Rather more unsettled than he cared to admit after the strange events of the morning, Jaejoong returned to his apartment a bit earlier than expected, begging his leave from the friends to allow them time to catch up and to free himself from the awkward scenario.  It was a bit rude of him to eat and run as he had, finishing as quickly as possible while the newcomer pulled up a chair and stationed himself at their table.  Jaejoong wasn’t entirely surprised to see that Changmin was slightly put off by his leaving but the quickly hidden smug expression from Yunho definitely made him curious.  Were they more than friends perhaps?  They definitely seemed to have some history between them if nothing else…

                With a start, he shook his head, annoyed with himself.  What did it matter if they did or not?  He had no claim on Changmin whatsoever.  Nor did he want one.  He was too busy with what he was already dealing with to even try and fit that sort of jumbled mess into everything else.  But he was nice to be around…

                Charming, tall with a nice smile, courteous and he had every evidence of a nice body…  Oh what the hell was he thinking?!  “Focus,” he told himself firmly, shoving aside all thoughts of his upstairs neighbor in lieu of what he had on the docket for the day.

                A glance at his watch once he was behind the safety of his front door let him know he had more than an hour to kill before he was to meet Kyuhyun at the office.  He took a breath and ran his fingers through his hair, scratching the back of his head as he meandered towards his desk.  Halfway there, he frowned at the residual dust he’d forgotten about last night.

                “Okay.  Let’s see what we’ve got,” he murmured softly, ing his wrist cuffs to roll his sleeves up to his elbows.

                It didn’t smell like anything when he rubbed it between his fingers and took a whiff, nor did it look like anything particularly interesting.  For all intents and purposes, it was just dust…coming from his vent…in a regulated environment.  Frowning in thought, he wandered next door, pausing at the Lee’s apartment as he listened to see if they were up and about.  It was usually hit-and-miss on the weekends but it never hurt to check and see.

                After a rather interesting interaction with his sleepy neighbors, in which Taemin answered the door, promptly woke the rest of the household and then disappeared back to his room, Jaejoong found that there was nothing amiss in their apartment.  The still yawning Jinki invited him for breakfast but shrugged, half-asleep and slightly unresponsive, when Jaejoong told him he’d already eaten.  He apologized for the early hour and the wake up and promptly excused himself back to his room, cringing at the awkward start to his morning already.  He could only hope things looked up from there and that their work at the office would prove fruitful.

                Of course, that didn’t do anything for his problem with the vents but really there wasn’t much he could do otherwise.  Perhaps he’d just take Jinki’s suggestion and bring it up with the complex manager or maintenance.  “I wonder…” he mused, dragging a chair close so that he could stand level with the slats of the vent cover, peering into them with narrowed eyes.  It was too dark to see anything and the cover was in the way besides, so he hopped down and hurried to his closet.  “Where are you?” he grumbled, moving his shoes around to uncover the small tool kit hidden in the bottom.  “Ah hah!” he smiled, retrieving a Phillip’s head screwdriver and the mini flashlight.

                The vent didn’t stand a chance.  With the cover removed, Jaejoong was able to glare into the area further, seeing more dust but little else in the small section available to him before it turned the corner and made further investigation impossible.  Muttering under his breath, he started to move away but then heard another voice, the words indistinct but the sound somewhat familiar.  Was that Changmin?  He turned his head and placed his ear further into the vent to see if that would help and instead, he picked up on another voice too.  Yunho…  Disgruntled, Jaejoong stepped down to retrieve the cover, his mood pretty much ruined, but when he started to restore the vent, he heard the timbre of their voices change.

                They went from conversing to what sound like a subdued argument.  “Stop being nosy,” Jaejoong told himself, frowning while he replaced the cover and screwed it back in place.  Nodding at his handiwork, he stepped down and then jerked in surprise when he heard a loud thud above him, his ceiling vibrating as if something heavy had fallen.  “What the…?” he frowned, completely confused.  When it happened again, with a little less force this time, Jaejoong found himself out the door and bolting up to the fourth floor.

                He didn’t know if it was a lover’s quarrel or what but if that prick was fighting with Changmin, he was not going to stand by and do nothing; especially because someone could get hurt.  “Changmin?!” he called out, knocking forcefully on the door when he heard the muted sounds of a struggle on the other side.  Abruptly, silence fell at his interruption and he leaned closer to make sure that he wasn’t missing something.  “Changmin?” he tried again, softer this time with an uncertain edge to his tone.

                He jumped back when he heard the sound of the door being unlocked and out stepped Yunho, expression unreadable.  “This isn’t over, Min,” he called back, looking into the doorway which was quickly filled by Changmin’s frowning visage.  “And you better get your act together!” he reminded him harshly, turning his gaze to the observer nearby.  “Jaejoong,” he nodded, looking the other male up and down with a speculative gaze.

                Jaejoong just looked at him warily, eyes narrowed while he glanced at Changmin and then back at Yunho.  “Everything alright?” he asked, aiming the question at his neighbor though his eyes didn’t leave Yunho.

                “Neh,” Changmin nodded quickly, taking control of the conversation.  “Yunho here was just leaving.”  He remained pointedly behind the partially closed door but his glare was more than menacing enough to get the other to start moving.

                “Yes I was,” Yunho nodded slowly, giving Changmin a half-assed salute before he walked off, paying no further attention to Jaejoong.

                He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be more offended or confused by the response, but Jaejoong shook himself from watching the newcomer and focused his attention back on Changmin.  All of the sudden, he felt incredibly awkward about having interrupted in the first place…  “I’m sorry, Min,” he shrugged apologetically and grimaced.  “I just…” he trailed off as he pointed up and tilted his head to the side.

                “It’s alright, Jaejoong,” he shook his head and forced a smile, though it seemed a bit pained.  “We were just talking though our conversations can get a bit…heated sometimes,” he explained slowly, obviously picking his words with care.

                “Ah…”  Jaejoong shifted in place, having a hard time meeting the other’s eyes.  His gaze narrowed though when he noticed the younger male favoring his left side.  “Are you alright?” he asked, taking a hesitant step closer and pausing when Changmin stiffened at his approach.

                “I’m fine.  Just an old injury acting up,” he shrugged off Jaejoong’s concern quickly, turning his body to hide more of it behind the door.  “Look…  I’m sorry about this morning,” he added quickly, turning the conversation to another topic.  “I didn’t know he was in the area.  Or that he’d simply decide to…intrude.”

                “Oh!” Jaejoong laughed once, ducking his head abashedly.  “No.  I didn’t mean to leave so soon either but you guys just seemed like…  I don’t know,” he shrugged, chuckling in embarrassment.

                Changmin waved his hand dismissively.  “Don’t worry about Yunho.  We’re more old rivals than anything else,” he admitted with a chagrined smile.  “We did go to school together,” he assured the other male quickly, seeing the confusion there, “but he’s always trying to one up me.”

                “I see,” Jaejoong chuckled in amusement.  “I had some classmates that were like that too.”

                “Listen, Jae.  I know you’re really busy, but maybe we could try again sometime?” he offered with an open but nervous smile.

                Jaejoong gave him a thoughtful look and a slow smile.  “I’ll think about it,” he finally answered with a quick wink, waving hurriedly as he finally moved to back away.  “I’ve gotta finish getting ready for work but I’ll see you around Min.  Take care of yourself,” he called, turning around and jogging towards the stairs he’d sprinted up on his way to the fourth floor.  As soon as he was out of sight, he smacked his forehead with his palm.  “You’ll think about it?” he asked himself with a confused shake of his head.  “What is wrong with you?” he grumbled, rolling his eyes and taking a deep breath as he returned to his apartment.

                His only saving grace was that it was almost reasonably close to the time he could leave and not be waiting forever in Kyuhyun’s office by himself.  If nothing else, maybe he could get a head start on collaborating what they’d found so far and see about planning some visits.

                Touched up and refreshed with a better mentality for the day, Jaejoong took all his important documents with him and locked up, making sure he had everything he’d need before he headed out for the day.  There was no telling when he’d get home this afternoon and he knew they both had a lot of ground to cover.  Maybe he’d make a stop by the bank before he went in.  They were open until one so he had time at any rate.

                Changmin let out the breath he’d been holding when Jaejoong disappeared into the stairwell and closed the door with a shake of his head.  He leaned against the sturdy door and bumped his head against it a couple times as he rubbed his left shoulder and chest.  “Damn you, Yunho,” he hissed through clenched teeth.  He always did like to fight dirty.

                With an annoyed grimace, he pushed himself off and made his way through the only slightly upset room.  They’d been more controlled than usual and just the one lamp had been broken this time.  Grumbling under his breath, he picked up the shattered bits and threw them into the trashcan, straightening the furniture as he went by without a second thought.

                He should have expected him to be in the area and even more, to pull a stunt like he had this morning.  Bastard.  He was up to something.  It looked like he was going to have to have to have a little talk today.  Eh…  He needed to get an update anyway.  Changmin took the time to change and then headed out, making sure he gave enough time that he wouldn’t risk running into Jaejoong, who he heard getting ready downstairs.

                Taking his time, he caught a cab and had it take him to the downtown area: Chinatown.  “Here’s fine,” he told the cabby, handing off enough to cover his fare before he just stepped out when they came to a stop at one of the lights.  The driver simply shrugged and went on his way as Changmin closed the door behind him and started walking.  He much preferred stopping early and going the rest of the way on foot; that applied to pretty much all of his destinations in fact.

                While he was dressed normal enough, no one bothered him as he made his way down the fairly crowded sidewalks.  Generally, people moved out of his way for the most part for which he was glad, as he made his way to Keys, Odds and Ends, a smile pulling at his mouth at the play on words.  To most, the name made little to no sense, which in and of itself, made it memorable.  In all honesty, the store did have a nice collection of antique keys but that was not what the name stood for.

                When he stepped inside, the familiar air of the shop greeted him, the interior carefully maintained and artfully displayed with all manner of unusual items displayed on open shelves or behind spotless glass panes.  “Hey Kevin,” he greeted the pretty and delicate appearing young man sitting in attendance at the check-out counter.

                “Hey Max!” he grinned, waving cheerfully at the taller male as he approached.  At a look from the newest guest, he ducked his head sheepishly and amended, “Sorry Changmin.  You here to see the boss?” he asked, brushing his dark brown, feathered bangs out of his eyeliner rimmed eyes.

                “Neh,” Changmin nodded, approaching the end of the counter.

                “He’s in the back,” Kevin gestured, bowing politely as the taller male made his way around.

                “Thanks,” he saluted, unable to stifle his chuckle at the completely disarming nature of the young man.  It was no wonder the owner was as good at picking tidbits up as he was.  He made his way through the closed door in the back which led to an empty office that had every appearance of being mundane and used for everyday activities.  Changmin knew better.  He moved to the desk and opened the top right drawer, reaching under to press the button hidden within.  Immediately, a side door slid open right next to the filing cabinet, revealing another smaller room with sparse decorations and but a single figure leaning over the mahogany desk, writing with a precise but delicate hand.

                Petite and with sharper but equally flawless features, the dark haired male with perfectly styled mussed locks regarded his newest visitor with speculative feline eyes, also decorated by a thin line of eye liner.  “Ah.  Minnie.  What brings you in today?” he purred in a deep voice that did not match his stature at all.

                “Kibum!” Changmin greeted with a smile, taking a seat in the single additional chair in front of the desk, elegantly slinging one leg over the other.  “We need to talk,” he smiled, threading his fingers together over his knee as he regarded the slender male, his gaze unwavering.

(a/n: So inspiration has been a bit sluggish, for which I do apologize, but I hope you've enjoyed the latest update.  More players to figure into the game.  hehe  And we're getting into Yunho and Changmin's relationship slowly.  ;)  More about those two will be revealed in due time.  haha  Thanks for reading though and I hope you look forward to the next update!)