Changmin is not the type to be sentimental. Not at all.

Yunho knows that. Changmin prefers a playful punch to warm hugs, and prefers snide jokes to heartfelt words of sincerity.

And as always, Yunho respects that. Yunho lets Changmin do all of that to him, and all he ever does is smile it off, because he is so incredibly patient when it comes to Changmin. Yunho would never hit Changmin, even in a friendly way, and he prefers to be stoic.

But sometimes, Yunho gets sentimental – especially when he's had a drink or two. And while Changmin wriggles in his arms with a moan of embarrassment, from the way the corners of his lips tilt upwards and his eyes fold into half-moons, the right eye becoming smaller than the left, Yunho knows that Changmin doesn't actually mind as much as he pretends.

So Yunho hugs his bandmate from behind, holding on tight and breathing in to smell the shampoo at the nape of Changmin's neck, and he whispers quietly into Changmin's ear. "So thankful that you're here, you know?" says Yunho. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Sorry?" asks Changmin, glancing back at Yunho.

Yunho must be slurring for Changmin not to understand him. Plus, Yunho had never been a loud talker.

Or maybe Changmin is playing with him so that he would hear that again.

But Yunho guesses that he doesn't mind saying it again.

"I don't know what I would have done without you," repeats Yunho, a bit louder and clearer, despite his tongue twisting up slightly.

"I know, I know," says Changmin, and Yunho lets Changmin pull himself out of his arms, feeling just a little bit sad when the warmth of Changmin's body leaves his chest, but happy again as all of it returns with just one snarky joke. "I don't know what you would do without me, either."

Yunho laughs with his eyes squeezed shut, because his younger bandmate is just so funny, in ways that he will never be, and he is so glad that Changmin makes up for what he doesn't have.

Yunho feels a pang of worry that something is wrong for the first time when Changmin asks the staff, for the third time in the past week, to "raise the volume on my in-ear monitors please, I can barely hear anything."

Yunho shouldn't be concerned, because that can happen all the time, especially if they have new equipment, new staff, or a new track. But he finds himself just a little bit worried, because they are working with the same equipment, the same staff, on the same track that they had been for months. And Yunho's volume levels were set perfectly.

The suspicion grows when Yunho invites Changmin over to his house later on in the week to review some tracks that the company had given them to take a listen to. They settle down on Yunho's bed after a large dinner, which was eaten mostly by Changmin. Yunho owns a large stereo system – what musician doesn't – but he sometimes likes to cuddle up with the one person who has been a constant in his life for the last decade and then some, and do it old school.

Yunho has Changmin put one earbud in his ear and puts the other in his own ear to let him listen to a song that could possibly be in the next album. Yunho starts the song, and he's about to nod along to the rhythm, reigning in the dancer in him threatening to bust out some moves on the spot, when Changmin snatches the MP3 player out of Yunho's hands.

"Can you make it louder? I can't hear anything," complains Changmin.

Yunho is surprised, because he doesn't think it's quiet at all. And when Changmin adjusts the volume to the level that he thinks is appropriate (quite quickly, at that), it is so loud for Yunho that he immediately and reflexively takes the earbud out of his ear.

"Changmin!" shouts Yunho.

Changmin's round, doe eyes are staring right back at Yunho; the same eyes that he makes when he's just pulled a practical joke and is feigning surprise to keep Yunho from yelling at him.

"What?" asks Changmin innocently and a little too loudly, and Yunho can't tell if he's acting or not. If he is, Changmin has improved so, so much over the years.

Yunho decides to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Never mind," mumbles Yunho. He picks up the earbud that he had thrown onto the bed again. But the music is still too loud, and Yunho can't put it fully in his ear.

He looks up at Changmin to see that his earbud is still secured in his ear, and Changmin is starting to bob his head up and down in appreciation of the song. Changmin's lopsided smile appears again and Yunho still has no idea if that was a joke.

Another week passes, and Yunho is worried. More than worried. He can't stop thinking about it. And when he walks in on Changmin blaring music much too loudly in the practice room as he goes over a dance is when Yunho's heart drops. And he knows that there is definitely something wrong.

He walks into the room and turns off the music abruptly, cutting Changmin off in the middle of the dance. Changmin has obviously been working very hard, because he's drenched. Sweat is literally dripping down his face, and Yunho is even more scared.

For the first time in his life, Jung Yunho wants to be wrong.

Changmin frowns, and looks the slightest bit annoyed. "What?"

Yunho can guess what he's thinking. The only time Yunho does this is when Changmin is doing something very wrong. Changmin probably thinks Yunho is there to criticize, and that he has been practicing something wrong for the last three hours.

"Um…" begins Yunho, unsure of what to say to him to address his concern. Changmin raises his eyebrows and leans forward to catch Yunho's speech and Yunho clears his throat. "Your dance is good," he says, at least clearing what must be on the younger's mind.

Changmin straightens up again and crosses his arms. "Then what do you want?" And there it is again. Changmin's voice is just a little bit too loud for this room which is completely silent and empty except the two of them.

"Changmin," says Yunho, taking him by the arm. Changmin frowns as Yunho takes a deep breath. "Can we talk?"

Changmin rolls his eyes but he lets Yunho guide him to a chair. Changmin sits while Yunho fetches another chair from across the room and drags it over to Changmin, so that Yunho doesn't have to hover over Changmin standing, or be sitting at Changmin's feet. Changmin is taking a long drink out of his water bottle when Yunho sits down and takes a deep breath. Yunho doesn't speak until Changmin finishes drinking and puts the water bottle down.

When he does, Yunho clears his throat.

"Changmin, is there anything you want to tell me?" asks Yunho seriously.

If Changmin is playing yet another joke on him, now would be the time to confess. If Changmin has been to the doctor and was told that it was nothing to be worried about, now would be time to let Yunho know.

"Uh –" says Changmin, frowning. He contemplates – or he looks like he does, anyway. Changmin is looking a bit serious too, now, as Yunho's face falls, thinking that he must have done something to disappoint the leader that he hadn't been aware of. Yunho knows that Changmin is racking his brains for anything that can possibly have happened. Missed practices, late schedules, sleeping in, being outside with a girl, saying something wrong on a show. Changmin returns with nothing. "Um… No?"

Changmin shuffles his feet and clasps his hands together. "Did I do something wrong?" asks Changmin. Yunho can see Changmin's fingernails digging into the flesh of his thumb out of nervousness. Changmin his dry lips, and that's when Yunho knows.

Yunho shakes his head. "No, Changmin, you didn't."

Changmin relaxes slightly, but Yunho knows Changmin shouldn't be relaxing. If anything, Yunho wishes that Changmin had just made some simple mistake. Then Yunho would say some sharp words as leader, then give him a hug as hyung, and then they would both get over it together. But this – Yunho doesn't know what was happening.

"I'm just –" Yunho doesn't even know where to start. "Changmin, I have a question."

Changmin nods easily. "Shoot."

"Have you noticed… by any chance… that…" Yunho says hesitantly. He doesn't even know whether he wants to continue. But he does. He has to. "That you haven't been able to… to hear as well as you used to?"

Changmin frowns. "What?"

"Changmin," says Yunho again, seriously. "Changmin, I think there's something wrong with your hearing."

Changmin freezes up. For a little while, his fingers stop fiddling and his feet stop moving. But then Changmin lets out a nervous laugh.

"What are you talking about?"

Yunho swallows. "Have you not noticed anything over the last couple of weeks? That you were listening to music at higher volumes you used to, or that you – you can't hear small sounds?"

Changmin frowns, his mouth falling open a little bit.

He is thinking. He is thinking back to the rehearsals when he asked the staff to raise the volume, the times when he missed phone calls even though his ringer was on, and perhaps the fact that sound of water leaking in his bathroom stopped bothering him.

His face contorts more and more as time goes on, and he looks absolutely horrified.

Changmin's looking blankly at the wall in front of him when Yunho speaks.

"Changmin."

Changmin swallows.

And then he starts looking around the room. Yunho doesn't know what Changmin's looking for, but he evidently doesn't find what he's looking for. He then looks over at Yunho.

"W-What is this, some sort of prank?" asks Changmin, his voice shaking.

"No," says Yunho, shaking his head. He reaches for Changmin's hand. "No, it's not, I –"

"Okay," says Changmin. He pulls his hand away before Yunho can touch it, and he looks like he might start crying or laughing. It's hard to tell. "Okay, Hyung, I'm sorry. I know I've pulled a lot on you over the years, but – but I would really appreciate it if you would stop now, because – because – you're scaring me."

Yunho almost gives him, almost tells him that this is a joke. And Yunho wishes more than anything that it were.

"I would never joke around about something like this, Changmin. You know that."

Changmin stares at Yunho, for a long, long time, and then he looks away.

Changmin lets out a long breath, and then he swallows and stands up from the chair. His hand trembles a little as he moves the chair aside.

"I don't have time for this, Hyung," says Changmin, just a little coldly. "I'm fine."

"Changmin."

Changmin puts the chair away and walks to the stereo to turn the music back on. He looks back at Yunho one more time.

"Can I get back to practice now?" he asks, still not looking at Yunho.

Yunho nods hesitantly, and Changmin turns his back on Yunho again. He picks up the MP3 player.

Yunho also stands to move his chair out of the way of Changmin's dance practice, but then grasping at straws, Yunho whispers to Changmin quietly.

"Changmin, look at me if you can hear me."

Please prove me wrong. Please, please, please. Please.

Please have heard that. Please.

Changmin doesn't turn around to look at him.

Changmin carries on with practice, completely ignoring every word that Yunho said, and even ignoring that Yunho is even there, watching Changmin practicing the entire time. When he finishes after the better part of three hours is when Changmin turns to Yunho. And when he opens his mouth to talk to Yunho, he speaks so normally that Yunho is not sure if he just imagined the conversation that they had just a couple hours prior.

"I've technically scheduled singing practice to begin now," says Changmin.

Yunho nods. "Okay."

"You don't technically have to stay to watch," says Changmin, looking at him meaningfully.

Yunho doesn't say anything. Yunho also doesn't move.

"I guess you didn't get the hint," says Changmin. He points to the door. "That would be your cue to leave."

Yunho crosses his arms and pouts. "But I don't want to."

Changmin rolls his eyes.

"It's going to be boring. I'm just going to be working on techniques today."

"I have nothing better to do," insists Yunho.

Changmin narrows his eyes. "Why don't you do your own practicing? Or go out with some friends or something?"

"Because I'm tired," says Yunho. "And you're my best friend."

Changmin lets out a snort, but there's a small smile around his lips. So Changmin feigns a sigh before nodding. "Fine. I'm going to move to a room with a piano though. You're going to have to move."

Yunho is okay with that. So he follows Changmin to a different room.

Soon, Changmin gets into place in front of the piano.

The key sounds as Changmin plays a single note.

It seems like Changmin is completely taken aback by the sound he hears – or doesn't hear. He plunks down the key a little harder. The note sounds again, a little louder. But Changmin's still flustered.

"Is the soft pedal on?" asks Changmin desperately, looking under him.

It's not. Yunho doesn't point it out, but Changmin sees that. Something seems to have hit Changmin very hard. He lets out a deep breath.

"Right," says Changmin. He looks a bit lost as he stands. "Um… I think… I think that's enough work for the day."

There is a bit of a silence when they both take in what just happened. Then Changmin stands, as if nothing is wrong. "Okay. Um… I'm headed out then."

Yunho stands hesitantly as well. "Are you headed home for the night?"

Changmin nods. "Yeah." He starts packing up.

Yunho watches the younger for a moment, then speaks carefully.

"Can I come over to your house tonight?" asks Yunho.

Changmin looks at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"It's been a while since we've slept in the same room."

Changmin narrows his eyes. "We slept in the same room two weeks ago in Japan."

Yunho isn't a very good liar.

"I'm worried about you," confesses Yunho.

Changmin snorts, and rolls his eyes. "I'm fine, Hyung."

"So humour me," says Yunho. "I'm not fine. I'm worried."

Changmin sighs and groans, as if Yunho is being the biggest nuisance that he can possibly think of. When Yunho continues to look up (yes, up) at the younger as pathetically as he can muster is when Changmin gives in.

"All right," sighs Changmin. "But you're ordering food for the night."

Yunho nods vigorously. "Deal."

Changmin doesn't act any differently with Yunho that night, joking and laughing with him. It seems to Yunho that Changmin thinks absolutely nothing is wrong, although it bears down on Yunho's chest quite a bit. Changmin's appetite is still the same, and he eats almost two thirds of the pizza.

"What do you want to do now?" asks Changmin after they've finished eating on the couch. Changmin stretches out, then rubbing his belly contently.

Yunho wants to talk. He wants to talk, but Changmin obviously doesn't.

"Do you feel like watching a movie?" asks Changmin without really giving Yunho a chance to suggest anything.

"I guess," says Yunho slowly. The reluctant answer is all that Changmin needs to grab the remote from the table and turn the TV on. Yunho isn't sure if Changmin just wants to watch TV to keep Yunho from talking to him. By the way that Changmin is so focused on the TV, Yunho guesses that he's right.

Changmin sets the volume. Yunho is carefully watching, and so is Changmin. Changmin fiddles with the volume for quite a while, with more care than is natural. When he settles at a volume, it's a little bit too loud for Yunho, but not overly so. But by the way Changmin starts leaning closer and closer forward to the TV, Yunho guesses that it's a bit too quiet for Changmin.

Changmin doesn't talk, but Yunho can tell that Changmin is troubled. Changmin's not focusing much on the movie, either. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes glazing over, and he's clearly thinking. He drums his fingers against the side of the couch, and he fidgets with his foot nervously. They're not even halfway through the movie when Changmin turns off the TV and stands.

"I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head. "I'm really tired. Can we go to bed?"

Yunho can never say no to Changmin. "Don't be sorry," he says. That's all he always says when Changmin apologizes. Changmin should never be sorry, because there is nothing that Changmin could do that Yunho wouldn't forgive him for before the words 'sorry' leaves Changmin's mouth. "Yeah. Go to bed."

"All right. I'll bring you a pillow and some sheets." Changmin smiles forcefully. "Good night."

Yunho's not quite sure if he'll have a good night, but wishes Changmin would. "Sleep tight."

Yunho wakes in the middle of the night.

It's still dark. He's not sure why he woke. Yunho looks up at the clock. 2:48AM. Yunho lets his head fall back again to the makeshift pillow. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes again. He almost falls back asleep when he hears a small tinker of something from somewhere in the room.

Yunho looks around from where he's lying on the couch with a confused frown to realize that there is light coming out from under Changmin's door. He sits up, and a there is a different sound this time, a knock, knuckles on wood, soft at first, then gradually louder until it hits a certain volume, and it stops.

Yunho sits up.

He then hears fingers snapping, quietly at first, and then louder and louder, and that stops too.

Yunho isn't sure whether or not he should go check on Changmin. He wants to, of course, but he isn't sure if he'll actually be any help. Changmin seems to be testing his hearing, and Yunho doesn't want to interfere. Not if this is going to help Changmin come to terms with what is happening.

Yunho then hears a song start playing, which he recognizes as one of their own. It's quiet at first, then it goes up to a reasonable volume before it's shut off. And Yunho hears a muffled growl of anger that could only be from Changmin, and then he hears shattering glass. And that's when he pushes the sheets aside and gets to his feet. He hesitates before turning the doorknob slowly and stepping carefully into Changmin's room.

Changmin doesn't hear Yunho. Instead, he busies himself, maneuvering around the mess that he has made in his room; a mess like nothing that Yunho has ever seen before in Changmin's room. Changmin's hand trembles as he reaches for a music box on the bedside table, probably given to him by a fan. Yunho watches as Changmin winds the key, and when he lets go, the music box starts playing. The bells tinkling softly, playing a soft, soothing melody – until Changmin holds it up closer to his ears. "This doesn't work either," he whispers. "Nothing is working." Changmin is obviously crying, because Yunho can hear those shuddering breaths. Changmin holds the music box up to his ear for a bit longer, and then he lets out a sigh of pure frustration before he goes back to winding up the key angrily, almost breaking it off in his haste and vigor.

The music box plays the same melody, and Changmin holds it up against his ear again. He takes a few deep breaths before his fingers turn white as he grips it hard, and his face is red. Then, to Yunho's shock, Changmin hurls the music box across the room with a shout of rage. It hits the wall with an almighty crash and falls to the floor, and Yunho jumps in shock, never having seen Changmin lose control like that.

"Changmin!" he shouts. Changmin finally turns around and faces the doorway, where Yunho is standing. His breaths are uneven, and his face is wet with tears and sweat. His eyes are glaring.

Changmin is angry.

Yunho finds himself cower under Changmin's gaze and looks instead at the box that Changmin had just thrown against the wall.

It's silent.

"It's broken," snaps Changmin. He glares at Yunho. "It won't play. It's ing useless."

Yunho doesn't know how to respond.

"All of this," says Changmin, shaking his head. His face contorts as he tries to keep himself from sobbing. "Nothing sounds like it should."

"Changmin…"

"My ears are fine. Perfect," grinds out Changmin. "It's everything else that's wrong. Everything else is ing wrong."

Changmin runs his hand across his face, wiping some of the tears there before staring down at Yunho. "You're wrong," he says, looking at Yunho with a fire in his eyes that he had never looked at him with before. "You're completely wrong. I am a ing musician. My ears are fine. Fine."

Yunho looks at his bandmate in the eyes, suddenly, all of the emotion in his dark eyes hit him.

Changmin is devastated. And more than anything, he's scared to death.

Changmin knows music. Music is all he knows. He knows how to make music, to perform music, and to appraise music. And that is all he has known since he was a young boy. He had made a career of it when he was so young that he really doesn't know anything else. And his eyes, the eyes that always hold a twinkle of mischief, positivity and passion, suddenly hold anger and fear.

Changmin is shaking.

"I can't hear anything," says Changmin quietly. "I didn't understand anything when we watched the movie earlier."

He looks up and glares at Yunho. "You were yelling for me the entire night, weren't you?"

Yunho wets his lips nervously. He doesn't want to get Changmin down any more than he already is, so he decides to shake his head. "No, Changmin, I –"

"You're still yelling for me now!" shouts Changmin, taking a step back from Yunho. He tears his gaze away from Yunho to glare at everything else in the room. "I can't hear . I can't hear anything, the music box, the radio, tapping on walls – I hear nothing! I – am going – ing – deaf!"

Changmin grabs a pen from his desk, bangs it against the desk a few times to hear the sound it makes, then throws it as hard as he can across the room, missing Yunho's head narrowly. He lets out a sob, and shelves and empties an entire rack of CDs onto the floor. "All of this is ing garbage, ing – useless –"

As Yunho stands still, stunned, shards of broken plastic and glass continue to litter the floor. It wasn't until Changmin walks over the debris in his bare feet, not even minding, is when Yunho comes to his senses and steps in.

"Changmin!" shouts Yunho, trying to still keep the tone of voice as calm as he can, despite the raised voice. He rushes to Changmin in his moment of clear thought and grabs him by his arms. Changmin isn't happy with that.

"Let go!" he screams.

"Changmin, stop it, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Get – the – out!"

"Calm d –"

Yunho doesn't expect the sound of knuckles on flesh or the sudden pain at his face as Changmin's fist drives into the side of Yunho's face. Yunho stumbles back, letting go of Changmin and holding his face instead. He sees stars, and soon, he tastes blood.

Yunho lets out a breath, and can hardly even believe what just happened.

Changmin just punched him.

He swallows and looks up at Changmin.

Changmin looks horrified, like he also can't believe that he has just done. He is frozen in space, his hand still balled up into a fist, knuckles raw and bleeding.

The two of them are both so shocked that they don't even move. They just look into each other's eyes, the emotions much too complicated to describe, and they stare, neither willing to move, until Yunho swallows and nods.

"Okay," Yunho says calmly. He takes a step back. If Changmin needs his space right now, he would give it. He turns around to leave the room when he feels a hand grip his own.

"Wait," whimpers Changmin. "H-Hyung."

Yunho looks to Changmin again. "Yeah," he says easily. He doesn't know how to react anymore.

"I – I'm so sorry," he says, shaking his head, still unable to believe himself. "I'm so sorry. Hyung, I – I'm so sorry."

New tears well up in Changmin's eyes, and Yunho's heart breaks.

Yunho shakes his head and walks towards Changmin and frames Changmin's face with his hands. He wipes away his tears with his thumbs before embracing the younger in his arms, who begins to sob passionately. "It's okay," whispers Yunho. "Don't be sorry. It's okay, Min. Don't be sorry."

Changmin coughs. "Can't hear you," gasps Changmin through his tears. "Can't hear what you just said."

Yunho pulls away from Changmin just a little bit so that Changmin can see him. Yunho wipes the tears from Changmin's eyes.

"Did you say 'don't be sorry'?" whispers Changmin.

Yunho nods where Changmin can see him, and Changmin laughs a bit through his tears.

Yunho embraces Changmin in his arms tightly again, trying to get across to him that he was right here for him, now and always, as he has been for the last twelve years.

Yunho doesn't take care of the cut on his lip until after Changmin has finished crying, by which point the sun has begun to seep in between the curtains. Changmin is exhausted, having used up so much energy crying. And even before Yunho puts him down on his bed, Changmin is already falling asleep in Yunho's arms, face turning into Yunho's chest.

Changmin is leaking tears out of the corner of his eye even as he sleeps. Yunho can't do anything except wipe at his eyes carefully and gently before setting Changmin's head down on the pillow. Yunho sighs and runs his hand over Changmin's cheek, feeling his heart break. He pushes Changmin's hair back out of his eyes and pulls the blanket up over his shoulders. Yunho hopes that there will never be a day when he will tell his bandmate who has become more than just a bandmate – had become a friend, a companion, and a brother – I love you and not have him hear it.

Yunho doesn't sleep that day, because he doesn't want Changmin to be alone when he wakes. So instead, he busies himself cleaning the mess that Changmin has made in his room the night before. Yunho hesitates, knowing that Changmin hates it when Yunho touches his things, but Yunho also knows that he hates it when his room is messy. So he picks up the pens and papers strewn over the floor and places them on his desk. Changmin has broken the plastic cases to many of his CDs, but he puts it together as much as he can and organizes it on the shelves. He maneuvers carefully around the broken glass. It isn't long until he reaches the music box and the dent in the wall that it had left.

He runs his finger over the dent, the beige paint cracking into the wall, the rough, white drywall showing underneath. He hopes that Changmin will never want to do this again. He also hopes that Changmin's landlord won't mind.

He bends down carefully to pick up the music box.

It had been open when Changmin had thrown it, the metal apparatus bent as it was exposed to the full impact of the blow. It doesn't look salvageable, but it doesn't look horribly disfigured, nor is it in pieces. It is still rather nice to look at, save for the paint that was taken off on one corner of it.

Yunho doesn't know if Changmin will want to keep it. Yunho doesn't dare try to see if it works in fear of waking Changmin, even though he knows the younger wouldn't be able to hear it.

Yunho leaves the music box on the table that it was on before, and decides to let Changmin make the decision.

Changmin wakes in the evening, and Yunho still hasn't left Changmin's side. He's sitting on the floor by Changmin's bed, thumbing mindlessly at the hem of his shirt when he hears the crinkling of the blankets as Changmin begins to stir. Yunho turns his head to watch Changmin wake up.

Changmin takes a deep breath through his nose, which still sounds a little bit stuffy, and lets out the entire breath. He groans and moves around a bit before finally opening his eyes. His eyes are blank until they land on Yunho.

Changmin stares a bit, clearly not having expected Yunho to be there.

And then his face falls.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" asks Changmin quietly.

Yunho bites his lip and shakes his head.

"I wish it were."

Changmin spends a lot of time away from Yunho for the next couple days.

Changmin goes into the office, but he's never spending time practicing. Yunho knows that Changmin went into the hospital, but knows that nothing good came of it, since Changmin didn't give Yunho any updates.

Changmin doesn't spend much time around Yunho, but he does spend a lot of time with Kyuhyun, who Yunho sometimes thinks Changmin feels more comfortable around than Yunho.

Yunho isn't hurt. Changmin certainly has his reasons for keeping Yunho away and Kyuhyun close. He is sure that there are things that Kyuhyun can give to Changmin that he can't.

But he does worry. He is worried that Kyuhyun won't be proper enough support for Changmin, and that Changmin might need someone less busy, and more level-headed than Kyuhyun, and maybe someone who wouldn't let Changmin drink to unconsciousness.

But Yunho doesn't want to interfere, so he doesn't. He does keep a careful eye on Changmin, and makes sure that there is someone with him at night who can keep an eye on him. Kyuhyun does, at least it seems, since Yunho sees them driving off together at night.

When Kyuhyun goes off to Taiwan for the next few days for a concert is when Yunho finally steps in.

For the first time in days, Yunho finally approaches Changmin as he sits blankly in a practice room one morning. As always, Changmin isn't practicing. But he's just sitting there. And when Yunho approaches him, Changmin sort of turns his head away with a grimace, like he doesn't want to see Yunho's face. That makes Yunho be a bit more careful when he talks to Changmin next.

"Do you want to get lunch with me?" asks Yunho with a smile.

Changmin shakes his head. "Not really."

Yunho is momentarily hurt. But then he nods. "Okay," he says. "Then can I come over to your house tonight, and –"

"Hyung," says Changmin, sounding annoyed, cutting him off.

Yunho freezes. He suddenly has his heart in his throat, and his face flushes. Did he do something wrong? Is he being too protective? Is Changmin angry at him?

"Just…"

Changmin swallows.

"C… Can you leave me alone… for just one night?" asks Changmin. "I just want to go home and rest, and think, and sleep."

Yunho lets out a breath.

Maybe he is being too protective after all. Maybe Changmin has a good handle on this after all.

Yunho doesn't want to leave Changmin alone, but he also respects him enough to know that he is able to make his own decisions.

"All right," says Yunho after a little bit of deliberation. "But you have to answer my calls, okay?"

Changmin nods and stands. "Okay. I'm going to go. Have a good day."

"You too, Changmin," says Yunho, but Changmin leaves the room before Yunho can even finish the sentence.

Yunho doesn't want to worry about Changmin. He knows that Changmin is not going to do anything stupid, and he knows that Changmin is an adult who can take care of himself.

Despite all of that Yunho is more worried for his bandmate than ever before. Changmin doesn't respond to Yunho's texts or calls. Clearly Changmin doesn't want to talk to him, but Yunho's is so, so worried about him that he can't focus on anything for the entire day. So six unanswered calls and eight texts later, Yunho decides to pay a visit to Changmin's apartment at night.

When Yunho reaches Changmin's apartment, he can see light coming out from under his door, so at least he knows that Changmin is home. Yunho knocks out of formality, but he would be entering the apartment even if Changmin didn't open the door with that spare key that Changmin gave him in case of emergency. And as far as Yunho is concerned, this is an emergency.

As expected, Changmin doesn't answer the door, so after a few minutes and sending a text declaring that he would be coming in, Yunho does.

Changmin isn't in his living room when Yunho steps inside the pristine apartment, careful to take his shoes off. As soon as Yunho opens the door to Changmin's bedroom though, the smell of alcohol hits him like a wall of bricks. Yunho steps in slightly, and at the sight of the youngest, his heart almost breaks.

Changmin is lying on his bed, drunk as a fish and eyes barely even focusing on Yunho. He's still dressed, clearly he himself not having expected this impromptu drinking session. He's sweating, and there are some tear tracks on his face, but they seem to have dried up. Changmin is very, very drunk, apparently too drunk to wipe his tears or even to cry anymore. He hiccups when he sees Yunho.

"H-ow d'you – hic – get in?"

"I used the key you gave me."

"O-Oh."

Yunho hears a soft thud on the floor, and he realizes that a half-empty soju bottle has slid out of Changmin's hand onto the floor to join the seven others that are already there. The drink spills out of the bottle and onto the hardwood floor.

"D'you hear that?" slurs Changmin, looking up at Yunho. "'Cause I di'n't. I di'n't hear that b-bottle hit - hic - the floor."

"You're wasted," hisses Yunho. "Of course you didn't hear that."

"What?"

Yunho realizes that he was too quiet, and he has to bite his lip for a moment not to break down completely.

"You're drunk, of course you can't hear as well," said Yunho, clearer.

Changmin shakes his head, his eyes rolling back as he does so.

"Couldn't 'ear the phone all day, either," Changmin says. "Wasn't even - hic - drunk then."

"Changmin…"

Changmin leans his head over the pillow and closes his eyes. "So sleepy."

Yunho bites his lip, then he sits down on Changmin's bed. "Are you going to change out of your clothes?" he says, brushing away Changmin's sweaty fringes from his eyes.

Changmin shakes his head. "Too - hic - tired."

"Okay," says Yunho. He can help the younger change out of his sweat-soaked clothes after he's fallen asleep. The last thing he wanted was for Changmin to get sick from sleeping in wet clothes.

Changmin moans and turns over. It isn't long until he's snoring.

Yunho sighs and wipes the sweat from Changmin's forehead.

The talk can wait until tomorrow morning.

Changing Changmin out of his clothes was harder than Yunho remembered being. The only other time he had done it was when Changmin fell sick just after debut and they hadn't had time to take him to a hospital. To his defense, Yunho had been several inches taller than him then, and certainly bigger; now, Yunho has to tilt his head up to look at Changmin in the eye when they're speaking. Changmin's alcohol-filled dead weight is a lot heavier than Yunho expects though, and Yunho himself is as drenched as Changmin by the time he finishes changing him into a loose T-shirt and his favourite pyjama pants.

Yunho tucks Changmin in before contemplating whether he should get in the bed with Changmin, or if he should sleep on the couch.

It doesn't seem like Changmin would mind too much either way.

At first, he decides that he doesn't need Changmin screaming in shock if he happens to awake the next morning, Yunho wanders out into Changmin's living room and sits down on the couch.

But he feels horrible, leaving Changmin there in his bed alone. Yunho wants to be there if Changmin needs him in the middle of the night. So he walks back into the room, and only when he surveys the floor next to Changmin's bed does he remember that Changmin had just spilled half a bottle of soju there.

Yunho doesn't even think twice before cleaning it up.