Clashing Schedules | Rise as One #12

[owned_by_a_cat]

Series: Rise as One
Rating: R / NC-17
Pairing: HoMin / MinHo
Summary: Changmin hates change. Yunho accepts it more readily. But both now have to come to terms with not seeing each other or working together for two years. How will the experience shape them? Will they, when their enlistments are done, still be able to Rise as One?

A/N: Catching up with notes I made while we were on holiday... and it's the night before Changmin heads off to LA for the Grazia Korea photoshoot. Yunho is out on his first leave and has been seen at SMEnt. By everyone but Changmin, who is bothered by some other news, too...

Clashing Schedules

The previous night, seeing off Eunhyuk and Donghae, had been short on sleep and heavy on the alcohol. A handful of pills and a large breakfast had dealt with the hangover, but after that he'd been too busy to stop for food or even coffee until his manager had called a halt. Changmin had only just managed not to droop until he was out of the building. And he'd been doubly glad that a car had been waiting to drop him at home. He'd dozed on the drive and it had revived him a little, but it was a sign of Changmin's exhaustion that he simply froze at the sight of a pair of sneakers left untidily in his hallway. They weren't his, he knew that for sure. And they'd not been there when he'd left.

Sasaeng was the first coherent thought that crossed Changmin's mind. Right before he snorted at himself in disgust. As if security would have let him anywhere near his apartment if there was a chance of a stranger being here. As if security would have let a stranger near the lifts in the building!

He simply had a visitor. Someone known to the security staff. Someone on his access list. Someone…. messy….

And there weren't many people who fit that bill.

A shiver raced up his spine as he revised that thought. Down to a single possibility. Changmin dropped his jacket and kicked off his shoes. He even left them right next to the unknown pair littering his hallway in his haste to see if he was right.

He was.

Exhaustion forgotten, he stared at the sleeping man in his living room. And fine, okay, he'd admit it… there was an advantage to the hedgehog cut Yunho sported these days. When he slept like this, sprawled on Changmin's couch with his head just above the edge of the back cushions, the setting sun tipped the spikes with a gorgeous red-golden light. Jung Yunho with a halo. Changmin's fingers itched to capture the sight, but he knew Yunho would wake if he crossed the room to find his camera and the moment would be lost. So instead he stood quietly, trying to memorise the play of shadows and light in so much detail that even two years apart wouldn't be able to erase it all.

"I heard you come in, you know," Yunho finally broke the silence. "Is there a reason you keep standing in the doorway?"

"Just admiring your halo."

"My what?"

"Your halo. It looks rather fetching. Maybe you should wear one on stage, when we have our comeback." Changmin found it surprisingly difficult to snark. Knowing that Yunho was on leave and that he was here… when Changmin was due to catch an early flight… "When did you get out?"

"This morning. I stuck my head in at the company and had lunch with Hojoon. Then I came here."

"You came to the office? Why didn't I see you?"

"You were in recording," Yunho explained. "I listened for a bit, but I didn't want to distract you."

"Right." For a few moments, Changmin didn't know what to do with himself. Then he kicked his mind to the kerb and took the few steps that separated them.

Yunho was solid and warm and so very much there… his presence worked like a tonic on Changmin's exhaustion. They talked. And then they didn't talk.

Not for a long time.

"Jae's on leave too, isn't he?" Changmin asked at some point. They'd ordered takeout after they'd showered… all Yunho's favourites… and he'd shovelled down food faster than Changmin did when he was hungry. It was endearing to watch.

"Yeah, he is and we were hoping to meet for coffee."

"But?"

"He's got fans on his six and I'm sick of sneaking around. So I can't see that working out."

"Do a lot of sneaking in the army?"

"You know what I mean."

"I do." Trying to keep in contact with people wasn't easy. Not for them. Not face to face. Not even when they were both in the same place and he didn't have to catch flights from here to there to somewhere else. And yeah, it would be nice if they could just hang out once in a while, without having to turn a chat over coffee into an exercise in logistics. "That explains it."

Yunho set his beer down and frowned. "I missed something," he complained. "What explains what?"

"You going drinking by yourself just before you enlisted," Changmin said very quietly. "I checked the dates and I was here. But you didn't call me. I thought…. But if you felt… it makes more sense that way. And it makes me feel better."

"You're an idiot," Yunho said affectionately, ruffling Changmin's hair. "You of all people, Min-ah, you know that need for space and just a bit of peace and quiet. That's all it was. Saying goodbye for a week wasn't easy… you could say it was my way of saying goodbye to myself. My life as it used to be. I just needed to clear my head. Make space for new things."

"Did it work?"

"I learned how to iron."

Changmin suddenly laughed. He didn't feel particularly cheerful, but the laugh wanted out. He flopped sideways until his head ended up on Yunho's thigh. "You can do my shirt, then," he said. "I need to catch a plane, but if we divide the chores, we can spend ten minutes longer in bed." He relished the fingertips combing through his hair. The pressure soothed the butterflies in his stomach while starting heat further south and maybe he could use the distraction the way Yunho had: to clear his head, make space for new things… to say goodbye.