Part Four

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*I*Don’t*Wanna*Cry*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next twelve months pass in a blur, and the days and weeks bleed together and move too fast. Some moments stand out more than others, like the day that Yunho calls Junsu downstairs to tell him that he has a guest, and Junsu goes outside to find his twin brother standing at the end of the driveway, having been legally adopted by Yunho. Junsu nearly faints from shock; he spends a good two hours just hugging his brother and crying over how much they’ve missed each other. The two of them become attached at the hip- they sleep in the same bed and are always either holding hands or linking arms or sitting practically on top of each other. It’s one of the sweetest things Yunho has ever seen.

Junho isn’t the only new addition to the ever-growing family, though. Yoohwan, Yoochun’s younger brother, moves in soon after. Yunho managed to track him and their grandparents down and convinced them to allow Yoohwan to stay with him. They were sad to see their grandson go, but happy that would be in a better home and back with his brother; Yunho is sending them to visit their grandparents over the summer. Junho and Yoohwan are both amazing kids and wonderful additions to the family. In addition he managed to locate Changmin’s sisters, and he sees them every weekend. Yunho found Jaejoong’s first foster family too, and they meet up all the time.

Changmin and Junsu went back to school along with Yoohwan and Junho, but Yoochun and Jaejoong stuck with home schooling. They’re still going to therapy, but now they meet every other week and have group meetings only once a month. They haven’t fully recovered from their traumatic pasts- they probably never will- but they’re getting better. The nightmares have nearly stopped, and they no longer wake up screaming or crying. They can take their shirts off and not feel afraid of being judged or ashamed of their scars, and they don’t need to be restrained or sedated at doctor’s offices anymore.

It’s amazing how much they’ve changed in the last year; they’re all so much taller now, and braver and outgoing. They aren’t afraid to say what’s on their minds or talk back to him- which he’s not too thrilled about, but he lets them get away with it. Changmin is snarky and quick witted, Yoochun is smooth and flirts with every girl he sees (he flirts with Junsu, Changmin and Jaejoong too, much to their embarrassment) and Junsu is always laughing- the slightest thing makes him crack up. Junho puts on spontaneous dance performances and Yoohwan- who used to be so quiet- sings at the top of his voice all day long.

But Yunho sees the most change in Jaejoong, or maybe that’s just because he watches Jaejoong more often and in a different way than the others. His face and body have filled out and while he’s still very slim, he no longer has the gaunt appearance that he used to. His eyes are softer, his smile wider and more frequent. He’s dead clumsy and always seems to be tripping or dropping things, but he can be graceful when he tries to be. He cooks all the time, and Yunho is trying to convince him to apply to culinary school. Whenever he does Jaejoong grins and says that he’ll only cook for his family.

Yunho has come to terms with his attraction for Jaejoong, helped along by Minji. He asked her if it was unhealthy for him to fall in love with someone so young, and she said something that he hadn’t even thought of.

“See, you never talk about physical attraction. I’m sure it’s there, but you always talk about how you’re in love with Jaejoong- not lust or desire or anything like that. Those feelings will come later, but if you honestly love Jaejoong then I see no reason to avoid or deny your feelings.”

She was right of course. She usually is.

So Yunho threw his hands up and just went with it. Actually nothing changed drastically in their relationship; although perhaps Jaejoong was a bit more cuddly. He seemed to very much like when Yunho would hug him, or put his arm around his shoulder when they sat on the couch. Sometimes when they drove Yunho would reach over and hold his hand, and Jaejoong would twist their hands so that he could intertwine their fingers.

Jaejoong was nearly eighteen now, and it seemed so different from sixteen. There were times where Yunho still thought of him as a kid, of course- but those instances were fewer and farther apart. More often he saw Jaejoong as a caring, responsible adult; especially since he still played the role of a parent to the younger ones. It amazed Yunho to see the amount of respect they gave Jaejoong, even Changmin (although he would snark and complain the whole time); they really trusted him to keep them safe.

“You’ve done a great job with them,” Yunho tells him one night-exactly one week from Jaejoong’s 18^thbirthday- as they wash the dishes.

“Well, it got easier once you were there to help me,” Jaejoong confesses. “Before, there were a lot of times where I didn’t think I was doing the right thing, or that there was no way I could handle them by myself.”

Yunho brushes his soapy fingers through Jaejoong’s hair. “You know, I really admire you,” He says softly. “If I’d been in your shoes, I really don’t know how long I would have lasted. I’m really proud of the way you handled yourself.”

Jaejoong blushes but smiles widely. “Thanks,” he says. “That means a lot.”

They finish up the dishes and just as Yunho is about to walk away, Jaejoong grabs his wrist and stops him.

“I know I said that I would wait for as long as you needed,” he says nervously, biting his lip. “And it’s been a year and…I just wanted to know…I mean, no pressure or anything but…” he trails off and sighs in frustration. “Never mind,” he says quietly, letting go of Yunho’s wrist.

It’s such a flashback to the night of Jaejoong’s confession that it takes a moment for Yunho to react. When he finally snaps out of his daze, he grabs Jaejoong’s shoulders and pulls him close, hugging him tightly.

“I know,” he says, speaking through a mouthful of Jaejoong’s hair. “I haven’t forgotten. I know it’s been a while and you’ve been waiting for me, and you’re probably tired and confused.”

Jaejoong tightens his grip on Yunho’s waist. “I just want to know where I stand,” he confesses.

Yunho pulls away slightly and Jaejoong looks up at him. It’s true- he’s not sixteen anymore. He’s nearly eighteen now, and he doesn’t want to wait much longer. Truthfully, neither does Yunho.

So Yunho holds Jaejoong’s face gently and tilts his head to the side a little bit. Jaejoong’s eyes widen and then shut as he realizes what’s coming.

Their first kiss is gentle and sweet and searching, they memorize the feeling of each other’s lips and the way the other’s skin feels under their fingertips. They don’t go any further than kissing, and that’s alright because they’ve got years and years ahead of them, and they can go as slowly as they want to.

Still, it doesn’t stop Jaejoong from moving into Yunho’s room on his birthday. 

END

You have no idea how long it took me to write this story...I wrote it all out even before I posted the first chapter (staggering updates does wonders for gaining new readers ^^ ) but this part gave me a lot of grief. I'm still not satisfied with it, but I have no more brain juice left to squeeze onto the keyboard- not for this story anyway- and so this will just have to work.

Thanks for reading, I'm sorry that I made so many of you cry (but that just goes to show what a good story it is!) and now we have the happily ever after! So leave me a review and go check out the rest of my stories if you haven't already.

Maybe I'll come back to this one day and write some more about how the boys deal with their future. I can see myself taking this further, but it won't be for a long time. If I ever do come back to this, you'll be the first to know, trust me ^^