Jaejoong woke in his bed with a feeling of some disturbance in his apartment.  He rubbed his hand over sleep crusted eyes and listened, trying to figure out what it was.  After a moment, he shot out of bed, giving himself a once over in the bathroom mirror to make sure he was presentable and decent.  The bed tousled hair was fine but a pair of boxers only wasn’t…  A thin robe hanging on the back of his bathroom door solved that problem and he shuffled out his hastily unlocked door to meet his unexpected guest.

                “Morning,” he greeted Changmin in the kitchen, finding the young man nosing about the cupboards for something.

                Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, his tall guest froze and looked back over his shoulder in chagrin.  “Morning?” he asked tentatively, closing the cupboard door softly.

                “Cups are in that one,” Jaejoong pointed for him, eyes going towards the bottom drawer he’d stuffed his gun in last night and forgotten to retrieve.  .

                “Ah.  Thanks,” Changmin smiled and grabbed one, filling the glass with the water in the sink.

                Casually, Jaejoong eased into the kitchen and leaned against the counter in front of the drawer his gun was in.  “So…  How are you feeling this morning?” he asked softly, not sure how much he might have remembered.

                Changmin paused mid-drink with the glass raised in the air and blinked at him.  He lowered the cup and looked very embarrassed, “I’m good.  I don’t really have hangovers much but…  I’m sorry if I was trouble last night,” he apologized with a bow, placing one steadying hand on the counter with a chuckle.  “I don’t remember much after catching a taxi from that bar, actually,” he grimaced, rubbing the back of his head.

                “Aish,” Jaejoong shook his head with a bemused smile.  “Right room, wrong floor.  That’s pretty much what I figured happened.  And yes, you did try to go upstairs but when you practically fell on me, I refused to let you.  Wouldn’t want you to break your pretty little neck,” he chuckled, flushing slightly at the word choice.

                “Well thank you,” Changmin smiled with another small bow.  “I’m grateful since I’m afraid I wasn’t in much condition to do anything last night anyway,” he shrugged, refilling his glass without looking at Jaejoong.

                He really didn’t want to pry but it was something about the way he said it that prompted Jaejoong to ask, “So I take it you don’t normally have that kind of night on the weekend?”

                The younger male laughed through his nose and shook his head, setting the cup down in the sink, untouched for the moment.  “No.  Not usually.  It’s stupid, really, since I didn’t even know him that well either.”

                Concerned, Jaejoong pushed himself off the counter and took a hesitant step closer.  “Did something happen last night?”

                “Eh.  I don’t want to trouble you,” he waved, reaching for the cup again without making eye contact.

                “Min,” he stated softly, placing a hand tentatively on the taller male’s shoulder.  “What’s wrong?”

                Changmin sighed and looked over at Jaejoong, expression uncertain.  “I just…  I got a call from my umma last night and she told me a friend I used to know and go to high school with was killed in a drive by shooting yesterday.  He used to live right down the street from me,” he shrugged, trying to put on a brave smile.

                “Oh, Min.  That’s terrible,” Jaejoong spoke softly, taking another step closer so that their bodies were practically touching as he placed his other hand on top of the other male’s offering quiet comfort.  “I’m so sorry,” he murmured, feeling his chest grow tight at the situation.  “Are you okay?” he asked, peering forward slightly to get a better look at his face.

                Embarrassed, he half-heartedly wiped at his eyes and laughed weakly.  “I’m alright.  It’s just… so sudden, you know?” he asked with a shrug.

                Oh, Jaejoong knew…  And the conversation was definitely having an effect on him too.  “It’ll be alright, Min,” he promised, tightening his hand on top of the younger male’s, trying to keep his voice soothing.  “Is there anything I can do?” he asked, feeling very much out of sorts himself.

                “You’ve already done enough, Jae,” he laughed breathily, obviously still fighting tears.

                “Min…” Jaejoong murmured, hesitantly pulling the taller male into his arms, giving him a light hug.  His grip tightened when he felt Changmin slide his arms around him in turn, body shaking lightly with quite sobs.  “I’m here,” he soothed, running his hand soothingly down the lean back in long, slow .  He didn’t know how long he held him for, but when he calmed down a bit more, he pushed him back to get a better look at his slightly flushed face.

                “I’m sorry, Jae.  You must think me a weak fool,” he sniffed, keeping his gaze lowered.

                “Not hardly,” Jaejoong smiled reassuringly, guiding him to one of the two chairs in the kitchen.  “Here.  Have a seat.  I’ll make us some tea and… are you hungry?” he asked, already turning his attention to the rest of the kitchen.

                “A little,” Changmin responded in a small voice.  “I really don’t want to trouble you though,” he started to say, making a slow effort to get up.

                “No.  You’re not any trouble,” Jaejoong assured him, turning back around with a finger pointing at his younger guest who was halfway up.  “Though you could probably use a new shirt.  Yours still smells like vodka,” he commented with a tilt of his head.

                “Yeah…” Changmin agreed with a grimace, taking a tentative whiff of his shirt.  “Um.  I could just run upstairs you know?”

                Jaejoong just looked at him.  “You’re a bit taller than I am but I’m sure I’ve got something that would fit you for now,” he explained, setting the tea kettle on to get started while he motioned for Changmin to stay where he was.  “I’ll be right back,” he smiled, jogging back to his room to rummage through his closet.  Any of his shirts would probably work but they just might be a bit short was all.  He frowned at his selection and eventually snagged one before he turned to head back out, stopping short when he saw a shirtless Changmin standing in his doorway.  “Min…” he trailed off, mouth partially hanging open with the shirt hanging loosely in his hands.

                “Sorry, Jae.  The smell was making me sick to my stomach,” he shrugged, head tilted down in embarrassment with the unpleasant shirt in his left hand hanging at his side, his right hand braced on the frame.

                With an effort, Jaejoong tore his gaze from the surprisingly toned, tan torso in front of him and looked up.  “Of course!” he gasped in a hurried voice, stepping forward to offer the clean shirt.  “Here.  I’ll just wash that one while we eat,” he explained, reaching for the soiled shirt intently, trying to edge around the taller male so that he didn’t actually touch him on his way to the washroom.

                “Thanks,” Changmin smiled, turning to follow him as he pulled the shirt over his head, chuckling when it rested just below the top of his pants.

                “There’s a half-bathroom near the front door if you’d like to freshen up some,” Jaejoong called while he started a small load of laundry, throwing the reeking shirt in with a hefty dollop of soap.

                “Okay,” his guest called accompanied by the sound of a door closing softly.

                Jaejoong shut the sliding doors in front of his washer and dryer and stepped back, letting his gaze sweep over the room.  “What the hell are you doing, Jae?” he asked himself with a sigh, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.  “You’ve got him sleeping on your couch… wearing your clothes… and you’re making him breakfast…”  Quietly, he stifled a groan and ambled forward, pausing when he noticed the card on his desk.  It was tilted at a slightly different angle than he’d left it last night.  “Odd.”

                He looked at the vent with a curious glance, making sure it couldn’t have been responsible for shifting it.  The blowing air simply wasn’t strong enough.  Had Changmin touched it?  How long had he been awake for before he got up?  It was still early after all and the first instinct should have been to head to the kitchen.  Or the restroom.  One of the two.  After another moment of thinking about it, he sighed and shook his head in annoyance again.

                “Really…  Seriously.  You’ve got to stop being so suspicious.  Like Kyu told you.  You can’t suspect everybody,” he told himself firmly, righting the card.  Likely, he’d probably just bumped it last night or something.  There was no reason to imagine anything out of the ordinary or sinister; especially not with the tea kettle starting to whistle.

                When Changmin returned with a freshly cleaned face, Jaejoong had two cups of tea steeping on the table and he was cooking scrambled eggs with toast in the toaster and a pan of bacon simmering on the back burner.  “Smells delicious,” he smiled, carefully leaning close to get a look at the food on the stove, just shy of actually touching Jaejoong though his right hand did rest on the counter nearby.

                “It should,” Jaejoong started to answer, turning as if to look over his shoulder before he realized Changmin was standing right beside him.  “Oh!  Hi!  I didn’t see you there,” he laughed nervously, feeling a slight flush cross his cheeks.  “It’ll be right up if you’d care to have a seat,” he nodded with his head, carefully not looking at his guest.

                “Of course,” Changmin nodded once and retreated, allowing Jaejoong to take a small breath of relief.  “This is good tea.  Thanks again, Jae,” he smiled from the table, taking a sip of the warm beverage and smiling pleasantly.

                “You’re welcome,” Jaejoong told him in return, plating the eggs with a side of toast while he finished up the bacon.  When everything was done, he returned and set the one with more food in front of his guest.

                “Jae…” he complained, accepting the plate hesitantly.

                “I’ve seen you eat, Min.  Take it,” he chuckled, bowing his head briefly over his food before he took the first bite.  His companion smiled at that and didn’t argue, tucking in eagerly when he tried it, making sure to take a sip of tea in between to help wash it down.

                “That was delicious, Jae.  I think you could probably give Soonkyu a run for her money,” he smiled, grabbing his plate to take it to the sink.

                “Here.  Let me,” he interjected, taking the dish from his hand and snagging his in the same motion.  “I’ll just get to them later,” he assured him.

                “Seriously though, Jae.  Thank you.  For everything,” Changmin explained seriously, draining the last of his tea before he stood up anyway and stepped closer.

                “It was nothing,” Jaejoong waved him off, blinking when he appeared closer than he expected again.  He kept doing that and he didn’t know if it was accidental or coincidental, but it was definitely hard to ignore.  “I know what it’s like to lose somebody, so I just didn’t want you to be by yourself, you know?” he explained awkwardly, sliding to the side and closer to the same stupid drawer he’d forgotten to clean out again.

                “Listen.  I feel bad for pretty much taking over your morning.  Can I make it up to you?” he asked with a cute smile, expression hopeful and utterly disarming.

                “You really don’t have to,” Jaejoong waved him off, frowning at the saddened pout that Changmin shot him.  “Um.  Oh don’t do that,” he gave a breathy laugh.  “Erm.  Uh.  What did you have in mind?” he asked, clasping his hands in front of him and giving himself another mental face palm.

                “Well.  I know we’re both new to the area so I was wondering if maybe you’d like to check out the Statue of Liberty with me?  It’s still early so it should be doable today,” he offered hesitantly.

                Jaejoong had to stifle another groan when he realized he wouldn’t be able to tell him no one way or the other.  Not only could he not just abandon him after last night’s news, but he was so damn cute when he looked at him like that.  Dammit.  This was it though.  He’d go to the Statue of Liberty and then they’d part ways and be back to being friends; nothing more.  They weren’t anything now but he could go back to being breakfast buddies; outside of his apartment… in his own clothes… and not standing shirtless in his bedroom doorway…  “Sure!” he forced a smile and nodded in agreement, practically frozen in place.

                “Great,” Changmin smiled, clearly excited.  “I’ll just go upstairs so I can get ready and we can meet in the lobby downstairs around…” he paused to look at the microwave clock.  “Ten fifteen sound good?” he asked.

                “Yep.  That sounds fine,” Jaejoong agreed with that same forced smile, staying exactly where he was.  “I’ll just put your shirt in the dryer and bring it up to you later or would you care for it now?” he offered uncertainly, glancing at his own on Changmin’s person.

                “Later’s fine,” Changmin assured him with a warm smile, bowing politely as he started to make his way to the living room where his shoes were.

                “Okay.  I’ll just see you out then,” Jaejoong added, standing in the kitchen doorway while he watched Changmin retrieve his shoes and hop towards the door.

                “Thanks again for breakfast, Jae,” Changmin smiled, opening the door to let himself out.

                “It was my pleasure,” he nodded, stepping into the doorway and blinking in surprise when he noticed Taemin and Hyukjae getting ready to head out, the former yawning sleepily.  “Morning,” Jaejoong waved nervously, looking between the pair to Changmin.

                “Morning Jae,” Hyukjae grinned, glancing at his brother who gave a belated and slow wave.

                “Hi,” Changmin waved uncertainly, looking between the three.

                “Um.  Changmin, these are my neighbors.  Taemin and his older brother Hyukjae.  Guys, this is my upstairs neighbor, Changmin,” Jaejoong introduced with a laugh.

                “I know you,” Taemin pointed with slightly narrowed eyes.  “You left a note on Jaejoong’s door before.”

                “Taemin,” Hyukjae groaned, nudging his brother in the arm.  “That’s rude.”

                “It’s true though,” he defended himself with an annoyed glance at his sibling.

                “I have done that before, yes,” Changmin nodded with a smile.  “Sometimes it’s easier than asking in person,” he leaned forward in a conspiratorial whisper as he winked at the pair to Jaejoong’s embarrassed discomfort.

                “Are you blushing, Jae?” Hyukjae asked with a tilt to his head.

                “Nope.  Just a little warm out here,” Jaejoong assured them, fanning himself with a completely serious expression.  “Where’s your brother?” he asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

                “Eh.  Jinki’s pulling a volunteer shift at the hospital,” Taemin grumbled.  “And hyung tried to make breakfast so we’re going out.”

                “Taemin…” Hyukjae groaned.  “I told you it was an accident.  I just walked away for a minute,” he grumbled.

                “Try five,” Taemin held up his hand to show Jaejoong.

                “Oh, come on,” Hyukjae urged, snagging his brother’s arm and dragging him down the hallway.  “See you later, Jae.  Nice to meet you, Changmin.”

                “Bye!” Taemin waved, skipping along behind his elder sibling.

                “Well that was interesting,” Changmin chuckled when he turned to focus on Jaejoong again.

                “Yes, it was,” he agreed, rocking on the heels of his feet.  “We should probably get ready,” he pointed over his shoulder and edged back towards the door.  “I’ll meet you downstairs at ten fifteen,” he promised, waving politely and closing the door behind him as he watched Changmin start to head down the hallway.  He forced himself to take a long deep breath on the other side of the doorway and placed both hands over his face.  “Jaejoong.  You’re an idiot.”

                At ten fifteen exactly, a considerably more composed and refreshed Jaejoong joined Changmin in the downstairs lobby, smiling and ready to go.  He’d had a chance to sort of go through his morning and while he’d come to the inevitable conclusion that yes, he was attracted to Changmin, a large part of why he’d been so off balance was because of his friend’s shooting.  It rang far too close to his parent’s for any measure of comfort…

                “Ready?” Changmin asked, holding the door open for him while they stepped out into the summer air, feeling the sun beat down on them in the late morning hour.

                “Neh.  I think this’ll be fun,” he nodded, hailing them a cab so they could start heading down.  The waiting time on a Sunday was likely to be fairly impressive but they did have pretty much all day.

                Keeping conversation light, the pair chatted amiably as they made their way to the Battery Park Ferry so they could purchase tickets and ride over to Liberty Island.  The wait actually wasn’t terrible and there was a concession nearby so they could grab a snack while they waited.  Since Changmin picked up the tickets, Jaejoong covered the cost of food and they snacked and waited patiently for a ferry to take them over.  It didn’t take more than twenty minutes really and then they were on their way, shielding their eyes from the sun as they gawked like a pair of tourists, pointing with bright smiles at the Statue of Liberty ahead of them.

                It was the summer, so it was definitely warm but there were also a fair number of people around them, occasionally jostling the pair together without them really meaning for it to happen.  There was definitely more than one instance where their hands brushed together and they looked at each other with sheepish smiles and laughed, before being distracted by something else.  The tour itself was only about an hour, following the somewhat slow crowd, and they listened in with real interest as the guide listed off facts relevant to the island and the statue itself.

                The pair boarded the return ferry at around twelve forty-five, putting them back on course for home around one in the afternoon.  “No.  I’ll get the taxi this time,” Jaejoong insisted with a stern look at Changmin who was trying to hail one for them.  “You got the tickets and the one on the way down,” he reminded him pointedly.

                “Fine,” he chuckled, holding the door open for his companion who slid in with a pleased smile on his face.

                Jaejoong paid the cabbie when they got back to their shared apartment complex and they walked side by side to the stairs, content to take the more leisurely approach.  “I really did have fun this afternoon,” Jaejoong smiled, giving his companion a warm sidelong glance.  “Thank you for suggesting it.”

                “Thanks for putting up with me,” Changmin smiled back, ducking his head in delight.  “Maybe we can do something like this again in the future?” he offered, giving him a longer look this time.

                Jaejoong took a couple more steps before he tried to formulate an answer.  Of course his initial response was yes, but he really didn’t need to be doing any of this with the way his life was currently.  The only reason he’d agreed today was because Kyuhyun had specifically told him to not do anything work related.  At least that’s what he kept telling himself anyway.  He was more than surprised when they reached the third floor and he felt Changmin grab his hand lightly, causing him to pause before he could go through the doorway.

                “Jae,” he murmured softly, stepping close and lowering his head slightly, closing the distance between them.

                Unable to do anything, Jaejoong froze when he looked into Changmin’s gaze, breath catching in his throat and butterflies appearing in his stomach as a hand slipped around to his lower back, pressing against him gently.  And then Changmin’s lips were against his, tentative and sweet, uncertain even in his audacity as he tightened his grip on Jaejoong’s hand slightly.  Jaejoong’s pulse raced and he rested his other hand on Changmin’s upper arm, hesitantly kissing back, their lips moving slow and testing.

                Beet red and breathless, Jaejoong pushed away with a small gasp, forcing some space between them.  “Sorry,” he breathed, looking at Changmin apologetically as he held his hands against his chest.

                “Too soon?” Changmin offered awkwardly, making no effort to recapture him.

                Jaejoong’s mouth worked for a second before he brought his thumbnail up to chew on it instead.  “Maybe just…  It’s complicated,” he explained awkwardly, exhaling heavily as he pushed through the door with a thoughtful expression.

                “Jaejoong?” Changmin asked carefully, following along behind, giving him space.

                Both of them paused when they saw his door slightly ajar.  “Oh my god!” he gasped, reaching for a gun that wasn’t there.  Silently, he cursed and approached the doorway.

                “What are you doing?” Changmin hissed with wide eyes.  He caught Jaejoong’s hand to stall him, looking at the door worriedly.

                “It’s alright.  I know what I’m doing.  Just stay here and call the cops,” he urged, pushing the door open carefully to peer inside while he listened to Changmin do as he requested.  Just inside the doorway, he reached under the side table for the concealed handgun that should have been taped to the surface only to find it missing.  “…”

                “What?” Changmin whispered, turning when the person on the other end of the phone asked him another question.

                Carefully, he peered around the kitchen doorway and noticed that several of the drawers were ajar but nothing else was amiss.  The living room was similarly disturbed though not completely out of sorts.  Chewing his lip nervously, he readied his fists and peeked into his room, inhaling sharply when it was in complete shambles.  It took every fiber in his body to not jump into the room before he’d discerned that it was clear.  He stole into his bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief when the emergency handgun attached in the plastic bag to the toilet cover was still intact.

                Weapon in hand, he finished checking the rest of the apartment to make sure the intruder was gone, noticing that the card on his desk was misaligned again.  “It’s clear, Min,” he called, gesturing for him to remain where he was as he ducked back into his room.  He had to see if it was still there…  Heart hammering in his chest, he dug the safe out of the haphazard pile in his closet and could have fainted with relief when he opened it to find everything untouched.  He’d noticed his briefcase was missing but this was more important.

                “Do you know what they were after?” Changmin asked, hovering in the bedroom doorway, eyes sweeping the room.

                “No,” Jaejoong shook his head, locking the safe and shoving it back where he’d retrieved it.  “I have no idea,” he lied, swallowing hard as his mind raced over the newest problem, their kiss in the stairwell completely forgotten.

(a/n: I swear I have the hardest time doing any sort of relatively short update.  -_-  Ah well.  MinJae moments!  Yay!  I've been wanting to insert some at least sometime soon.  ;)  Things are probably going to pick up in pace before too long so hold on for the ride.  I've got some more cast members to introduce and more puzzle pieces to start stringing together after all.  Thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)