“That’s why I beg you Yunho… I’ll do anything, whatever you or Ilwoo or anyone wants, I’ll do it. But please, save my son.” Yunho was frozen seeing Jaejoong’s tears but what horrified him even more when Jaejoong falls on his knees and bows his head while sobbing, “Please… I beg you… save Changmin.”

Yunho couldn’t help himself and also gets on his knees and throws his arms around Jaejoong. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Yunho pleaded tightening his hug but Jaejoong neither pushes him nor returns it, “I’m sorry. I’ll fix everything. I promise.” Yunho says over and over again while Jaejoong sobs, a hint of relief in his heart. Outside, Yoochun sees the couple and smiles to himself while hoping things work out between his friends.

Yoochun doesn’t think he needs to supervise those two (lest he miss something big again) and considered getting some coffee. The last thing he saw when he was heading towards the cafeteria was Yunho and Jaejoong leaving the stairway and heading to Changmin’s room. All the more relief for Yoochun.

Yunho stops in front of the room’s door and opened it for Jaejoong, albeit hesitantly. Jaejoong gives him a slightly, blink-and-you-miss-it nod in thanks and entered just when the nurse finished checking on Changmin. Changmin’s face brightens up seeing both his parents but more so because of the one person he was longing to see for weeks.

“Ap~paaa~” Changmin squealed and waved his arms at Yunho demandingly. Jaejoong couldn’t help the petty feeling of jealousy inside him and for a moment he almost wanted to shout ‘What about your umma?’ at Changmin but knows better than to do it.

“Aigoo! He’s become so lively now.” the nurse coos, happy her youngest patient is finally getting better. She picks up the clipboard and walks to the door, “the doctor will check up on him in 30 minutes.” She told the parents and left after Yunho and Jaejoong thanked her.

Jaejoong, who’s still by the door was thinking whether he should feed Changmin a proper meal when he hears loud squealing. He looks at the bed and found Yunho has already planted himself on Changmin’s bed, right on Jaejoong’s spot much to his jealousy again.

“Rise above Jaejoong, rise above.” Jaejoong whispered to himself, albeit grudgingly while looking through what Heechul and Tan Ajhumma had packed for them to eat.

“Aigoo! Who is this little monkey huh?” Yunho playfully tickled Changmin’s side and despite trying to curl and get away from the tickling fingers, Changmin answers his father, “Minnie~!” he squeaks with a gap-toothed grin.

Yunho stops and puts on a thoughtful face, “Minnie?” Yunho scrunches his nose and gives Changmin an once-over, “hmm… but Minnie was like a big football-no…basketball.”

“Minnie no football!” Changmin squawks indignantly.

“Let’s check shall we?” Yunho pulls Changmin’s shirt up and tries not to react to how much thinner he has gotten. He lowered his face and blew a loud raspberry getting loud squeals from Changmin. Jaejoong, being near the door, could hear two nurses express their disbelief because they know the patient in this room hasn’t been this lively since he arrived.

“Omo! Omo!” Yunho rested his cheek on Changmin’s exposed belly, his five-o-clock shadow scratching the bare stomach while Changmin still laughed, “Looks my Minnie is here but my Minnie’s pudgy belly is missing.” Yunho raised his head and moved to Changmin’s face to give him an eskimo kiss. Changmin playfully clutched Yunho’s hair thinking it’s a game, “suddenly dieting eh? Your Umma looks thinner too. Have you been troubling your Umma?”

Jaejoong would’ve retorted like father like son but it dawned on him at that moment that even though Changmin is not Yunho’s son by blood, but they are exactly alike. Just like the time Changmin was born, Jaejoong was glad his son took after Yunho rather than Ilwoo. Jaejoong was so deep in thought, he lost track of time until a certain voice disturbed him out of his reverie.

“You’ve been standing like that for 20 minutes.” Jaejoong flinched and then looked down in a daze. The bags he was rummaging were still there in his hands. He turned around and found Yunho sitting on the stool beside the bed, his arms on the mattress and his head resting on them. He’s facing Jaejoong which means he has been observing the man for a while. A look above Yunho’s head showed Changmin sleeping under the blankets, look more blissful than he has in days. Getting no response from Jaejoong, Yunho straightened up. “Is there something to eat? I didn’t get to eat the entire drive here.”

Jaejoong looked down at the bags. Judging by how light they are, he doesn’t think there’s any food in them. He looks to the side and one of the bags from Clover Patisserie Yunho bought is still there. Jaejoong absentmindedly points at that, “I think there’s still some cannolis you bought. Whatever Hankyung’s grandmother sent for lunch is over.” While he spoke, Jaejoong wondered where the sudden normalcy came from.

Yunho pursed his lips and made an unsatisfied, “I think I need a proper dinner.”

“We can go to the cafeteria-oh..But you don’t like hos...pital…food…” Jaejoong’s words died when he was getting too familiar. He had remembered the time Yunho had said he hates hospital food after going there enough times thanks to dance and sports injuries. Just talking about Yunho’s habits like he’s a naturalized wife familiar with his husbands likes and dislikes upset Jaejoong. Yunho doesn’t deserve that, Jaejoong believes and personally, he’s not ready to think about their marriage yet after all that he’s been through. He just wants his son to be healthy again and that’s where Yunho’s use ends.

Jaejoong looks at Yunho, “Ajhumma won’t be here till morning. We’ll eat in the cafeteria.” Jaejoong looked at Yunho as if asking if he’ll it up or starve.

Yunho crosses his arms instead, “that can wait. Let’s talk instead.” Yunho uses a casual business tone while internally chuckling knowing he’ll grate on Jaejoong’s nerves. He’s hoping this way he’ll get that snarky, childish, cute Jaejoong he married out of this depressed and weary Jaejoong.

Sure enough, Jaejoong’s eyebrow twitched at Yunho’s defiant stance. He’s the one wronged here and Yunho is the criminal. How does he get to be high and mighty! With a huff, Jaejoong threw the napkin he was holding. “What if I don’t want to?” he sneered at his husband.

Yunho shrugged with a hint of smirk, “you don’t get a choice.”

That really riled up Jaejoong and he pointed a threatening finger at Yunho, “why you fu-” Jaejoong unintentionally raised his voice and Changmin squirmed from the disturbance. Yunho was quick to rub Changmin’s arm and lull him back to dreamland. Jaejoong realized his mistake and grudgingly gave up, “fine. Let’s go.” Jaejoong opened the door and stepped out and Yunho followed, feeling a little victorious and also scared losing the protection of Changmin. Who knows what an angry Jaejoong could do.

When Yunho steps out of the room, he sees Jaejoong ask a nurse to keep an eye on Changmin and then heads somewhere. Yunho compliantly follows. They come to a part of the corridor that’s a three rooms away from Changmin’s room and without any people. The hospital corridor is the only lonely place not far away from Changmin.

Jaejoong stands there with his arms crossed, “talk” he says sassily and Yunho sighs. That annoys Jaejoong, “you were the one who wanted to talk.”

Yunho nodded and resisted the urge to sigh again. “Just promise me you’ll hear the whole thing first. Don’t yell or…hit me before you’ve heard the whole thing. Promise?” Jaejoong rolled his eyes and nodded. He wanted to be done with this beating around the bush.

Yunho took a deep breath as if he was about to plunge into a pool from the highest diving board. “I know that you tried to take the paternity test results from Ilwoo” Jaejoong was about to say that he it wasn’t a vain attempt and he really did take it, but Yunho interrupted him, “it was just a copy. He’s still holding on to the real papers.” Jaejoong’s eyes widened at that. For the next part, Yunho averted his eyes, “a single move and Ilwoo would leak the paternity test to the media. So I had to buy time by doing as he said… I had to pretend I’m having an affair with Taemin…” Jaejoong looked at Yunho with uncharacteristic calm but that was more terrifying for Yunho.

“I…I…” Yunho gulped, “I wanted you to leave so you’ll be out of Ilwoo’s reach… Changmin’s a liability for his ambitions and he’ll want to get rid of both of you. So while you were here, I was looking for the original DNA documents… it’s in a safe in his home.”

“How are you going to get it?” Jaejoong asks. He is quite mad right now, but those original documents are worrisome.

Yunho swallows a big lump and a cracked voice, he answers with dread, and “T-Taemin’s helping me get them.” Jaejoong felt a wave of jealousy and he glared at Yunho who instinctively took a step back. “H-he’s on our side now. But there’s nothing going on between us. We were only pretending to have an affair. I’m sorry you had to go through that! We were just pretending. I swear! I’m so sor-OWH!”

Yunho felt a blinding blow on his nose and he felt backwards. He landed on his back and his instinct was to sit up but a sudden weight threw himself on his torso. A shocked Yunho opened his eyes and stared at Jaejoong sitting astride on his stomach. Jaejoong pulled his shirt and snarled, “ you!” Jaejoong flung him with force he surprisingly mustered though he was drained of energy for days. Yunho’s back and head again hit the ground and he rolled on his said, groaning and clutching his head.

He didn’t get to catch his breath before he was pulled up by his collar and once again, a punch hit him in the jaw. “You retard!” Jaejoong yelled and if Yunho’s jaw didn’t feel displaced, he would’ve reminded Jaejoong of the promise earlier. “What? You want to say I promised not to hit?” Yunho doesn’t know if Jaejoong is a mind-reader or it was that obvious he wanted to bring it up, “well the promise was not to hit until AFTER you’re done talking. And guess what! You’ve talked enough!” Jaejoong shrieked and pushed Yunho, making his land against a wall.

Yunho for the first time felt scared of Jaejoong like this. The man was just like an angry bear protecting his cub. A fitting and frankly, sweet analogy, but not if you’re the subject of the angry bear’s wrath.

Yunho flinched hid his face behind his hands but Jaejoong slapped them away then landing punches on Yunho wherever he could, “You…you… !” Jaejoong kept yelling in ragged breath after the sheer anger and violence began exhausting him, “you’re always deciding things without me!” Jaejoong kept punching him but his angry monologue got Yunho listening behind his defensive posture, “first you make me marry you without asking me. And …and you do all that…and you make me fall in love with you…” Yunho gasped and looked above his hands.

Did Jaejoong say he’s fallen in love with him?

Yunho is over the moon now that he doesn’t even care Jaejoong keeps punching him. And they’re not weak by any means. He’s going to be black and blue in all places tomorrow. “just when I wanted to tell you I love you, you go frolicking around with Taemin” Jaejoong is not looking clearly just swinging punches at his husband, “and you were so mean to Changmin and-” Jaejoong finally saw Yunho’s arms weren’t defending his face anymore and Yunho is smiling goofily… while he’s getting beaten up…how infuriating…“AARGH! I’m going to murder you!” Jaejoong shrieked and punched Yunho but missed when the man ducked. Jaejoong was on a roll and he swung his fist but his next punch was caught midway.

Jaejoong growls at Yunho’s hand wrapped around his wrist. He moved his other hand to remove Yunho’s hold but Yunho caught the other wrist too. “Yah! Let go!” Jaejoong tried to sound threatening but it was all lost on Yunho who looked like he’s in a world of unicorns and flowers and diaper-clad cupids giggling around them.

The besotted look in Yunho’s eyes, no matter how sappy and unexpected in the situation, froze Jaejoong in his spot. He didn’t resist anymore and simply stood there, almost waiting, as Yunho leaned closer and their faces were only an inch away. Yunho looks into Jaejoong’s eyes, and somehow he found the willingness to get lost in the moment.

Yunho pressed his lips on Jaejoong’s chapped yet plump lips making Jaejoong melt. His hands in Yunho’s larger ones go slack as he closes his eyes and loses himself in the kiss. For that moment, Jaejoong forgot everything and he allowed himself this indulgence. That was until Yunho’s lips moved, coaxing Jaejoong’s lips to part and he shoved his tongue inside his mouth.

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