Laundromat Encounter part II

Title : Laundromat Encounter
Author : enigmaxempress
Rating : PG - 13
Summary: In which doilies are relevant, washer #17 is where it all starts, and everything is somehow Yoochun’s fault.
Disclaimer : I own nothing.  Plot and story belongs to :  enigmaxempress
Original posted in : http://enigmaxempress.livejournal.com/20168.html

Enjoy!!!!




It’s another 2 months before Yunho hears from Yoochun again and by then the firm’s general insanity has begun to wane. Yunho’s father inevitably wins his case – because he’s just that good and Yunho hopes that in a couple of years, when he’s earned the title of Senior partner he could be just as good – and does it with a bang, getting a witness at the stand to divulge incriminating information at the last minute. The case is lauded as one of the most controversial of the year, involving the mass murder of Asia’s most successful Korean boy groups. It turns out the CEO had done it, with masking tape, hairpins, and gum. So maybe all of Yunho’s researching hadn’t been for naught.

The firm gets a ton of publicity for winning the case and they get flooded daily with lunches, flowers, thank you cards, and other odd trinkets from gratefulsobbingcrying fans who can’t thank them enough for giving their idols justice and throwing that evilbastardscumformer CEO of theirs into jail. It’s come to the point that Yunho and the rest of the office don’t need to cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner because starting at 7 a.m. and continuing at five hour intervals, food would magically arrive. It’s not just cold chicken and sandwiches either, but full meals that tasted like home. It’s during one such meal that Yunho contemplates what life would be like if he’d been in a boy group. He figures it can’t be horrible if they’ve got such nice fans.

It takes another few weeks for the case to officially close, after which the firm throws a giant party to celebrate their epic win. It’s also where Yunho’s father officially announces his retirement. It’s a grand affair, done at one of Seoul’s grandest luxury hotels. They’ve commandeered a large ballroom in which everything is gold – or some variation of – and glitters. The ceiling is high, with a number of elaborate chandeliers hanging, their crystals glinting in the added lighting of hundreds of strategically placed white votive candles. It’s a strictly black-tie and by invitation only event, so Yunho and the rest of his officemates are dressed to the nines. Even his secretary looks blooming and not at all like her usual, harassed-looking self in a pale pink gown with a modest neckline. He compliments her on her looks while they mingle and it’s the first time she smiles at him without the need to reprimand him or remind him of some due date or other.

Yunho himself is dressed in a tux, one of the few he owned though rarely wore because while he liked suits, tuxes were a little over the top for more than the occasional gala or event. He also found tuxes to be way too stuffy, as was the case right now. The air-conditioning is on full blast, but with this many people and the addition of the candles, the room was already slightly overheated. In a tux – he’d picked the one with a damn cravat, something Yunho’s slowly beginning to regret – it’s sweltering.

Yunho stands near the refreshment table because not only does it have unlimited sources of wine and a wide selection of delicious finger foods, but one end was stationed near an open balcony. Heavy velvet curtains kept most of the air in and the night insects out, but the middle section was left partially open, gauzy white drapes the only barrier to the outside world. Yunho pretends to look engrossed in the food and wine near the opening in order to a bit of the cool night air, though he doesn’t have to try too hard. His father owned the spotlight tonight; Yunho doesn’t have to worry about anyone missing him.

Maybe it’s the tux or just his good looks (Yunho’s honest enough to admit he’s quite dashing in a tux), but somehow he never seems to run out of female company. After he’d spoken to his secretary and escaped to the refreshment table, he’d been accosted by a matronly older woman commenting on his father’s success before moving on to the dashing figure he made in a tux. Thankfully, she was sidelined by a man he presumed to be her husband, carrying two glasses of wine and a plate of hors d’oeuvres and ushering the woman away. Yunho is barely able to sigh in relief when he’s approached once again, this time by a much younger woman practically spilling out of her very tight, very uncomfortable looking dress. Try as he might, even if he had no interest in her ample bosom whatsoever, he has a hard time focusing on her face when she tries to engage him in conversation. He can’t quite figure out how so much could fit in so little.

One moment Yunho is contemplating how her dress could hold up so much breast, and the next moment he isn’t. He looks up to find the woman turning on her heel, throwing him dirty looks over her shoulder as she flounces away in a huff. Yunho colors briefly; he hadn’t meant to stare.

“That’s funny, I was under the impression you played for the same team,” a familiar voice sounded beside him.

“Jaejoong-sshi!” Yunho turns in surprise, cheeks reddening further at being caught ogling. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Jaejoong says with a knowing smile. “I work here.”

Yunho takes a moment to process Jaejoong’s answer, still a little flustered from his previous encounter. After a careful look he realizes Jaejoong is wearing a chef’s uniform, complete with apron and the funny hat in his hands.

“But I thought you were a bar tender at Vise.”

“Only a couple of nights a week,” Jaejoong answers. “During the day my family runs the restaurant on the first floor. It’s the family business and – well…” he shrugs. “You probably know how that goes.”

Yunho nods. He does. The family business was an obligation; you couldn’t just refuse. “The food is delicious,” Yunho comments in all sincerity.

Jaejoong laughs with a hand to his mouth. “It should, considering I cooked most of it.”

Yunho is greatly awed by this revelation, admiring Jaejoong’s skill because Yunho could barely boil water without burning the pot. The most he ever makes is ramen and most of the time, to avoid setting off the various fire alarms in his apartment, he microwaves the water instead of utilizing the stove.

They spend a few minutes engaging in scintillating conversation, the flow of it as easy and as comfortable as the first time they met.

“By the way, did you hear YooSu are back in the country?” Jaejoong asks animatedly, filching his own glass of wine and downing it quickly before anyone could see.

“YooSu?” Yunho echoes, sipping at his own glass and smiling at Jaejoong’s antics.

“You know, Yoo¬chun and Junsu. YooSu. They got married in Vegas, did you know?”
“I do.” Yunho replies. He’s awed by more of Jaejoong’s genius. YooSu – it was nothing short of brilliant! “I got a call about it in the middle of the night a couple of months ago. When did they get back?”

“Just last week, actually. They’ve been locked up at Yoochun’s place for days now; still haven’t gone down from that post-honeymoon high I think.”

While they talk, Yunho remembers Yoochun’s words from a long time ago, something about having feeling for Jaejoong. Most of what he recalls are sticking pins and voodoo dolls, but what he’d said about Jaejoong also surfaces. Yunho thinks about it, really thinks about it, but as they converse Yunho can’t identify any romantic feelings for Jaejoong at all. Jaejoong is easy to talk to, comfortable, something Yunho had identified with from the very first time they met. Yoochun had been wrong about him liking Jaejoong because as they stand here right now, Yunho can’t muster up anymore feeling for Jaejoong than mere brotherly affection.

Yunho doesn’t know if that realization should make him happy or sad. His love life (or obvious lack thereof) was depressing.

A woman in waiter’s garb holding a tray suddenly appears to tell Jaejoong he was needed in the kitchen. Jaejoong pouts at her and complains of being overworked. Yunho smiles a little at that; Jaejoong’s never met his father – he can’t possibly know what ‘over-worked’ was like.

“Well, duty calls,” Jaejoong says with an overly dramatic sigh, though the look in his eyes is full of mirth. “Anyway, I’m planning to throw the newlywed couple a little party – maybe next week. Nothing fancy, probably just us and dinner. You think you might be up for it?”

“Sure,” Yunho agrees enthusiastically. His schedule is actually quite lax for the next few weeks and it’s been ages since he’s gone out and relaxed. Not to mention it’s been a while since he’d seen his friends, now man and wife. Or was it man and husband? Man and spouse? Man and man? Spouse and Spouse? Yunho makes a mental note to ask them about it when he sees them.

He and Jaejoong exchange numbers before Jaejoong leaves for the kitchens again. Jaejoong promises to call him when the dinner plans are finalized and after a hurried goodbye, Jaejoong’s gone as quickly as he’d appeared.

Yunho looks forward to next week.

--

True to his word, Jaejoong sends him a text early Monday morning informing him that the dinner was schedules for Friday night and that he should remember to bring a present. Yunho thanks Jaejoong for the call and the reminder; he hadn’t thought about a present. Now that he did think about it however, he had no idea what to get. Thankfully, his secretary has lost none of her efficiency and he sweetly tasks her to do it. Yunho’s got a large, intricately wrapped wedding gift – all shiny and glittering, ready to be presented – sitting on his desk by Wednesday morning.

Yunho starts the paperwork on getting her a pay raise.

He spends the next few days finishing off his work load so that by Friday afternoon he’s ‘In’ box is empty and the tall pile of signed papers and files in the ‘Out’ box has his ever-so-efficient secretary smiling from ear to ear. Yunho leaves the office early for the first time in a long while, opting for long, warm bath before getting ready for dinner. He goes for a semi-formal ensemble: jeans and a collared shirt because it was a post-wedding dinner after all.

Yunho arrives at Jaejoong’s apartment 30 minutes early. He spends the first five agonizing about the reasons he’d come so early, the next ten making sure his hair/clothes/breath (why he checks this, even Yunho isn’t sure) are presentable, before spending another five once again agonizing at his early arrival. He’s forced out of his car another five minutes later when Yoochun’s car parks three spaces from his. He grabs their present from the passenger seat and meets them on walkway, entering the building together. In the elevator both Yoochun and Junsu tease him with little bits and pieces of their trip to Africa and their brief stay in Las Vegas, the rest of which they promise to divulge later.

Just as they reach the designated floor, Junsu seemingly has an epiphany.

“Isn’t – ” Junsu makes a gesture above his head with one hand. “ – going to be here?”

Yoochun tries to suppress an obvious smirk and fails at it. The mischievous glint in his eyes worries Yunho. “But of course, darling, he lives there.”

“Who lives there?” Yunho’s growing sense of foreboding prompting him to ask. YooSu go on as if he hadn’t even spoken.

“Then…” Junsu’s gaze slides to Yunho before going back to Yoochun and they engage in one of those silent eye conversations married couples have that Yunho’s only ever heard of.

“Um. What? Guys, I’m right here. And who is ‘he’?” Yunho asks, confused and more than a little apprehensive.

“Do you remember me saying Jaejoong hyung had a roommate?” Yoochun starts. “The one I told you might be Jaejoong hyung’s attachment?” Yunho nods. He remembers that conversation, but only briefly. “You’ll be meeting him tonight.” Yoochun finishes just as the elevator dings at the right floor and they shuffle out. Yunho doesn’t quite here the last word. “Again.”

Jaejoong’s door is the third one on the right and Yoochun doesn’t even bother to knock. He heads right in, announcing in a loud voice, “Honey, I’m home!” Junsu clocks him over the head just as Jaejoong emerges from what Yunho assumes to be the kitchen.

Jaejoong welcomes them with open arms and much exaggeration in which Yunho is only partially included. His hands are full, one holding the wedding present and the other clutching haphazardly at the bottle of wine Yoochun had thrust at him just before Jaejoong had grabbed him by the head and proceeded to choke him to death. Yunho finally gets the chance to present Yoochun and Junsu with their present and Jaejoong takes the bottle of wine to chill.

There are congratulations and well wishes thrown around as they move into the dining room, where Yunho, Yoochun, and Junsu discover that Jaejoong seems to have outdone himself. They all sort of gawk at the round table laden with abundance of food– probably enough to feed an army, Yunho comments, and that mischievous glint revives itself in Yoochun’s eyes.

“There is someone here with a black hole for a stomach. Where is the bean pole anyway?” Yoochun asks.

“He means Changmin, the guy I live with,” Jaejoong supplies even before Yunho could ask. “In the shower. He should be out in a minute.”

Jaejoong bids them to take their seats and disappears into the kitchen only to reappear with more platters of food. Yunho’s eyes widen at the variety of chicken dishes – Junsu’s favorites – and the large pot of kimchi stew Yoochun was partial to. There’s also a bunch of side dishes, one or two foreign dishes, and wine breathing in a bucket of ice in a stand next to the table. It’s hard not to salivate at the copious amounts of delicious smelling food

All of a sudden a shadow falls over the doorway. “Where’s my present?” Yunho turns to the doorway and promptly stops and stares.

There’s a tall young man walking into the room, with hair still wet and obviously fresh out of the shower. He looks at Yoochun and Junsu with mismatched eyes and a smile hovering over his wide mouth. The fabric of his t-shirt stretches tight over his chest and biceps and for some reason Yunho can’t quite fathom how long his legs are while encased in jeans obviously well-worn and one size too small. He also looks vaguely familiar, but Yunho doesn’t know how.

The newcomer gives Yoochun and Junsu his congratulations, though Yoochun does comment that he doesn’t sound very sincere. The tall young man just grins at them slyly in a way that has Yunho staring. While he greets Yoochun and Junsu enthusiastically, he takes one look at Yunho and all of a sudden his eyes are blazing.

“You.”

“Me?” Yunho squeaks, a little lost as to why he’s being glared at all of a sudden.

“Changmin, you know Yunho. Yunho, this is Changmin, my roommate.” Jaejoong smiles, more plates of food in hand.

“He knows me?” Yunho says, confused.

“But of course, hyung,” Yoochun grins, all teeth. “It’s kind of hard to forget the guy who humped your leg the first time you met.”

“I what?”

“You wouldn’t remember, of course, considering you were drunk off your ass,” Changmin says, brow arched and choosing a seat.

“You didn’t tell me I humped someone’s leg!” Yunho cries out, aghast and forgetting about present company to shoot Yoochun accusing lasers with his eyes.

“It was in your best interest not to know!” Yoochun reasoned, though the glint in his eyes said he was in no way apologetic. “You were really busy with work! Traumatic experiences don’t mix well with murder cases!”

“But I humped someone’s leg!” Yunho points at Changmin, face burning. “His leg. You said I didn’t do anything illegal or life threatening!”

“It’s not illegal if he liked it too!”

“Liked what?” Changmin says with an arched brow.

Yoochun rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. I saw the way you looked at him when he started hip thrusting! And don’t tell me you didn’t like it when he started humping your leg and… the rest of you. I saw you go – ”

“Not at the table,” Jaejoong cuts in.

“Changmin-sshi!– ”

“He’s younger than us, hyung.”

“Changmin-sshi,” Yunho repeats, completely ignoring Yoochun. “I am so sorry. I have no idea what got into me that night. I was under a lot of stress that time and the drink Jaejoong gave me was – ”

“It’s fine,” Changmin interrupts Yunho’s apology with a wave of his hand. “I’m over it. It was extremely embarrassing and awkward, but as long as you don’t start randomly hip thrusting or attempting to hump me again, then it’s fine.”

“You’re so forgiving,” Jaejoong remarks with a bit of skepticism lacing his tone as he finally takes a seat. “I just bump into you a little and you become so violent but he humps your leg and you’re so nice. Why are you so mean to me?”

“Because he was inebriated and the humping was unintentional.” Changmin states matter-of-factly. “I know you bump into me on purpose. And it’s not just a ‘bump’. It’s practically a shove!”

They engage in light bickering that threatens to escalate every 2 seconds but never does and soon Yoochun and Junsu add their own opinions to the mix. Yunho tries to get into the flow of conversation but it’s hard when Changmin sits across from him and Yunho just can’t get over his embarrassment. It’s been a while so he doesn’t quite remember anymore, but the little bits and pieces from the incident that he hadn’t understood – like the bean pole thing – made so much more sense now. Yunho’s eyes flit from his plate to Changmin more than once and a couple of times Changmin catches his gaze. He doesn’t smile or say anything, just stares back and Yunho has to look away first because just imagining himself… humping Changmin’s leg – or Changmin’s anything –¬ has his face flaming.

“Don’t listen him,” Jaejoong says, cutting into something Yoochun had begun to say. “Because of him all of my underwear has ‘I want penis’ stamped onto them.”

The word penis catches Yunho’s attention. “I have wondered about that. That time at the Laundromat, when we first met – you said Yoochun had something to do with it?”

Jaejoong’s lip curls in a scowl and he points at Yoochun. “Sorry, this idiot here posted some things on a bulletin at this club we frequent and now, everywhere I go, people keep hitting on me.”

“What, and telling them you’re from a porno is your way of warding them off?” Changmin counters sarcastically as he ladles himself more stew.

“Well, at least I look like I could be in a porno, Mr. Bean Pole.”

“I really don’t think that’s something you should be proud of, hyung.”

“I love this place,” Yoochun says in between bites of chicken. “’Penis’ and ‘porno’ are normal words at the dinner table.”

Junsu snickers. “Oh, but apparently the word ‘hard’ – ”

“Not in front of the food!”

“ – is not.” Junsu finishes with a tiny sip of wine before quickly switching to water. “Why is that?”

“Because none of you can say the word ‘hard’ without making it some kind of sexual connotation,” Jaejoong says in exasperation.

“The words ‘penis’ and ‘porno’ don’t?” Yunho asks, and all of a sudden everyone is staring at him. It’s the first time he’s actively joining the conversation; he’s relieved when Yoochun breaks out into a grin and the rest of them follow suit.

“You’d better watch out Jaejoong hyung, his lawyer side is coming out. He’ll find some contradiction to go with everything you say.”

Some kind of barrier gets taken down when they share laughs at Yoochun’s comment and afterwards Yunho is more at ease. He doesn’t have to try so hard at conversation and while his eyes still find themselves roaming in Changmin’s direction, when their eyes meet it’s not so awkward anymore. Oddly enough, Yunho is comfortable sitting here, having dinner with these four people. Yoochun is his best friend and he can’t exactly say he knows Junsu all that well despite having known him for a while. Jaejoong and Changmin are fairly new acquaintances and yet… Yunho feels comfortable with them in a way he doesn’t with people he’s known for a long time.

It’s hard to keep friends when you’re buried in work and over the years Yunho had somehow just stopped putting in so much effort. Work was for work and while he got along well with people there, he wasn’t especially close with any of them. Even with his secretary he’s kept at an arm’s distance and he couldn’t function without her! As for outside of work – Yunho usually didn’t have enough time for anything outside of work and as a result his circle of friends has severely diminished.

“Please. Say that again when you’ve found a job that doesn’t require you to take off your clothes,” Changmin says, snapping Yunho out of his inner thoughts.

“Oh, you know you like it.”

“Right. About as much as I’d like a stick shoved up my ass.”

“You’d like it a lot then.” Jaejoong deadpans.

“Let me shove a stick up your ass and see how much you like it.” Changmin retorts with a straight face.

“Been there, done that.” Jaejoong cackles at the scandalized look on Changmin’s face. “Oh! Oh! That face! The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.”

“You. Are. Shameless.” Changmin says to a Jaejoong who looks like he just might pee himself. “Ignore him, please.” He directs at Yunho with a roll of his eyes and only a tiny flush creeping up his cheeks.

Yunho suppresses a smile for Changmin’s sake and to Jaejoong he says, “I thought you were a chef. And a bartender,” he adds as an afterthought.

“I am,” Jaejoong answers, a little breathless with laughter still threatening to bubble over. “But occasionally I model for art students at Changmin’s university. They need a model and I get a laugh out of telling everybody Changmin’s my boy toy.”

“STOP. I am not your ‘boy toy’!” Changmin glowers, but the effect isn’t as scary when bright red slashes against his cheeks and all the way to the tip of his ears. “Don’t listen to him. He only says that to make himself feel better.”

It’s ridiculous how Yunho’s heart plummets at Jaejoong’s declaration then flutters after Changmin’s immediate denial. He’s beginning to think it’s indigestion when Changmin meets his eyes from across the table and can swear that for a moment it’s as if his heart stops. It’s brief and probably insignificant but there’s something about it that has Yunho’s heart skipping beats and his mouth going dry.

The rest of dinner goes by seamlessly. Junsu entertains them with his Kenyan, and Yunho would have actually believed it was authentic if every supposed ‘sentence’ didn’t end with bambayaaaa. Then there are Yoochun’s animal imitations – they were so spot on the table shook with their hilarity. When they start with eyewitness accounts of animals mating, Jaejoong quickly shifts the conversation to what had happened in Vegas. The topic is on the obnoxious number of strip clubs the desert state possesses when Changmin asks a very relevant question.

“Hyung, is your marriage valid in Korea?”

The table goes quiet all of a sudden. Yoochun and Junsu look at each other and then at the other three with guilty expressions on their faces.

“See, that’s the thing. We’re… not actually married.” Yoochun starts. Jaejoong lets out a very loud, very confused, “WHAT?”

“Yeah, it’s because the names on the marriage certificate aren’t right,” Junsu continues.

“Why? What’s on the marriage certificate?” Changmin asks.

“Xiah Junsu and Mickey Yoochun.”

“Who the fuck is that?” Jaejoong says. That’s what everyone else would like to know.

“Pet names,” Yoochun explains, as if it made perfect sense. “We were drunk and it was Vegas and well…” he shrugs.

“Since those aren’t our real names, it’s not really us, so we’re not really married,” Junsu continues. “But somewhere, out there, in another world maybe, two people by the names of Xiah Junsu and Mickey Yoochun are really married.”

There’s a lull in the conversation as they ponder that for a while until Jaejoong announces its time for dessert.

“There’s a catch though,” Jaejoong says as they all help to clear the table of the main dishes. “I didn’t have enough time to make dessert so someone has to go out and buy it.”

“We’re the guests of honor, so it can’t be us,” Yoochun pipes up, setting the bucket of wine onto the table and refilling all their glasses.

“You’re not really married,” Changmin retorts, taking one last bite of the spicy chicken before Jaejoong put it away.

“But we had a wedding night,” Yoochun answers greasily, leering at Junsu.

Changmin scowls at him, pretending to gag. “Too much information.”

“Does that mean I get to take back my wedding gift?” Yunho asks, sipping at his wine.

Yoochun shakes his head and grins. “Not a chance.”

“Why not?” Yunho says.

“Because we already opened it.” The mischievous glint is back in Yoochun’s eyes and Yunho has a cause for worry. “Be honest, hyung, did you personally pick out that gift for us, or did you get your secretary to do it for you?”

Yunho pauses; the look on Yoochun’s face is smug – knowing. It makes him wonder what exactly the gift was. If he admits to getting his secretary to do it, he’ll seem insincere and lose face. But to lie and say he did pick out himself is dangerous, if the sly look on Yoochun’s face was anything to go by. Not to mention Yunho isn’t all that great when it came to lying.

“No,” he confesses grudgingly. “I didn’t know what to get you, so I let her do it.”

Yoochun’s grin becomes so wide it threatens to split his face. “You should give that woman a raise, hyung. She’s got excellent taste.”

A shiver of apprehension goes up Yunho’s spine. He’s almost afraid to ask. “Why, what’d she get you?”

Yoochun opts to show them instead. He reveals it just as Jaejoong comes walks in, doilies in hand.

Chaos ensues.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! GET IT OFF MY TABLE.” Jaejoong screeches, throwing little round bits of lace at Yoochun’s face.

Yunho stares at the long black thing on the table but his mind can’t seem to process what it is. It’s long and curved, made out of synthetic black rubber and plastic, and appeared to be… double-headed? Yunho realizes what it is just as a flying doily whizzes his way.

“Nice,” Changmin says, ducking his head to Yunho’s side. “Double-headed dildo. Must have cost you a pretty penny, hyung.”

The way Changmin says ‘hyung,’ while looking at Yunho with teasing, mismatched eyes as they evaded Jaejoong’s Doilies of Doom has Yunho’s heart jumping in his ribcage. It’d be uncomfortable if it didn’t make Yunho feel all warm inside.

“What do you say we go and buy dessert?” Changmin says as they watch Jaejoong rage and chase a frantic looking, but wholly unapologetic Yoochun. Junsu just stands aside, his loud eu kyang kyangs making it hard for Yunho to hear.

“What?” Yunho asks, not quite sure he heard right over the din.

“Dessert. Let’s go buy it.” Jaejoong’s seemingly unlimited supply of flying doilies ultimately makes Yunho’s decision. They’re out of there before Yunho could say double-headed dildo.

The escape out of the noisy apartment is full of laughs and new-found ease – even the short ride in the elevator is spent enthusiastically recounting Yoochun’s gall and Yunho’s secretary’s obvious need for a pay raise. The awkward doesn’t start until they're out the building and onto the street, Changmin leading the way to a nearby cake shop.

As they walk, conversation dwindles. It’s as if the farther away they are from the safety (and insanity) the other three create, the more uncomfortable they become. The night is cold and the streets are nearly devoid of people, most of them opting to stay indoors and in the warmth of their homes. Yunho stuffs his hand into the pockets of his jacket, thankful they’d had time to grab theirs before their flee. In the steadily uncomfortable silence, Yunho’s thoughts go circling back to their first, unfortunate encounter.

“About the leg humping thing…” Yunho starts. He’s startled when Changmin bursts into laughter.

“You’re still thinking about that?” Changmin asks, smiling. The night is cold but suddenly Yunho’s face is much too warm.

“Well. I mean – I’m really sorry. I wasn’t… myself and-”

“Hyung, it’s okay,” Changmin placates. “Like I said, it was awkward and embarrassing but it wasn’t.” he pauses, thinking. “It wasn’t… horrible, I guess. Like, a lap dance. But standing up and- yeah. Completely unexpected.”

Yunho doesn’t know how it’s possible for his face to be even hotter without bursting into flames. “I’m not usually like that. I’m very staid, and boring, and a workaholic. I don’t- I don’t usually drink and start… violating strangers.”

“Actually, you violated a chair first, and then when Yoochun hyung took it away you moved on to violating me.”

“Oh my God, I don’t think I can ever show my face at Vise ever again.”

“I can’t say much for the chair, but some strangers wouldn’t mind if you… violated them. Again. Although, it would be preferable if you weren’t drunk and if you actually remembered it the next morning.”

Yunho stops in his tracks and gawks. He’s unsure if he’ll still be able to unhinge his jaw and pick it up off the sidewalk.

They share a look on the empty walkway, Yunho’s expression disbelieving and Changmin’s full of mirth but with an unreadable quality to it that Yunho can’t discern. Is he joking or Is he serious?

Instead, Changmin laughs at Yunho’s expense. He tugs at the fabric of Yunho’s elbow, his fingers warm even through the jacket. “Come on, let’s go buy that cake,” Changmin says, leading the way. Yunho’s all too eager to follow.

--

“Doilies?” Changmin asks incredulously, staring at the intricate piece of lace. “Since when have we had doilies?”

“We’ve always had doilies,” Jaejoong answers with only a hint of exasperation in his tone. “I’ve just never had the opportunity to use them.”

“And you’ve decided that now is a good opportunity?”

“I don’t see why not,” he sniffed, still annoyed and glaring in Yoochun’s general direction. He sips haughtily at his tea. “Thanks to your obvious goal of studying to death, we never have any visitors so I never get to use them. Besides, you know how I hate water rings.” Changmin shakes his head and rolls his eyes, obviously not understanding Jaejoong’s logic.

Jaejoong serves them the cake Yunho and Changmin had picked out, something sinful and indulgent and triple chocolate. Junsu complains about the calorie-count and how his students would be shocked if they ever saw him eating something so fattening, all the while rapidly finishing his first slice before going for a second. Yoochun just lets him and eats his slice slowly, groaning at the chocolate-y piece of heaven in his mouth. Even Jaejoong commends their choice and as the last bits of cake disappear, it’s unanimously decided that the evening is a success.

They finish off the cake and the rest of the tea, and soon it’s time to say goodbyes. Yoochun and Junsu have to be at their company early tomorrow, Yoochun to compose and Junsu to his dance classes. Even Yunho can imagine the new pile of files and documents his efficient (but apparently evil!) secretary will have on his desk tomorrow morning. He’s probably the most reluctant to go, however, and keeps sneaking glances Changmin’s way but it’s like the younger man is avoiding his gaze now. As he and YooSu take their leave, their eyes don’t meet – not even once.

Yunho’s more than a little deflated at Changmin’s sudden lack of attention. Or had the things Changmin had implied earlier been nothing but Yunho’s imagination? He doesn’t want to believe that, not when he can still feel the heat of Changmin’s fingers where they’d touched his elbow. He can’t even find it in him to smile when Jaejoong and Changmin bicker over who has to do the dishes.

“I cooked! I shouldn’t have to do the dishes if I cooked!”

“No one told you to cook!

“You couldn’t have possibly expected me to feed them take-out.” Jaejoong says the word like it’s dirty.

“If you didn’t want to do the dishes, then you should have,” Changmin retorts. “This conversation is going nowhere.”

“Fine then. We’ll do it your way. Turn around.”

“What?” Changmin says, still obviously unable to grasp Jaejoong’s train of thought.

Jaejoong sighs loudly in exasperation. “You insist on being juvenile, so we will be. Turn around.”

Changmin does so, grudgingly.

“How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Oh my God.”

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Jaejoong insists.

“Three.”

“Uncanny!”

“No, predictable.” Changmin turns around and sticks his tongue out at Jaejoong. “That’s your favorite number.”

Yoochun snickers behind his hand and Jaejoong shoots him a glare that Yunho is glad it isn’t directed at him.

“You did lose, Jaejoong-ah,” Yunho says, more comfortable now and dropping formalities.

“Not you too,” Jaejoong complains. “You’re supposed to be the voice of reason here.”

Yunho shrugs and throws a glance at Changmin, who’s still avoiding his gaze, but a small smile teases the corners of his mouth and suddenly Yunho isn’t all that sad. He’s still the most reluctant to leave though, and YooSu is already out the door but he’s still putting his shoes on and lingering in the foyer. Jaejoong heads for the kitchen in a huff, leaving Changmin to see Yunho out.

“So…” Yunho starts, folding his jacket over his forearm and standing awkwardly in front of Changmin. He’s all ready to leave but he’s hoping Changmin might give him a reason to stay a little longer.

Changmin cocks his head and repeats. “So.”

“I’m going now.” Yunho says.

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Yunho is beyond deflated. “Bye.”

Changmin nods at him. “Bye—oh fuck it. Do you really have to look that sad?”

“What?” Yunho says quite intelligently. Changmin gestures at Yunho’s jacket.

“Left pocket.”

Yunho, though confused, follows orders. He rummages around the left pocket of his jacket, feeling his car keys first and –

There’s a doily. He recognizes the smooth edges and lace. Yunho takes it out, looking at Changmin curiously, hopefully. Changmin just stares back.

Yunho looks carefully at the slightly crumpled piece of lace and there, in between the flower patterns was a cell phone number and Changmin’s name. Yunho looks up at Changmin in surprise, only to find Changmin that close. In the abruptly small space between them Yunho realizes that he has to lift his chin to meet Changmin’s gaze because Changmin is actually taller than him.

“I’m not usually like this but,” CHangmin quickly throws a look over his shoulder to see if Jaejoong’s sneaking around. Satisfied that the older man isn’t, he continues. “If you ever feel like being violated, I’m more than willing to return the favor.”

“F-favor?” Yunho stammers as Changmin closes the distance between them.

“You know, the leg humping thing. We can…” Their lips touch and for a moment neither of them speak. Yunho can’t process words anyway, not with how Changmin kisses him silly. Yunho has a feeling Changmin’s forgotten what to say, though he doesn’t mind, especially when Changmin’s tongue runs along the seam of Yunho’s lips and his tongue slips into Yunho’s mouth.

They stay like that for a long while – at least that’s what Yunho thinks. He loses track of time as Changmin deepens their kiss, stroking Yunho’s tongue with his own in a way that says his tongue would be good at stroking… other things. Yunho groans at the thought and the sound is loud in the empty foyer. They pull away from each other, remembering where they are and who’s just beyond the hall. Yunho would rather not have a repeat performance of the flying doilies.

“What were you saying before?” he asks, breathless and with good reason to be. Changmin is a very good kisser.

Changmin grins. “The leg humping thing. How about we do more than that?”

----*****FIN******-------