He awoke to pounding on the door and a soft curse from Yunho in his ear. Yunho slipped out of the bed and Jae buried himself in the blankets. He knew exactly who was outside that door and he had a mind to shoot him in the head. Muffled by the blankets, he could hear Chester and a few other people greeting Yunho happily and loudly.
“Wake up, JJ!” Chester called happily as the bed bounced and Jae could feel the blankets being torn away.
“Go to hell,” he snapped and hid with the pillow atop his head.
“Tickle him,” Yunho suggested.
Jae pulled the pillow off and shot a deathly glare at them.
“Dude, I’m not sure that’s really the best idea,” Chester said nervously.
Yunho just grinned. His plan had worked. Jae was now fully awake and groaned as he flopped back down on the bed. “You all suck,” he grumbled as Chester ran away.
“No, just some of us,” Yunho smirked as he dragged Jae out of bed. “Get packed, we’re going hiking.”
Jae whined as their friends attacked the fridge. “But I wanna stay in beeeed…” he said with a pout as he stood to mold his body against Yunho’s. He knew the offer was hard to refuse when had to look at the wall before he could push Jae away.
“G-go shower so we can get going,” he stuttered and went to keep the guys from eating all of their food.
Jae sighed and grabbed a towel. It was worth a try. He wasted time in the shower and dressed before coming out to pack his bag. Waiting around for Yunho to shower, Jae found pancake batter in the cupboard and made pancakes for his friends. When Aaron arrived with some of the guys from the res, Jae knew this was going to be a big overnight thing. He wondered if they had enough makings for smores to actually feed all of them. Conferring with Chester, he found out they had thought of food and everything in advance. Once Yunho was showered and ready, everyone packed into cars and headed out of town. This was much more organized than he’d expected.
“How do you think this is going to go?” Jae asked as he stared out at the landscape flying by.
“About as well as an event planned for a group of idiot guys can go,” Yunho replied. Jae could feel the smirk in his voice without even looking.
“Relatively well, then,” Jae answered with a grin.
They drove quite a ways into the hills before the lead car led them off the highway and onto a dirt road that began to narrow as the trees got thicker. Chester’s lead car led them past a national park sign and to a parking space that it seemed they had all to themselves. Soon after they were all geared up and began their hike to wherever Chester had decided they were going to be camping. Chester led this merry band of hikers while Yunho brought up the rear. Jae was right in front of him and had a sneaking suspicion Yunho liked looking at his rear. At some point during the hike a comment was made about Jae’s hair and how if he got lost, he’d be easy to find. He had no intention of telling them he’d already gotten lost once and Yunho would be able to find him faster than any of them. He had to wonder how he would feel if he saw that particular location again and made a mental note to go back there and find out.
Everything did look familiar though. Trees of course populated the area but the look was just a bit different. Up and down on the trail they went and Jae tried to keep his eyes on the ground to see where he was going, but they kept wandering up to the bushes and trees. Ferns populated most of the area between the trees, but they weren’t as interesting as the trees. The moss that covered the branches of some of the trees hung down and moved in the wind, like hair. Jae touched them a few times as they passed while Yunho chuckled from behind.
“Some people think that stuff is creepy,” Yunho commented.
“I think it’s cool. Like Halloween,” Jae replied with a grin.
“You would.”
And although Jae found the moss interesting, he had to be glad for the trees. They kept the sun at bay, and though the air was cool, the sun would have had them sweating even more than they already were. They kept the pace steady as they hiked. Though the trail wasn’t difficult, they came upon some troublesome spots along the way as trees had fallen over the trail and they had to find their way over and around them. After about an hour, they took a rest stop as the trail snaked down next to a large stream, but it wasn’t long before they were off again.
After hiking for a few hours, Chester led them onto a smaller trail for a little while before they came to a clearing and the young man claimed they’d arrived. Jae had to admit; he knew how to pick a good, clean camping spot and had obviously been here many times before. Before long they were putting down packs and breaking out gear to set up tents in the open area. As Yunho opened Jae’s bag, Jae noticed the trees clear in one direction and walked toward it. His eyebrows rose when the trees opened up to a large valley and nostalgia swept through him. He’d seen this valley, he knew he had, but from another direction.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Chester asked as Jae nodded absently. “We’re facing west, so if there are some clouds later on, we’ll have a spectacular sunset!” He held up his camera and Jae could only laugh.
“Ulterior motives?” he asked to watch his friend nod. Jae rolled his eyes in amusement and returned to the group to help set things up.
“So,” Aaron called as they were finishing the tents. “How are we splitting sleeping arrangements?”
“Yunho and JJ can have the big tent,” Chester offered with a devious smile as everyone leered and hooted.
Jae could only grin. “Sounds good to me, not that we’ll be sleeping anyway,” he implied as a few groaned and others laughed. Yunho just shook his head with a smile and kept working. Chester seemed miffed that no one had fought his suggestion and Jae was satisfied with landing the biggest and most comfortable tent by accident. Leave it to Chester to put his foot in his mouth. They spent the rest of the day, well, being boys. A group of them, Jae included, hiked for a while to find that stream again and had a water fight that left them a bit wet when they returned to camp closer to the evening.
“Why didn’t you catch any fish?” Yunho demanded as he took in their state.
“Chester scared them away with his obnoxiously loud, girly voice,” Aaron said with a shrug before the other boy attacked him and they wrestled around in the open area. Jae skirted away from them and toward Yunho.
“You get this wet and come back empty handed?” Yunho shook his head, disappointed.
Jae mock frowned and crossed his arms. “I come back all wet and sexy, and this is the greeting I get?”
“Don’t you think for one second that I don’t like it,” Yunho replied, shaking a finger at Jae.
“Well, fine then, I’ll just have to do this all the time then!” Jae threw up his hands and stalked away as a few of their friends bent over laughing. They skipped the cheesy make-up scene when Yunho later found Jae near the fire they’d built and handed over a list of food they’d brought. Jae couldn’t make much from it, but they did have a portable grill Chester had carried, so at least he would have some control over a few things they cooked. Jae had a feeling his cooking skills were the reason he’d been invited on this little adventure. He was also glad that his friends were so comfortable around him. No one even implied that he and Yunho couldn’t do the work just because they were in a relationship. It made him proud to have friends who didn’t care about his sexual orientation.
Aaron sat next to Jae as he set up the mini grill. “Did Yunho tell you what the pendant is from?”
Jae raised an eyebrow at him. “No.” He’d always thought it was just Yunho’s necklace. He’d had the thing since they met.
Aaron reached out to tap the pendant. “It’s an old, I guess you’d say talisman for protection. I believe Yunho’s grandfather gave it to him when he was a kid. My dad gave me one too, but I never wore it around like Yunho.”
Jae glanced at Yunho. Knowing his grandfather, it was probably something that was supposedly spelled to protect a person from vampires. “Family heirloom?” Jae asked and pointed to the hot dogs.
“Nah, nothing that fancy,” Aaron waved a hand before he handed over the package of hot dogs. “Just thought you might like to know,” he said with a grin.
Jae could only smile. He hadn’t known the item was so important. He laughed when Aaron pushed him for the light blush on his cheeks. “Come on man, I’m trying to cook!”
“You’re talented, I’m sure you can manage!”
“Tickle him, he’s ticklish,” Yunho suggested and ducked when Jae threw ice at him.
“No food for you if anyone touches me!” Jae countered and Yunho whined before he put his hands up in defeat.
“Are you?” Aaron asked as he and Jae arranged the food on a large tree stump that became a makeshift table covered in a cloth.
“I admit to nothing,” Jae sniffed, “but I know for a fact if you get Yunho in the right spot, he squeals like a little girl and flails.” He smirked to himself when Aaron doubled over laughing, probably imagining the description.
Jae of course, had cooking detail, which meant when the talking was over and food was finished being devoured, he didn’t have to clean up a thing. He got to kick back while everyone else cleaned and gathered garbage. It was then he noticed the sun beginning near the horizon and he snuck away from everyone to find Chester setting his camera up at the tree line.
“Yo,” he said when Jae walked up and nodded. “I think it might look pretty damn good.” He grinned at the horizon that was scattered with clouds. Jae knew that they would be turning bright, vibrant colors anytime soon.
It wasn’t a surprise that when everyone else joined them, Yunho hugged Jae from behind. They then sat and Jae let himself be pulled back between Yunho’s legs to be held tightly. He didn’t care if anyone else saw it; he had a backrest and was warm. A smile snuck onto his face though when Yunho rested a chin on his shoulder. Jae glanced over when he heard a click and saw Chester grinning at them from behind his camera, the snot. He would get that photo later on sometime.
They all quietly watched the sunset together while the night cooled. The sunlight burned red across the blue sky and Jae hoped that Chester would share his pictures. He hadn’t seen a sunset as beautiful as this in quite a long time. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay vivid for long as the colors eventually shifted and finally started to fade. Once the sun had dipped below the horizon, Chester made everyone get together to take a big group picture before they all scattered to go back to the camp. A few of them made kissy noises at Yunho and Jae, who hung back as everyone left.
Jae smirked and poked Yunho in a particular spot to make him squeak and flail. He held the smirk when Yunho glared at him, the glare soon melting into a smile as he couldn’t stay mad for long. Jae then let Yunho pull him close and steal a kiss. He hadn’t had one all day, it was about damn time! As an afterthought, Jae wondered who had bets on how long they would last without kissing.
“Do you think they’ll mind if we don’t make it back for a while?” Jae asked as he nuzzled Yunho’s neck.
“Hmmm, I think they sort of expect it,” he replied before catching Jae’s chin to tilt his face back up for another kiss.
“Almost sad I didn’t bring anything,” Jae remarked when they parted, only to stare when Yunho held up a condom. “Perv,” he pushed at Yunho who laughed and then pocketed the item.
“Gotta always be prepared,” Yunho said with a shrug and pulled Jae close again. “Besides, who knows how amorous you’re feeling at any given point in time.”
Jae leveled a stare at him. “You say that like I’ll just put out whenever you want.”
Yunho pouted. “Isn’t that what a boyfriend is for?”
Jae tried to hold back his smile. “Maybe you,” he suggested as Yunho pulled him close, a smile already on his lips as they kissed. “Remember the last time we went camping?”
Yunho snickered. “Going for firewood?”
“And how we ‘got lost’ on our way back?” Jae used his fingers for emphasis.
“How could they not know after that?” Yunho laughed.
“Maybe your sister just got lucky?” Jae suggested.
“Nah, Dad probably knew. Even now he’s cool with it, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he just didn’t say anything,” Yunho told him with a grin. “I don’t know how my dad got so laid back.”
“To balance your mom’s OCD-ness?” he asked to get a fond smile. “I miss her.” He hugged Yunho then, feeling him squeeze back.
“Yeah,” Yunho replied quietly. “Did I tell you she apologized for yelling at me?”
“No.” Jae pulled back in surprise. “What did she say?”
He smiled softly. “She said she was sorry for yelling at me so much. She said she wanted me to be happy.”
Jae had a feeling there was more, but if Yunho said it, he might start crying. With a smile, he pulled Yunho into another hug and just held him for a while. He would never be a substitute for Yunho’s mom, but the least he could do was comfort his lover.
The twilight began to fade to darkness then and Yunho suggested they head back. Jae agreed as Yunho took his hand and led him back. Too much dwelling might be bad. They could talk about it another day when they had some real privacy.
“Yo,” Chester greeted them when they returned. “I drew the short straw so I’m sharing the big tent with you.”
Jae raised an eyebrow. “I thought we got it to ourselves.”
“We calculated wrong.” Chester scratched his head sheepishly.
The two looked at each other and shrugged. “I don’t mind,” Yunho said.
“Yeah, we’ll just scoot closer together so there’s more space,” Jae agreed.
“And no turning this into some Brokeback Mountain thing!” Chester threatened with a grin.
“But you might like it,” Jae whined.
“Yeah. I’m sure your camera could take video for Kendra,” Yunho offered.
“You two are horrible. No wonder I’m friends with you.” Chester grinned and Jae was somehow glad it was Chester who was in the tent with them, and not someone else.
The night after that was uneventful. They joined everyone in making smores over the fire and told ridiculous stories before turning in as the cool of the night set in. Jae and Yunho laid their sleeping bags down next to each other and ended up curling up on top of them with a couple of blankets atop them as Chester took the rest of the space. Jae was extremely glad for his living space heater in Yunho as Chester was probably thankful for being in the warmest tent in the group.
In the morning, they had a light breakfast and set out before even noon hit and made it back to the cars as everyone was getting hungry for lunch. Yunho was slowly puttering around with things in the trunk and told everyone to go on ahead as Jae munched on a sandwich he had left. He waved as their friends drove away then turned to his lover.
“I’m assuming there’s a reason we’re loitering?” Jae asked.
“I can feel a vampire and I think I might know who it is.” Yunho glanced up and flashed a smile.
“He’s getting good at this!”
Jae jumped to see Kumi standing beside him and held his chest. “Don’t do that!”
“You humans are so cute.” She smacked his arm with a laugh and moved to Yunho. “Ready for some training?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied and looked to Jae. “You?”
“I completely forgot,” Jae admitted. “Let me get my guns out,” he said before stuffing the rest of his sandwich in his mouth.
“Get them and let’s go,” Kumi said and leaned on the car as Jae tore into his pack to get the guns out. Once Yunho finished helping him get the straps in place, she held out a bag for him. “You can use this from now on, and there are vials in there for you as well as extra magazines. I’ll give you more bullets later.”
“More than one vial?” he asked and shouldered the bag she’d given him.
“You might need them.” She shrugged then turned sweet and gave him a cute look. “I worry about you!”
Jae stared at her deadpan. “Right.”
Jae had wanted to go home and rest after their little camping trip, but no, he had his Sunday training all afternoon and into the evening. This time he got more hand to hand combat with Yunho, which was a lot more effective with someone who was more his size. But training with Kumi did have its perks. He was used to someone who was smaller and a lot faster than Yunho, so his blocks and counterattacks were faster than Yunho expected.
They also took some time to let Jae work with his shields, but they didn’t get very far before Jae felt the day catch up with him. Everything had been far more tiring than he’d expected. Kumi told him after they were finished, if he wanted to take time to work with the shields without her around, he could use the vials she had given him, and to write down anything he figured out. She had given him plenty of vials, so he figured he would give it a shot sometime during the week. He would probably have to do it at Yunho’s place, because his father might be disturbed by the eyes if he managed to catch Jae in the sunlight. When they finally parted, it was nearly sunset and Jae wanted nothing more than his bed. And food. Food sounded really good about now.
Upon reaching home, Jae almost fell asleep in Yunho’s arms when the young man kissed then hugged him goodbye. Yunho laughed and led him up the stairs, giving him a stern look and telling him to eat before he slept. Easier said than done. Jae dragged his feet inside to greet his fully awake father who was almost finished making ramen for the both of them. Extremely grateful, Jae flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs and began slurping up the noodles.
“So, how are things going with Yunho?”
Jae choked on his noodles and stared at his father. He knew? Yet, he was so casual about it, Jae couldn’t tell if he was walking into a trap or should answer just as casually. He finally managed a meek, “Fine.”
Mr. Kim chuckled and stirred his ramen. “Come on, Jaejoong. I’m your father. I know when you’re dating someone.”
Jae could feel his face burning as he stared at his ramen bowl, unable to think of one damn word to say in response.
“Yunho’s mother told me when they found out, back in California,” he went on. “I must admit, I wasn’t as surprised as she thought I would be. I think I always kind of knew.”
Jae wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or proud of his father’s intuition.
“Let’s just say,” his father said as he stood, finished with his meal, “I’m happy you aren’t the way you were after the Parks left.” He nodded as he set his bowl in the sink then walked out to the living room. Jae could only stare in shock.
“Am I really that transparent?” Jae muttered, disturbed.
“Yes,” his father replied loudly as Jae sensed amusement in his tone. “As the windows.”
Jae glared in the general direction of his father’s lounge chair before he shook his head as a smile touched his lips.
He was quite sure he didn’t mind at all.
~***~
plot thoughts? tell me what you like about how things are developing. comments are ♥
Part 11
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I hope Yoochun comes back soon.
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not first.
but third, so its okayy =]]
will read and be back to give a better comment
8D
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camping =]]
i personally don't have found memories of sleeping outside [thank goodness i;ve only had to do it once or twice] so i dont really know what to say about the camping.
still you portrsyed it nicely.
actually, im happy as long as its not me doing the actual camping =]]
their friends are so accepting!
it kinda reminds me of my friends,
but it happened with girls instead of boys.
and i love my friends, but they just aren't as good looking either =]]
im also quite satisfied with jae's dad.
he rarely makes an appearance, and when he does, its just sort of a cameo,
but he never disappoints when he does show up =]]
and im happy he's not so oblivious too.
and that he's so accepting!!
it would be so much unnecessary drama if his dad was totally against it.
it makes me kinda wonder though,
what jae's mom might think. unless you already mentioned what she thought, and i sort of just glossed over it 0.0
ha~
great chapter, once again.
and can't wait for the next one =D
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i'm glad your friends are like that too ^^
haha his dad is sooo laid back it's kind of scary ^^;;;
thanks!
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Jae's dad ftw. I knew I always liked him. :P
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Just that when will the bad guys come knocking on Jae's door....I'm so anticipating some actions.
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I feel some action scenes coming up if Kumi is giving Jae extra ammo
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