The first thing Jaejoong notices as he stirs awake is the smell of a cologne foreign to his senses filling his nostrils instead of the scent of freshly made breakfast. The odd change has him frown in confusion while he forces his eyes to open and take in his surrounding, only to find himself lying on a bed which is definitely not the one he's been sleeping in for the past 10 years, located in a room he does not recognize at all but acknowledges to be twice as big as his own.

Sitting up with a gasp, Jaejoong looks around almost frantically before attempting to get out of the bed, only to get himself tangled in the thick blanket and fall face first onto the – fortunately – carpeted ground. Jaejoong groans in dismay and makes a move to get up when rushed footsteps reach his ears along with a deep voice's call of his name.

“Jaejoong!” The man running into the room halts for a second to take in Jaejoong's state before rushing over to help him off the ground and onto the bed, all the while checking his body for some kind of harm, “Are you alright?”

Thoroughly creeped out by how familiar the stranger acts around him, Jaejoong pulls back carefully, all those Criminal Minds episodes about creepy stalkers kidnapping their victims flashing before his eyes before he is pulled back to reality by the feeling of cool air hitting his private parts.

Wait.

What?

After having a quick look at himself and discovering his state of complete undress and the tattoo on his left chest which is probably going to get him killed by his mother, Jaejoong swiftly pulls the blanket tighter around himself and scoots back until he's at the center of the bed while the man who has helped him up earlier is staring at him in bewilderment, lips parted and arms still raised.

Just what kind of mess did he get himself into this time around?

He doesn't even remember sneaking out to have drinks with his friends yesterday night, so how did he even get himself tattooed and in a stranger's bed without remembering anything?

Did he really get kidnapped? Maybe this guy had been stalking him for a while now and had grown tired of waiting yesterday night. He probably sneaked into his room while he was sleeping and knocked him out before-

“Babe?”

Jaejoong narrows his eyes at the sound of the man's voice, his gaze making the other flinch a little, “Did you kidnap me so you can make me your slave? What? Do you want to make me all submissive so I'll accept your rich as my Sugar Daddy?”

“Sugar Daddy?” The man repeats incredulously, “You are older than me, what are you talking about?”

Before Jaejoong can protest or tell him just how crazy the man sounds claiming to be younger than a seventeen-year-old High School student, the man is already approaching him with a smirk, crawling on the bed leisurely, “And since when can anyone get you to submit to them, babe?”

Under different circumstances, Jaejoong might've thought of the man's tone as playful if not flirtatious, but right now, as the man crawls onto the bed to cover Jaejoong's body with his own, Jaejoong can't help but feel terrified and is about to react accordingly by throwing a punch at the man above him when he gets to have a better look at the other's face.

Narrowing his eyes, Jaejoong grabs the man's face without further ado and pulls him closer; ignoring the other's cry of surprise.

The first thing Jaejoong takes a closer look at are the man's eyes. Bright, almond-shaped eyes which remind him of the slightly glum look he received from a similar pair of dark orbs just yesterday after one of his classmates, a nerd with thick glasses and crooked teeth as well as chubby cheeks, tripped over Jaejoong's outstretched leg in the canteen and spilled his lunch all over himself.

He kind of felt bad when he heard the boy's stomach growl for the rest of the day. But, whatever.

Pushing the memories of the incident to the back of his mind, Jaejoong proceeds looks at the lips which are shaped rather uniquely. Just like a bow. And the only other person he's ever seen those lips on is also the person he's been thinking about just a second ago.

Also, that mole just above the left side of his upper lip looks really familiar.

“You look just like someone I know,” Jaejoong mutters, tilting his head a little as he stares at the man's face some more, “But your face is sharper. And you don't have those hamster cheeks. Also, you're old.”

“First of all, ouch. Also, once again, you're older than me, love.” The man raises his eyebrows when Jaejoong makes a face at the nickname, “And yes, I know I remind you of that cute nerd with the hamster cheeks you used to pick on and ended up marrying and tapping the hot of. And I know that so well because I was that cute nerd, dear husband of mine-”

Jaejoong doesn't even hear the rest of what the man is saying, having shut out everything around him quite a while ago because-

Just what is this man saying?

“You gotta be kidding me,” is all he manages to say despite all the different thoughts running through his mind, earning himself a questioning gaze from the man above, “Screw this.”

Pushing past the man, Jaejoong wraps the blanket around himself and manages to get up without further ado this time around. He is about to storm out of the room when he catches the sight of his own reflection in the commode’s mirror on the wall to his left.

And his movements stop at once.

Because the person he sees is him. In essence. And yet, so very foreign and different.

Hair that had been long and black only yesterday is now short and dyed blond whereas the spots on his body which he knows have been unmarked all his life are now marked by tattoos which look like they've been there for quite a while already. The words 'Deferto Neminem' as well as 'Always Keep The Faith' are inked on the left side of his chest in beautiful, subtle curls while another tattoo decorates the right side of his neck; the lines connecting the five stars in 'w' formation almost timidly thin compared to the dark stars. This tattoo looks a bit newer than the other ones.

Also, his body is different. More muscular and firm; nothing beside the slim waist his friends often for reminding him of the lanky boy he has been when he went to bed last night.

And his face. He looks older. Not dramatically older, but older nevertheless and instead of finding the sight unpleasant, Jaejoong appreciates it instead. Because he somehow looks even better, more radiant.

But how? How can he look like this all of a sudden? And why is he in a room completely foreign to him and with a man who claims to be the nerd Jaejoong made fun of just yesterday and somehow ended up marrying over night?

“Babe?” Jaejoong looks over to the bed where the man is staring at him in worry, “Are you alright? Did you hit your head when you fell? And I'm not asking this the Changmin way, I promise. You seem a bit off and I'm actually genuinely worried that you might be injured and need to see a doctor.”

Jaejoong blinks, but remains unmoving otherwise.

A doctor?

Yeah, maybe.

Maybe he's about to lose his mind.

He looks over to where the other man is still sitting, the look of concern in his eyes never wavering. He seems genuinely worried and somehow, in the midst of the whirlwind of confusion surrounding him right now, that manages to decrease Jaejoong's uneasiness.

The man said that he's his husband, right?

So he should be the person he can rely on the most at moments like these when he doesn't really know what's happening to him and how to handle everything, right? In good and bad times and all that crap.

Maybe he should tell him.

Jaejoong then frowns.

But he's also watched enough movies and series to know what happens to people who suddenly act out of norm in the eyes of society and not long after, they find themselves in the asylum trying to convince everyone that they are not crazy. And, not gonna lie, Jaejoong would also gift himself a free ticket into the asylum if he was in the other man's stead.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jaejoong nods to himself in determination before strutting towards the bed and he might be coming on way too strong if the way the man backs away slightly is anything to go by, but screw that. Smiling, Jaejoong crawls on top of the bed until he's hovering over the other and can wrap his arms around him, “Nothing's wrong, baby.”

The other man raises his eyebrows, “Really?”

“Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy from the fall earlier,” Jaejoong assures before adjusting his position to lie down on the other man completely, “Say, should we go and visit my parents today?”

“Sure, if you want to travel all the way to Hong Kong today, why not?” Jaejoong feels the other's body shake in laughter, “They are on vacation until tomorrow, remember? You're so forgetful.”

Jaejoong chuckles along before biting his own bottom lip in a silent self-reprimand, “Yeah, you know me so well.”

Humming, the other man gently removes Jaejoong's arms from around him before turning them both around so he can get up and pull Jaejoong to stand as well, “Come on, let's get ready. The kids are on the way and we promised them a good barbeque.”

“The kids?” He can't help but wonder aloud, soon chuckling awkwardly when his husband gives him a look of slight confusion, “Ah yeah, the kids.”

The man smiles at him in amusement, “Don't pretend like you don't remember. It was your idea to feed them even though they can eat an army worth of food. And don't even think about backing out. There's no way I'm facing a hungry Changmin alone.”

Jaejoong looks up at the mention of the familiar name, meeting the other's eyes as relief about the revelation that the kids mentioned are just friends.

“You can shower first, I'll get out the ingredients for lunch so we can get started right away later on.”

Jaejoong merely hums in recognition before looking around, searching for the cupboard, which is strangely absent from the room.

Frowning, he heads towards the door closest to the entrance and pulls it open, fortunately being greeted by the sight of a bathroom easily the size of his own bedroom; inhabiting luxurious equipment while encased by a walls of dark natural stone tiles which meet a white marble floor at the bottom. Only one fluffy-looking black rug lies in front of the shower stall and another one in front of the double sink, making the room seem a little less intimidating.

Various expensive-looking vases with lilac orchids decorate the room while there's one red anthurium plant on each side of the door.

Gulping, Jaejoong steps back before looking at the door to the bed's right. If they have such a luxurious bathroom, it probably wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that they have one of those big walk-in closets his mother has always envied his aunt for, right?

As he steps away from the bathroom, Jaejoong can't help but notice just how neat the bedroom looks and he's not just talking about the way all pieces of furniture match like they have been chosen and put together with utter care, but rather about how everything within the room has its own place; making the whole room look organized whereas the room he's got as his seventeen-year-old self is filled with clothes and notes scattered all over the place.

When he opens the door he's been heading towards, Jaejoong chuckles slightly in satisfaction. He's been right. There is a walk-in closet and it's huge, not to mention filled with a great variety of clothes going from shirts over pants to coats. And Jaejoong assumes the many drawers to hold underwear and socks.

He swiftly steps inside, mouth slightly opened in awe as he looks around and tries to figure out which pieces of clothing actually belong to him. As he is about to reach out and take a blue dress-shirt, a shiny object around his left ring finger catches his attention.

His wedding band.

It's made of what Jaejoong assumes to be white gold, unlike the traditionally golden weddings bands of his parents, simple and elegant. There is only one little diamond placed right at the center of it, looking radiant in its own right. After a while of staring at the jewelry, Jaejoong decides to take it off and have a look at the ring's inner side; suddenly feeling his heartbeat getting faster at the sight of the engraving.

Yunho x Jaejoong 05/06/10

So it really is Yunho.

Taking a deep breath, Jaejoong puts the ring back on before grabbing a few things; not really paying attention on what he's taking as his mind is too preoccupied with thoughts about his marriage.

#

When he heads out of the bedroom, not paying attention on what's around him as he fumbles with the sleeves of the shirt he's wearing, he doesn't notice Yunho heading his way until the other man is chuckling.

“You really like wearing my clothes, don't you?” Yunho utters in passing, chuckling gently when Jaejoong looks nothing but slightly affronted, “You can start with preparations while I'm showering, if you want. I won't take long though, so I'll be able to help you soon.”

“Um, sure,” Jaejoong says despite himself. Because really, he does not know how to cook.

Yunho merely smiles at him before entering the bedroom, leaving Jaejoong alone in the long corridor illuminated by wall lights and the sunlight coming through from the window at the end of it. Walking past the several closed doors to either side of the corridor, Jaejoong takes some time to have a look at every plant and picture decorating it.

The pictures are all in black and white, the white frames used for them matching perfectly and giving them an even more classic look. Some of them are of him and Yunho, hugging and laughing; seemingly very happy together. Others are of them with his parents and who Jaejoong assumes to be Yunho's parents. In between, there are also pictures of them with three men who look like they could be their closest friends and Jaejoong, after taking a closer look, recognizes one of them.

“Shim Changmin,” Jaejoong utters, recalling the way the boy always glares at him as if plotting his death when he's picking on Yunho. Which is not surprising considering that those two are childhood best friends. But the Changmin in the pictures seems to be genuinely fond of the version of Jaejoong he knows.

He doesn't recognize the other two, so maybe he only knows them in this reality; or time.

When he reaches the stairs by the end of the corridor, Jaejoong takes a deep breath before walking down carefully as if not wanting to spook himself. It's like exploring a new world on his own, every step taking him a little bit deeper into a place where he knows nothing and no one. Not really, at least.

Downstairs, everything is just as neat and organized as upstairs. The combination of luxurious furniture and classic-looking decorations along with several pots of plants and vases of flowers makes everything seem homey enough for Jaejoong to relax a little. It's nothing extraordinary and Jaejoong can't help but appreciate the normalcy.

Two opened double glass doors separate the living room from the corridor Jaejoong is now standing in and he decides to step through the first, only to discover that there is an open kitchen area attached to the living room. The second double door he's seen earlier leading right to where it begins. Several ingredients lie on the counter along with various kitchen utensils which Jaejoong thinks must've been placed there by Yunho earlier.

He leisurely makes his way towards the kitchen area and frowns in confusion as he takes in every ingredient. Maybe he should've at least asked Yunho what they are supposed to make for the barbeque so he could at least prepare the vegetables accordingly. He really can't cook, but he often helps his mother cut the vegetables whenever she manages to nag him long enough to make him give in.

Besides, no one's died of wrongly cut vegetables before. So at least that task can be entrusted to him.

“Whatever, I'll just wash them first,” he mutters to himself. “My Mom would probably start to worry about my sanity if she saw me voluntarily helping out in the kitchen.”

Soon the only sounds filling the room are the ones of running water and vegetables being scrubbed clean as Jaejoong keeps asking himself what in the world he's done to deserve having his life being messed up like this.

Maybe this is just a super realistic dream and he's going to wake up soon.

Huh. How has this not been his first thought?

Placing the cleaned cucumber aside, Jaejoong takes a look at his hands before closing his eyes and slaps himself so hard that the smack of skin meeting skin echoes through the whole room.

“Nevermind, definitely not a dream,” Jaejoong groans while rubbing his own cheeks in comfort, freezing up when he opens his eyes and finds himself being stared at by three people whose faces he knows fairly well from the pictures hanging upstairs, “Uh.”

Neither of them move as they find themselves in some kind of silent stare down and Jaejoong is seriously starting to worry about his freedom.

You know that look you receive before people start calling the asylum on you? Yeah. That's exactly the look they are giving him now.

“What-” the smallest among them starts, completely perplexed, “Huh?”

“Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder,” the tallest, Changmin, sighs.

The man next to him, a bit taller than the first one who has spoken, grabs the bridge of his nose dramatically with his forefinger and thumb, “All the attractiveness and talent completely drowning in a sea of insanity.”

Jaejoong gulps, feeling his body getting warm all over as he struggles to come up with something – anything – which could make him look less like a crazy fool and more like the confident jerk he tends to behave like in school. Minus the jerk part. Yeah, behaving like a jerk towards the people this reality's version of him probably considers his closest friends might be a bad idea.

“Hey guys,” comes Yunho's cheerful greeting from the doorway and Jaejoong has never been so glad to hear anyone's voice before, “When did you arrive?”

“A few minutes ago,” the smallest one speaks, “Just before Jaejoong hyung slapped himself. With both hands. Real hard.”

Yunho looks at Jaejoong in slight shock and Jaejoong has never felt the urge to whimper for help from whatever deity resides above before, but this might be the perfect time to start doing it. Chuckling awkwardly, Jaejoong turns around to arrange the washed vegetables.

When he sees Yunho approaching from the corner of his eye, he mentally prepares himself to be confronted by Yunho for his odd behavior. But all the other does is cup his cheeks, caressing the reddened skin there with his thumbs.

Jaejoong barely manages to control his urge to flinch away from the unfamiliar touch. The man who initially owns this body might be married to this man, but the Jaejoong residing in it right now isn't.

“Are you hurt?”

Jaejoong can hear Changmin make gagging noises in the background, but he barely pays attention on it as he stares right back at Yunho whose eyes are filled with genuine concern barely anyone in his life has shown to him before beside his parents.

“I'm good,” he mutters before turning away from Yunho, gently loosening the other's hold on him as he moves away under pretense of sorting the vegetables. He can feel Yunho watching him but chooses to not react in any way, more than relieved when Yunho turns around to look at their friends.

“Junsu, could you help Jaejoongie cut the vegetables?”

“Sure!”

Jaejoong looks over his right shoulder to see the smallest among the three guests approaching him with a smile so bright that it could've put the sun to shame. Huh, he apparently doesn't mind overly cheerful people in this reality.

Interesting.

“Yoochun, could you get the grill ready outside?” Yunho asks before looking over at Changmin, “Changmin, could you take care of the seafood while I'm preparing the meat?”

“Sure,” comes from both men. Yoochun heads right past Junsu and Jaejoong and towards the door at the end of the kitchen area which apparently leads into the garden while Changmin rolls up the sleeves of his sweater to get working.

Jaejoong briefly watches Yoochun step outside before he looks over to the two tall men to his right; admittedly impressed by the swift and skillful way they handle the ingredients.

“It's nice to have a chef as your husband, huh?” Junsu chimes in from his left and Jaejoong tries his hardest to not let the surprise at the new information show on his face; opting for letting out a small chuckle as a cover up.

“Yeah, really nice.”

“Well wouldn't you know,” Yunho says, the teasing tone he uses causing Junsu to blush. And the chuckle coming from Changmin probably doesn't help either.

“Not my husband,” Junsu mutters.

“Yet,” Yunho and Changmin retort in unison.

“We all know that you and Yoochun hyung are gonna end up married with kids one day,” Changmin snorts, “You're just as sappy and in love as these two. So in love it's disgusting.”

Jaejoong briefly sees him pointing at him and Yunho.

“Just wait until you've found the right one like we've found ours,” Yunho smiles, locking gazes with Jaejoong at the last part.

Changmin shakes his head in denial, “There's no way I'm gonna be like you.”

Junsu and Yunho merely hum in unison, causing Changmin to groan in frustration as he continues to clean the seafood.

“The grill's ready,” Yoochun announces from the doorway, easily taking the bowl of marinated meat from Yunho when the taller chef walks over to give it to him along with a plate of uncooked corn which Yunho snatches from the counter Junsu and Jaejoong are working at.

“The meat skewers are gonna be ready soon and Changmin's currently working on peeling the shrimp and cleaning the cuttlefish,” Yunho walks back to his working place, taking the plates with the cut ball peppers and onion on his way, “Could you prepare the seafood sauce while the meat's cooking?”

“Yup,” Yoochun calls over his shoulder as he heads back outside.

Jaejoong sees him walk inside a few minutes later to grab some ingredients as well as cooking utensils and press a soft kiss to Junsu's lips on the way. He doesn't comment on it and neither do the others, but all of them got the same grin on their lips and Jaejoong can't help but feel content.

He might not know anything about the friendships this reality's version of himself has built, but somehow, he can feel the friendship between all of them nevertheless. It shows in the way they act around each other and the way they talk to each other, warm and intimate with a dash of sass.

And although he assumes the perfect way in which Yunho, Changmin and Yoochun work together while preparing the food stems from them being chefs and probably working together as such, he can feel that privately, all five of them are in sync with each other.

He then remembers the five stars tattooed on the right side of his neck and wonders whether they have anything to do with the people who are currently surrounding him.

A while later, they find themselves outside, assembled around the grilling area as Yunho and Yoochun take turns cooking while Jaejoong assumes his role as one of the hosts and makes sure that everyone has something to eat at all times. It surprises him how easy it is for him to take care of others because he's never done that before.

He sometimes helps his parents, but only reluctantly and he never cares enough to make sure that his friends got enough to drink or eat when they hang out. But then again, none of them ever pays any attention on his whereabouts either. And come to think of it, he has never really considered the people he calls 'friends' in public as such. He never invites any of them over to his house, never went to either of their houses either and truthfully, he has never talked with any of them about anything beside school. And that was only to complain about it.

And maybe that's why he's being such an to everyone all the time, especially to Yunho and Changmin.

Because unlike him, they have friends. Friends who care and don't only want to hang out with them because of their looks or their reputation as the resident bad boy.

“The tattoo came out really nicely,” Junsu says between sips from his orange juice, eyes on the star constellation on Jaejoong's neck, “Did it hurt?”

Jaejoong clears his throat. “Yeah, a bit more than the other ones.”

Junsu hums in return as if it makes perfect sense and well, it probably does. The neck is most likely more sensitive than the chest area, right?

“Five stars to represent the five of us,” Changmin utters before plopping another piece of grilled cuttlefish into his mouth, “Would've never expected for you to turn into such a sap when we first met in High School.”

Jaejoong flinches slightly at the mention of their High School years because he knows, okay? He knows how he is treating the people around him in his reality and time. How he is treating Yunho and Changmin in particular.

“Yeah,” his voice breaks slightly, “I haven't been a very nice person, huh?”

To his surprise, Changmin frowns in what seems to be concern, “Hey, that's not what I was getting at. I meant that you were really good at keeping up a wall around yourself and your feelings back then, that's all. You're much more open about those now. Although you could totally cut down on those hugs and kisses. There are actually people at the restaurant who believe that you're married to both, Yunho hyung and I, and like, no thanks.”

“What bothers you more, the polyamory thing or that it's with your pseudo parents?” Yoochun tilts his head in interest, waiting for Changmin's answer with rapt attention.

Changmin rolls his eyes, “Obviously the latter.”

“Well, either way, I'm glad,” Yunho says as he brings over another plate full of grilled meat, “Because I don't share.”

Junsu chuckles, “We know. I still feel sorry for that intern who almost drooled over Jaejoong hyung when he and I went to visit you guys at the restaurant. He legit thought you'd throw the knife at him.”

“I would never do that.”

“Your gaze said otherwise, my friend,” Yoochun retorts, earning himself vigorous nods of agreement from Changmin and Junsu, “You kind of get freaky when people stare at your husband. Which is understandable. Your husband is a well-known model and super attractive.”

“I would be affronted at you complimenting someone else but I'm thinking the same, so,” Junsu shrugs.

And as Jaejoong watches them joke around, sharing old stories and laughter, he notices the way his heart starts to feel lighter with each passing second.

So this is how it feels like to have real friends around you, huh? They can make you feel better about pretty much everything.

#

The rest of the day passes in a flash and suddenly, it's evening and Jaejoong finds himself standing alongside Yunho at the front door to see their friends off.

“Thank you for the nice day and the food,” Changmin mutters sleepily as he steps closer to give Yunho and Jaejoong a hug, “I'm gonna invite myself over again real soon.”

This earns him a chuckle from the pair.

“Any time. You guys got the spare keys anyways,” Yunho mutters, ruffling Changmin's hair despite the other's protest before the younger chef storms off to where Yoochun and Junsu are waiting by Yoochun's car to give him a ride home.

When Yunho moves to close the front door properly, Jaejoong allows himself to breathe out in relief before he makes his way into the garden where there are still some wine glasses and bottles left to be cleaned up. The sight of them reminds him of one of the close calls he's had throughout the barbeque.

Apparently, this reality's Jaejoong is in love with the taste of wine and when Jaejoong has asked for some juice instead because he doesn't think that getting himself drunk in this situation would be smart, his request has earned him odd looks from their friends as well as a pregnancy joke from Changmin. In the end, it was Yunho who came to his aid and insisted that his husband does have other favorite beverages besides wine, thank you very much.

They didn't question him further.

Jaejoong is about to pick up one of the wine glasses when Yunho speaks from behind him.

“Let's have a drink,” the taller man claims the chair he's been sitting on earlier, gesturing towards the chair across from him with a smile, “Do you want juice or wine?”

“Juice, please.”

Yunho nods, still smiling as he fills Jaejoong's glass with some juice before proceeding to fill his own with some wine. They don't talk for a while and when Yunho looks up to stare at what can be seen of the moon, Jaejoong does as well. It's a peaceful evening.

“Wine, water, freshly pressed juice and black coffee.”

Jaejoong looks at Yunho in confusion, not sure what to respond to the other's odd and sudden list up.

“Those are the only beverages my husband drinks,” Yunho takes a sip from his wine before placing the glass down, eyes on the package of orange juice standing on the table, “He doesn't like juice coming from the package because there's always too much sugar in it. Insisting on drinking only freshly pressed juice is his way of making up to his body for drinking wine for dinner so often.”

He wants to comment on it and say something smart, but all Jaejoong can do is sit there and stare as his card house of lies crumbles down.

“Jaejoong doesn't call me 'baby'. Ever. He hates that pet name and prefers the sound of 'babe', although he does have some other pet names for me which are probably more cheesy than 'baby' could ever be,” the taller man continues, “And he never forgets anything. He's the one to remember details from about five years ago while I'm the one struggling to remember where I've put my keys every single morning. ”

The blond man looks up in bewilderment, “But you said-” “I was testing you,” Yunho cuts him off, “You were behaving oddly but the moment which really made me feel like there's something wrong was when you addressed me with the pet name you hate the most.”

Jaejoong lets out a dry chuckle, all signs of defiance disappearing from his body as he relaxes into the chair he's sitting on. He sighs, “Most people wouldn't have paid attention on it.”

“I'm a husband,” it's a simple, gentle reasoning, “A husband who knows the man he's been in love with for almost ten years like the back of his hand.”

Of course.

It seems that no matter in which reality or time, Jung Yunho is always a person to pay a lot of attention on his surrounding. That's partly why the Yunho Jaejoong knows is such a good student. He pays close attention to everything the teacher says and does and notes down things others easily miss.

“I bet you had a field day watching me interact with the others during the barbeque,” Jaejoong mutters.

Yunho shakes his head, “If you mean that I had fun seeing you struggle, then no. But yes, I have noticed a lot of strange things about your behavior. My husband knows that Junsu doesn't drink anything alcoholic, so he, unlike you, would've never offered champagne to him.”

The blond male looks up abruptly at that, eyes wide in realization as he remembers something specific about that incident, “So when you took the bottle away and casually told me that you didn't get any non-alcoholic champagne for kids this time around, it was to cover up for me? So they would think that I've just mistaken it for a non-alcoholic drink?”

When Yunho nods in response, Jaejoong leans back with a dry chuckle, “And when I tried to pass the plate of shrimps over to Yoochun and you took it, casually mentioning how it's too bad that Yoochun can't eat it because of his allergy, you-” “I was trying to help you. That one was a close call. You were lucky that I was sitting between the two of you.”

“You also teased Junsu about his relationship with Yoochun on purpose, didn't you? So I would know,” he's aware that he sounds rather timid, almost defeated. He's really tried his hardest to not let anyone know, but it appears to be quite impossible to hide things from an observant spouse, “But why did you help me if you thought I wasn't your husband? You could've easily exposed me.”

“And have Changmin drag me straight to an asylum? No, thanks,” Yunho replies and tilts his head questioningly when Jaejoong lets out a heartfelt laughter in return.

“That's exactly the reason why I've wanted to keep it a secret. I didn't want people to think I was crazy,” Jaejoong admits, “But you're taking this pretty well.”

Yunho smiles solemnly, “I might look like it, yes. But I'm not. For some unknown reason, someone completely foreign to me is in my husband's body and there's literally no one who would be able to help me find out how and why all of this is happening, much less believe me or be able to get back the man I have sworn to love and protect for the rest of my life. But forcing myself to remain as calm as possible is the only way I can keep thinking straight.”

Yunho's voice has gone shaky, his speech almost frantic, at the middle part of his row of words and Jaejoong can hear the pain through his voice just as much as he can see it through his eyes.

“I'm not completely foreign to you,” he says, almost as if that's going to make things better in some way. But he only manages to make Yunho grow even more confused.

And suddenly, Jaejoong wishes the evening to be filled with more sounds which could drown out the thumping of his own heart which rings in his ears as well as the thick layer of eerie silence between them as neither speaks.

Letting out a breath, Jaejoong looks aside; partly to avoid Yunho's piercing gaze on him and partly to distract himself and calm his nerves.

“What do you mean?” Yunho asks, his voice a mere whisper, “Who are you?”

Jaejoong knows that it's no use trying to hide the truth and this is his best chance to actually make some progress in finding a way out of his predicament, but he can't help but hesitate. After a while, Jaejoong finally dares to look back at Yunho who is still staring at him; waiting. He looks highly intrigued and Jaejoong knows that he's dying to know about his identity and yet, he doesn't get impatient with him.

“I'm Jaejoong,” he holds up his right hand as if asking for Yunho to let him talk first when the other parts his lips to speak up, “Not the Jaejoong you are married to. In fact, the version of you I know would probably not even consider starting a friendship with me considering how I spend my days making his life a lot more than it should. Just yesterday, I caused him to trip and spill his lunch all over himself. He had to attend classes with a growling stomach for the rest of the day.”

Despite sounding calm and controlled while he says all those things, Jaejoong opts to cast his gaze downwards after he's done speaking; too afraid of Yunho's reaction to keep their eye-contact going. Maybe he shouldn't have done that. No matter how accepting Yunho had seemed of someone else being in his husband's body being a possibility, Jaejoong is well aware of how insane everything actually sounds and maybe, Yunho is now going to decide that it sounds way too insane for him to accept.

Jaejoong vaguely registers the sound of clothes rustling as Yunho moves and when he takes a glance at the other, Yunho is leaning back against the chair; his arms crossed over his chest while his eyes are closed as he takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes again, he locks gazes with Jaejoong before the blond male can look away.

“The last time my Jaejoong has done something like that to me was in,” Yunho gulps, “It was in High School, when he were both...”

He trails off then, looking at the man sitting across from him expectantly and Jaejoong knows exactly what he's trying to get at.

He nods. “Seventeen. I'm actually seventeen.”

Yunho lets out a sigh and uncrosses his arms to run his right hand over his face before he leans in and supports himself on the table with his underarms, hands intertwined. He looks more disheveled now and Jaejoong is mildly shocked at the change in the other's stance and aura. Just a second ago, he has looked like the most confident and emotionally-stable person there is. But now, he looks almost desperate; as if every bit of fight has bled out of him.

“So what are you saying? That you are from a different time?”

“And I thought that it might be another reality too,” Jaejoong mumbles carefully, “Because the Yunho I know and I don't have the best relationship there is and I can't imagine him to ever get interested in me, much less get married to me. But you just said that your Jaejoong...”

Yunho nods as Jaejoong trails off, “He used to do stuff like that to me as well when we were in High School.”

Jaejoong eyes Yunho carefully, “So it could be that your Jaejoong is just...my older me?”

Yunho doesn't react at first, merely staring at him as if the truth is going to jump out from somewhere if he does it long enough. But then, just as Jaejoong starts to fidget nervously under his gaze, Yunho gives him an answering nod,“Possibly.”

Before Jaejoong can say or ask anything else, Yunho moves to get up and swiftly gestures for him to follow before turning around to enter the house, not stopping even when Jaejoong calls out for him to wait as he scrambles to his feet and rushes after the chef.

The two of them head upstairs in silence and only when they are walking along the long hallway does Jaejoong realize that Yunho is leading him towards the master bedroom. Curious but not wanting to break the rather comfortable silence, Jaejoong wordlessly follows Yunho into the room he has woken up in that morning, only to see Yunho crouching on the ground as he takes something out of the left bedside table.

“What are you doing?”

Instead of answering him, Yunho merely straightens himself and shows the object in his left hand to Jaejoong, his right hand tugged into his trouser pocket.

Jaejoong is confused at first, only to widen his eyes in shock when he takes a closer look at what Yunho is holding and discovers it to be his diary, “That's-”

“My husband's old diary,” Yunho states before sitting down on the bed, wordlessly placing the book down next to him; only speaking up when he sees the questioning gaze Jaejoong is shooting at him, “Read it. If you are the same person but of different ages, then the entries are going to prove it. I wouldn't read beyond the entries you remember having written if I were you, though.”

“Why not?” reaching for the book between them as he takes a seat on the bed as well, Jaejoong looks up at Yunho in curiosity.

“Because knowing things about your future might influence your future decisions when you get back to where you are from and cause trouble where there shouldn't be any,” comes the gentle response.

Usually, Jaejoong would be someone to ignore other people's concerns and brush off every single advise given to him. But this is different. The circumstances are different and at this very moment, Yunho is the only person he can rely on.

“If I get back to where I'm from,” Jaejoong mutters to himself as he eyes the diary in his lap before freezing up momentarily. Cursing himself and his running mouth, he lets out a sigh before looking back to where Yunho is sitting and Jaejoong hates the way the other's gaze has turned glum, “I mean, yeah. When I get back to where I'm from and your husband is back to where he belongs.”

He's not good at comforting people. He never had siblings to take care of nor did he ever have friendships which reached a level where he seeked comfort from others or the other way around. People who can make others feel better with just a few words have secretly always fascinated him, but he has never been one of them. So he really hopes that his awkward attempt would somehow be enough for Yunho to not look so broken.

In that very moment, Jaejoong would love to kick himself a thousand times over for even planting the thought of the man's husband never returning into Yunho's head. He had been so busy worrying about his own whereabouts that he has completely forgotten about everything else. Also one of the things which he knows is not very likeable about himself but never bothered fixing.

Because seriously, the only people worth fixing his attitude for are also the ones he's the least unpleasant to. Namely his parents.

Yunho gives him a smile which doesn't quite reach his eyes, but he doesn't look as crushed anymore and Jaejoong knows that's the best he's gonna get for now.

Opening the diary with shaky hands, Jaejoong swiftly takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself before he starts to read the first entry.

I really don't know why I'm even doing this. It's not like the school counselor

is going to check whether I'm actually writing into a diary.

But...having some place to write down all the in my head might be a good idea.

It's not like I have anyone to talk about this stuff with.

He remembers that day. He had been sixteen and gotten into a fight with another student on his own birthday. It ended pretty badly for both parties and Jaejoong had been sent to see the school counselor after his wounds have been taken care of.

And since he had refused to answer the counselor's questions, he had been advised to simply write down his thoughts, no matter whether they were happy or bothersome. He had laughed right into the school counselor's face back then, only to ask his mother for help him in choosing a decent diary later that day.

He chuckles at the small drawings and cuss words scribbled on the empty spots on the page before flipping through the diary; skipping over some of the entries before he sees Yunho's name for the first time.

The new kid is such a...nerd. Jung Yunho. Thick glasses, crooked teeth, small face and hamster cheeks. He keeps hanging out with that long-legged kid from one year below.

So ing annoying.

Shooting a guilty look towards the man sitting next to him, Jaejoong thinks back to that day when Yunho was first introduced as a new student, having transferred from one town over. And at first, Jaejoong had not paid much attention on him. But the more classes they attended together that day, the more he started to notice Yunho's intelligence. Unfortunately, the teachers noticed it as well and soon enough, the amount of praises Yunho received while students like him constantly got told to be more studious so they would acquire even half of what he knows started to annoy Jaejoong to the point of boiling.

Of course it hadn't been Yunho's fault. But back then, it had felt that way to Jaejoong.

He lets out a sigh as he skips through the pages until he reaches a page with a few drawings.

Of course hamster cheeks gets to be class president. Isn't a class president supposed to be super eloquent and good at giving speeches and ? Hamster cheeks stutters even when he's talking privately to one of us. How is he supposed to deal with talking to a crowd?

Whatever. I managed to throw ten paper balls at him without getting caught today. That's a win in my books.

Jaejoong lets out a groan, shaking his head at the memories of that day before he looks over at Yunho, “Have you ever read any of these?”

“Jaejoongie let me read the ones related to me once, yeah,” Yunho admits, chuckling at the second groan which escapes from Jaejoong.

“I'm kind of an ,” the blonde says forlornly. He has never been one to be considerate of other people's feelings and he kind of feels sorry for his parents because he knows that people often associated his horrid behavior with their way of raising him.

But the thing is, they have always raised him to be a good person. He just didn't turn out the way they raised him to be and started to hang out with people who didn't care much about what's beyond the surface; teaching him to be dismissive of others as like they were dismissive of him.

“Others do a lot worse,” Yunho says, “It doesn't mean you haven't been bad back then – or, in your case, right now – but you still have a chance to learn from your mistakes. It's not too late yet.”

Staring at the book in his hands, Jaejoong gulps, “Do you think that's why I'm here in the future? To see everything I could up with how I behave and learn from it?”

“It's a possibility,” the taller male replies, tilting his head, “At least that's what usually happens in romcoms.”

Rolling his eyes at the other male's words, Jaejoong chuckles despite himself before looking back at the diary in his hands, “I recognize the entries. All of them. I remember how I felt writing them and everything that has happened when I wrote them.”

Yunho nods, humming to himself, “So you are not from another reality. Just another time.”

“Just another time,” Jaejoong laughs at the casual way in which they are addressing all of this, “How is this my life?”

“Well-” “It's just an expression, old man,” the blonde cuts Yunho off, ignoring the indignant gasp coming from him, “I wasn't questioning my life choices. Although, you know what, I am. At least my current ones.”

Yunho fixes him with a slightly surprised, yet gentle gaze then, “Yeah?”

Jaejoong shrugs, “I don't know. It's just...you must know that currently, I don't actually have reliable friends. But they are the only people I can hang out with, so I just adjust to however they feel like being and most of the time, they are being jerks. I- when I saw how close Changmin and I are and how I'm even married to you...I just felt...I didn't feel so well about how I'm treating the versions of you that I know.”

“I noticed,” Yunho sighs before turning to look at him more properly, “Listen, as I've told you, you still have a chance to learn and yes, maybe you are here to do just that. Do you know why I fell for you, or rather my Jaejoong back then?”

Jaejoong shakes his head.

“Because he learned,” the smile which spreads on Yunho's lips manages to make an answering one appear on Jaejoong's, “He learned to leave people behind who did not genuinely care for him. He learned that it's alright to open up and be nice to others despite putting himself into a more vulnerable position that way. He also learned that true friends will protect him no matter what. He learned to protect the people he cares for and stand up for people who can't protect themselves. And most importantly, he learned to let love happen.”

Jaejoong doesn't say anything at first, merely staring back at the other male in silence. He gulps, “Do you think I will be able to learn it too?”

“Yes, I think you will.”

“Because I'm him?”

Yunho shakes his head in response, “Because I believe in you.”

“Why?” Jaejoong manages to croak out.

“Why not?” And suddenly Jaejoong finds himself engulfed in a hug, “You are worth believing in, Kim Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong doesn't really know what to do at first, his whole form going rigid in Yunho's arms before he just let himself sink deeper into the embrace; hugging him back gingerly.

“Thank you,” it's all he manages to say and he doesn't think he's ever heard himself speak this gently to anyone before. It's not an embrace of love; because no matter what they might be to each other's other version, these versions of them are not in love with each other. But it's an embrace of comfort; and everything Jaejoong needs.

They remain in that position for quite a while until the diary threatens to slide off Jaejoong's lap, causing him to pull back and get a hold of it. He smiles at it briefly before handing the item back to Yunho.

“So, what now?” Jaejoong watches Yunho put the diary back into the drawer of what is presumably Jaejoong's bedside table, “I mean, do we just wait until everyone is back to where they belong?”

“I can't think of anything else we could do beside maybe consulting someone who knows about supernatural things, but I can't think of anyone we could actually go to,” the tanned man leans back against the headboard with a sigh, “What did you do before you were sent here?”

Jaejoong shrugs, “Sleeping. I went to bed as a seventeen-year-old and woke up ten years older and married. That should totally be the title of my autobiography by the way.”

Yunho chuckles briefly at the last part, “And there had been no odd interaction with anyone weird before it happened?”

“Well, I interacted with you,” Jaejoong jokes, stretching out his tongue like the non-adult that he is when Yunho pinches his nose for the remark, “But seriously, no. There was nothing weird about my day.”

Yunho hums thoughtfully before straightening his posture once more, “Then maybe, if you go to sleep like you normally would, you'll wake up in your own time. Seventeen and single, which should be your status on your minihompy.”

“Did you just make fun of my single ?” Jaejoong narrows his eyes slightly, following the other's movements as he gets up with a laughter which only dies down a little when the man walks into the walk-in closet.

“It's getting late,” carrying a few clothes to change into, Yunho steps into the bathroom and Jaejoong can hear him fumbling with what he assumes to be the cup where he's seen two toothbrushes in earlier, “I'll be sleeping in the guest room tonight.”

“Technically, I'm the guest here,” the blond male mumbles to himself, looking up when Yunho exits the bathroom, “I should be the one sleeping in the guest room.”

Yunho shakes his head in return, smiling, “It's alright. Just sleep here.”

But instead of walking out of the bedroom right away, Yunho decides to approach Jaejoong instead, placing one hand onto his shoulder in reassurance, “It's going to be okay. Don't think too much and sleep.”

And although Yunho is saying that with so much conviction in his voice, Jaejoong just knows that Yunho is going to be the one thinking about all of this the most. Because this man loves his husband dearly and will definitely not stop worrying until he's got him back in his arms, safe and sound. But he appreciates the other's attempt at comforting him nevertheless.

He smiles, merely looking down when he receives an encouraging squeeze on his shoulder in return.

Just when Yunho is about to exit the room, Jaejoong speaks up, “Hey, I'm curious about something.”

Yunho turns around then, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

“How is future-me in bed?” Jaejoong puts on his best, erted grin and wiggles his eyebrows a bit; relieved to see Yunho smile in exasperated amusement.

“I'm not discussing this with you.”

“I'm your husband!”

“You are the underaged version of my husband,” Yunho raises one eyebrow at him, “Good night, Jaejoong.”

“But-” “Good night, Jaejoong!” Yunho calls out from behind the door he has now closed, missing the grin of satisfaction on Jaejoong's lips.

It's the first time he's ever made anyone other than his parents smile. And it feels good.

His parents.

If he is here, could it be that his older self is over there in his time? Or did he simply disappear and make his parents worry about him once again?

The smile on his lips fades, the brightness in his eyes making place for glumness. Lying down after kicking off his shoes, Jaejoong curls up on the bed and closes his eyes.

“I'm going to be better, I promise.”

#

Gripping onto the doorknob tightly, Yunho shuts his eyes and takes deep breaths in order to prepare himself for whatever is awaiting him on the other side of the door.

He has done a bit of research yesterday night and actually found some people who are actually dealing with supernatural things in the most sane way possible according their own introductions on the websites he went to. Of course he hopes that he is going to meet his very own husband again once he opens the door, but life has taught him to be prepared for all eventualities and truthfully, he can't imagine himself to sit around doing nothing for another day when his husband is technically gone.

Also, the younger version of his husband would probably not be able to take being so far away from everything he knows for long, especially his parents. No matter how tough and cold seventeen-year-old Jaejoong seems to others in his time, Yunho knows better. He is, deep down, only a teenaged boy who needs his parents. So something has to be done.

Opening his eyes, Yunho takes one final deep breath and is about to open the door when it's being yanked open from inside; the sight of Jaejoong staring at him in shock causing him to freeze up momentarily.

And suddenly, he has his arms full of a very enthusiastic Jaejoong who squeezes him just a bit tighter when Yunho attempts to pull back a little to have a better look at him and try to figure out who he is with today before it strikes him that the seventeen-year-old from yesterday would most likely not hug him first after the revelation, much less this tightly.

“Love,” he breathes out in relief before wrapping his arms around the smaller form of his husband, endlessly grateful that the deities have brought him back home. And even though there is no space left between them, Yunho pulls Jaejoong against his body more firmly; almost as if he's afraid that his husband is going to disappear again any second. His heart his thumping wildly and Yunho prays that he will never have to be separated from Jaejoong ever again.

“You won't believe what I went through, big bear” Jaejoong speaks against Yunho's chest, “You are probably going to call me crazy and would want to divorce me, which is not happening as long as I'm still alive and kicking by the way, once I've told you about it.”

Yunho chuckles to himself. Because really, as if he would ever let go of this man.

“Stop laughing at me, you jerk!” The older male chastises, pinching Yunho's hip as he goes, “Anyways, when I woke up yesterday, I was, okay please don't call the asylum on me, in-”

“Your old house, as your seventeen-year-old self,” Yunho finishes for him and looks down with a suppressed grin when Jaejoong pulls back to look up at him; pink lips forming a perfect 'O' as doe eyes widen in shock.

“How did you know?”

The younger male smiles, steeling a kiss from the pair of lips he loves the most, “I think we have a lot to talk about.”

#

Jaejoong had been determined to mind his own business for a while after returning home when suddenly, there's the sound of a tray falling onto the ground resonating through the whole canteen; easily catching everyone's attention, including his. When he spots Yunho trying to gather all the spilled food onto the tray and clean up the ground with Changmin helping him while some guys are standing next to them laughing; Jaejoong feels an uncomfortable feeling bubbling inside of him, the feeling turning into full blast anger when one of the guys kicks the tray out of Yunho's grasp.

Changmin gets up then, obviously ready to fight someone before Yunho holds him back and Jaejoong somehow wishes he wouldn't. Because those guys deserve their asses handed to them. And although Changmin is younger, Jaejoong has a feeling that he would be capable of landing a punch or two. Future-Changmin would probably even be able to knock out someone.

Standing up, Jaejoong approaches the group everyone's attention is currently directed at and Yunho is the first to notice him; looking up at him with a mixture of fear and...hope? Why would Yunho look hopeful when he sees him? Unless...

“Do you want to join, Jaejoong?” The guy who had kicked the tray away asks, smiling cockily.

And for the first time, Jaejoong understands just how bad his reputation really is. He is not as bad as them. He doesn't kick someone who's already on the ground, so to speak. But they seem to think that he would, which kind of makes him feel nauseous.

He ignores the guys standing there as well as Changmin when he slides his right hand out of his trouser pocket and offers it to Yunho; not saying anything.

People start to whisper around them and the guys who have been laughing until now have stopped, looking confused. But Jaejoong doesn't pay them much mind, his eyes strictly trained on Yunho's face as the other looks at him in wonder. When Yunho's gaze wanders towards his outstretched hand, he merely gestures for him to take it.

He sees Changmin relax slightly from the corner of his eye before a slender hand is placed into his and he holds on tight; pulling Yunho off the ground in one swift motion. Yunho still looks unsure about Jaejoong's change in behavior, but the disappointment which usually dances across his eyes when he looks at Jaejoong is gone.

“Go over there,” Jaejoong tells him gently, gesturing towards his right. When Yunho doesn't move, Jaejoong uses the grasp he still has on Yunho's hand to push him into Changmin's direction, thankful for the other's quick thinking as the taller boy pulls Yunho a few steps away.

Jaejoong then looks at the guy who has talked to him earlier and punches him right into his stomach, causing him to keel over and give Jaejoong the opportunity to grab him by the nape and lead him towards where he's kicked Yunho's tray to, “Clean it!”

“, no!”

“Clean it!” Jaejoong barks through clenched teeth. He then hears Changmin call out his name, probably to warn him, before he hears footsteps approaching from behind him.

But before he can do anything else than look at them, another guy storms towards them and pushes them away. Jaejoong furrows his eyebrows in confusion before the other boy turns his head slightly to talk to him.

“I got them, just take care of that piece of trash,” the boy speaks and Jaejoong gasps slightly when he realizes who it is.

Yoochun.

The struggle of the boy he's still manhandling then catches his attention and Jaejoong tightens his hold, “I told you to clean it!”

#

“Ow,” Jaejoong hisses before he can stop himself and Yunho recoils at the sound.

“Sorry,” he says gently before continuing to tend to Jaejoong's wound, “I will be done in a bit.”

The guy Jaejoong had wanted to force into cleaning the mess he initially created didn't want to go down without a fight and unfortunately managed to land a punch in his face before Jaejoong succeeded in making him kneel down and actually do as told.

Yoochun managed to actually get out of it without a bruise. It must be pretty useful to know martial arts.

But being safe from injuries doesn't equal to being safe from his best friend's nagging, obviously, as a boy Jaejoong recognizes to be Junsu storms into the infirmary Yoochun has accompanied Jaejoong to earlier to nag about how Yoochun is going to die because of his reckless behavior one of these days. Yoochun had patiently listened to all of it before getting a package of strawberry bread from his trouser pocket, opening it without further ado before shoving it into Junsu's mouth; earning himself a glare from the shorter boy who still chewed on the sweet treat despite himself.

“Wow,” Yunho breathes out when he takes care of the spot right next to Jaejoong's lips, “Your lips are really pink.”

Jaejoong sees Changmin face palm himself, shaking his head in dismay while Jaejoong is left staring at a rather mortified class president who seemed to have realized that he has said something out loud which he probably didn't mean to share with anyone.

Yoochun whistles.

And Jaejoong? He actually blushes.

'Damn it!' He curses at himself inwardly, 'Get a grip of yourself, Jaejoong!'

Yunho lets out an awkward cough before starting to clean up, “Umm, I'm done.”

“Thanks,” Jaejoong says, unknowingly avoiding Yunho's gaze just as much as Yunho is trying to avoid his. He decides to busy himself with packing up his own stuff as Yunho moves around in the room to put everything he's used back to its original place. But just when he thinks Yunho's about to exit the infirmary, the other approaches him once more just like the older Yunho has done the night before.

“Thank you,” when Jaejoong looks up, he's met with a gentle smile and kind eyes, “I didn't know what to think at first, when you came up to me yesterday and apologized. But now I know that you were genuine. It was just a short 'I'm sorry', but it means a lot to me.”

There are a lot of things Jaejoong would like to say in return, but at the same time, he can't quite find the right words to express everything he's feeling in that very moment. So he just nods and somehow, that seems to be enough for Yunho. Because his smile is widening and it's the first time Jaejoong feels the need to pinch those hamster cheeks.

“Can I walk you home later?” The question is surprising and comes so suddenly that Jaejoong almost believes to have imagined it at first. But then Yunho is looking at him expectantly and he nods, looking down as the heat in his cheeks returns.

“Yes, I'd like that,” Jaejoong replies.

 

 

end.