"I fell in love with you.. Just how long has it been since then?

(Yet) my feelings have only been getting stronger."

Yoochun sighed as he watched Jaejoong grabbed his coat and wallet, prepared to exit the house.

"Are you going to go there again?" he questioned, eyes filled with worry. Jaejoong smiled back in reassurance, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

"Yes," he nodded happily, "See you later, Yoochun."

Yoochun could barely get a word out before the sound of the door slamming behind Jaejoong's departure silenced him and he stared at the door blankly, eyes glistening with tears. Wordlessly, he glanced at the photograph displayed on the shelf, a photograph which depicted two smiling men who had their arms around each other as they smiled at the camera. 

The tears fell and hit the glass enclosing the photo as he picked up the dustless photograph, blurring the image before him. Gripping the photograph tight, Yoochun prayed with all his heart that this day would be different. He wished that this day would be the day that Jaejoong finally got his answers.

"Please," he mumbled to himself, his voice echoing throughout the room, "Please let it not be disappointment again."

"Please let him be there."

~*~

Jaejoong trudged through the thick snow, leaving his set of footprints as he headed for the wooden bridge that marked the start of the journey of their love. It was at the bridge that they had their first date and it was also there and then that Yunho first confessed to him.

He waited as always, whiffing the scent of sakura blossoms as he did so. Shadows loomed over him as he leaned against the wooden railings of the bridge; admiring the gorgeous scenery before him. The winter sun beat relentlessly on him and soon Jaejoong started to perspire, his skin glistening with a sheen layer of sweat. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Jaejoong smiled to himself; a slight curve at the sides of his lips.

"Always keep the faith right?" Jaejoong whispered as he felt the wooden railings beneath his hands. They were coarse and uneven with splinters present everywhere, yet they felt like nothing but silk carpet to him. Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in the recollections of the past. Yunho had ravaged him like a starving beast that time as Jaejoong willingly offered his body to him, his back pressed against the railings, wood digging into his flesh.

The icy cold breeze jarred Jaejoong out of his thoughts as he pulled the coat closer to himself, letting out puffs of air that condensed as white vapors of smoke before him. The winter weather was so erratic; a horrid clash of hot and cold. Tucking the coat further into himself, Jaejoong waited patiently as the weather continued to torment him, sending him sweating and shivering at the same time.

He shivered as yet another cold breeze went by. There was not a single soul at sight. Hours had passed by then and the wooden railings he leaned on was covered in a thick layer of snow. Jaejoong sighed. Dusting the snow off his coat, he walked away, not noticing the ring that had slipped out of his finger and landed on the wooden railing of the bridge.

"I wonder… have you realized how I feel?"

~*~

"Yunho, when are you going to tell him?" Changmin whispered as he looked at the sick man before him fiddling with the ring he had found on the bridge earlier. Yunho pursed his lips shut, hugging the ring close to his chest.

"Never." 

He replied as he placed the ring gently on the dresser next to his bed, his eyes moistened with tears as he frowned, refusing to allow the tears to fall.

Changmin sighed.

"You're so stubborn sometimes."

Helping his hyung onto the bed, he tucked Yunho in, pulling the blanket to his chin.

"Sleep well and faster recover," he soothed as he rubbed what was left of Yunho's hair away from his face, "You can't keep Jaejoong hyung waiting for long."

Yunho nodded as Changmin drew a chair and sat next to him, pretending not to see the two streams of tears that rolled down his hyung's cheeks as Yunho turned away, back facing him.

Jaejoongie, gomenasai. I promised to be by your side always, yet I'm unable to fulfill that promise. Gomen.

~*~

"How long will I keep thinking of you?

My breath is fogging up the window glass.

My trembling heart is next to the lit candle and melting now,

I wonder... Will it survive?"

Jaejoong stood outside the door of his house, afraid to step in. Taking a deep breath in, he attempted to compose himself, pulling the ends of his lips with his fingers as he forced a smile on his face. Yoochun was already worried about him. There was no need to add to his undue worry. Taking out a mirror from his pocket, Jaejoong stared at his haggard reflection and practiced smiling a few more times before he finally stuck his key in the lock and opened the door, entering the warmth he knew awaited him.

He was immediately greeted by Yoochun, his face pressed against his chest as Yoochun embraced him, arms around him tight. Jaejoong chuckled, lifting his arms to return the embrace.

"Jae," Yoochun whispered in his ear, "We're soul mates. You can't lie to me."

Jaejoong opened his mouth, about to reassure his best friend that he was fine once more when he was stopped by the moisture he felt on the back of his shoulder and the figure that was now trembling in his arms.

"Yoochun ah," Jaejoong started, "I'm really-"

"No," Yoochun interrupted, "Stop. You're obviously not alright. I know that. Stop lying to me, hyung."

Jaejoong glanced up at Yoochun in surprise as the keys fell from his hands, landing on the floor with a silent thud.

"Don't you know that you're just making me worry about you more by being that way?"

Jaejoong stopped. His hands fell uselessly by his sides as Yoochun continued to cry.

"Yoochun ah,"

"Since you refuse to cry, since you choose to bear everything by yourself hyung," Yoochun's voice quivered with tears, "What's there for me to do but cry? Cry for you?"

"Yoochun ah," Jaejoong whispered before his voice trailed off as he hugged Yoochun back, his own tears starting to fall as he buried his face into Yoochun's chest, heaving one sob after another.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Yoochun sighed.

"Yes he will," he answered as he rubbed soothing circles on the crying man's back, "Yes he will."

~*~

"I miss you; every time I'll think of you.

Tonight too, I'm holding this half-finished muffler alone.

If the snow could fall for eternity,

would it hide my feelings towards you?"

Jaejoong stared at the wooden bridge from a distance, his footsteps halted in his tracks. For five years he had waited, but was the wait worth its value? Or was it just a vicious cycle he had repeated that had no significance and no ending? Jaejoong sighed. His footsteps became heavier and heavier as he approached the ominous bridge before him, his heart sinking when he finally reached the place that had now transformed into his source of fear. Will this wait, like others, be in vain? Were they destined not to be together forever? It was times like this that he felt like he was stuck in some cold reality show of Shakespeare's play with him playing Juliet and Yunho playing Romeo, both only reunited after death

Tears trickled down Jaejoong's cheeks as he felt the wooden railing of the bridge beneath his hands. Five years ago, they felt like silk carpet. Now, even he could not lie to himself any longer. They were nothing but rough wood, wood that contained splinters that were waiting to pierce through his thin layer of skin. Jaejoong fell to his knees, hitting the floor soundlessly. He could not even bring himself to cry. The tears had long dried on his face. The waiting had drained him mentally and he no longer could see the end nor the purpose of it.

"Even the ring's gone." he mumbled softly to himself as he looked at his vacant finger, "Even it is gone."

Pulling in his knees, Jaejoong curled into himself, resting his head on them. The sun had set by then and the last hues of sunlight shone on Jaejoong as he stared blankly ahead, looking at the horizon before him. He had promised Yunho he would wait forever, but could he really do that? In a blink of a eye, five years had passed. He had came to this place everyday throughout that period, anticipating the reunion of him and Yunho as he held onto the promise they had made in the past. Many had called him foolish and stupid, but he ignored them. He trusted in Yunho and he knew Yunho would meet him there one day. Still, five years was a long time. Who knows how many more he has to wait before Yunho finally fulfills his end of the promise? Meanwhile, was he going to continue waiting like this? Did he truly had that much faith in their love?

"Hey young man, you look troubled, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Jaejoong turned around, meeting dole brown eyes instantly. Yunho smiled back at him.

"Hey," he said gently as Jaejoong began shaking violently, his eyes widening in shock.

"You-"

Jaejoong's voice died out as Yunho's brought his lips to his, his fingers reaching out to Jaejoong's until they were finally intertwined with each other. Neither said another word as they embraced, Jaejoong crying softly against Yunho's chest. 

"I'm not dreaming aren't I?" Jaejoong breathed after he was exhausted with crying, "This is real? You're back?"

Yunho grinned, tightening his arms around Jaejoong's waist.

"Yes boo, I'm finally back."

Jaejoong smiled; his first genuine smile in years.

"Okaerinasai." he whispered as Yunho held him, his warmth radiating through the thick jacket he was wearing.

"Tadaima."

Yunho replied as he swooped Jaejoong lips into his, merging them into one perfect kiss.

"The feeling of falling in love with someone, it’s like snowflakes drifting gently, continuing to pile up higher and higher.."

The End.

Author's Note: All the words in italics are taken from the english translation of Eternal Snow by Changin' My Life. Hope you enjoyed this oneshot that was actually written 2 months ago. Peace! ^^