It was one long day of lecture for Changmin and a quite comfortable home is what kept him motivated to get back home and relax. But what he expect isn’t always play the way he wanted it to be. He unlocked his apartment door and spotted a pair of familiar boots belonging to a certain Kim.

“AH~ came on Jae, we’ve talked about this already. Couldn’t you at least text me first before entering my place and make it as your own?”

“Come on Min, loosen up a bit will you? How long do you think we’ve know each other? And besides, who’s idiot still putting a spare key of his apartment inside the flower pot by the front door anyway. ”

Changmin hung his bag at the usual place he before he settle down at the couch right next to where the older was, sitting so comfortably on his couch and made it like it was his own house. He took some of the homemade popcorn that he assumed Jaejoong took from his cabinet and drank the soda that had already opened, half empty, also coming from his kitchen cabinet.

“Since kindergarten. Mind you, that’s my habit in case any of my relatives drop by and I can’t just be there in time to open the door for them. But seriously Jae, how long are you planning on doing this? Don’t you have a home to go back to every time you come back from your work trip? ”

Fair enough, with Jaejoong outstanding look, he isn’t just a mere student studying art in their university. He took a part time job in modeling and casually taken a few roles in drama and sorts. His absentees at class weren’t something unusual to all the students and lectures at the faculty. Meanwhile Changmin is majoring in architecture and business, a totally different field from Jaejoong but that doesn’t stop them from keeping up with their friendship. They have been friends ever since they were little. Although Changmin was two years younger than Jaejoong but thanks to his smart brain he escaped a few years and get into the same grade as Jaejoong, follow through junior high, high school and then finally college. They were close but they didn’t stay together in the same apartment all through college. Both of their parents decided it’s best if they were separate from one another, they needed some personal space of their own, but that still doesn’t stop Jae from coming over at his house every time he just feeling like it.

“I do, alright. But it’s just not fun. Chun is out of town too, and there’s no one to entertain me with him gone. Even the ahjumma that comes cleaning the apartment grew tired of me. She said I kept talking too much to her and distracts her from having any work done.”

“Well that’s cause you tend to act that way when you too bored being all by yourselves. Yeah about Yoochun, he told me about going away for a few days, says he needed some new environment to come up with the new song he’s working on. It’s amazing how he can still stand with you and stayed with you even after all this time.”

“See? Even you know about it. How do you expect me to come home to an empty house, huh Min? You know how I hate coming home and be all by myself. So I decide I just stayed with you in the mean time. Smart, right?”

Jaejoong smiled innocently and acted like he was the boss in the room. Truth enough, he always had everything he wants in his way. Changmin never refused him. Despite their age different, Changmin  never treat him like a hyung. Maybe it’s because of the way he acted, or just because of Changmin naturally mature character of his. 

                “Yeah, whatever Jae. Have you had dinner?”

Changmin got up from the couch and went to his room. He decided a hot bath would relax himself a bit.

                “Can’t you see? I’m having one right now.”

Changmin let out a chuckled over the older remarks.

“Jae, having some popcorn and soda is not what we call a proper dinner. I can see you don’t want to cook, so let’s head out once I’ve done bathing.”

Jaejoong smiled happily. Typical Shim Changmin, despite all his nagging and such, he still cared over him.

“Sure, it’s on me tonight. Hey, want to have a bath together? You know, just like how we used to do it during kindergarten?”

Then a pillow flew right onto his face. Jaejoong laugh his heart out, he knew how the boy would react that way over his tease. Changmin became really shy ever since they grew up. He didn’t used to be this conserve type when he was little. They used to have a lot of fun playing in the bath tub together, . But none of them cared back then, they were just simply being children back then, but now things had changed a lot. They both grown up to become matured adults, at least on Changmin’s part.

The sound of the water hit the marble floor in the shower room filled the apartment. The flat screen that was on just a few moments ago was switched off. Silent filled the room as only the sound of water and soft humming were heard from the bathroom all the way to the living room. Jaejoong stayed silent on the couch as he calmly listen to those sound and smell the familiar smells of shampoo. Yeah, this is home. Jaejoong thought on his own as he gradually feeling his eyelids becoming heavier by the seconds.

*****~~~*****

Jaejoong woke up hours afterwards, feeling a soft bed under him with warm blanket wrapped around his tired body that was now fully charged. It was still dark around him, so he needed a few moments to adjust himself to the darkness before he could finally make sense of things. He smiled to himself, the bed smelled just like changmin. He finally opened his eyes and saw that everything around him was really dark. He switched on the bed lamp and looked through his surroundings. He was no longer at the living room or in his casual cloth but instead it was Changmin’s bedroom and he was wearing a pajamas. Guess Changmin already changed his cloth when he was asleep. He stepped out of the bed and headed to the door, his tummy started making noises and asked to be feed. Serve him right for not having a proper meal before.

 He entered the living room and saw no different from the bedroom. All dark except for a small corner at the room where Changmin was, wearing his nerdy glasses with a few other thick building structure design books were opened right in front of him. He also had his drawing sketch nearby him, seems like he was in the middle of completing his sketches. Jaejoong sneakily went behind Changmin and back hugged him.

                “Got cha’.” He laughed as he kept his arms wrapped around the other’s back.

                “And does that suppose to scare me, Jae? Honestly how old are you anyway, 5?”

Jaejoong pouted then let go of him.

                “You could have acted like you were a bit surprised. Such a party pooper.”

He looked away from meeting with Changmin mismatched eyes, as he was fairly amused with the others attitude. Only then, Jae’s stomach just decided to rumble, distracting both of them. Jaejoong blushed red as he wrapped both of his hands on his tummy while Changmin laughed even more.

“I can see somebody is hungry. And to say that you only need popcorn and soda as your dinner.   What a total lie.”

“Yah…!”

Jaejoong was about to protest more when Changmin got up and patted his head.

                “Wait here, I’ll go and heat up the leftover.”

Changmin went to the kitchen with Jaejoong slowly tailing him from behind, sitting down at the stool right at the kitchen counter. Changmin called it his snack session, where he would usually had his light breakfast or quick snack, instead of properly using the dining table right in the dining room. It’s quicker that way.

                “So you went to dinner all by yourselves?”

Jaejoong asked, since they did promise about having dinner together. He even promised that it was his treat today. It’s a shame he just ended up sleeping instead.

                “Nope, we made a promise, right? But since you’ve fallen asleep, I ordered take out.”

                “Ah~ take out.”

He felt a bit relieve, at least Changmin didn’t have to go to dinner all by himself. He knew how the other hate to acknowledge this fact but dinner with any company is really lonely. And then both went quite, while Changmin skillfully heated the food and Jaejoong waited at the dining table.

             “Hey, what is that?”

Changmin asked, he only used his eyes to point out to where he was referring to. It was to a certain plant that Jaejoong placed it on Changmin’s dining table.

                “You mean this? Can’t you tell? It’s a cactus.”

            “Yes, I know what it is. I’m asking you as why is it doing here?”

            “You don’t like it?”

            “Well I don’t particularly hate it.”

Jaejoong showed him his happy face with a wide smile plastered across his lips, like he just heard something he likes really much.

              “Great, then will you take care of it?”

              “Wait. What? Take care of it? Why? Isn’t that yours? ”

              “Yeah, I know. But I just felt like giving this to you to take care of.”   

Jaejoong picked up the cactus to have a better look at it, while Changmin brought him the warm plate containing his late supper.

“I bought this when I was passing by a cactus nursery yesterday. I bought it since it reminded me of you Min. So I decided to call it changminnie. Cute, right?”

“Yah, so let me get this right. You buy it because you thought it resembles me and now you’re asking me to look after it? And you even named it after me?”

Jaejoong nodded happily.

                “Yup, that’s it. Min, meet the mini you, Changminnie.”

Changmin sighed defeated, why do he always had to obey him?

~aaa~ because he’s a hyung?

Not really, because he is Changmin’s childhood friend?

Not really a solid reason

But there’s no way he was going to break that smile on his face.

                “Give me that.”

He snatched that cactus away from Jaejoong hand to have a better look on it. He put the cactus right next to him and compared them both.

                “Now tell me, which part of this terrestrial plant resemble me in what way, huh?

Jaejoong laugh then started digging in his late supper.

                “It’s the feeling. Whenever I look at it, I felt like I’m around you. Neh, changminnie?”

He made it looked like he was talking to the plant as he continued laughing.

“And besides, I know how well you take care of your things, if I take care of changminnie, she might end up dead, not being watered or taken care of for too long. You know how my house is right? I barely at home all the time, while the same goes to chun. We don’t stick out at home too much, unlike you. So just take good care of her for me, owh? ”

“Then you should have thought about that before you bought her. And  why exactly are you keep on calling it ‘her’? Does it even need to be classified as male or female? I thought it was supposed to be a monocious plant?”

“Ah! Molla. I don’t care. I wanna call it a girl, and her name is changminnie. The end and settles, alright?!”

And that is how Shim Changmin ended up taking care of Kim Jaejoong’s cactus.

Changmin returned home next day only to find his house was empty again. There was no more pair of the boots laying around at the front doors. Changmin hung his bag at the usual spot at spot a note right under the cactus that they were talking about last night.

Take good care of changminnie, min. Thanks for having me.

I’ll be back again, don’t miss me too much ^^   

On the second thought, think about me every day and keep on missing me, that way when I’m back, you’ll let me hug you all I want.

XOXO  Love, Jae.

                 “Aish, that stupid, full-of-himself brat.”

Changmin crumbled the note and put it away. He ed a few, revealing his toned chest and roll up his sleeves as he settled back on the couch, resting himself from a long day of presentation. He chuckled at himself before looking through at the crumbled note again.

                “You could have at least say good bye first before you leave again. What a brat!”

Changmin got up from the seat and went to the dining table, where the cactus was.

    “I should at least water you, right Changminnie? Wait till I get you master again, I’ll teach him what responsible really means.”

He took a glass of water and sprinkled some of it onto the cactus. He couldn’t help himself from smiling seeing that cactus.

                “Grow up well, neh… Changminnie. “

-end chapter 1 “Changminnie”.-