Jaejoong stepped onto the large white city charter bus, as it pulled up to his stop.

The bus was nearly empty, with only two other people on board, each silently staring out the window.

It was an early Saturday morning, the bus making its first round of the day. Most people were sleeping at this time, making up for lost sleep from the work week.

Jaejoong took one of the middle seats near the back of the bus, on the row opposite his tow riding companions. He sat in the window seat, his instincts immediately having him stare out the window as well. He gripped the small, rectangular box in his hands as the bus began to move.

The young ravenous man watched as the bus took him away from the vast country side, passing by all the nature and its splendor without remorse. Jaejoong sighed, pressing his back in his seat. He looked down at the cream-colored instrument in his hand.

He rubbed his thumb along the lining of the radio. His lips pursed together, a sad smile forming on them. How he wished the little box could do more than just play music, how the old thing could take him back in time with the turn of the white knob. It didn’t even have to be that far back.

Just only a few years…or even a couple of years ago.

He would cherish those years and never take them for granted.

Jaejoong closed his eyes, pressing deeper into the cushioned seat. Wishing he could sink into the soft material, back to the comfort of the life he once knew. The fairy tale he once lived in.

~

7 Years Ago

He was sat on the smooth refurnished wooden chair of the restaurant, drowned in the intimacy of his surroundings as he took large sips of the bitter black coffee in his hand.

The 21-year-old had left the stress of his home just for a cup of the plain, but much needed coffee. Going back to school had been tougher than he’d thought.

Jaejoong had decided to serve his military time right after he graduated high school, to get it over with. It was the only thing that made his father proud of him, though his mother preferred him to go to school first.

Jaejoong tapped his glass mug to the rhythm of the Jazz music that was being played by the live band on the other side of the restaurant. He took another long sip from the mug, almost addicted to the bitter taste. It was what he needed. The caffeine. To help him stay up and do the night’s project. And the music, that relaxed his soul and mind at the same time. “Excuse me. I couldn’t help but notice you there.”

Someone slid into the seat across from him, interrupting.

Jaejoong put his mug down and stared at the smiling stranger in front of him.

The boy wore a close fitting white, V-neck shirt, with sleeves that barely hugged his arms. The stranger was obviously fit and had tanned skin that nearly radiated off him. Though most of his face was hidden from the black baseball cap he wore, his warm smile was clearly visible. The sweetest smile that could warm anyone’s heart, even if it wasn’t directed towards them. “May I help you?” Jaejoong asked, not recognizing him.

The stranger chuckled in slight embarrassment. “I’m sorry. You may not remember, but we went to the same high school together.” He lifted his cap slightly, to reveal himself.

Jaejoong’s eyes widened, recognizing the face.

“I’m Jung Yunho.” He confirmed. He was right, they had attended the same high school, and even had a few classes together. But the two were opposites and rarely interacted with each other. So Jaejoong was confused as to why the younger had approached him.

“I came here because today is my day off.” Yunho smiled.

Jaejoong only looked at him.

“I started my servicing not too long ago, but they gave me today and tomorrow off.” Yunho further explained.

Jaejoong nodded, now understanding. “So, you went to school before serving. Lucky bastard.” He muttered to himself, now wishing that he’d done the same.

Yunho chuckled, overhearing him. “Yes, I did.”

Jaejoong flushed in embarrassment, not realizing that he had said that out loud. He quickly murmured an apology.

“I majored in business.” Yunho rested his chin the palm of his hand, his elbow propped comfortable on the table. He looked out across the restaurant, watching the band. A smile remained plastered on his lips, “This is my favorite Jazz club. The band here is so good.”

“I didn’t know that there were other Jazz clubs.” Jaejoong said, deciding to keep up the conversation to hide his embarrassment, though he still didn’t know why the handsome gentleman was speaking to him.

Yunho directed his eyes back to the 21-year-old. “There’s not a lot around here. But I’ve traveled around and scouted some out, and this here is by far the best.” He explained. Jaejoong raised an eyebrow at this, “Do you like Jazz that much?” he questioned.

Yunho grinned, “Like it? I love it.”

The two immediately kicked off into a conversation, sharing the same interest in jazz music. Jaejoong enjoyed jazz a lot, but he soon learned that Yunho had a passion for the genre. He would’ve minored in music if he hadn’t lacked the talent. Jaejoong chuckled at the irony, finding it amusing.

They ended up talking for hours, find that they had a lot in common. This took Jaejoong by surprise. He figured that they were opposites, they had always been opposites. Yet, they shard similar interest and ideas. This mere fact is what drew him to the younger man, peaking his curiosity into unfolding whatever untold secret the he had.

It wasn’t until a quarter past 10 when Jaejoong realized that they had been talking for a while and that his cup of coffee had also been finished hours ago. “Oh man, it’s getting late and I still have that project to do.” He said to himself, checking his watch. He ran his fingers through his hair stressfully.

The smile never faded from Yunho’s lips as he took a square shaped envelope from his pocket and slid it onto the center of the table. “I’m glad I came today.” He said. Jaejoong gave him a confused look but nodded in agreement to be polite.

“I originally came here to enjoy the music for a few minutes or even an hour. Bu then I spotted you…your familiar but alluring face...and I had to speak to you.” Yunho confessed.

Jaejoong blinked, feeling slight embarrassment rise within him.

“and you turned out to be more beautiful than I thought.”

Jaejoong felt himself blush hard, not expecting the sudden turn of events. He’s been flirted with before, plenty of times by both guys and girls, but nothing like this. This felt…intimate.

“So, I was wondering if you could write me.” Yunho said, now referring to the envelope. “If you want to keep speaking to me, just respond to this letter. I wrote the first one. It has all the information on it too.” Yunho explained, a hint of excitement in his voice as he stood up.

“I hope you do respond. I’ll be waiting for your letter. Good Night Jaejoong.” And with that the stranger flashed one more smile and left the restaurant.

Jaejoong slowly picked up the envelope. He carefully opened it and slid out the small piece of paper.

The inked words on the page brought a warm smile to his lips.

~

They were now in the city, it would only be another 10 minutes before Jaejoong’s stop. He wondered if he should visit the Jazz club.

He let his head thump against the window, indecisively, not caring or aware of any sound that was made as a result. “Maybe I’ll go afterwards.” He said aloud, tapping nervously at the music box in his hands.

~

4 Years Ago

Jaejoong’s jaw dropped in amazement as he entered the small cozy home. “This is amazing!” he gasped, covering his mouth with both his hands. Yunho chuckled, entering the house last, closing the door behind them. “You haven’t even seen the whole thing.” He said.

“As soon as I saw the outside I knew I would love it.” Jaejoong responded, his eyes never stopping as they flitted around the interior. “Is that why you were in such a rush to get out the car?” Yunho remarked.

“And the colors are so nice.” Jaejoong walked further into the home appreciating the dark warm yellow hues. Yunho chuckled at the elder’s distraction before following behind.

After doing his wandering, Jaejoong allowed Yunho to give him a tour of the home. The 24-year-old adored the large windows in the back of the house, that allowed for plenty of sunlight to pour through. However, he was ecstatic when his mate showed him to his dream kitchen.

“How could you afford this?” he said in awe at the end of the tour.

Yunho shrugged, “this used to by my grandfather’s house. After he passed away, my family had it renovated to make it a vacation home.” Yunho chuckled at the memory, “That only lasted a few years before we stopped visiting. So, I had my brother and some friends help me work on it.”

“So, you don’t have to pay for it?”

Yunho shook his head, “Other than property taxes, and bills and all that, nope. I don’t have to pay for it. It’s already paid off.”

Jaejoong wanted to smile, but he couldn’t help the prick of guilt that tugged at his gut. “I feel like I’m intruding.” He sighed, feeling his excitement slip away.

“What? What do you mean?” Yunho asked, a bit thrown off.

“First of all, this is your grandfather’s house and it’s been in your family for years, and I’m just moving into it. Secondly, You, your brother, and friends must’ve worked hard on this and I’m coming in here without having done anything.” Jaejoong frowned.

Yunho let out a chuckle at the elder’s silly concerns. However, a pout crossed the ravenous man’s lips, not finding anything funny at all. His concerns were genuine. “My parents could honestly care less about this house. They were actually glad when I made something useful out of it. They were thinking about selling it anyway.”

Jaejoong didn’t say anything, still not fully convinced.

“Plus, the place isn’t done yet. There’s still some finishing touches that need to be done here and there. And all this land was owned by my grandfather, so it belongs to us too. So that means we have plenty of yard work to do. Don’t worry, you’ll be doing a lot of contributing too.” Yunho assured him.

A small smile crept on Jaejoong’s face at the idea. He already knew what he wanted to do with the yard.

Yunho noticed this and grinned, stealing the opportunity to wrap his arms around the slender man’s waist. He pulled him into him from behind, causing him to squeak at the sudden action. “I can’t wait for you to live with me.” He hummed as he kissed his lover’s neck amorously.

Jaejoong barely felt the loving touches as new worries arose in his mind. “What did you tell your parents?” He suddenly asked.

“That I’d be sharing this house with a roommate.” Yunho answered without much thought, continuing his butterfly kisses.

Jaejoong’s shoulders sunk at this, wishing the elder had told his parents before they decided to live together. “They’re going to hate me.” He groaned.

Yunho stopped what he was doing and looked at the elder. “what are you saying? They love you. My mother already knows about us, and she absolutely adores you. So much so, that I think she loves you more than me, her own son.”

“Then your father is going to hate me. He’ll find out and think I did this to you.” Jaejoong sighed, knot feeling any better about the situation.

Yunho turned Jaejoong around, making the elder face him, his arms still secured around his waist. “But you did do this to me.” He grinned, onl