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

Now that Jaejaejoong was working hard on getting back in his friends’ good books, he knew he needed to get serious about spending less time with Yunho.

He had already spent too much time with Yunho this week, and after tonight, he promised to start delivering on his promise to his friends. Right after he delivered on this already planned gmovie…friendly-hangout situation he planned with Yunho before he realized how much of a dumpster fire his friendships were turning out to be because of him acting all suspicious and mysterious. 

After tonight, he promised himself he’d tell Yunho they needed to slow down and he’d focus on spending more time with his friends. He did miss them and they did plan a lot to do this summer, so he’d better start delivering. 

And, honestly, considering how the night was going, Jaejoong was taking it as a sign from the universe to focus on other things and people. 

“I’m so sorry boys,” Mrs. Jung said, again, putting on her right earring. 

“No problem, ma’am,” Jaejoong said with a smooth smile. 

“You’re too kind,” she said.

“We have no choice, momma.” 

“Tah! This kind boy doesn't mind the change of plan.” Sher flashed Jaejoong one of those bright smiles Yunho typically gave him, dimples and all.

Yunho, standing next to Jaejoong and a bit too close for his own comfort, because he could smell his cologne and clothes softener, looked less pleased with their current predicament.

“He can’t tell you if he were, momma.”

“I am not!” Jaejoong reassured, alarmed, shaking his hands in her direction.

Jaejoong wasn’t pleased or annoyed, he simply wanted to go home because he was dying from mortification. Not only was he caught by Yunho’s parents, people who might go around town blabbing about them being friends to adults like Jaejoong’s parents who were very much aware of Yunho’s friendship with his high school bully, he never signed up to babysit. 

 Junho was a cutie, but he had thought that tonight he would be spending his night at the movie theater munching on grossly overpriced popcorn and watching a highly anticipated movie from a franchise he and Yunho both loved and fanboyed over all the time.

“Soojeong, they have no choice. Let’s not antagonize them,” Yunho’s father said with a kind chuckle. “And we’re about to be late if we don’t leave in, say, three minutes.” He finished saying after checking his wrist watch.

“Dad,” Yunho said, sighing. 

“No. It’s alright,” Jaejoong rapidly said again, waving away their concerns. “We were just going to the movies.”

“Why can’t we just take Junho?”

“He’s eight.” His mother offered, fluffing her hair and reaching for her purse. 

“It’s summer.”

“We’ll be back in two hours.” Her voice was firm, and Jaejoong saw the way Yunho tensed up. He averted his gaze from her and his face became a blank mask of nothingness

Jaejoong instantly felt awkward.

“I am really fine. I mean, we hadn’t bought the tickets yet, or anything, so this fine.”

“Exactly. Listen to this lovely boy.”

Mr. Jung handed his wife her purse. “We’ll be back in no time. The two hours will fly by.” She smiled and winked at Jaejoong.

“Ready?” Mr. Jung asked.

It was nice that the Jungs still went on dates. 

Even his parents, who were grossly in love, barely went on dates. Jaejoong thought it cool to see married adults with children still dating each other. 

“We’ll pay for your overly expensive movie theater snacks tomorrow.” Mr. Jung said to his son, offering him a consoling tight lip smile.

Yikes! Jaejoong thought. He wasn’t going to like telling Yunho they couldn’t hang out for a while after tonight. He would probably think this situation had something to do with it. And he’s going to be partially wrong. 

Yunho didn’t react. 

Jaejoong took it upon himself to talk for both of them. “Nah, that’s too much, Mr. and Mrs. Jung. This is really not a bother. We can stream something here.”

 He’d planned on going home in thirty minutes. He was too stressed to stay here. 

“Thank you, you lovely boy,” Mrs. Jung said. Yunho still didn’t react. 

“Junho-ah, behave,” the older woman said to her youngest child.

The eight year old who was sitting in the lit kitchen eating cut up friends nodded at his mother. His father squeezed his shoulder and told the older teens to have a good night. 

And with kisses on her son’s and a warm smile for Jaejoong, Mrs. Jung floated after her husband. 

“You can leave if you want,” Yunho said, turning to face Jaejoong, eyes sorry. 

He wanted to, but he knew it was too soon. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He smiled at the tense boy. “We can hang out for a little bit.”

He sighed and took his long, knobby fingers through his fluffy hair. “I’m sorry. Truly. I didn’t know they’d drop him on me like this.”

“That’s…Wait. Didn’t you say they weren’t going to be here?” Reason he even dared to come in. 

He had begged Yunho to let him drive them to the movies, since he felt like Yunho was the one always driving. It was only fair that they took turns. But, he was now thinking that, maybe, just maybe he should have let him pick him up. Being seen by the Jungs could've been averted and they would have been on their way to the movies right now. 

“Yes.” He sighed again. “This is family night.”

“Huh?”

“He was supposed to go with them.”

“They’re going on a date.”

“Because we’re babysitting.”

Jaejoong shrugged. “I’m glad they can have a date.”

“They’re married and see each other everyday.”

“Regardless, it’s good to date.”

“Sure.” He shrugged. Jaejoong could tell he was still annoyed. 

“Your parents have such a…” Jaejoong stopped, realizing he truly didn’t know enough about the Jungs to finish that statement. “Umm. Anyways, I like your parents.”

Yunho gave him a peculiar look, but he said nothing. He simply shrugged.

“May I get you a drink?” He asked.

“Sure.”

Yunho walked in the kitchen, leaving Jaejoong to stand alone in the living room. He ruffled his brother’s head as he made his way to the fridge. “Junho, hurry up with your snack so you can go brush.”

“It’s still early.”

“In less than half an hour you need to be in bed.”

“It’s summer,” he whined. 

“You heard mom and dad.”

The eight year old frowned into his bowl. 

“Maybe let him stay up for a little bit,” Jaejoong said, his heart strings pulled. 

“You can sit,” Yunho said, making his way to him. 

“Yes, please!” Junho said, looking up to regard Jaejoong with shimmering eyes full of hope. Jaejoong in turn looked at Yunho. He was the one with all the delegating power here.

Yunho shrugged. “Just hurry up with your snack. “ Yunho handed him a bottle of beer. He stared at it as if it was a two headed snake. He blinked. 

Yunho frowned and faltered, his fingers lingering on the cold glass bottle. “No?”

Inhaling, he said, “Your parent’s beer?”

“I can get you wine? Is that more to your liking.” Yunho’s face was smooth and serious and his voice earnest.

Jaejoong chuckled. “Are you trying to get me tipsy?”

Yunho paused and blinked at him. “No. Never. I…” He pulled his hand back. “I would never. Will juice do?”

.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” Jaejoong rushed after him to the kitchen. “I was teasing.”

“Sorry.”

“No, I…umm, yeah. Juice would be nice. Sorry. I don’t like drinking much, and you know, I drove.”

 “Right. You don’t have to…It was a poor judgment call on my part. Sorry.”

“No problem. I…”

. Now things were definitely very weird. 

Yunho opened the fridge and he placed the beer back in and turned around with a juice box in his hand. 

Jaejoong laughed and Yunho gave him that closed-lipped smile that made his head swim a little and made his heart and stomach do that topsy-turvy thing that he both hated and found slightly addictive. 

“You’ve got jokes,” he muttered.

“I wished I were naturally comedic. We only have juice boxes.” He lifted his chin in Junho’s direction. “I only have room temperature water and there’s no ice-cubes.”

“No, you’re fine,” Jaejoong assured, chortling as he stared at the juice box in his hand.

Jaejoong stepped up to him, holding his gaze, and he accepted it. Their friends brushed. Where they touched felt hot and Jaejoong was all jittery inside. Their gazes became charged. 

“Umm. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Yunho said, the corner of his lips curving up softly.  “It’s a hot summer.”

As if he had left his body, Jaejoong realized how closely he was standing next to Yunho.

“Can I have one?” Junho asked behind them. 

They both stepped back from each other. 

“Here,” Jaejoong quickly said, walking up to the boy to hand him the juice box.  

“Let me put some water bottles in the fridge.”

“Room temperature is fine,” Jaejoong said. 

“Okay.” Yunho walked past him, and his cologne wafted up again. He smelled really nice. And looked nice too for their movie…friendly-hangout that was no longer a possibility.

Inhaling sharply, Jaejoong said, rerouting his focus from Yunho’s shredded back side to Junho. “That looks nice. What’s your favorite fruit?”

The boy shrugged, ducking his face and staring intently into his plate. “I like them all. Strawberries, tangerines, apples, pears, papaya, banana,” and he kept on listing. 

Jaejoong made eye contact with Yunho who shared a smile with him as Junho went on listing fruits. 

“It’s a new passion,” Yunho half whispered and half mouthed.

Jaejoong pulled up a chair from the kitchen table and as he made to sit down, red-cheeked Junho jumped up and said, a bit too loudly, “I am done.”

Yunho looked at him and shrugged. “Okay. Wash your dish.”

He nodded and rushed to do as instructed.

Jaejoong looked at Yunho who plopped down in the chair that Junho had abandoned. Jaejoong leaned over. Before he said anything, he inhaled Yunho's cologne, and then he said, “I think he doesn’t like me.”

He laughed and shook his head. “He’s just a shy kid.”

Jaejoong caught Junho sneaking a look over his shoulder from the sink. He smiled and waved at him. That prompted him to swiftly turn around and turn the tap water off, wipe the bowl with a clean towel and put it away.

Yunho laughed again, and he lifted his eyebrows as if to say “see”.

“Alright, Jun, why don’t you go brush.”

He nodded and basically ran out of the kitchen.

They silently watched him disappear.

“Am I a scary adult?”

Laughing, Yunho said, “Not even if you tried.”

“You're sure about that?”

He nodded. “You’re too kind. Look at what you’re doing tonight?”

“Aww. That’s no biggie.” He blew a bubble. “Plus, I’d feel horrible running away and leaving you to babysit all alone.”

“Right. I didn’t foresee that happening.”

“Hey.” Jaejoong sat up straight. “It’s fine. I really don’t mind. I mean,” he quickly added, when he saw Yunho’s look of disbelief, “I was looking forward to going to the movies, but it’s going to be in theaters all summer. I’ve got time.”

“Let me make it up to you,” he said, placing his elbow on the table.

“Nah. You don’t have to.”

Yunho placed his chin on his open palm and he regarded Jaejoong under his thick lashes. “I can get my parents to buy our tickets and snacks.”

And suddenly, Jaejoong felt like if he didn’t ask, he would explode. “So, your parents, umm, do they know?”

Yunho simply stared at him. Jaejoong felt like he had stepped on a landmine.

After what felt like forever, they said in unison. 

“Sorry.”

“Know what?”

“Ooh. I meant, your—”

“That I am gay?”

Swallowing the thick ball of cotton his throat, he nodded.

Yunho smiled, rolling his head slightly to the side. He was still staring at him from under his lashes. “No. It’s the same as what I last told you.”

“I just…they seem…”

Yunho shrugged. “I’m still…No.” He dropped his gaze, and started tracing intricate shapes on the wooden surface of the table. “I have figured myself out. For the most part. It’s just…I don’t know if it’s worth destroying the relationship I have with my parents.”

“How do you know it’ll destroy it?”

He laughed, but it held none of the humor his deep, smooth laughs tended to. He looked at Jaejoong, and his gaze was piercing. It sent chilling shivers down Jaejoong’s spine.

“Jaejoong,” he sat up and lifted his elbow off the table and straightened his arm on his lap. “My parents are…I’ve known them for eighteen years.”

“I was scared, too. I thought my parents would never accept me. But—”

“They’re different.”

Jaejoong shut up. He wasn’t going to invalidate Yunho’s feelings. But he couldn't help it, he added, “They seem fine.”

“They’re good parents,” Yunho added with a faint smile. Before Jaejoong could say anything more, Junho popped back in the living room and shyly announced, “I am done.”

“Perfect, little man.” Yunho got up. Jaejoong followed suit.

“Do you want to watch an episode of Avatar?”

He nodded with zeal.

Yunho shared, “I got him into ATLA.”

“I didn’t know you finished?” Jaejoong looked at him with an open smile. He nodded. 

“The first two episodes were a little.” He shrugged and gave Jaejoong a goofy smile.

Jaejoong snorted. “Nah. Lies.”

Yunho laughed. The glee returned and the atmosphere lightened. Jaejoong felt a little better.

“I was going to tell you I finished, but I kept on forgetting.”

“Now I know. And now we both can fanboy together.”

“Junho is probably your mutual.”

Jaejoong smiled at the eight-year old as he sat down next to him. The boy didn’t hold his gaze for too long.

He was too cute!

“So, how are you enjoying the show?” Jaejoong asked

Without looking at him, he muttered, “Good.”

“Don’t hold all that excitement in,” Jaejoong teased, “it’s not good for you now.”

Junho chuckled against his self control.

He made eye contact with Jaejoong..

“It’s brilliant, right?”

The boy nodded, his smile so wide, he could not contain his elation.

“Who’s your favorite character?”

“Aang.” He looked away, but he did ask in a soft voice, “You?”

Jaejoong smiled triumphantly at Yunho before he said, “The whole Avatar gang.”

----

They made it through one episode before Junho had to go to bed. He could barely stay awake.

And instead of also leaving, Jaejoong ended up in Yunho’s bedroom. 

It was exactly what Jaejoong expected: clean, neat, simple, and perfectly organized. And his room smelled nice, as if it had been aired out, with a hint of laundry detergent. His bed had clearly been made, matching duvet and all.

Jaejoong wished for the year when he would find the strength and motivation to do his bed every waking day. But he was still wishing.

“Wow.”

“What?” Yunho said, popping another mint candy in his mouth and crunching it before he said, “You can sit on the chair or my bed.” And he pointed at each option as he listed them, one after the other.

Jaejoong looked at his bed before he moved in the opposite direction. “Chair.” 

“Scared?” His tone and gaze was playful. Still, it gave Jaejoong pause. 

The one thing he realized that his real-life relationship with Yunho had been lacking was the tense he used to share with A.aime. The open flirting they used to do was no longer, and Jaejoong was fine with that. Not only did it help him distance his feelings from the real-life Yunho, Jung Yunho didn’t seem like someone who was, as weird as that sounded, interested in a romantic relationship. What they shared did feel like a genuine, platonic friendship. At least on Yunho's part, if he was reading him right.

It felt safe

Jaejoong felt safe.

And that was why he was so startled at what he thought was happening. What he thought Yunho was hinting at.

Fire sizzled through him, turning his brain into mush. His throat feeling too dry and grainy, his tongue too large for his mouth, Jaejoong stupidly mumbled, “Why would I—?”

Yunho shook his head, a light smile playing on his lips. “Nothing. Go ahead.”

He gingerly sat down in the chair and shoved his hands under his thigh. And that’s when Jaejoong realized how nervous he felt. How rapid his heart was beating and how expectant he was.

He needed to leave soon. He didn’t like how he was feeling. His heart was beating way too loudly and was going way too fast. He was scared for his own health.

“Candy?” 

He shook his head. 

He awkwardly settled on perusing Yunho’s two bookshelves that were filled with books and the  few music albums and trophies that lined one of the shelves.

Yunho remained standing in the middle of the room. “Can I get you anything?”

Adjusting his body awkwardly and cautiously on the chair, he shook his head. “The…the water is fine.”

“Okay,” Yunho muttered, looking a little flustered. He settled on fluffing his already fluffy hair. Jaejoong had noticed that he tended to play with his hair when he was nervous. His nervousness made Jaejoong more anxious.

“I have to leave soon,” he blurted.

“We could always catch the last movie,” Yunho suggested. “When my parents come back, I mean.”

Jaejoong stared at his watch. “No. Maybe next time.”

Yunho nodded, looking a little disappointed. He padded to his bed and dropped on the edge and stared at Jaejoong, hands on knees. 

Jaejoong looked away from him, awkwardly surveying his bedroom instead. He feared Yunho could hear the loud thumping of his stubborn heart.

“Am I trying too hard?”

Jaejoong blinked hard and looked at Yunho. “What?” 

He shot up with nervous energy. Jaejoong stared at in a state of shock. He was mute as Yunho advanced on him, all the while raking his fingers through his hair. 

“I mean, I think it’s obvious. But I...you make me...I mean, I think you are saying yes...I mean, you being here mean that…” He stopped stuttering and mumbling and inhaled deeply before he asked, standing in front of a stunned Jaejoong, “Do you not want to be here?”

“What?” That question took him off guard.

“You just seem really…”

“No! I’m fine. It’s just that, I’ve never been in a guy’s bedroom before. Not that that’s weird. I mean, I have been in my friends’ rooms before—”

Yunho interjected with a simple request, stopping his random rambling. “Can I kiss you?”

His head spun a little bit, his stomach swirled in a hot, uncomfortable way, it all combined together to make him feel dizzy all the while sitting down in a well A/Ced room.

Yunho stood peering down at him, appearing like a deer caught in headlights with each minute that passed with Jaejoong staring up at him mouth open. He could not process his request.

They said in unison:

“I am sorry?”

“I am sorry.”

And they, Jeajoong sitting with his knees weak, and Yunho standing with his face a blotchy red mess, stared at each other in a loud moment of silence.

“I think,” Yunho started off gently, “You’re right. Maybe it’s best if we—”

“Yes.”

Yunho blinked and hesitated.

Jaejoong stood up. Yunho stared at him, looking quizzical.

“Yunho?” 

“Yes?”

And for a few more seconds that left like hours, they said nothing until Jaejoong muttered, “What’s going on?”

“I am confused, too.”

And they both started laughing. The whole situation was too confusing,

“Are you going to go home?”

“What? Yes, I mean, not right now. That’s not why I said yes.”

“Ooh!” Yunho turned an even deeper shade of crimson. “I am so sorry. I’m blowing this up.”

“No, you’re fine. I have no experience to compare it with, so I can’t tell if this is what it’s supposed to be or not.”

Yunho laughed, a soft, choking sound filtered through his nostrils. “Thanks. I guess.”

“Umm. Your question. Yeah. I mean—I don’t oppose it. It’s just, I thought you weren’t—”

“Weren’t what?”

“You seemed…I don’t know how to say it. You’ve never given me the vibe that you were into—”

“You? I am.”

Jaejoong knew his face was as red as Yunho’s and as he felt inside. He felt like the inside of his stomach had been lit on fire.

Was this a confession?

Why was he now so blunt?

No, he had always been blunt. He always liked that about him.

No. What was he to do? He wanted to kiss him. He liked Yunho, too. A lot. But they couldn’t, right?

Jaejoong coughed and fought the vibe to cover his face or run away. But he did drop his gaze. “I mean this. All of it.”

“Huh?”

“Not aual vibes, precisely, but like—”

“No. I am gay and I am not aual. What would make you think that?” His eyes were laughing.

“You said—”

“What?”

“I…I don’t know. You, not A.aime, you just gave off the vibe that you—”

Yunho was closing the distance between them and he suddenly looked very serious. Jaejoong’s heart squeezed.

“You…” he started to stutter.

“I am A.aime, Jaejoong.”

“I know that!” He hated the whine in his voice.

Yunho reached over and touched the back of his arm. It was hot where he touched and the heat was spreading throughout his body. His senses were being overpowered with everything that was Yunho, from the scent of his bedroom, cologne and breath and the feel of the tip of his fingers on his skin.

It was getting hard to think, because this was an out of body experience. 

“I’m sorry if I made you think I wasn’t attracted to you. I just didn’t want to make this weird.” He said, his voice getting softer and deeper as his face loomed closer. Jaejoong fought the conflicting urges he had within him: one was to close his eyes and purse his lips and the other was to hightail out of Yumnho’s bedroom and house.

Nothing made sense, and his thumping heart made it hard to hear anything besides its loud and erratic song.

“Yeah. No, I…I…” Jaejoong couldn’t focus.

“I’ve just been more focused on figuring myself out, so I’ve never done this before. I guess I’ve been waiting.”

Jaejoong thought he understood what Yunho was saying, because his knees were starting to tremble as he slid his hand down his arm and made to fuse his fingers with his.

Staring at Yunho’s soft, opaque eyes, his logic disintegrated. His nerves started buzzing like a bllion angry butterflies in his ears, he opened his mouth and said, “Huh? What?”

“Kissing.” Yunho’s face inched closer. His voice got deeper and smoother with each words he uttered. “Dating.”

“Ooh.”

Yunho was A.aime, that was true, but he was definitely smoother than his little respectable, deacon son online friend ever was. A.aime would have never turned his brain into mush with a single touch and come hither look.

“Can I kiss you?” Yunho asked again.

This was his out, but he knew he wouldn’t take it. He couldn’t. Not while he wanted this kiss like a poor soul lost in a desert wishing for rain.

“Yes.”

Yunho looked starstrucked and scared at his answer. The tall, muscular male took a step back, his eyes widening in shock. 

Jaejoong stepped forward, as if he was magnetically charged.

“I…” He closed his eyes, swallowed, and tried to quiet the noise in his head. “Kiss me before I change my mind.”

Yunho advanced on him without further encouragement. 

Closing his eyes, he curled his fingers into fists, and pursed his lips.

He smelled mint and felt Yunho’s hot breath before he felt his soft, warm lips on his. It felt like the brush of soft, tender feathers. Yunho’s lips felt as soft and as moisturized as they looked.

Yunho lightly placed his hands on his shoulders and pressed his closed lips harder against his. Jaejoong felt him trembling and chills cascaded down his spine as Yunho flushed the fingers from both of their hands together.

The kiss was chaste, repressed, and tender. It would not do. If he was going to break his rules and go against everything he believed in and tried to stand for, he expected to be kissed like today was his last day on Earth, and it was his last chance to kiss.

Parting his lips, first a bit unsure of his intentions before he sighed against Yunho’s lips and slipped his tongue in and tapped it against Yunho’s teeth. 

Yunho has been holding back. Maybe waiting for Jaejoong to let him know that middle schooler kiss wouldn’t do, because he released Jaejoong’s hands, grabbed the back of his head and pulled his body on top of his and kissed him like a man with years of experience. And while he didn’t have any prior experience for comparison, he knew he was not being kissed by a novice. That kiss didn’t feel like a beginner’s kiss.

Pulling Jaejoong closer, Yunho gently held his cheeks, rubbing his thumbs back and forth on the skin there as he passionately french-kissed Jaejoong.  

Something fragile in the middle of Jaejoong shattered, and he felt himself drowning.

Blood rushed to Jaejoong’s ears, making his head buzz as he reveled in the pressure of Yunho’s hard body against his and the smoothness of his tongue inside his mouth. 

They kissed like starved individuals.

Yunho tasted sweet and minty. 

The kiss was saccharine sweet.

He wanted more. 

He starved for more. 

More and more. 

And that intense desire jerked him back to reality. He pushed Yunho back like a scared animal, breaking the kiss. Their harsh breathing filled the silence in the bedroom.

Eyelids heavy, Yunho looked at Jaejoong, confused.

“I….” He did not know what to say.

Yunho invaded the tiny space he had created between them as he tried to think, and he reached and tenderly cupped his head and he lowered his head and kissed him again. It was a soft kiss. Mouth close. Jaejoong allowed it and leaned into the kiss, pushing his body with vigor into Yunho.

For the first time that summer, since he learned of his anonymous penpal’s real name and he realized he was slowly developing feelings for his former bully’s best friend, he allowed his desires to peek their heads out from where he had been trying to suppress and suffocated them all summer.

, he liked Yunho. A lot. 

A ing ton.

He was ed.