Title: My Daily Vitamin

Pairing(s): YunJae

Rating: PG 13/15

Genre: Romance, fluff

Length: One-shot

Summary: Jaejoong finds with kindergarten teacher Yunho a new reason to smile during a losing streak,

My Daily Vitamin

The sunlight gets in the bedroom through a window where the curtain is ripped since last night, bad luck that it’s landing exactly over the left side of the face of the room’s occupant who grunts annoyed turning around and hiding fully under the covers just to reappear once again a few minutes after. His head is throbbing. Drinking on Tuesday was definitely a terrible idea, Wednesdays are too noisy and his sister is somewhere belting out “I’m a Believer” or, according to Jaejoong, she’s killing the poor song.

“Oh my… you don’t even know the lyrics!” it’s the first thing he says when he enters the kitchen to look for a cup of strong coffee after taking an aspirin.

His sister smiles widely and gives him a pack of ice but she keeps singing happily and preparing the breakfast.

“It is… ‘Disappointment haunted all my dreams… Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer… Not a trace, of doubt in my mind…’ Not whatever you’re saying. It’s a stupid song anyway!”

“Oh, my baby brother woke up in a bad mood. You don’t have to take it out on my song.” She says putting a mug with one of her 'special teas' for the hangover and pouring some coffee for her brother. She sits and starts feeding her younger son. “Love is beautiful and this song-”

“…this song except for the part of ‘What's the use in tryin'… All you get is pain…’ the rest .”

“You’re going to think different the next time you fall in love. You’ll see,” she says wiping her baby’s face.

“No thanks, I have enough being jobless, homeless and-”

“You’re not homeless. You know that this is your house too and you are only in a losing streak. You’re going to recover soon. A boyfriend would be nice by the way.”

“You think? Why you don’t get one then.”

“Duh! I have two powerful reasons, one of which is still sleeping. This girl is going to be late again…”

“I need to find a new job first.”

“What about your business, you were so happy the opening day.”

“That was before the bastard of my ex took almost all the furniture including what we bought together… no, that place is going to remain closed at least while I can afford keep the place if I don’t have to sell it and stop being a freeloader here… thank you, sis, I really love you.”

“You’re not a freeloader! I told you that you can stay here forever if you want. This house is big enough and with the money from my ex husband and the extra I can get from my paintings, we’re going to be perfectly fine. Besides you help me with the children a lot and they and I adore you.”

Jaejoong smiles weakly, he’s happy, it’s just that he feels that if he smiles more, his throbbing head is going to explode. “Last time I went out with someone was a disaster. He was a nightmare; I can’t name a single good thing about him.”

“Changmin? I thought he was nice.”

“Not him, I’m talking about Doctor Jin,” he shudders like remembering something spine-chilling. “With Changmin it was different. I couldn’t help it but to feel like I was lacking something or maybe a lot… especially when we went to have dinner to that super exclusive restaurant where he is a regular. Jezz! I never felt more awkward in all my life and that entire cutlery… I didn’t have an idea of what to do and couldn’t say the difference from one to another spoon. He always seemed like he had everything perfectly scheduled and I could see us in the future like: ‘Kissing 22:30. Sleeping 22:35. Waking up 06:30. A quickie 6:35 to 6:45’ and so…”

The woman laughs heartedly. “I don’t think it would have been like that.”

“It’s just an example. -I don't think I could have finished preparing him in just ten minutes anyway, I like long -. I felt it like that. Of course he never asked me to do anything but I felt like I had always to dress properly and behave well, control my laughter and all. I wasn’t myself, you know, I was more like a manner-improved and stiffened version of myself. We were way too different.”

“What about that thing of ‘opposites attract each other’?”

“For my opposite I understand someone who doesn’t like going to clubs and prefers, I don’t know, staying in a cozy cafe talking about politics or whatever, for example or drink juice instead of wine. The first and only time we kissed, I felt like if Changmin was posing for a magazine or acting for a drama and I was just his sloppy partner who was going to be slaughtered by the critics the next day…”

She laughs again, “how exaggerated, baby bro.”

“Seriously. Besides, I think he’s thankful we ended it. Bum and him are a perfect match and happy as f-”

“What did I say about swearing in front of the kids?”

“This baby doesn’t have an idea of what I’m saying.”

They eat their breakfast making occasional comments about what’s on the television and the last futile Jaejoong’s attempts on getting a job. He has been pretty down lately. He has been living at her sister’s house for six months already after he had to leave his apartment and is searching for a new job since three months ago when the little company he was working in went bankruptcy. It wasn’t his dreamed job but he was getting used to the peaceful living way that job allowed him.

“Baby bro, you’re going to accompany me to Hayoon’s preschool garden today, we're taking Jiwoon with us of course and after we’re going to the supermarket. We’re running out of everything and-”

“Forget it, sis, I have a terrible hangover and I don’t feel like going out. If it wasn’t because I couldn’t stand the headache anymore, I’d still be in bed.”

“You need fresh air. You haven’t been out since I don’t know how long. You’re about to be part of the decoration of the house.” She smirks seeing the astonished expression of her brother’s face.

“Seoyeon! I went out yesterday...”

“Going downstairs to open the door for Yoochun and help him with the beers doesn’t count like leaving the house!” she says standing with her arms akimbo. “By the way, he left yesterday at ten. I don’t know if you remember anything.”

“But, sis…” Jaejoong tries pursing his lips, actually his memories from yesterday are totally blurred.

“No buts. And you better take a shower. You stink!"

"Not true!"

"Yeah baby bro. A mix of alcohol and... I don't know. Go to shower!"

"Do I have to shave too?"

"To shave what?" The woman's laughter for the indignation of her brother fills the kitchen. "Go! I don't think you wanna shave anyway."

"Don't wanna! Why I should go anyway. I can get you later at the supermarket."

"I need to introduce you to Hayoon's teacher for when you go to pick her up."

"I met her already. I don't think she's forgotten my face in three months..."

"She was pregnant, remember? Well she's on maternity leave and there's a new temporary teacher."

"I can go any other day."

"Sorry, baby bro. I told you not to drink much on Tuesday but you decided to drink like there's no tomorrow so... besides, I need you to go pick her up this week, please."

"Okay I get it! I'll be right back."

Jaejoong leaves the kitchen and when he's taking a shower already, he's grateful his headache has lessened a lot. Her sister was a witch or something like that in her previous life because her "special beverages" are always effective.

Once back in his bedroom he winces seeing the mess but he opts for ignoring it right now and goes to his closet to search for clean clothes.

He goes downstairs where Seoyeon and the children are waiting for him ready to go.

"Seriously, Jaejoong?" Seoyeon says scowling. "With that old coat on, you look like a vagabond."

"I'm going against my will and at least it's clean."

"Baby JJ!" Hayoon says jumping happily around her uncle. "You're going to meet my Vitamin!"

"Baby JJ?" Her mother questions her brother raising an eyebrow.

"It's your fault," Jaejoong answers raising his niece and receiving a kiss on the cheek, "you call me 'baby bro' and she was saying me 'baby unc' and I prefer JJ."

"You should tell her to call you uncle."

"I feel old that way. Who's this Vitamin, honey?"

"He's so so so beauty and when he smiles his eyes go glin glin and is bright."

"Glin glin?" He says amused watching the excited girl gesturing with her little hands while they leave the house.

----------

Seoyeon drives still singing aloud alternating between 'I'm a Believer', 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'Happy Together'. The little girl sings along her mother and even the two years old baby tries his best to imitate them. Jaejoong just laughs and tries to correct the lyrics from time to time. He feels terribly embarrassed when a guy on his motorcycle looks at them agape during a red light but shrugs it off and keeps singing with his little noisy family.

For now, he's forgotten the reason why he's been feeling so miserable the last days and when they arrive to their destination, he holds the hand of the child trying to understand what she's saying about her class and her vitamin.

"I think you need to take vitamins, baby bro. You're way too pale, I don't want you to get sick."

"I'm fine, but well, it's the first time I'm taking sun since I don't remember when," Jaejoong smiles widely at this moment because it seems that his niece has a crush on her temporary teacher and is telling him a story about how 'beauty' he is, "I don't need vitamins, don't worry."

Hayoon stops suddenly before leaving the hand she's holding and running to the garden of the place where children are reuniting -and many mothers too- around the teacher.

Jaejoong understands immediately all the things the little girl told him about her 'Vitamin' specially the glin glin part because he can see it when the man smiles and his eyes seem even brighter.

Suddenly he's aware of his looks and wishes having came with a better outfit, at least another coat or having shaved because it doesn't matter what his sister says, he grows beard and he really feels like a vagabond right now.

Seoyeon stands next to his brother and smirks starting to singing "Me and you and you and me. No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me. So happy together..."

"I thought you didn't know the lyrics..." Jaejoong tells her seeing his niece coming to them bringing her teacher by the hand.

The woman laughs, "are you sure you don't want any Vitamin, dear baby brother?"

"Good morning, Ms. Kim,” the teacher reaches to where they were standing holding the child’s hand.

While her mother greets the teacher back, Hayoon leaves the hand and goes to her uncle, “Vitamin, he’s my baby JJ.”

“Oh god…”

Seoyeon laughs, “He’s my baby brother… I mean…”

“Oh my god…” Jaejoong hides his face behind his hand or better said facepalms.

“I mean he’s my younger brother, Jaejoong. He’s going to come to bring and pick up Hayoon when I can't do it.”

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jung Yunho..."

----------

Jaejooong still feels terrible embarrassed when they’re going to the supermarket.

"You could at least tell me the guy is hot as the summer sun. I mean... I could have worn something nicer if I had known.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Seoyeon smiles caressing her brother’s head.

"Sis..." Jaejoong starts hesitating after some minutes, "are you sure Yunho can be interested? I mean..."

"You're so gorgeous he's very capable of going nuts for you."

"Seoyeon... that's not enough for me. You know I don't go out with bis and I won't make the mistake of going out with a straight guy again."

"What if you fall in love?”

“The problem is if the other falls for me too or not… it’s not good for my ego being worried to lose my partner to a pair of giants s or wide hips or-”

“I’m not sure but-”

“Seoyeon! I thought you knew or at least- aish!”

“I’m glad you don't look so gloomy anymore.” Seoyeon says amused. “Are you ready to tell me the reason?”

Jaejoong sighs, he knew his sister wouldn’t let this go so easily, she’s worried. “Remember Joong? The guy who snatched my first love from my side on my graduation party? I saw them on Saturday. He’s a successful and well known lucky bastard. He got the job I was aiming for last year but he quit because he was offered a better position somewhere else and that’s not all… he even has a business that he runs on his free time…” Jaejoong looks outside the window feeling depressed again. “He has everything I dreamed of having… it has been always like this. He’s always an step forward or many in fact… while I’m stuck, unemployed and being a failure in anything and with everything I try… I-”

“You are not a failure!” Seoyeon says looking at her brother during the red light, “you have bad luck-”

“Ha! Bad luck… sis, it has always been like this… nothing goes right in my life.”

“Jaejoong,” she keeps driving, “you’re seeing everything like this because things didn’t go well lately but you’re going to see the bright side again soon.”

They arrive to the supermarket and buy everything they need, Seoyeon doesn’t insist with the matter for the moment and tries to cheer him up.

At their house again while they’re accommodating their purchases at the kitchen, Jaejoong is all gloomy again, the joy of meeting teacher Vitamin forgotten.

“This guy, Joong… isn’t he married now?”

“He is. His wife is a beautiful rich heiress.”

“See? You’re better than him.”

“How could I be better? He’s rich for his own effort, he has the job he wants, a business of his own and his wife is rich as … how could I-”

“He’s married to a woman… he’s always going to live a life of lies faking happiness and not being truth to himself, but you can have your true happiness even if you don’t have all the things he has.” She smiles sweetly to his brother and gives him a hug.

Definitely, Jaejoong feels so much better, at least he still has the opportunity to look for real happiness even if it takes him more time than he always thought, in the meantime, he’s going to focus on drawing the attention of a particular teacher.

----------oOo----------

Hayoon waits impatiently to her uncle to appear to take her to the kindergarten. “Mom, I’m gonna be late.”

“I know, baby… Jaejoong!” Seoyeon goes upstairs looking for her brother and catches leaving his rrom.

“I’m going already!”

“What are you wearing?!”

“You said no coat, I chose this then.”

“Not your ty outfit…”

“Hey! This is a designer’s shirt.”

“And if you undo one more button, you’re going to show your belly… and what’s with those skinny jeans… go change now!”

“But Seoyeon!” Jaejoong complains tapping the floor with his feet childishly. “How do you expect him to notice me if I am a prude?!”

“Just wear something nice and it better be quick because Hayoon is waiting for you! Besides I don’t want you to freeze. You need a jacket.”

A new outfit, a jacket and a beanie later, Jaejoong is driving to leave his niece at her school. Again the teacher is surrounded by a bunch of mothers, some of them flirting with him shamelessly.

Jaejoong looks at the lively group somehow annoyed thinking that in the first place he doesn’t even know if the teacher rather wants to be with a hot mom than with a hot guy like him.

He notices that many glances are being directed at him too and he feels flattered, after all, it has been a while since the last time he felt attractive and it feels good, even better when the teacher approaches him to talk about random things paying all his attention to him.

He goes back home beaming, suddenly Thursday is his favorite day and even more when he goes to pick up his niece and the scene repeats.

On Friday he waits for his sister to come back at night. He already tucked up the children and he's worried for his sister. She's helping a friend to prepare an exhibition and she'll be at it next week as well. Jaejoong knows his sister is dreaming on having her own exhibition one day, she's a pretty talented painter after all and he's sure she's going to do it.

They have dinner together and chat a lot when she is back. She calls hers a tiring fulfilling day and wants to go to bed as soon as she can kiss her kids.

"Better if you progress with Teacher Jung. Mrs. Kang is going to be back soon.” Seoyeon says kissing her brother’s cheek and leaving the table.

“Soon? How soon?”

“Maybe you still have a week, you should ask for his phone number at least.”

“Why you didn’t tell me?” Jaejoong asks her when she’s already disappearing at the stairs hearing just her laughter.

----------

On Monday, Jaejoong comes to know that Yunho can be utterly cute when he catches him singing “Baby Shark”, dance included, together with the children waiting to be picked up. On Tuesday Yunho tells him that he teaches zumba at a gym in the center, the next day at night when Jaejoong tries to take a class he can’t because it’s totally full and he finds out than more than a half of the moms from the kindergarten are already there practically drooling every time the teacher stretches his limbs. At least he goes home with a very nice image of the sporty and y side from said man.

On Wednesday he receives an invitation from one of the moms to go with his niece to her daughter’s birthday party on Saturday, the best part is that the teacher is invited too. He smiles widely knowing Yunho will be there too unwillingly making the young single mom blush furiously.

Hayoon gets mad at her uncle, she doesn’t like that he snatches her Vitamin’s attention from her every day when they get to school. It takes him to buy her and her brother a giant cup of ice cream to get her talk to him again. It doesn’t matter that Seoyeon scolds them for not having an appetite at dinner; at least baby Jiwoon is so tired that he falls asleep quickly.

On Saturday, he pays specially attention to his looks. He wears casually with a denim jacket and a black t-shirt matching what his niece is wearing. They leave the house singing ‘I’m a Believer’.

To tell the truth, only Hayoon has fun playing with her friends al afternoon and getting fed up with cake and sweets.

In other circumstances, Jaejoong could enjoy the attention of the birthday girl's mother even when he is not interested, but now he can't help but feel bitter watching the teacher happily spending his time chatting with a woman whose generous neckline doesn't go unnoticed even for him.

At the end of the day he goes to bed depressed, it doesn't help that his last job application has been rejected as "over qualified" for the position.

The only thing that makes him feel better is that his sister is free again and he doesn’t have to go to the kindergarten anymore. Of course he rather stays doing chores at home than seeing his crush flirting with someone else.

“Jae…” his sister insists for a last time, “are you sure you don’t wanna go? Mr. Jung will be there and-”

“He’s an idiot, he can go to the hell with a pair of giant s for all I care… now," he says changing subject, "I’m going to prepare pork today…”

Seoyeon doesn’t insist. After all, she’s going to respect her brother’s decision even when she thinks it’s a pity their relationship didn’t work.

Jaejoong distracts himself tidying up the house and preparing food. He even has the time to make homemade pineapple jam. However, he can’t forget the reason of his bad mood and why he’s still moping wanting just go to his room and eat the giant package of cheese fingers he bought on Sunday while watching a stupid comedy movie.

----------

Jaejoong ends drinking too much wine with his dinner and feels his head already heavy, he wants to call it a day and go to sleep but he’s waiting patiently to his niece to finishing telling the story of the jumps game she had at school.

“My Vitamin asked for you, baby JJ,” the girl tells him when he’s already on his way to his room making Jaejoong turning back. “Tomorrow is his last day with us and he wanted to talk to you.”

“Is that so?” the uncle asks sounding more eager than what he wanted but he doesn’t care, his heart is racing.

“I told him that you said he’s an idiot and he can go to hell with giant s…”

“Oh-My-God…” Jaejoong pales and then his face heats up fast. Seoyeon laughs openly making her baby do the same.

“What did he told you, baby?”

“He said those words are bad and I should not say bad words,” she covers embarrassed, “I promised not to… I can’t talk about hell, s and idiots…” she giggles when her mother laughs again telling her that she won’t tell him if she keeps her promise, the girl nods happily unaware of her mortified uncle.

“Maybe you should go apologize tomorrow, baby bro,” Seoyeon says to the man who’s rushing to his bedroom.

The next day and after a long thought, Jaejoong decides he at least have to apologize, it’s not like if they had had anything between them to begin with so he’s being ridiculous getting all worked up just because Yunho chose to be with a beautiful woman.

He goes to pick up his niece. The place is full of decorations that are for sure, the doings of the children for the farewell party to their Vitamin, suddenly he feels sad. It’s true their relationship didn’t go the way Jaejoong would like it but they got to be good friends at least.

“Hayoon is going to come out right away, she’s collecting all the candies she won at the games…” a voice startles Jaejoong, a voice he knows very well.

“Are you sad?”

“For leaving? Of course, I’m going to miss these children a lot but it was temporary and... that’s not the only reason though.”

“Really?” Jaejoong asks without daring to look at the face of the man standing next to him.

“You see… not every day the guy I like tells that I’m an idiot and should go to hell with giant s,” he makes a pause and sees Jaejoong’s face totally red till the ears. “But I don’t understand, is it a hell with s or I need to take a girl with giant s to the hell with me?”

“I’m so sorry… I’m really really sorry… I didn’t mean it, but I was angry and-” Jaejoong interrupts himself realizing something important. “Did you say like? Do you like me?” he looks at the teacher dumbfounded.

Yunho chuckles amused, “well, yeah… but if you don’t like me, please forget what I said.”

“I like you… I mean, yes, I like you.”

Yunho chuckles again and Jaejoong sees the glin glin of his eyes that his niece loves so much, “then, considering this is my last day here, would you like to go somewhere later or any other day…”

“Your phone number…” Jaejoong takes his phone ready to register the new number, certainly he feels really lucky.

The teacher takes the phone and makes his own phone ring, Jaejoong smiles all along and even more when he notices Yunho is nervous too, suddenly everything stops looking that gloomy. He chuckles when he identifies the teacher’s ringtone being ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ thinking on the coincidence

Jaejoong goes back home with his niece singing 'Happy Together', they keep singing still when they enter the house. Seoyeon feels like telling him that she was right all along, Jaejoong sees things under other light now that he has a new romantic interest. She hopes for the best for him. After all, they only have themselves to support each other. Their parents are still mad at them, at her because they wanted her to still be married despite her husband living with another woman already and with Jaejoong, because they didn’t approve the idea of him leaving an stable job to run his own business that ended being put on forced hiatus. According to their parents they are a pair of failures not at all like their older brother, married, successful and ‘having a proper life’, whatever that that means for them.

Jaejoong takes the baby in his arms and dances with him at the kitchen with the corny song his sister is listening to at the old radio making him giggle, Hayoon joins them laughing and clapping. Seoyeon watches them amused, she was definitely right, Jaejoong just needed some Vitamin.

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