Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, in an imaginary town and country, and during an ambiguous time period.

“You and Kimberli.”

Yunho jumped, startled by Jaejoong’s presence. He had been lost in his thoughts. 

“Dude, what the hell? Don't sneak up on me”

“I didn’t.” He scowled.

“Whatever,” he muttered, going back to his task. He was collecting pumpkins for the display table and sale-corner.

“So, you and Kim.”

He finally heard the implication in his voice. Straightening his body, he frowned at him. “What?”

Jaejoong shrugged, attempting to give him an unconcerned look; his lips, which gave him a permanent smile with the upcurved corners, did not help him much. It irked Yunho, making him boil. 

Jaejoong looked away, bending down; he collected a pumpkin and made for the wheelbarrow. “I didn’t know she was your type.”

“What?” Yunho let his puzzlement appear in his tone. “You know what? Never mind. What do you mean you didn’t know she was my type?”

He gently placed the pumpkin on top of the others and turned around to stare at Yunho and nodded. “Yeah; I didn’t know.”

“Why would you know my type?” Yunho decided to ask, instead of correcting him. He did not even know why they were talking. He felt like an overblown balloon that was on the verge of popping. 

He hated this tiny town. News sure traveled quickly. Stupid unimportant news. He had lunch with Kimberli and her friends everyday, so why was it that the day she briefly stopped to talk to him in the hallway he was spending his evening getting interrogated by Jaejoong?

Stupid.

“Everyone’s saying you two are dating?”

“Everyone who?”

Jaejoong looked him in the eyes, and he shrugged. Making a whole show of lifting and lowering his broad shoulders. 

“Everyone at school,” he said belatedly.

Yunho let out a harsh chuckle. “So, I am gay and dating a girl? GMH needs to decide on a uality for me.”

Jaejoong frowned. “Why would….” He blinked, dialing back. “No one thinks you’re gay.”

“Isn’t MeadowSecret the hub?”

“No, it’s not. Only losers visit that site and believe that . Those are not real secrets. And no one cares!” He sounded genuinely upset.

Yunho wondered how he would react if he knew the owner of that post was probably someone in his circle. It could very well be Jaehyun or Junsu. Both thought he was gay. For all that it was worth, so did Jaejoong. 

“Chill, dude.” Yunho chuckled and focused on completing his task. He hated that he felt appeased at Jaejoong’s reaction. He shouldn’t care, he reasoned. “Remember, I am gay.”

Jaejoong was so quiet, Yunho had to turn around and look at him to make sure he was still there. 

“You didn’t believe me?”

“I….I don’t know.” He shrugged, and quickly said, “But I don’t judge. I mean, I don't care. Not really.” But he sure did look relieved. He gave Yunho a soft, pleased smile. “You’re talking to me.”

“You’re talking to me.” Yunho corrected, looking away from him and his soft smile.

There was something about Jaejoong and his smiles, especially the softer, smaller ones. There was this charming, boyish grin and Yunho always felt his heart melting and him bending to his will. He had always adored his friend and had seen him as someone needing protection from him. The ironic thing was, he ended up being the one needing protection from him. 

In fact, no one would look at Jaejoong and think he needed protection or was soft, sweet, and all things good and precious. Jaejoong was a bulky teenage boy with large hands and tree-trunk arms. Between the two, Yunho would be the one people run to protect if a fight broke out.

But it was hard to get out of old habits.

Jaejoong shrugged, the lopsided smile still there. “You’re still talking to me.”

“Whatever,” Yunho grumbled, feeling awkward. His stomach churned, it was hot. He felt queasy. “Anyways,” he huffed, furrowing his eyebrows, “Kimberli. Why are you asking about her?”

They both stood up at the same time, each holding a perfectly round and orange pumpkin. They stared at the other. Jaejoong looked perplexed, and Yunho gave his best attempt at looking composed and disinterested.

“Kimberli? What about her?” Jaejoong asked, cocking his head.

Dumping his pumpkin, Yunho shrugged and reached for another. Lifting an eyebrow pointedly, Yunho said, “You tell me?”

“What—” Then it dawned on him. “Ooh! You think — because I was —” He stopped talking and sighed, then laughed. “I was only asking because of the rumors.”

“So you are interested in me or her?” Yunho asked in a dry voice as Jaejoong stood straight. 

The fine furrow between Jaejoong’s forehead disappeared as fast as it appeared then what he said finally soaked in. He looked flabbergasted. He flushed, there was a shiny film coating his eyes. Busying his hands and turning away from Yunho who let his little smirk appear, he furiously shook his head then said, “No.” He cleared his throat and added, “I mean, as a friend I just wanted—”

“We’re not friends, Jaejoong,” Yunho swiftly interrupted, his voice clear, devoid of emotions, his words precise.

Jaejoong’s head snapped towards him. He glared at him. “Listen, I know it’ll take you a while to forgive me. I am taking a while to forgive myself, too, but I want you to stop hating me. One day.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“But—”

“Don’t you have a job to do?”

Jaejoong sighed and grabbed the back of his neck. He looked troubled. “I am doing it right now.”

“And here I thought you were just helping me.” Yunho smirked.

“I mean, I am,” Jaejoong said quickly.

Yunho hmphed, grinned to himself, and finished loading the wheelbarrow.

—--

Later that day, as Yunho trudged through his homework, his father called him.

He thought about ignoring the call, and just lying tomorrow when he talked to the men by telling him he had been asleep when he made that call last night and that’s why it went unanswered. And then he remembered his mother’s voice. She had pleaded with him, almost on the verge of tears, to try to get to know his father. That this was her second chance to make things right between the two. His chance to truly get to know his father: He had promised her he would try. He hadn’t thought it’s something he would have to act on. He had simply been trying to appease her.

His mother had assured him when he was packing that this move back to Green Meadow would be good for him because they both needed this time together to get to know each other. He was not so sure they needed to spend time together. It felt as if she made him promise because she felt guilty for her parenting and for keeping him away from his father.

Yunho did not blame his mom for his lack of connection with his father. When he lived in Green Meadow, he did not remember his father really trying to get to know him. They would sometimes hang out, but it was always awkward and Yunho never wanted to spend the night with him and he never did. He also never got to know his paternal side of the family. His father was not close to them and he never got to meet them. They lived in the next town over. 

Yunho did not understand why he had to make an effort now and suffer. It all felt so performative and glazed with guilt and shame. Another reason why he was so apprehensive about coming back to this town.

He was tired of his mother’s expectations and responsibilities. She expected a level of wisdom and maturity that he did not want to claim in his teenagehood.

He had come so close to asking his mother every time they talked on the phone why and how she got with him. He was just so bland and anti-social. But he definitely was the best man she ever dated, and for that he was thankful. He’d take a boring man as his father over an abusive, alcoholic loser.

Taking a deep breath, Yunho answered the call and immediately regretted his decision.

His father was such an awkward man, even over the phone, and it was painful talking to him.

After an awkward eternity of all the pleasantries in the world, his father got down to business. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?”

Yunho paused. 

He paused for a few reasons, and one of them was because tomorrow was Friday and he was starting to think of going to the game with Kimberli and her group of friends, the gang as she called them. He wanted to say it was purely because he was growing tender towards them, and, yes, maybe he was — especially after he had learned that Kimberli was on queer and her friends knew and was okay with it, but frankly, Yunho was lonely and he wnated novel expeirences to calm the storm brewing within him. 

To be honest, since he has gotten here, the gang have been nothing but cordial and open, and Yunho has been anything but easy. He has been cold and sometimes even outright mean, but they’ve kept talking to him and eating lunch with him. No one else has really made an effort to befriend him, they all have been watching him from a distance like he was diseased and they didn’t quite know how to take care of him.

He was a little lonely and enjoyed having high school acquaintances he didn’t hate. It’s been a long time since he had hung out with his peers and did nothing but try to live in the moment. So, yes, he was thinking about the game and even joining them on Saturday for the bonfire. He had never been to one, and he was thinking that it could be fun. Green Meadow might be fun when experienced by a teenager. Maybe.

But the other reason why he paused was because Yunho hated to admit it, but he could see his dad trying to slowly bridge the gap in their relationship. Yunho didn’t know if they could ever culture a son-dad relationship, but Yunho decided it couldn’t hurt to be more open and try to be more flexible.

Since he had arrived at Green Meadow, he had been seeing his father every Friday. He’d come over periodically throughout the week and sometimes the weekends (and Yunho thought that was kind of him), but he was always at his grandparent’s dinner table on Fridays. His father appeared to want to claim his Fridays. 

Yunho blew a raspberry and ran his fingers through his hair. “Umm, well, around what time?”

“It’s alright if you do not want to.”

“No, I do not mind, sir. It’s just, some people asked me to go to the game with them on Friday and…”

“No, you go. Hang out with your friends. Why don’t we hang out another day.”

Yunho felt flushed with guilt. To appease himself, Yunho found himself saying against his control, “How about Saturday?”

He could feel his father’s smile when he replied, “That sounds good.”

He could always go to another bonfire.

Yunho did not really want to hang out with the man. He was so awkward, and he already knew he would regret this decision. However, all he could feel was warmth at the smile in his father’s voice. He guessed it wouldn’t be too bad. It couldn’t be too bad to give him a chance

“Alright. Saturday it is, then.”

“Yes. Have a nice time at the game and, umm, see you Saturday.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ooh, yes, I hope pizza is okay.”

“Yes, that's fine. I, umm, love pizza.” 

"That's perfect!"

So awkward.