lotus_beauty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lotus_beauty) wrote2009-08-31 01:19 am
lotus_beauty) wrote2009-08-31 01:19 am
[Fic] Redefine: Part 15
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.
15: Decision
The rest of that night was spent doing nothing at all. Yunho had his pack get rid of the vampire corpse and burn it, since they hadn’t been out wasting energy. But Jae and Yunho admitted to being completely wiped from all the excitement and decided to go back to Yunho’s place and pass out. The three vampires agreed to stay in town for the time being and took up residence in their old home on the other side of town. Jae felt no reason to distrust them, so he knew they’d still be there in the morning, or probably waiting to see what they all had to say about how they’d left. Jae didn’t care after leaving them to their devices. He just wanted some sleep. If they did leave, it might just feel like a very bad dream later.
The next morning, he awoke to a text from Junsu asking if they wanted to meet after lunch. Jae replied an affirmative before turning the ringer off as Yunho’s hands pulled him back under the blankets. Lunch was a relative term anyway, he thought as Yunho curled up against his back and the warmth from his lover’s body spread over him. It felt so nice, he didn’t want to leave the bed all day. But as he tried to go back to sleep, his mind woke up and began to remind him of the events that had transpired the night before.
Micky obviously still loved him, from the way he reacted when he thought Jae was dead. Jae could tell that the vampire was being courteous and holding himself back. Having told Yunho what he did, Jae wasn’t exactly sure what to do next anymore. He’d never expected the vampires to come back, let alone stay and try to work with them. And he still hadn’t told Micky about the drug he’d been taking. Maybe he would get to see it today since Jae expected Kumi to arrive sometime after noon. Jae had to be honest with himself though—he loved both Yunho and Micky. He loved Junsu and Changmin too. He just didn’t know where the hell he should belong in this whole mess. Right now at least, he was beside Yunho, and he couldn’t ask for someone better to help hold him up. Or, well, hold him down under the blankets anyway.
Just because Micky was back didn’t mean Jae was going to get all emotional about it or ignore Yunho. He’d already passed that phase in the winter. Jae wasn’t a jerk and he quite liked the way Yunho trailed kisses down the back of his neck while fingers traced lightly just below his navel when his lover was feeling amorous. Jae enjoyed these and other things quite a lot. He found himself wondering at some point if Yunho’s crush on Changmin was still present and if he would ever think Jae would suggest he act on it. This all required a lot more thought, at a point in time when Yunho was not slipping atop him to steal a kiss. Jae gave up thinking then and let Yunho distract him—he liked distractions.
“Think they’ll mind if we’re late?” Yunho mumbled as his teeth tugged on Jae’s earlobe.
“Hnnnn… I’ll just say it’s your fault,” Jae replied and pulled him down for a kiss. It was easiest to blame the wolf, right? They wouldn’t be distracted for too long anyway. Not at the pace Yunho was setting.
After they cleaned up and showered, Jae busied himself with making breakfa—er, lunch as Yunho sat down and read a newspaper. Jae paused for a moment and glanced back at Yunho to see him frowning and biting his lip at the Sudoku puzzle in the comics section. The young man rolled his eyes with a smile as he turned back to the food. He’d had a mind to say how domestic they seemed, but that would just ruin it—in a good way.
“Only you,” he murmured.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” Jae could only smile to himself.
Lunch passed quietly as Yunho hemmed and hawed over the puzzle and Jae scooted next to him to read the comics all around it.
“You never told me what happened in the forest,” Yunho commented as Jae was raising the last bite of scrambled eggs to his mouth. That bite went down rather…hm.
Jae shifted in his seat as Yunho wrote another number down. It was probably best to just be honest. “He said he thought it was his fault that I died. He needed to come back and apologize to everyone and make sure I was really dead.”
Yunho nodded silently, still concentrating on the squares.
“He said he saw me jump in Junsu’s mind and thought I’d tried to kill myself and… Yunho, he looked like he broke when he saw that,” Jae told his lover as Yunho glanced up and then away. “I mean, think of how you would feel.”
“I have been,” Yunho replied quietly as their eyes met. “I’ve been sympathizing with him, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“I’m not going to leave you for him,” Jae said with a roll of his eyes as he got up to put his plate in the sink.
“That’s not really what I meant, but thanks for the vote of confidence,” Yunho said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Only Yunho.
Jae came back around the table and leaned on it with one hand as he looked into his lover’s eyes. “I love you.”
“I know.” Yunho turned and pulled Jae closer, between his legs. “You love them too.”
“And you?” Jae rested his arms around Yunho’s neck.
He was silent for a moment and hugged Jae close. “Give me time. I need to get to know them and see if I can build up some respect.”
Jae smiled a little and ran a hand through his lover’s hair. It would take some time for Yunho to get to know them, but at least he was open to being friends with them. And when it came to vampires, they had all the time in the world.
~*~
As per Junsu’s request, the five of them all met in a clearing outside of town. Jae recognized it as the same where the Parks would play soccer and he had ended up meeting Kame, Jin and Kumi. As usual, Jae wore his guns. He left the extra rounds in the trunk of his car, but had the pack with him that had a couple extra magazines and the vials. He would get to explain everything to them today. The vampires would probably pitch a fit about him taking the drug, but he was ready for it.
When they arrived, Jae went straight to Changmin and Junsu and hugged them tightly. “I’m glad you’re back,” he whispered. He felt a tight squeeze from both of them before they pulled apart and Jae noticed Junsu blinking quite a bit.
Changmin took the opportunity to step forward. “I, ah, I apologize for convincing everyone to leave,” he told Jae softly.
“I understand.” Jae clapped his shoulder. “You did what you thought was right. Thank you.”
He then took the time to actually formally introduce the vampires to Yunho, and Jae actually noticed the knowing look between Changmin and Yunho. He secretly hoped Changmin would worm his way into Yunho’s overly caring heart. Maybe he could nudge Changmin about it later.
“So, let’s see the guns,” Micky suggested as the greetings ended.
Jae could only smirk as he pulled them out and handed them over. Micky gave them a once over with a satisfied nod.
“I’ll assume Kumi gave you the other one as a birthday present or something,” he replied as he handed them back.
Jae tossed him a smirk and didn’t reply.
“What the hell!”
Jae jumped back, hand on his chest to feel his heart pounding in surprise as Kumi suddenly appeared next to them, as if conjured by their talking. He frowned at her angry expression.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming back!?” she snapped.
“I—it was a split second decision,” Micky blurted out, confused by her abrupt appearance and question. “Why are you here?”
“What for?” She put her hands on her hips and completely ignored his question as she glared up at him. “You said you weren’t coming back. Make up your damn mind!”
Micky glanced at Junsu, who shrugged and looked at Changmin, who rolled his eyes and called, “We thought Jaejoong was dead.
Kumi jerked back. “You what? Dead?” She looked at Jae as he wondered exactly how he should try to explain this. “When did you supposedly die?” she asked.
“Um, about a month ago…?” Jae tried to start as he thought back. “I think…?”
Kumi blinked at him. “What in the world could cause that? It couldn’t be the drug. We started it before then.”
Everyone stared blankly at her before Jae noticed Micky’s face turn red and he roared “WHAT?!” Jae wished he’d actually taken the stuff, because in the blink of an eye, Kumi was on the ground, Micky’s hands around her throat as her nails were buried into his chest, blood trickling down them onto her hands as they hissed at one another. Suddenly, the way she cared for her nails made so much more sense to Jae.
“How dare you? How could you use him?!” he snarled as she coughed when his hands tightened. Jae would have tried to help, but he didn’t know if he would get in the way of a counterattack and Yunho was holding him back anyway.
“It… it was his… his decision!” Kumi hissed through the choking before a growl alerted Jae and Micky was sent flying back to hit a tree across the clearing. No one moved as Micky struggled to stand and Kumi was already on her feet, coughing as she caught her breath. She spat before she calmly walked over to where Micky was and grabbed his neck. Her eyes flashed silver as they caught him off guard and he froze. “How dare you attack me?”
“No one wants to see him as a test subject!” Micky snapped as the other two vampires shifted in their places before nodding in agreement. “Did Rain know?”
“Jaejoong remained anonymous as it was his decision,” Kumi said calmly and let go of Micky with a rough push. “He’s not stupid or weak. Jaejoong can make his own choices.”
It hurt to see everyone think of him as weak despite being strong for his age, but Jae felt a glimmer of pride at Kumi’s faith in him. He stood a little straighter as she walked back to him and Micky stalked angrily off into the trees. Junsu followed after him as Changmin stopped Kumi with a hand on her shoulder.
“Really, Kumi, that’s reckless!” he hissed as Kumi poured a bottle of water over her hands to clean the blood off. “Jae shouldn’t be a test subject!”
“I volunteered,” Jae clarified and crossed his arms. “I’m sick of everyone thinking that I can’t defend myself or keep myself out of trouble. Kumi gave me a way to defend myself and I took it which is probably why Micky and I are still alive from that fight last night, even if I didn’t have the drug in me at the time. You can’t blame me for not wanting to feel like a fragile human.”
“You make it sound like we’re insulting you… which it probably does.” Changmin sighed, not convinced. “And what do you think?” He looked to Yunho.
Yunho glanced at Jae before he spoke “I was against it at first and I don’t like the change much, but I’m not going to stop him. It’s his body and ultimately his life. Besides, it gives him good challenge when he gets to spar with me and my pack. The experience is well worth it. I support his decision.”
Changmin chewed on his lip for a moment before he nodded. “I trust your judgment.” He moved his gaze to Jae, who felt very small for a moment. “I’ve only seen Rain’s test subjects once. It never seemed like an enjoyable experience when they took the dose.” He shook his head, obviously remembering something unpleasant.
“I’ve gotten… used to it,” Jae tried to convince Changmin, but he wasn’t even sure he’d convinced himself.
Changmin smiled wryly. “Used to puking after you take it?”
“I only threw up the first time,” Jae defended and his arms tightened and he felt the guns under his jacket. He liked the way they made him feel stronger, but reminded himself not to become dependent on them. “It gets easier as I get used to it.”
“He’s got a strong constitution,” Kumi clapped him on the back and grinned. “I’m proud to have him as my pupil, as I was when you were mine.”
“That was a different sort of training.” No one missed the change of satisfied respect in Changmin’s eyes though. “Well, I have to agree with Yunho then. It’s ultimately your decision.” He nodded then added, “But I’d like to see it with my own eyes.”
“Don’t worry, he’s pretty deadly when he takes that stuff,” Yunho grumbled as Jae grinned, remembering how well he’d done the first time they truly sparred. Yunho took it much more seriously after the first five minutes during which Jae pummeled him even with his green skills. Truthfully, by experience and power, Yunho was better of the two of them, but Jae had his moments when he could shine with technique and quick thinking.
Kumi motioned for the three to follow her as Yunho and Changmin began to talk. Jae turned to follow as they heard a loud, vaguely familiar growl and what sounded like a tree being uprooted and falling.
Jae glanced at Yunho. “If a tree falls in the forest and—”
“Don’t even start,” he cut Jae off as he tried not to grin, while Changmin had a hand over his mouth as he snickered. “You’re horrible.”
“Shut up you two and let’s get to training.” Kumi waved her hand for them to follow as she walked away.
Changmin moved to stand next to Kumi as Jae downed the drug. He waited until he was stable to give her a nod. She then ran him through what he considered a test of everything they’d done up until now. Changmin watched the entire thing with his arms crossed over his chest, as if he was testing Jae as well. Jae ignored them both as Kumi gave him and Yunho the order to spar freely. This was what he’d been waiting for. He loved trying to find every little hole in Yunho’s defense to tip him off balance. It was kind of like a game to him sometimes, even if Jae knew a wrong move could end up with him sprawled on the ground instead of the other way around.
“Changmin, attack.” Kumi smirked as Changmin’s arms fell to his sides. “Join forces or die.” Jae’s stomach would have plummeted if she hadn’t said that.
The two slowed as Jae saw Changmin’s muscles flex. For a split second, he felt doomed. One moment he was skidding to a stop and the next had him avoiding whatever attack Changmin had coming. For not having sparred with the vampire before, Jae felt that he was doing rather well. He and Yunho seemed pretty worthy opponents for Changmin and were even putting the vampire off balance with their own attacks. Changmin wasn’t nearly as fast as Kumi, but his strikes were just as powerful—maybe more because of his height and strength. That didn’t mean Kumi was a weakling, not by a long shot. He just seemed to have a slight advantage because of his body structure.
At some point, Junsu joined in watching them, but Jae didn’t let that distract him. He cursed when he felt someone coming up from behind and was caught, one strong arm holding his torso as the other held the gun in his hand to his head. Jae remembered what Kumi had explained to do in this situation and luckily, Jae had loaded with regular bullets today. He threw the gun in his free hand to Yunho who lined up the shot without even thinking.
The bullet was supposed to go through Jae’s shoulder and hit his captor—supposed being the keyword. Micky was just too fast and Jae’s face was in the dirt before he knew it, his gun arm wrenched up painfully behind him while Micky’s foot dug into his back. Damn Micky’s speed; his power gave him even more of an advantage. After more attempts to see how well Yunho and Jae worked together, Kumi started to drill them working with random people. Jae refused to let his feelings get in the way and fared rather well through the day’s training. His worst experience was actually with Junsu when Micky (their opponent) decided to grab Junsu’s ass. One can only guess what happened after the initial indignant screech and Micky ended up getting pounded as Jae and Changmin stopped to watch with mild amusement.
Kumi called it quits when she noticed Jae slowing and getting tired. She pushed him down to sit as he realized the drug was wearing off. “You don’t know when to stop.”
He smiled as she handed him a bottle of water. “Would you rather I did?”
She ruffled his hair and walked away as he chugged the water and Yunho slumped down beside him. Someone threw a large bottle at him and he caught it expertly before he drank most of it down. Junsu plopped down in front of them and happily thanked them for the fun.
“I haven’t done something like that for so long!” He smiled so brightly, no one could possibly have thought he’d been so deadly just half an hour ago. It made Jae wonder about Junsu’s past. “You should bring your pack next time.”
“I planned on it.” Yunho smiled. “Thanks for participating.”
“Thanks for letting me! It’s just no fun with the same people all the time. This was refreshing!” Junsu kicked his feet around as if he hadn’t just been trying to kill them—the stark contrast was still confusing Jae. Junsu flopped back on the grass as Jae couldn’t help but glare at him before taking another swig from his bottle. Stupid vampires not being tired.
“Well, I’ll be back. Gotta tell Rain where these jokers are,” Kumi said as she jerked her head at the other vampires. “We should have a strategy meeting next week.”
Micky nodded. “Sounds good. Our other family should be ready and down here by then. We can finish planning the full attack, like we meant to before things… happened.”
Junsu and Changmin nodded as Jae was suddenly amused by his vocabulary.
“Other family?” Yunho asked.
“That’s who we went to stay with,” Junsu answered. “Their leader is the one who found me as a vampire and raised me.”
Jae’s eyebrow quirked up. He wondered how one raised a vampire.
“She’s kind of like a second mother to me,” Junsu told them with a smile.
“Do you remember your mother?” Jae asked, then bit his lip as he realized how rude the question might be.
Junsu glanced down at the grass. “Bits and pieces, but I was young when they put me in the asylum.”
Yunho and Jae glanced at each other silently and the young man wished he hadn’t asked.
“It’s okay. I don’t really remember much of being in there besides having visions that still don’t make sense.” The vampire played with a strand of long grass. “They thought I escaped or something, but some vampire turned me.”
Jae frowned. “Some vampire?”
Junsu nodded. “I don’t know who it was, but they asked Junghyun to look after me. She’s the family leader I was talking about. She’s pretty old, and I didn’t expect someone like her to want to raise someone like me.” He smiled a little then. “I think I changed her as much as I changed myself.”
“You really don’t remember what it was like to be human, do you?” Yunho asked.
Junsu shook his head just before Changmin walked by and ruffled his hair. Junsu smiled up at him before he went on. “I’ve been living as a vampire for so long, and all of the visions pretty much wiped out most of the memories I had. I only remember I had a very loving family and a brother around my age at the time I was admitted. I read my brother ran away or disappeared when he was around 18 though. By my hospital records, I was turned when I was about 20.”
“I was changed after I turned 18,” Changmin said as he stood at the edge of their group.
“After Kame …captured you?” Jae asked.
He nodded. “I was 16 when I was working on a ship that got detained for some…” he hesitated with a little grin. “..illegal activities.”
“I should’ve known,” Jae muttered amused.
“Kame acquired me just after that and finally turned me when he found a use for me,” Changmin finished quietly and Jae knew what that use was. He didn’t know all the details, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
“I was turned by Rain when I was twenty. My village had a sickness going through and my mother, in her fevered state, begged Rain to save me,” Micky told them for Yunho’s sake as he stopped next to Changmin. “Did you know he’s the oldest of the three of us?” he asked as he jabbed a thumb in Changmin’s direction.
Jae and Yunho made sounds of disagreement when Changmin just nodded and grinned. Everyone then looked to Kumi who seemed surprised.
“I…” She glanced away. “I thought I’d fallen in love.” She scoffed and shook her head as Jae and Yunho looked at each other. The stories all seemed so sad. “He drank my blood and left me to die.” A little smile played on her lips then. “Namie found me in the alley where he left me and she changed me so I could get my revenge. I pledged myself to her then and I’ve been working for her ever since.”
It sounded so simple when they talked about it now. Jae assumed it had been so long that they just added it in with the other bad memories and got used to it. He wondered if it would be like that for him someday. He knew from when Junsu said someday he’d be a vampire, Junsu meant it. Jae had to wonder if he’d seen the change, or if the drug he was taking could trick Junsu’s foresight. But he still knew that if or when he was changed, that was something he’d never forget.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they all dispersed and Yunho took Jae home so he could finish some homework. Yunho didn’t hang around. Jae could tell he was worn out from all of the sparring and let his lover go home with a kiss on the cheek. As tired as he was, Jae made himself some food before he dragged himself upstairs to his bedroom. He finished the last of his homework and fell into bed to pass out.
Monday classes went by normally as always and as Jae was leaving for the day, he stopped outside the school office when he saw Micky leaving. “Transferring back? That seems… overkill,” he said as the vampire stopped at his voice.
Micky chuckled as he approached. “Nah, just.. you know, we ‘graduated’ early in Alaska.” It was amusing when the vampire raised his fingers to emphasize. “Changmin took care of it.”
Jae didn’t bother asking any more questions. It wasn’t worth having to hear a lengthy explanation.
“Hanging out with Yunho today?” Micky asked as they walked outside and he slipped on a pair of sunglasses.
Jae smirked at the simple way to hide his red eyes. “How come you would skip school on sunny days?”
“Not allowed to wear them in class.” Micky tapped the frame and Jae nodded, knowing that Micky tended to sit next to the window in his classes.
“Depends on if he wants to watch me do homework all night,” Jae finally answered Micky’s question.
“Does he help with your Trig?”
Jae stopped as he remembered the trouble he’d had with the homework just after the vampire left. He glanced back at Micky who then looked apologetic.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
Jae waved a hand. “I just didn’t expect you to ask that. And yes, he’s actually very helpful sometimes.”
“Good.” Micky smiled.
“You’re pretty calm about your ex being with someone,” Jae commented as they began to walk again. He noticed people pointing and talking about them. Let them talk. Someday soon he wouldn’t be here and they wouldn’t be able to talk about him.
“I’m not the jealous type.”
He had to laugh at that. “So what type are you then?”
Micky nibbled on his lower lip as they stopped at Jae’s car. “The sit alone and cry after I congratulate you type?”
“Liar.”
“You know me too well.” The vampire grinned. “I came to talk to the administrators, but I also came to tell you.” Micky moved closer. “You should talk to Changmin.”
Jae frowned. “Why?”
Micky shrugged with a smile. “Things seem to be happening that are interesting.” He tapped his temple and Jae gave him a sour look.
“Stop reading Yunho’s mind!” he retorted.
“Can’t really block him very well. He’s a pretty strong projector and the things about us get through.” Micky shrugged. “Whether you decide to or not isn’t my business. Just thought you’d like a tip.”
Jae narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
Micky smirked. “Also, wait a little. Your lover will be here in a few minutes.” He gave Jae a wink before he sauntered away. He looked a bit too smug, but Jae couldn’t make himself leave. As he waited, he decided talking to Changmin might just be a good idea. If only to talk about what a brat Micky was.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted as he jogged up. “Wait long?”
“Not at all,” Jae told him. Micky really could sense Yunho. Apparently the vampire had no reservations about reading Yunho’s mind. Jae made a mental note to figure out a way to give the necklace back. “I have a lot of homework,” he admitted.
“Cool, because I have an appointment.” Yunho shrugged sheepishly as Jae laughed. “I’ll text you later, okay?”
“Sure,” Jae told him and accepted a kiss. “Later,” he said as his lover replied the same and ran back to his bike. Jae wondered what kind of appointment it was. It didn’t matter. This gave him plenty of time to finish his homework and follow up on that decision.
Now, what exactly what he supposed to talk to Changmin about?
~***~
so Japan was fantastic! thanks for being so patient! tbh, I didn't get any writing done when I was there because I had a totally different mindset while I was there, and it was wierd, but it was such a fantastic trip. anyway, hope this was worth the wait. I should be back on a weekly update schedule as usual~
Part 16
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.
15: Decision
The rest of that night was spent doing nothing at all. Yunho had his pack get rid of the vampire corpse and burn it, since they hadn’t been out wasting energy. But Jae and Yunho admitted to being completely wiped from all the excitement and decided to go back to Yunho’s place and pass out. The three vampires agreed to stay in town for the time being and took up residence in their old home on the other side of town. Jae felt no reason to distrust them, so he knew they’d still be there in the morning, or probably waiting to see what they all had to say about how they’d left. Jae didn’t care after leaving them to their devices. He just wanted some sleep. If they did leave, it might just feel like a very bad dream later.
The next morning, he awoke to a text from Junsu asking if they wanted to meet after lunch. Jae replied an affirmative before turning the ringer off as Yunho’s hands pulled him back under the blankets. Lunch was a relative term anyway, he thought as Yunho curled up against his back and the warmth from his lover’s body spread over him. It felt so nice, he didn’t want to leave the bed all day. But as he tried to go back to sleep, his mind woke up and began to remind him of the events that had transpired the night before.
Micky obviously still loved him, from the way he reacted when he thought Jae was dead. Jae could tell that the vampire was being courteous and holding himself back. Having told Yunho what he did, Jae wasn’t exactly sure what to do next anymore. He’d never expected the vampires to come back, let alone stay and try to work with them. And he still hadn’t told Micky about the drug he’d been taking. Maybe he would get to see it today since Jae expected Kumi to arrive sometime after noon. Jae had to be honest with himself though—he loved both Yunho and Micky. He loved Junsu and Changmin too. He just didn’t know where the hell he should belong in this whole mess. Right now at least, he was beside Yunho, and he couldn’t ask for someone better to help hold him up. Or, well, hold him down under the blankets anyway.
Just because Micky was back didn’t mean Jae was going to get all emotional about it or ignore Yunho. He’d already passed that phase in the winter. Jae wasn’t a jerk and he quite liked the way Yunho trailed kisses down the back of his neck while fingers traced lightly just below his navel when his lover was feeling amorous. Jae enjoyed these and other things quite a lot. He found himself wondering at some point if Yunho’s crush on Changmin was still present and if he would ever think Jae would suggest he act on it. This all required a lot more thought, at a point in time when Yunho was not slipping atop him to steal a kiss. Jae gave up thinking then and let Yunho distract him—he liked distractions.
“Think they’ll mind if we’re late?” Yunho mumbled as his teeth tugged on Jae’s earlobe.
“Hnnnn… I’ll just say it’s your fault,” Jae replied and pulled him down for a kiss. It was easiest to blame the wolf, right? They wouldn’t be distracted for too long anyway. Not at the pace Yunho was setting.
After they cleaned up and showered, Jae busied himself with making breakfa—er, lunch as Yunho sat down and read a newspaper. Jae paused for a moment and glanced back at Yunho to see him frowning and biting his lip at the Sudoku puzzle in the comics section. The young man rolled his eyes with a smile as he turned back to the food. He’d had a mind to say how domestic they seemed, but that would just ruin it—in a good way.
“Only you,” he murmured.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” Jae could only smile to himself.
Lunch passed quietly as Yunho hemmed and hawed over the puzzle and Jae scooted next to him to read the comics all around it.
“You never told me what happened in the forest,” Yunho commented as Jae was raising the last bite of scrambled eggs to his mouth. That bite went down rather…hm.
Jae shifted in his seat as Yunho wrote another number down. It was probably best to just be honest. “He said he thought it was his fault that I died. He needed to come back and apologize to everyone and make sure I was really dead.”
Yunho nodded silently, still concentrating on the squares.
“He said he saw me jump in Junsu’s mind and thought I’d tried to kill myself and… Yunho, he looked like he broke when he saw that,” Jae told his lover as Yunho glanced up and then away. “I mean, think of how you would feel.”
“I have been,” Yunho replied quietly as their eyes met. “I’ve been sympathizing with him, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“I’m not going to leave you for him,” Jae said with a roll of his eyes as he got up to put his plate in the sink.
“That’s not really what I meant, but thanks for the vote of confidence,” Yunho said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Only Yunho.
Jae came back around the table and leaned on it with one hand as he looked into his lover’s eyes. “I love you.”
“I know.” Yunho turned and pulled Jae closer, between his legs. “You love them too.”
“And you?” Jae rested his arms around Yunho’s neck.
He was silent for a moment and hugged Jae close. “Give me time. I need to get to know them and see if I can build up some respect.”
Jae smiled a little and ran a hand through his lover’s hair. It would take some time for Yunho to get to know them, but at least he was open to being friends with them. And when it came to vampires, they had all the time in the world.
~*~
As per Junsu’s request, the five of them all met in a clearing outside of town. Jae recognized it as the same where the Parks would play soccer and he had ended up meeting Kame, Jin and Kumi. As usual, Jae wore his guns. He left the extra rounds in the trunk of his car, but had the pack with him that had a couple extra magazines and the vials. He would get to explain everything to them today. The vampires would probably pitch a fit about him taking the drug, but he was ready for it.
When they arrived, Jae went straight to Changmin and Junsu and hugged them tightly. “I’m glad you’re back,” he whispered. He felt a tight squeeze from both of them before they pulled apart and Jae noticed Junsu blinking quite a bit.
Changmin took the opportunity to step forward. “I, ah, I apologize for convincing everyone to leave,” he told Jae softly.
“I understand.” Jae clapped his shoulder. “You did what you thought was right. Thank you.”
He then took the time to actually formally introduce the vampires to Yunho, and Jae actually noticed the knowing look between Changmin and Yunho. He secretly hoped Changmin would worm his way into Yunho’s overly caring heart. Maybe he could nudge Changmin about it later.
“So, let’s see the guns,” Micky suggested as the greetings ended.
Jae could only smirk as he pulled them out and handed them over. Micky gave them a once over with a satisfied nod.
“I’ll assume Kumi gave you the other one as a birthday present or something,” he replied as he handed them back.
Jae tossed him a smirk and didn’t reply.
“What the hell!”
Jae jumped back, hand on his chest to feel his heart pounding in surprise as Kumi suddenly appeared next to them, as if conjured by their talking. He frowned at her angry expression.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming back!?” she snapped.
“I—it was a split second decision,” Micky blurted out, confused by her abrupt appearance and question. “Why are you here?”
“What for?” She put her hands on her hips and completely ignored his question as she glared up at him. “You said you weren’t coming back. Make up your damn mind!”
Micky glanced at Junsu, who shrugged and looked at Changmin, who rolled his eyes and called, “We thought Jaejoong was dead.
Kumi jerked back. “You what? Dead?” She looked at Jae as he wondered exactly how he should try to explain this. “When did you supposedly die?” she asked.
“Um, about a month ago…?” Jae tried to start as he thought back. “I think…?”
Kumi blinked at him. “What in the world could cause that? It couldn’t be the drug. We started it before then.”
Everyone stared blankly at her before Jae noticed Micky’s face turn red and he roared “WHAT?!” Jae wished he’d actually taken the stuff, because in the blink of an eye, Kumi was on the ground, Micky’s hands around her throat as her nails were buried into his chest, blood trickling down them onto her hands as they hissed at one another. Suddenly, the way she cared for her nails made so much more sense to Jae.
“How dare you? How could you use him?!” he snarled as she coughed when his hands tightened. Jae would have tried to help, but he didn’t know if he would get in the way of a counterattack and Yunho was holding him back anyway.
“It… it was his… his decision!” Kumi hissed through the choking before a growl alerted Jae and Micky was sent flying back to hit a tree across the clearing. No one moved as Micky struggled to stand and Kumi was already on her feet, coughing as she caught her breath. She spat before she calmly walked over to where Micky was and grabbed his neck. Her eyes flashed silver as they caught him off guard and he froze. “How dare you attack me?”
“No one wants to see him as a test subject!” Micky snapped as the other two vampires shifted in their places before nodding in agreement. “Did Rain know?”
“Jaejoong remained anonymous as it was his decision,” Kumi said calmly and let go of Micky with a rough push. “He’s not stupid or weak. Jaejoong can make his own choices.”
It hurt to see everyone think of him as weak despite being strong for his age, but Jae felt a glimmer of pride at Kumi’s faith in him. He stood a little straighter as she walked back to him and Micky stalked angrily off into the trees. Junsu followed after him as Changmin stopped Kumi with a hand on her shoulder.
“Really, Kumi, that’s reckless!” he hissed as Kumi poured a bottle of water over her hands to clean the blood off. “Jae shouldn’t be a test subject!”
“I volunteered,” Jae clarified and crossed his arms. “I’m sick of everyone thinking that I can’t defend myself or keep myself out of trouble. Kumi gave me a way to defend myself and I took it which is probably why Micky and I are still alive from that fight last night, even if I didn’t have the drug in me at the time. You can’t blame me for not wanting to feel like a fragile human.”
“You make it sound like we’re insulting you… which it probably does.” Changmin sighed, not convinced. “And what do you think?” He looked to Yunho.
Yunho glanced at Jae before he spoke “I was against it at first and I don’t like the change much, but I’m not going to stop him. It’s his body and ultimately his life. Besides, it gives him good challenge when he gets to spar with me and my pack. The experience is well worth it. I support his decision.”
Changmin chewed on his lip for a moment before he nodded. “I trust your judgment.” He moved his gaze to Jae, who felt very small for a moment. “I’ve only seen Rain’s test subjects once. It never seemed like an enjoyable experience when they took the dose.” He shook his head, obviously remembering something unpleasant.
“I’ve gotten… used to it,” Jae tried to convince Changmin, but he wasn’t even sure he’d convinced himself.
Changmin smiled wryly. “Used to puking after you take it?”
“I only threw up the first time,” Jae defended and his arms tightened and he felt the guns under his jacket. He liked the way they made him feel stronger, but reminded himself not to become dependent on them. “It gets easier as I get used to it.”
“He’s got a strong constitution,” Kumi clapped him on the back and grinned. “I’m proud to have him as my pupil, as I was when you were mine.”
“That was a different sort of training.” No one missed the change of satisfied respect in Changmin’s eyes though. “Well, I have to agree with Yunho then. It’s ultimately your decision.” He nodded then added, “But I’d like to see it with my own eyes.”
“Don’t worry, he’s pretty deadly when he takes that stuff,” Yunho grumbled as Jae grinned, remembering how well he’d done the first time they truly sparred. Yunho took it much more seriously after the first five minutes during which Jae pummeled him even with his green skills. Truthfully, by experience and power, Yunho was better of the two of them, but Jae had his moments when he could shine with technique and quick thinking.
Kumi motioned for the three to follow her as Yunho and Changmin began to talk. Jae turned to follow as they heard a loud, vaguely familiar growl and what sounded like a tree being uprooted and falling.
Jae glanced at Yunho. “If a tree falls in the forest and—”
“Don’t even start,” he cut Jae off as he tried not to grin, while Changmin had a hand over his mouth as he snickered. “You’re horrible.”
“Shut up you two and let’s get to training.” Kumi waved her hand for them to follow as she walked away.
Changmin moved to stand next to Kumi as Jae downed the drug. He waited until he was stable to give her a nod. She then ran him through what he considered a test of everything they’d done up until now. Changmin watched the entire thing with his arms crossed over his chest, as if he was testing Jae as well. Jae ignored them both as Kumi gave him and Yunho the order to spar freely. This was what he’d been waiting for. He loved trying to find every little hole in Yunho’s defense to tip him off balance. It was kind of like a game to him sometimes, even if Jae knew a wrong move could end up with him sprawled on the ground instead of the other way around.
“Changmin, attack.” Kumi smirked as Changmin’s arms fell to his sides. “Join forces or die.” Jae’s stomach would have plummeted if she hadn’t said that.
The two slowed as Jae saw Changmin’s muscles flex. For a split second, he felt doomed. One moment he was skidding to a stop and the next had him avoiding whatever attack Changmin had coming. For not having sparred with the vampire before, Jae felt that he was doing rather well. He and Yunho seemed pretty worthy opponents for Changmin and were even putting the vampire off balance with their own attacks. Changmin wasn’t nearly as fast as Kumi, but his strikes were just as powerful—maybe more because of his height and strength. That didn’t mean Kumi was a weakling, not by a long shot. He just seemed to have a slight advantage because of his body structure.
At some point, Junsu joined in watching them, but Jae didn’t let that distract him. He cursed when he felt someone coming up from behind and was caught, one strong arm holding his torso as the other held the gun in his hand to his head. Jae remembered what Kumi had explained to do in this situation and luckily, Jae had loaded with regular bullets today. He threw the gun in his free hand to Yunho who lined up the shot without even thinking.
The bullet was supposed to go through Jae’s shoulder and hit his captor—supposed being the keyword. Micky was just too fast and Jae’s face was in the dirt before he knew it, his gun arm wrenched up painfully behind him while Micky’s foot dug into his back. Damn Micky’s speed; his power gave him even more of an advantage. After more attempts to see how well Yunho and Jae worked together, Kumi started to drill them working with random people. Jae refused to let his feelings get in the way and fared rather well through the day’s training. His worst experience was actually with Junsu when Micky (their opponent) decided to grab Junsu’s ass. One can only guess what happened after the initial indignant screech and Micky ended up getting pounded as Jae and Changmin stopped to watch with mild amusement.
Kumi called it quits when she noticed Jae slowing and getting tired. She pushed him down to sit as he realized the drug was wearing off. “You don’t know when to stop.”
He smiled as she handed him a bottle of water. “Would you rather I did?”
She ruffled his hair and walked away as he chugged the water and Yunho slumped down beside him. Someone threw a large bottle at him and he caught it expertly before he drank most of it down. Junsu plopped down in front of them and happily thanked them for the fun.
“I haven’t done something like that for so long!” He smiled so brightly, no one could possibly have thought he’d been so deadly just half an hour ago. It made Jae wonder about Junsu’s past. “You should bring your pack next time.”
“I planned on it.” Yunho smiled. “Thanks for participating.”
“Thanks for letting me! It’s just no fun with the same people all the time. This was refreshing!” Junsu kicked his feet around as if he hadn’t just been trying to kill them—the stark contrast was still confusing Jae. Junsu flopped back on the grass as Jae couldn’t help but glare at him before taking another swig from his bottle. Stupid vampires not being tired.
“Well, I’ll be back. Gotta tell Rain where these jokers are,” Kumi said as she jerked her head at the other vampires. “We should have a strategy meeting next week.”
Micky nodded. “Sounds good. Our other family should be ready and down here by then. We can finish planning the full attack, like we meant to before things… happened.”
Junsu and Changmin nodded as Jae was suddenly amused by his vocabulary.
“Other family?” Yunho asked.
“That’s who we went to stay with,” Junsu answered. “Their leader is the one who found me as a vampire and raised me.”
Jae’s eyebrow quirked up. He wondered how one raised a vampire.
“She’s kind of like a second mother to me,” Junsu told them with a smile.
“Do you remember your mother?” Jae asked, then bit his lip as he realized how rude the question might be.
Junsu glanced down at the grass. “Bits and pieces, but I was young when they put me in the asylum.”
Yunho and Jae glanced at each other silently and the young man wished he hadn’t asked.
“It’s okay. I don’t really remember much of being in there besides having visions that still don’t make sense.” The vampire played with a strand of long grass. “They thought I escaped or something, but some vampire turned me.”
Jae frowned. “Some vampire?”
Junsu nodded. “I don’t know who it was, but they asked Junghyun to look after me. She’s the family leader I was talking about. She’s pretty old, and I didn’t expect someone like her to want to raise someone like me.” He smiled a little then. “I think I changed her as much as I changed myself.”
“You really don’t remember what it was like to be human, do you?” Yunho asked.
Junsu shook his head just before Changmin walked by and ruffled his hair. Junsu smiled up at him before he went on. “I’ve been living as a vampire for so long, and all of the visions pretty much wiped out most of the memories I had. I only remember I had a very loving family and a brother around my age at the time I was admitted. I read my brother ran away or disappeared when he was around 18 though. By my hospital records, I was turned when I was about 20.”
“I was changed after I turned 18,” Changmin said as he stood at the edge of their group.
“After Kame …captured you?” Jae asked.
He nodded. “I was 16 when I was working on a ship that got detained for some…” he hesitated with a little grin. “..illegal activities.”
“I should’ve known,” Jae muttered amused.
“Kame acquired me just after that and finally turned me when he found a use for me,” Changmin finished quietly and Jae knew what that use was. He didn’t know all the details, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
“I was turned by Rain when I was twenty. My village had a sickness going through and my mother, in her fevered state, begged Rain to save me,” Micky told them for Yunho’s sake as he stopped next to Changmin. “Did you know he’s the oldest of the three of us?” he asked as he jabbed a thumb in Changmin’s direction.
Jae and Yunho made sounds of disagreement when Changmin just nodded and grinned. Everyone then looked to Kumi who seemed surprised.
“I…” She glanced away. “I thought I’d fallen in love.” She scoffed and shook her head as Jae and Yunho looked at each other. The stories all seemed so sad. “He drank my blood and left me to die.” A little smile played on her lips then. “Namie found me in the alley where he left me and she changed me so I could get my revenge. I pledged myself to her then and I’ve been working for her ever since.”
It sounded so simple when they talked about it now. Jae assumed it had been so long that they just added it in with the other bad memories and got used to it. He wondered if it would be like that for him someday. He knew from when Junsu said someday he’d be a vampire, Junsu meant it. Jae had to wonder if he’d seen the change, or if the drug he was taking could trick Junsu’s foresight. But he still knew that if or when he was changed, that was something he’d never forget.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they all dispersed and Yunho took Jae home so he could finish some homework. Yunho didn’t hang around. Jae could tell he was worn out from all of the sparring and let his lover go home with a kiss on the cheek. As tired as he was, Jae made himself some food before he dragged himself upstairs to his bedroom. He finished the last of his homework and fell into bed to pass out.
Monday classes went by normally as always and as Jae was leaving for the day, he stopped outside the school office when he saw Micky leaving. “Transferring back? That seems… overkill,” he said as the vampire stopped at his voice.
Micky chuckled as he approached. “Nah, just.. you know, we ‘graduated’ early in Alaska.” It was amusing when the vampire raised his fingers to emphasize. “Changmin took care of it.”
Jae didn’t bother asking any more questions. It wasn’t worth having to hear a lengthy explanation.
“Hanging out with Yunho today?” Micky asked as they walked outside and he slipped on a pair of sunglasses.
Jae smirked at the simple way to hide his red eyes. “How come you would skip school on sunny days?”
“Not allowed to wear them in class.” Micky tapped the frame and Jae nodded, knowing that Micky tended to sit next to the window in his classes.
“Depends on if he wants to watch me do homework all night,” Jae finally answered Micky’s question.
“Does he help with your Trig?”
Jae stopped as he remembered the trouble he’d had with the homework just after the vampire left. He glanced back at Micky who then looked apologetic.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
Jae waved a hand. “I just didn’t expect you to ask that. And yes, he’s actually very helpful sometimes.”
“Good.” Micky smiled.
“You’re pretty calm about your ex being with someone,” Jae commented as they began to walk again. He noticed people pointing and talking about them. Let them talk. Someday soon he wouldn’t be here and they wouldn’t be able to talk about him.
“I’m not the jealous type.”
He had to laugh at that. “So what type are you then?”
Micky nibbled on his lower lip as they stopped at Jae’s car. “The sit alone and cry after I congratulate you type?”
“Liar.”
“You know me too well.” The vampire grinned. “I came to talk to the administrators, but I also came to tell you.” Micky moved closer. “You should talk to Changmin.”
Jae frowned. “Why?”
Micky shrugged with a smile. “Things seem to be happening that are interesting.” He tapped his temple and Jae gave him a sour look.
“Stop reading Yunho’s mind!” he retorted.
“Can’t really block him very well. He’s a pretty strong projector and the things about us get through.” Micky shrugged. “Whether you decide to or not isn’t my business. Just thought you’d like a tip.”
Jae narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
Micky smirked. “Also, wait a little. Your lover will be here in a few minutes.” He gave Jae a wink before he sauntered away. He looked a bit too smug, but Jae couldn’t make himself leave. As he waited, he decided talking to Changmin might just be a good idea. If only to talk about what a brat Micky was.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted as he jogged up. “Wait long?”
“Not at all,” Jae told him. Micky really could sense Yunho. Apparently the vampire had no reservations about reading Yunho’s mind. Jae made a mental note to figure out a way to give the necklace back. “I have a lot of homework,” he admitted.
“Cool, because I have an appointment.” Yunho shrugged sheepishly as Jae laughed. “I’ll text you later, okay?”
“Sure,” Jae told him and accepted a kiss. “Later,” he said as his lover replied the same and ran back to his bike. Jae wondered what kind of appointment it was. It didn’t matter. This gave him plenty of time to finish his homework and follow up on that decision.
Now, what exactly what he supposed to talk to Changmin about?
~***~
so Japan was fantastic! thanks for being so patient! tbh, I didn't get any writing done when I was there because I had a totally different mindset while I was there, and it was wierd, but it was such a fantastic trip. anyway, hope this was worth the wait. I should be back on a weekly update schedule as usual~
Part 16
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/runs to read--!
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possible HoMin?
DAMN. thank you ^^;; i just LOVE that pairing!!
i thought it was very interesting how everyone's getting along so well. you portray their easy 'relationships' (either as ot5 or individual pairs) so well. the tone of most of your story is pretty laid back and understated, but always with the potential for mind boggling action (i include your smut with that =]] ). i can see how japan might have put you in a different mind set. =)
but, i love it, as always, and look forward to the next chapter. their developing relationships, especially the HoMin, really just tickle my pickle!
(gah~ that was lame TT.TT LOL)
im glad you enjoyed your trip! i myself am going away to the philippines for the next two weeks. if things go as planned, i might even go to school there.
can't wait for the next chapter~
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have fun on your trip!
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but the punching...can be sexy.
plus the making up
sex >.<can be VERY sexy ;Dno subject
As for the story, it is great that all 5 of them are back together and getting along as friends. Still wondering how Chun really feels seeing his love now going with someone else. Kind of waiting for a blowout of his actual feelings...or some jealously or something....because it is kind of strange seeing that he is accepting the situation so well.
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i figure chun has been alive and around min long enough to watch his feelings about things sometimes :x
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ahaha, but hey what is this?! Chun not jealous?! Unless theres an unuderlying meaning of OT5 in that (lol) i want my jaechun action!!! ahaha jk jk, what I really meant by that was that the chapter was great, I really enjoyed the interaction between all of them and as always it is well written :)
I hope you enjoyed Japan a lot! I know I did when I went, it was amazing!
anyway, update soon! <3 I'll be waiting!
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be patient ;D
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The sparring scene was awesome!!!!
Though I love that you added a bit of humor with YooChun grabbing Su's duckbutt
XD
I'm completely interested in the possible HoMin
even if I've only read a couple HoMin ficsand what exactly Chun is "hearing" with Yunho's thoughts XDI'm glad you had fun in Japan though BB ^___^
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thanks :D
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Pls ignore that side of mine.
I'm not sure what I'm anticipating more - the ultimate battle, Jae turning into a vamp (you will show that right? Right??) or the ultimate fivesome. Is there a word? Fivesome? XD
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