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

Jaejoong was either spending all his free time with Yunho, in person, doing something all over town, or he was texting him and thinking about the next time they would be together, doing something, all over town.

And that was becoming an issue.

His siblings were aware that the friend he was spending all his evenings with and coming back home late into the night rosy-cheeked and high spirited was not anyone from the J-gang and Lilia. He wasn’t sure how, but Jaejoong had a good guess—Jangmi was on very good terms with Lilia. An irritated Lilia who was letting him know that she didn’t appreciate his constant need for a rain check. If it had been him, he knew he would have been annoyed, too. And he planned on changing that. 

Then, there were his parents who were trying to respect him and give him space, but made sure to stress how important it was to be safe—share all locations he was going to with someone they could get in contact with if anything went left, not to do anything illegal, like getting drunk. And, to also be certain that they would wait until he was ready to share his love-life with them. They wouldn’t pry, or so they stressed with their words, but those burning looks of disbelief when he clarified he wasn’t meeting a boyfriend or a potential romantic partner told him otherwise. 

They were too excited, because to them, this was the first time in his life he was showing interest in romance. None of this came as a surprise, because as he and his siblings knew, his family was way too invested into each other’s life. They were making this a big deal. Even when he was telling them that it was strictly platonic and it was just a friend! Someone he knew from high school. Just a friend. Nothing less and nothing more.

Just like he didn’t believe that statement, nor did they.

Lastly, there were his friends. They were rightfully peeved. He was hardly hanging out with them and they were tired of his constant need for a rain check, and that was when he’d check the group chat on time to see them making plans to hang out and not days after he completely ignored them. He understood their annoyance. If it had been him, he’d be upset and hurt, too. It did look like he was ignoring them and prioritizing others over them. Others he refused to even introduce them to. However, being with Yunho was addictive. He enjoyed being around him and it was all so new. 

Just as he had thought when he had been talking to A.aime on WeChat, they were extremely compatible as friends. They shared many of the same interests, and even when they didn’t, they were both open to new experiences. They were doing any and everything and it was exhilarating.

“Dude, do you have something you want to tell us—me?” Jianyu asked, eyes on the blue, tranquil water of the lake.

Jaejoong shook his head, and with his free hand he fixed his hat. He sneaked a quick look at Jianyu. He sounded annoyed, but his face was smooth, the brim of his baseball hat covered his eyes.

The sun was doing another round of being angry. 

Jianyu, Jouji, and Jaejoong were fishing with his dad. 

Fishing was his dad’s passion and when Jaejoong had told his friends he hated how his dad would drag him out to fish and camp, they told him they could tag along to make it better, if his dad allowed it, given that it was clearly a dad-son bonding experience. And that’s how the tradition started. Most camping trips were still just Jaejoong and his dad, but a quick, a few hours fishing trip was an all-boys retreat.

“I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”

The corner of Jianyu’s lips quivered. “You’re not funny. You know what I mean.”

“I don’t.” He tried to sound nonchalant, because the drumming of his heartbeat was making it hard to not feel like he was engaging in the fight of his life.

Jianyu openly smiled at him, turning his head to face Jaejoong. “So, I am right? You’re ignoring us?”

“Just because I turned down one plan does not mean I—”

“What’s up?” he interrupted. “What’s going on?”

“Who put you up to this?” Jaejoong asked, trying to look menacing.

Jianyu smiled, his white teeth a sight. “Am I not allowed to want to know why my childhood friend came back from college and has been staying away from his old friends?”

Maybe that childhood friend feels guilty and ashamed every time he sees or thinks about you!

Jaejoong sighed. “Listen, it’s not like that. I am not trying to…ignore you’ll. I—I love hanging out with you guys. And we’ve been hanging out.”

“So, who is it?”

Jaejoong felt all the blood in his body traveled to his head and clogged his ear canal, and all the air left his lungs, leaving his head spinning. His throat dried up. He fixated on the lake again.

“Old friends from high school.” He shrugged, pausing to sophisticate his lie. “I’ve been bumping into them and they’ve been hitting me up on social media when they see that I am back and we’ve been hanging out.”

After a few minutes of silence, Jianyu said, “Okay.”

“ I am not deserting you guys. Really. Ever.” For good measures, Jaejoong added, “I love hanging out with you guys.”

“Hey!” Jouji shouted, waving. His smile was wide and blindening. “Did you guys get any bites?”

The two young men shook their heads.

“What about you?” Jianyu asked, hanging up and stretching.

“Nah. I am joining y’all. Maybe I’ll get lucky in a different location”

“We’ve also gotten nothing,” Jianyu reminded him.

Jouji shrugged and gave them a wide innocent smile.

Jaejoong looked behind Jouji to see his father was still sitting down down the lake with his fishing rod in the water. Jaejoong whistled and waved. “Any bites yet?” He shouted, cupping his lips.

His dad waved, smiled, and shook his head.

“No fish dinner tonight, boys!” he said jovially.

Jaejoong got up. He didn’t care that he was running away.

“I am going to go join my dad.”

Jouji nodded and smacked him on the back as he grabbed his stuff and walked past him. Jouji plopped down in his abandoned spot and Jaejoonjg saw him and Jianyu bringing their heads close, talking in a soft, low voice.

The situation might have gotten worse.

———

Jaejoong: I can’t tonight. 

Yunho: Am I annoying you?

Jaejoong: Yes.

Jaejoong: And I already have plans.

Yunho: What kind of plans?

Jaejoong: if I tell you, I must kill you. You’re down.

Yunho: If it’s by you, I think it’ll be worth it.😁

Jaejoong: i am definitely weirded out.

Before he could add anything more, Lilia’s voice sliced through his Jung Yunho’s haze.

“Bud, are you here to play some ball, or text your beau?”

“It’s not a beau!”

She chuckled and arched a triumphant eyebrow.

“Whatever,” he muttered, realizing he could never win.

Jaejoong: sorry. I have to go. I won’t be able to text for a while. Have a great evening. 

And with that, he slid his phone into his back pocket.

"I'm going to annihilate you."

"In your dreams," Jianyu said

"Just so you all know, I've been pretty active lately."

"Sure, Jane." Lilia winked.

"No more lip service. Let me just show you."

"Good call," Jouji said with one of his easy going smiles

And they were off chasing the soccer ball.

After going fishing with the boys, Jaejoong asked in the group-chat if they all still enjoyed going to the local park and acting like they knew how to play soccer.

Jouji said it was too hot for all that running, Jianyu said it was not that hot around seven, and Lilia said as long as someone brought a closer with chilled drinks she was down. 

Lilia had been right, it was too hot.

They were all out of shape and it was too hot to be running up down the large field at their local park. And so, they ended up doing more sitting on the grass talking than they did touching the soccer ball.

By eight, the mosquitoes were them dry. They were now annoyed, sweaty and hungry, so pizza it was. They went downtown to their favorite local pizza joint.

The moment they got their pizza, Lilia and Jaejoong gave each other half of their pizza. They purposefully chose different toppings for that reason.

“We’re still keeping the tradition alive?” Jouji laughed.

“Don’t be jealous,” Jaejoong teased.

“I am, though,” Jianyu chimed in. “Sometimes, it feels like you two are closer to each other than us. And, honestly,” he said in a grand lofty voice, “I discovered you both first.”

The remaining three groaned and rolled their eyes. “Shut up, Jianyu!” they said in unison.

Jianyu did this wole mock crying thing and annoying them all into fits of giggles.

“Yeah, you know I say this all the time, but I miss these little moments the most.”

Even though he shared something amazing with Bryan, it was still its own thing and could never fulfill what hanging out with his childhood friend did to him.

“And we’ll forgive and ignore you deserting us these past few weeks.” Lilia said, shaking her drink, the ice-clinking in the cup.

“No, don’t do this,” he pleaded. “I am sorry and will create time for you all.”

“Please,” Jouji said. “We make time for you.”

“I know, and I love you all for that.”

“Good. Now, let’s eat!” Jouji said, ripping a slice off his pizza.

“This,” Jaejoong said, after taking his first bite. He closed his eyes to savor the taste. Chewing and wiping grease off his fingers with a white paper napkin, he added, “ This is what I missed most from this town when I was away.”

“Wow,” Lilia said. “Just pizza from The Downtown Pizzeria? Not your family or friends?”

“You know what I mean,” he said, laughing. “This is good pizza.” He took another huge bite. “That reminds me, when do you plan to come visit me at uni?”

“Don’t chew with food in your mouth,” Jianyu reprimanded, scrunching nose. 

“Yes, father,” Jaejoong said, covering his full mouth with his hand as he talked. He swallowed. “Lil! Remember when you said, through tears, that you’d come visit me?”

She took a sip of her drink through her straw and delicately rolled her shoulders.

“Hey, you too Jianyu. You all promised.”

“Maybe next semester? But, it’s just…you come down for all holidays, so it’s like, when?” Jouji said, frowning in thoughts.

“True,” he nodded, ripping the crust off his pizza and throwing it in his mouth.

“We could come pick you up during spring break and travel somewhere together. That way we’re visiting you, but also taking you away to a new place.”

“I’d like that.” He smiled. “I can’t wait to take you guys around town. There’s this diner—”

“Lily’s,” Jouji said, and his friends made eye contact and laughed.

“Okay, well, the coffee is amazing and the burger is great,” he whined as he defended his favorite restaurant.

“No good pizzeria, though,” Jianyu said.

“Well, no. Not as good as here, but—”

Just then, their server interrupted them to ask if they were doing alright.

“Thank you!” The four friends said in unison.

The young man smiled and left them.

“What were we talking about,” Jaejoong said, trying to refocus.

“Pizzaria,” Lilia reminded him, drinking more of her soft drink than eating her pizza.

“Right.” And he went off on a storytime about the only decent pizzeria he’s been to, he didn’t like chain restaurants, and how long of a process that had been and how he and Bryan had gotten so sick one, he was glad he could laugh about it now.

“Are you sure it’s the taste or the size that makes you think this is the best pizzaria?” Jianyu asked. The Downtown Pizzeria was known for its abnormally large pizza and the cheap pricing. “To me, all pizza tastes the same. You cannot make a bad pizza, you know? As long as it’s a pizza, it’ll taste good.”

“You cannot go wrong with carbs.” Jouji agreed.

“This isn't your man and best friend Lilia?” Jaejoong requested, aghasted.

“I apologize, JJ. These two…” She shook her head. “You two are heathens.”

“Daming us to hell all over pizza,” Jouji chuckled.

“Yes!” They said in unison.

“You two deserve each other,” Jianyu laughed.

Jaejoong and Lilia high-fived.

—----------

Jaejoong: We played soccer.

Yunho: You never mentioned you liked and played soccer?

Jaejoong: I don’t and I don’t.

Yunho: Good to know, because I almost invited you to a match.

Jaejoong: Even if I did, I wouldn’t play against you. One, you’d annihilate me. 

Yunho: I’ll go easy on you. It’s a friendly match. 

Jaejoong: Hah! I still remember that rock-climbing experience.

Yunho: That was fun.😊

Jaejoong: getting my handed to me wasn't.

Yunho: It wasn't that bad.

Jaejoong: You're all around athletic. I ran for three seconds today and I was winded and completely wasted.

Yunho: A nice fatty treat after always helps me out when it comes to physically taxing activities.

Yunho: It reminds me of what I am working towards. 

Jaejoong: I want the treat without the hard work. I’m what you call lazy. 

Yunho: 🤣

Jaejoong: We ended the night with pizza.

Yunho: The Downtown Pizzeria? 🤣

Jaejoong: The one and only. ☠️

Jaejoong: Do I talk about it that often?😓

Yunho: You do.☺️

Yunho: And Dan's.

Jaejoong: Best pizza place and best burger and milkshake in town.

Yunho: Your taste in restaurant is questionable. But I think your passion is cute. You’re a pizza fiend.

Jaejoong: And your baseless hate against pizza makes no sense. Let me take you there and change your mind.

Yunho: Nope. I get an upset stomach. But, you can take to me Jang.

Jaejoong: I’ve been meaning to go there. Jianyu has been recommending it.

Yunho: Best Korean restaurant in these parts.

Jaejoong: I do owe you a dinner. You’ve been feeding me a lot.

Yunho: You don’t. I did and do it because I wanted/want to.

Yunho: I like to treat people.

Jaejoong: I can tell. But it’s own me this time. 

Yunho: Suit yourself. 

Yunho: Will tomorrow work?

Yunho: For dinner. 

Jaejoong: You work fast. 

Yunho: I’ve heard great things. 

Jaejoong: Sure. 

Jaejoong: Be ready by seven, princess

Yunho: Will do, sire. 

Yunho: It’s a popular place, so I’ll call tomorrow and make a reservation.

Jaejoong: let me do it.

Yunho: No arguing. I got it.

Yunho: I’m excited for tomorrow. 

Jaejoong promised to slow down whatever was going on between them after that dinner.

For sure.

Jaejoong: me too

Writer's Note: Hello amazing people! Thank you all for reading---ALWAYS. Just doing a quick check in. How is everyone? Hope everyone is safe and is having  an amazing rest of 2023. I cannot believe the year is on the cusp of ending. I am so excited for 2024, though. Anywho, I will be updating tomorrow or sometime this week, but after that update, the next chapter might take a few weeks or so to come out (I am starting school and work is kickng my ). However, this story is ALMOST done. But, while you're waiting, if you're someone like me who craves romance in the fall, I recommend my fanfic The Walk Back Home. It's basically this story, except set in fall and there's a few differences, lol. Anywho, please enjoy and share your thoughts with me if you have any. I always enjoy reading and responding to them.