Siwon carried his unconscious foster son to his room. He gently lays JaeJoong down on the bed and he placed a quick peck on the boy’s forehead before he leaves the boy alone. Or is he?

“JaeJoong…. JaeJoong…” ChangMin whispered softly while staring at the boy’s serene face. JaeJoong grunted a little after hearing another whisper from ChangMin. “….do you want?” JaeJoong replied groggily while rubbing his partly closed eyes with the back of his hand.

“Eh— what did you say again?” ChangMin stuttered a little in fear of misunderstanding JaeJoong’s question.

“I said… what do you want?” JaeJoong replied slowly while pushing his bangs up to have a clearer view of the taller male. He squinted his eyes a little and smiled back when he saw ChangMin’s mismatched eyes, and now that he saw it, ChangMin’s eyes always mismatch whenever he smiles.

“Can you please move a little so I can lie beside you?” ChangMin requested with a tinge of embarrassment in his voice while he points at a spot near the smaller male.

JaeJoong tilts his head a little and he felt a smile slowly forming on his lips when he noticed the blush on ChangMin’s face. “Sure” He scooted on the far right of the bed to make way for ChangMin. The taller male rest his body beside JaeJoong and he smiled softly when the smaller male scooted closer to him.

“You know ChangMin-ah, since we’ll be living together for God knows how long… I kind’a want to get to know more about you. Can I know more about you? Can I?.” JaeJoong asked with an excited smile as he looks at ChangMin’s handsome features.

“What do you want to know?” ChangMin responded softly with an endearing smile.

“What are your favorite bands, your favorite scent, and your favorite dish” JaeJoong curiously asked while he counts with his fingers per question that he states. He looked up to ChangMin and he chuckles lightly before asking a soft “Well?”

“I like DBSK and Shinee, I love the scent of Vanilla and fresh strawberries and my favorite dish is Kimchi jjigae…” ChangMin answered all the question in one breathing with his face rendered in a thoughtful expression. He paused.  “Want to know more?” He raised one eyebrow with a challenging smirk and his eyes mismatched again when JaeJoong nodded eagerly.

“Well….. Since were both guys….” JaeJoong lowered his gaze to hide the evident blush on his face. He inhales loudly and he faces ChangMin with an insecure expression on his features. “Is… is it okay if I asked an… You know, a private question?” JaeJoong asked intermittently while his fingers plays and twirls his hair nervously as he avoids eye contact with ChangMin by all means than necessary.

“Go ahead, ask away.” ChangMin immediately replied with a wide grin.

“Are you still a ?” JaeJoong asked with a sheepish smile and when he looked up to ChangMin he saw the taller male’s mortified expression. He laughed and clapped his hands when ChangMin awkwardly coughs and rubs his nape with a silly grin. “Come on ChangMin, answer me! Are you a or not?” JaeJoong chuckles out the words and he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively afterwards.

“We---well…. Let’s just say I’m inexperienced.” ChangMin stammered a little in his words while trying to look at JaeJoong’s big doe eyes seriously, but instead of having the courage to answer the question seriously he feels more embarrassed when JaeJoong stares at him with a hint of amusement. “Bu---but tha—that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it! I---I am not incompetent when it comes to you know!” He exclaimed proudly and he answered in much detail as to say that he knows what to do in the near future, but when he turned his head a little he spotted JaeJoong sleeping soundly beside him. The smaller male sleeps in comfort as he snuggles to a soft pillow in a tight embrace. ChangMin grunts half heartedly at the view. “Why did you sleep on me? I was in the middle of protecting and dignifying my manhood here…” He murmured softly to not bother the smaller male’s comfortable sleep. Instead he keeps his eyes on the angel that’s lying beside him. JaeJoong is indeed beautiful and somehow, a part of him is frustrated and it kind of hurts.

He wants to caress JaeJoong’s cheeks and feel the heat on the other’s skin to convince himself that this is real. He want to brush the clumps of hair that’s covering JaeJoong’s eyes so that he could stare at the beautiful eyes of the smaller male but even that action is impossible. And his wants to hold and intertwine his hands with JaeJoong but he knows that he can’t do that right now and that’s what frustrate him the most.

“If you only know how happy I am that you’re the only who gets to see me. If you can only see that in these past few months you’re the only person that I wanted to see at that bombarded school. And if you could only know how much I want to hug and touch you… But you’ll never know that, right?” ChangMin expressed his feelings in a soft barely-there whisper after lying down next to JaeJoong and at those few silent moments, he found himself succumbing in his deepening feelings more and more.

ChangMin stared at JaeJoong’s sleeping face with a bittersweet smile. “Kim JaeJoong after I wake up… I hope that we can be more…. More than just… friends…” ChangMin murmured intermittently while he slowly closes his eyes to follow JaeJoong in the wonderful world of dreams. And hopefully, by the morning things will be better than before.

THE NEXT MORNING

JaeJoong muffles his yawn by covering his mouth with his hands. He stretches his still sore and crummy while he tries to check if he can stand up. “Ooff!” JaeJoong grunted painfully after landing first on the floor. Both of his legs are still sore and he mentally cursed himself for forgetting the nurse’s advice. “Yeah, swollen… My ankles and joints are still swollen.” He chants out the words slowly. He paused. “God, I feel old!” He whined loudly with a dissatisfied smile and then he remembers another problem ---- him.

He glanced behind his shoulders and peeked at ChangMin’s sleeping face and he nodded in confirmation afterwards. “He is real… I guess I’m not that crazy after all.” He pushed himself up to caress ChangMin’s sun-kissed skin but then his hands passed through the other’s seemingly non-existent flesh. “OH MY ING ----- AHH!!!” He screamed loudly.

“ LOAD ---- MOTHER OF --- AHH!” JaeJoong let out another blood curdling scream and this time he heard the sound of a turning doorknob with both of his parents almost kicking his door open to check on him.

“What’s going on Jae?!” Siwon asked worriedly while he scans the whole room for burglars and thieves.

“Are you okay Honey?” Hangeng asked mildly but worry and anxiousness can be seen in his features. He walks towards JaeJoong who is currently sitting on the floor. He pulls JaeJoong up and patted JaeJoong by the head softly.

“No---nothing! It’s just a spider… Ye—yeah! A very, very big spider.” JaeJoong expressed out dramatically while clumping both of his hands to stimulate the size of the said spider.

“Oh, okay sweetie. If you say so… And I’ll be checking on you again and I’ll bring you your breakfast too okay?” “Hangeng stated calmly while he brushes JaeJoong’s hair with his fingers while he ignores his son’s fidgety and uncomfortable gazes on the other side of the bed.

+++++++++

“As much as this is embarrassing for me…. We---well, you see… This is the first time that I’m going to talk about this…” JaeJoong stuttered and stammered on the lines of his incoherent and softly stated words and he muses thoughtfully if he should talk about this matter to his new friend or not.

“What is it then ----“ ChangMin paused and yawns loudly as he tries to wake himself up from the deep slumber. Not that he wants to wake up yet but JaeJoong’s girl-like screams and yelps did the job. “If it’s too personal then I don’t mind if you don’t tell me.” ChangMin answered while his mind is still stuck in a hazy swirl. He was about to roll on the other side of the bed but then JaeJoong’s words stopped him from making another move.

“I dreamt about him again last night. It was in the same place, the same mood, the same feelings… And it’s beautiful.” JaeJoong said the words out passionately as if he’s dream is all but perfect. The scene that played on his mind in his sleep lingered and attached itself in his heart and somehow he wants that dream to come true. He lets out a satisfied sigh in relief of finally telling someone the secret dream that he’s held captive in his mind for a long while now. He stared at ChangMin who is now looking at him with eyes that sparks interest, and so JaeJoong begins to speak. “Even though some things were blurry and vague I remember those scenes by heart… I even saw him riding a boat with me again… And our fingers were intertwined as we kissed… It was so… sweet.”

“Hi---him?” ChangMin squawked loudly as his eyes widen at the thought of JaeJoong holding hands with another guy. And the thing that bothers him the most is that he has no rights to be jealous. He is jealous, he’s being jealous, is he?

“Yes, him. The dream has been bugging me for weeks now and… Not that I’m complaining about it… I just wish that the guy’s face was more vivid so that I’ll know him when I see him.” JaeJoong answered softly while his fingers run through his hair. He looked at ChangMin who was now sporting a frown but he ignored it with a smile as he said. “How about you ChangMin-ah… What do you think?” He asked brushing his hands through his hair as to imply his frustration.

“You know, my Mom once told me that when you dream of something more than three times it will sure to come true because it’s your destiny left unfulfilled.” ChangMin muttered happily, his tone was keen and his eyes sparked in honesty and when he prompt his head up to view the smaller male, he saw JaeJoong’s bright smile.

“Really?” JaeJoong sneered with a much-happy tone in his voice. He giggled shyly while he pulls his legs closer to him to hug his lower body against his chest.

“Yes really, she said that you dream of something more than once because it’s like a mild vision of your future… Like it’s something that is meant to happen once everything has fallen into place.” ChangMin emphasized the words future and place.

“I see….” JaeJoong mused with a smile and he laughed extra hard when he felt a familiar heat rising on his cheeks. “What a lovely future that awaits me then.” JaeJoong squeal softly as he mentally spasms over the thought of his dream coming true any time soon. “Lucky me…” He said to himself when he looked at ChangMin with the same delighted expression.

“No… Lucky him.” ChangMin murmured silently as he looks back to JaeJoong with the same expression as the smaller male to hide the bittersweet feeling that’s surrounding him with different and rowdy emotions.

AFTER FOUR FAITHFUL DAYS

After four faithful days JaeJoong and ChangMin’s bond got stronger. The two of them stayed together in JaeJoong’s room and they talk about anything and everything for the past days with no boundaries and limits to the types  and kinds of questions whatsover. Even though Hangeng and Siwon are getting rather suspicious, they’re happy because of the slow but steady change in their foster son’s actions and emotions. JaeJoong is smiling and laughing more at home. Though were times that he still stutters and stammers at their questions if he is talking to someone else in his room, both Hangeng and Siwon just laughs at his son’s cute excuses and continues to watch JaeJoong’s healing progress.

“JaeJoong” ChangMin asked while looking at JaeJoong who is now eating his breakfast. The meal is consisted of a homemade orange Juice, warm square-shaped waffles with eggs and hotdogs.

“Yes ChangMin?” JaeJoong responded after chewing and swallowing the big chunk of waffles from before.

“Can I give you a pet name?” ChangMin’s question wavered and his voice toned down a bit at the girlish question. He looked down on Jae’s plate and found it irritating that he can’t eat those delicious waffles that Hangeng made.

JaeJoong’s lips almost twitch to a scowl before he chews another mouthful of pancake. “Sorry ChangMin-ah… I don’t really like pet names….” He bent forward and eats another mouthful before he offers some of them to ChangMin but the taller one rejected the kind offer by shaking his head a little.

“Why don’t you like pet names? It’s kind’a cute though…”

“I don’t know, I just think that they’re too mushy for me…” JaeJoong nonchalantly answered after chewing and swallowing the last chunk of waffles on his plate. He faced the taller male with a smile and felt a pang of guilt when he saw a look of disappointment on ChangMin’s handsome face. “But----but I’m not saying that mushy things are overly disgusting and bad.” He paused when ChangMin looked at him with a hopeful expression this time. “I----I actually like mushy stuffs…. I---it’s just pet names are too mushy and gooey for me…” He said in defense with waving his hands in stimulation of his feelings and that silly action was enough to make ChangMin smile a little.

“True, and besides I like your name… It’s cute.” ChangMin smile widened when he saw JaeJoong’s sheepish smile while the smaller male covers his mouth with the back of his hand to muffle his loud laughter. JaeJoong wiped the shy tears in the corner of his eyes before he steals a glance from ChangMin and the taller male had to force himself to calm down and neglect the urge for him to just hug JaeJoong so tight because the smaller male looks so endearing right now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

“ChangMin-ah, after I finished dressing up let’s visit your place, okay?” JaeJoong said as he removes his shirt in front of ChangMin.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” ChangMin squirmed like a little girl when JaeJoong was about to take of his pajama’s. He was about to cover his eyes but the temptation of seeing JaeJoong’s bare skin was just….

“I----I’m sorry ChangMin-ah!” JaeJoong apologized softly as he tugs down the pajama’s from his legs until the material reached his ankles. He kicked the pajama off his feet and looked at ChangMin with the same innocent look again.

ChangMin stares at JaeJoong almost bare figure from head to toe. He unconsciously his lips and crossed his legs to hide the hardening shame that’s already forming a lump on his clothed crotch.

“I’ll be showering then!” JaeJoong voiced out loudly before he removes the last piece of cloth in his body and at that moment, ChangMin swallowed. Hard.

“Help me….” ChangMin pleaded to nothing when he began to hear the sound of running waters against the tiled bathroom floor. “I’ll be losing control if this continues.”