Jaejoong was leaning up against the wall of the men's bathroom while he waited for Junsu to finish up, when he received Yunho's text message. Feeling the tremble of his phone vibrating against his leg, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, eyebrows crossed in confusion as he read who had messaged him.

Of course, the moment he found something to occupy him for a moment, Junsu had to come out of his cubicle, moving over to wash his hands, giving his cousin a confused look. “What is it?” he enquired, his question the only indication he gave that he hadn't lost interest in what Jaejoong was doing.

“Yunho. Apparently he's going out. He says for you to walk me back to the hotel.” he informed him, a look resembling disbelief spreading across his features. He shook his head, seemingly trying to convince himself that Yunho's message had no effect on him, but the little pout that quickly formed on his lips thereafter said otherwise.

“I thought you said he was jealous of you, because you are too close to me.” he stated conversationally. “He is. I must say I'm surprised that he is prepared to trust me to look after you.” he commented, with a laugh, genuine intrigue adorning his features.

“About that, I've been thinking.” Junsu continued turning to appraise his cousin, “Does he know I'm your cousin?” Jaejoong went to respond that of course Yunho knew that, but he paused. Come to think of it, the two of them had already been well into their conversation by the time Yunho found them at the shop. Yes he'd been polite and orchestrated introductions, but he never actually said that Junsu was his cousin, now that he thought about it.

He supposed it was because to him, at least, their relationship wasn't close because they were related. The shared blood between them was so tiny as to be an insignificant tie between the two. Because of their similarity in age, and how well their personalities meshed, he'd always viewed Junsu as a friend, more so than a family member. As a result, he guessed that he'd never bothered to highlight the familial relationship they shared, to Yunho.

“Um..” he paused, a sheepish grin overtaking his features, as he self-consciously rubbed the back of his head. Junsu cackled at his cousin's response, “Well then, no wonder he seems so standoffish around me. He thinks I'm some random guy you picked up off the street.”

“Yunho thinks...I'm..interested in you?” Jaejoong queried, the comment sounding dubious to his ears even as he asked it. Knowing that Junsu was his cousin, and how long their friendship went back, it seemed so preposterous to think of Junsu like that. Junsu gave his cousin a shove, “Of course it sounds weird to you, but that's because both you and I know I'm family. Remember Yunho doesn't know that. As far as he's concerned it was just the two of you, and suddenly you're being all friendly and hugging and touching some guy he's never seen or heard of before. I'm surprised he's been so polite, given the circumstances. He must really want to meet your approval.” Junsu gushed.

“Maybe...or maybe it's because it's not what you think.” Jaejoong responded, toeing the ground absently. He seemed so sad as he spoke, that Junsu wasn't sure what to make of a such a comment. “Why would you think that?” he questioned, huddling close to his cousin with crossed arms, suddenly concerned about the prospect of eavesdroppers.

Jaejoong sighed, considering telling his cousin that he wasn't in the mood to talk about it, but he knew that he really was. He'd been feeling so jealous and confused and deliriously happy, but the emotions kept changing so quickly he couldn't think straight. While he was happy, everything seemed fine, but then something would happen to make him feel sad, and he'd be left all alone, with no one to talk about it with. He could never tell Yunho about these feelings of his, after all; he couldn't work out where he stood with the other man from one second to the next. More than anything he did want someone to talk about it with.

So, with another sigh, he dolefully replied “I... Yunho has a girlfriend..at least I'm fairly certain it's a girlfriend, and then that woman out there and Yunho abandoning us and..” Somewhere in the middle, his words and feelings had gotten all choked up, so that it was a struggle to get anything out. Junsu looked confused at first, as though he were trying to make sense of what Jaejoong were saying, but finding it incomprehensible, but then he seemed concerned.

“Hey, let's get out of here alright? We'll go back to your hotel and you can explain everything to me, okay?” Junsu promised, trying to console the older male. Jaejoong found himself choking back tears, all of a sudden, and answered “Couldn't we go back to your place?” The look Junsu had been giving him screamed that the younger boy would've done anything he could to make Jaejoong happy at that moment, but his face twisted into a grimace at the mere mention of the place.

“No can do, I'm afraid. Ever since they had Junghyun and Ahra, my place sounds like a constant battleground. We'd never be able to talk there.” Junsu told him trying to sound sympathetic, but his refusal only made Jaejoong whimper slightly, “But what if Yunho and that girl are there, and we....” Junsu shushed him, Yunho wouldn't have told me to take you back to the hotel if they were both going to be there. He cares about you a lot.... but I think you and I need to discuss this whole business. I've clearly missed a fair bit.” he told the other displeased.

Junsu always was a gossip.

They left the club, both unable and unwilling to catch sight of Yunho as they left. They couldn't see that woman Hiyeon, either but that said nothing. Who knew how many people were crammed into the nightclub at the moment, she could have been anywhere.

The walk back to Yunho and Jaejoong's hotel was made in silence. Junsu appeared to be appreciating the weather, and their moonlight stroll but Jaejoong was drowning in his own sadness. As if all the stuff to do with Yunho wasn't bad enough, or his currently very prominent feelings for the other man, he felt guilty for mentioning Junsu's home. He had been friends with the younger boy for long enough to know that he wasn't supposed to mention them.

Junsu's mother had always been a bit of a romantic. So when her husband, Junsu's father died when Junsu was little, and another man came into her life showering her with attention, she had fallen madly in love with him and gotten married. They'd been eager to start a family of their own and Junsu had sort of come along for the ride. Her husband wasn't mean to Junsu but there was a distance between them that his siblings lacked.

As a result of that distance, subtle differences in the experiences of Junsu and his younger siblings had developed as he grew up. He'd always been one of those childish boys, who never really grew up. As a result, he'd been picked on a lot for his immaturity, his irresponsibility and the like by his parents. They thought that he should take care of himself more, so that they wouldn't have to; so that they could focus more of their attention on their new family.

That was why he'd taken such a shine to Jaejoong when he'd met him at one of the massive family gatherings that took place, probably for a funeral of one of their much older, and probably substantially more distant relatives, as a child. Despite needing to be cared for a lot himself, Jaejoong loved to look out for others, and Junsu had clung to the attention and affection Jaejoong gave him. Because he was a few years older than Junsu, Junsu had looked up to him as a kind of surrogate parent or older sibling or something.

After his parents had his half-siblings, Junsu had decided that when he was old enough he would run away and live with Jaejoong for the rest of forever, adopting him as the father he'd never had. He'd told those plans to Jaejoong, and though he had laughed at them, he agreed to them all the same.

Ever since then, it was the dream that Junsu had clung to. He would always try harder at school, try to be more patient or responsible, if he thought it could impact on him accomplishing his dream. Jaejoong got into his chosen university for the programs, but Junsu would get in by making sure he got good grades too. That sort of thing.

To him, his family was an annoyance to be tolerated, since he'd long since decided his real family would be found with his older cousin. To mention them now, when he was so close to escaping them once and for all, just seemed kind of thoughtlessly cruel. Junsu didn't want anything to do with them. Why would he want his beloved cousin to have any interaction with them?

He would have apologised, but he could see from Junsu's relaxed features that to him it was water under the bridge. But the knowledge that the younger man wasn't holding a grudge about it, didn't do anything to relieve his guilt.

They settled into the cramped hotel room with some difficulty. Junsu was so curious he wanted a look at everything, but the place was small. The toilet was awkwardly squashed between the shower and the basin, in a room barely big enough for one person. There was no lounge, and the small kitchenette they provided was barely enough room to breathe in. Other than that, the only features of the place were the two beds, the boys were using, a small desk, a TV and all of their stuff lying messily spread around the room. Junsu looked like he wanted to laugh at how their clothing was arranged, giving Jaejoong a knowing look. Everyone knew that Jaejoong could be a real neat freak when it came to clothes. He always wanted things neatly folded and put away, so surely their current position must have irked him.

Jaejoong waved his look away, as he collapsed onto his bed, Junsu looking around for a moment before settling onto the end of Yunho's freshly made bed. “It's not my fault. Yunho is really messy and destroyed the stuff, and I couldn't do anything about it before we had to leave for that tour.” he informed him tiredly.

“Now... what's this you were trying to say about Yunho having a girlfriend?” he questioned lightly, regarding his cousin with a curious look.

“Exactly that. I think Yunho has a girlfriend.” Jaejoong answered, despondently. Every time he had to say it, he only became more aware of how depressed those words made him feel.

Junsu rolled his eyes, “Boo. I already knew that. But just saying it over and over again isn't going to convince me. I'm sorry, but from what I've seen today, and what I hear through the familial grapevine, Yunho is crazy about you. There's just no way I can believe that guy doesn't love you after what I've seen, so why do you think otherwise?”

“I never said I thought he didn't love me. I simply said that I think he has a girlfriend. The two comments aren't necessarily mutually exclusive you know.” Jaejoong replied.

Junsu glared at him, for not answering his question, “Explain.” he demanded, arms crossing childishly at his beloved cousin avoiding his question.

Jaejoong smiled, but it quickly fell, the image from a few weeks ago slipping into his mind once more. “The other week, he told me he was going out for dinner with his family. I asked if he wanted me to come, but he said no, because he had some stuff to sort out. When he came back, he.... he had a mark on his...” Jaejoong trailed off, the story stirring up his emotions, despite his attempts to control them.

Junsu seemed shocked by this admission, then confused, then that rare thoughtful look passed across his features; the one that told him he was trying to see beyond the obvious, heartbreaking conclusions that Jaejoong could see, in search of an alternative explanation that the distraught boy could not see. “What makes you so sure he got it from a girlfriend?”

Jaejoong glanced over at his cousin, “Are you asking why I think he got it from a girlfriend as opposed to a random girl he made out with, or are you asking why I think it was a girlfriend and not a boyfriend?” he asked, confused.

Junsu went to answer him but paused for a moment, “Well, initially I had meant why a girl and not a guy, but now that you mention it, they're both valid points.”

Jaejoong smiled slightly at his cousin, before replying softly “Well I dunno... When we were younger he had a constantly revolving door when it came to girlfriends, so I just assumed it would be another girlfriend this time around.”

“Did he ever have any boyfriends back then?” he enquired, avidly staring at his cousin. Jaejoong shot Junsu an intrigued look, “See that's the funny thing. I'm not actually sure. From the things that everyone would say, it sounded as though he had boyfriends as well, back then.”

“Well, what did Yunho say?” Junsu persisted, shifting so that he was lying down on Yunho's bed, his legs swaying in the air, “Yunho never said anything.” Jaejoong scoffed, “If I relied on what Yunho said, I wouldn't have known he'd ever dated before.”

“Maybe he's ashamed of dating, and that's why he doesn't want you to know.” Junsu suggested, seeing a twisted logic to that idea, working well with the feelings he'd picked up from Yunho earlier in the day. “Or maybe he's ashamed of me.” Jaejoong commented, tone turning sullen.

Junsu laughed at the comment, “As if.” The pair were silent for a moment, before Junsu questioned, “So how long did he date those girls and boys, back in the day?” Jaejoong shot a frown at his cousin, that the other boy couldn't see, due to his new position, “I don't know, maybe a week at the most?” he enquired, really not having cared to know when he was younger, much less remember now.

Junsu snickered at that answer, staring intently at his toes as he wriggled them, “I wouldn't call them relationships. They sound like the sorts of relationships kids have in kindergarten, where you get dumped because you won't kiss someone, or they stole your crayons or something. How old were you guys when these “relationships” took place?”

“The first I heard of those relationships was when we were in Year 10, so Yunho would have been what 15 or 16 at the time. The rumours started a little bit before Yunho stopped being friends with me.” Jaejoong confessed.

Junsu paused at that, having been Jaejoong's long distance confidante for enough years, to have been aware of the entire story and all of the angst that accompanied it. He knew all about how the two of them had stopped being friends. But he hadn't realised this whole relationship thing was related to that period of Yunho acting strange before they stopped being friends.

After a moment of thought, he scoffed lightly, “High school? Really? Either that Yunho of yours is very immature, or else they were just causal hookups, and not actually relationships.” Jaejoong didn't know what to say to a comment like that and so he remained silent.

Realising that their conversation was going nowhere, he sighed softly, “I just can't believe that Yunho would be dating someone else. I've only known him for a day, but even I can tell he's completely nuts about you.”

“If he's nuts about me, then why is he off with some random girl right now?” Jaejoong grumbled, petulantly. Junsu bit back a retort, only able to reply softly, “I don't know.”