Sweet Perfection
Title: Sweet Perfection
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, slight Angst, Fluff
Summary: Jaejoong’s heart was Yunho’s the moment the other man stepped into the café.
A one day late birthday fic for yukimiya87, who I always run away from in my comments. ♥
Jaejoong didn’t know what to do with his feelings. He’d had them for a couple of months now, and the only thing they did was make his heart flutter and hurt.
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he gripped his dish rag a little tighter. Did he only feel so hurt because he was young, because he was foolishly in love with a man he hardly knew at all?
Jaejoong’s eyes flickered over to the man in question, and he bit his lip hard.
Look at me?
The man’s gaze remained rooted on the papers set out in front of him, and Jaejoong clutch his rag a little tighter. At least the other man was alone on the rainy afternoon, and free from the plague of his usual choice of terrible company.
For the past year that Jaejoong had worked in the café, he’d seen the man get dumped, stood up, and argued with. Most of his relationships seemed to end in the café, and Jaejoong couldn’t help but be an overly concerned bystander in the series of events.
If anything, Jaejoong wondered why the man kept coming back. Their coffee wasn’t the greatest, and their pastries were decent - if such terrible heartbreak kept coming within the borders of the tiny café’s walls, why would the man want to come back?
Didn’t he see heartbreak reflected in the tiny café mirrors or recall the sight of his partner leaving through familiar doors?
“Jaejoong, could you clean that table up?”
After a glance and a nod, Jaejoong left his spot at the counter and made his way for the table tucked into a far corner of the café. He walked past empty tables and stopped in front of the one that needed cleaning.
He placed everything onto the tray, and as soon as he turned around, Jaejoong’s eyes widened in surprise and shock. His grip on the tray loosened, and just as it was about to fall to the ground, the other man caught it.
“Hi.” The man breathed out as he handed the tray back to Jaejoong, who took it back with shaky hands. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
Jaejoong bit his lip, “What do you need?”
“Another slice of cake,” the man said with a smile that lit up his face and made Jaejoong’s heart flutter. “There’s no one at the counter, and I’ll be going soon, so I just wanted to -“
“Okay, I…” Jaejoong nodded furiously, “I can get you another slice.”
He took the tray in his hands and quickly rushed for the counter. He placed the tray aside carelessly and wiped his hands on his pants before he stood back in his usual place in front of the cash register.
“I’ll have a slice of carrot cake to go.”
Jaejoong showed the man the price, and as the man rifled through his wallet for the bills, he packed the cake into a tiny plastic container and placed it inside the café’s brown paper bag.
“Here you go,” Jaejoong whispered as the man reached out and brushed his fingers against his. He swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Thank you, please come again.”
The man flashed another brilliant smile, “Of course -“
Bells rang in the distance, and a taller man stood irritably at the café’s entrance. He clapped his hands together and shouted, “Yunho! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!”
The man - Yunho - turned his head, “I know, I know!” he smiled apologetically at Jaejoong, “Thank you as well,” he held up the brown paper bag, “For the cake.”
Jaejoong watched the man leave, and as soon as he was out of the store, he tried out the man’s name on his tongue.
“Yunho.” He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
It was a good name, a strong name, and it sounded like it belonged to a resilient person. Jaejoong smiled to himself and looked down at the counter, and repeated the name once more in the silence of the empty café.
Yunho.
The name seemed perfect - just like him.
o-o-o
Jaejoong pulled at a strand of damp hair on his head and sighed. He’d just dyed his hair a shade of brown, and now his hair was looking terrible. He’d bought cheap dye from the store, and he hoped that it wouldn’t wash out.
He busied himself fixing his hair in the reflection of the espresso machine but paused as soon as he heard voices enter the café. He turned around, and just as he’d expected, Yunho was one of the people that had entered.
“He broke up with you?” his friend asked sympathetically as he placed a hand on Yunho’s shoulder, “That asshole, he was just like that girl you tried dating a year back. I told you that he wasn’t worth your time -“
Yunho shrugged off his friend’s hand, “I’m over it.” He muttered as they approached the counter, Jaejoong watching them come closer. Yunho glanced at his friend, “You’re right, he wasn’t worth my time.”
Yunho’s friend sighed and glanced at Jaejoong, “I’ll have two slices of the carrot cake, a blueberry muffin, a slice of apple pie, hot chocolate and -“
“You’d think he was the one he just got dumped.” Yunho said with a weak smile as he met Jaejoong’s eyes. His friend just rolled his eyes and glanced back at Yunho, “What do you want?”
“I’ll probably just take a slice of carrot cake from you.” Yunho replied as he pocketed his wallet, “Besides, you promised me that you’d be paying today Changmin.” He once more met eyes with Jaejoong, “Food is a source of happiness, isn’t it?” he asked, his eyes fixated on Jaejoong’s.
Jaejoong blushed and nodded.
“See, and besides, the carrot cake here has suddenly gotten really good.” Yunho finished as Changmin brought out his wallet reluctantly to pay for the food.
Jaejoong tried to hide the smile of delight that crossed his features because ever since the previous week, he’d been the one baking the carrot cake.
o-o-o
It was too much to take, and Jaejoong could only presume that his behavior was equal to the times when his sisters had followed around male idols during their free time. He was obsessively hung up on Yunho - noticing each haircut, each laugh, and each smile.
He was happy to note that Yunho hadn’t shown up sad in weeks.
Jaejoong wiped the counter one last time before he sat down on a stool, a smile flittering across his face. For some reason, Yunho always came to the café during the dead times of the day. It was rare for him to come in early in the morning, or late at night. He always showed up in the dead times during the afternoon.
Jaejoong couldn’t help but think that maybe if he wasn’t shy, if he wasn’t quiet, if he wasn’t a luckless working student, if he was just anyone else, then maybe they would be talking and not sitting in silence.
Jaejoong let out a wistful sigh and glanced in Yunho’s direction - only to find the other man staring at him.
He quickly looked away and bit his lip. Jaejoong ran a hand through his hair and cursed inwardly. Why did he look away? It made his awkwardness and uneasiness so obvious on his part. He sighed irritably and slowly turned back to look in Yunho’s direction.
The man mouthed a small hi which was accompanied with a dorky wave, and just like that, Jaejoong’s heart was lost to Jung Yunho once again.
o-o-o
“The carrot cake has really improved.”
Jaejoong slowly lifted his eyes off the word search book in his hands, and he gripped his pencil tighter as soon as his eyes met Yunho. He blushed, “Thank you.”
Yunho leaned across the counter, “Did the café change the food supplier or something?”
Jaejoong shook his head and swallowed hard, “I…I bake it.” He gripped his pencil even tighter and felt like it could break in his hand. “The café pays me.”
“Oh, I see.” A pleased smile flittered on Yunho’s face, “Well, it’s delicious. It’s why I keep coming back nowadays.” He pushed away from the counter and pulled at his loose shirt, “I think it’s why I’m gaining weight -“
“You look fine!” Jaejoong blurted out nervously before he realized the words that had just slipped from his mouth. He covered his mouth impulsively and looked down, “I mean…nothing.”
Yunho laughed, his voice warm and absolute music to Jaejoong’s ears. He smiled and leaned back across the counter, “Did you know that there are only three live species of elephants in the world?”
Jaejoong stared in Yunho in confusion until he noticed that Yunho was looking at the elephant bracelet around his wrist, a trinket made by one of his numerous nieces. He shook his head, and Yunho laughed once again.
“It’s not something a lawyer usually knows, but I think it’s interesting.” He said with a smile before he moved away, “I have a meeting to go to now, so thank you for…” Yunho smiled apologetically, “Thank you for letting me waste your time.”
“I…” Jaejoong trailed off, “Would you like a piece of cake before you go?” he asked nervously, his heart pounding in his chest. “Free?”
“Free cake?”
“For talking to me,” Jaejoong explained, but after realizing that what he’d said had just made him sound like a pathetic loner, he quickly remedied his words, “I mean, for making my afternoon interesting.”
Yunho tilted his head and smiled, “Alright then. I’d be a fool to pass up free cake.”
o-o-o
It’s not about cake, it’s about love - Jaejoong repeated mentally, trying to convince himself that his observations were the truth. He couldn’t help but hope that just maybe, Yunho was attracted to him too.
The other man had become an even more important part of his life as they’d become closer over the past weeks. If the gentle smiles, the kind laughter, the innocent touches, the hint of attraction on Yunho’s part were all part of a dream, then he hoped to never wake up.
“I’m allowed to be foolish, right?” Jaejoong murmured aloud as he shopped for ingredients, “I’m young.” He continued as he pushed his cart and tried to find his usual brand of flour. “I’m allowed to be lovesick and -“
Jaejoong paused in the middle of the aisle and stared as Yunho walked past him, his arm linked with another girl’s. His heart froze tragically in his chest, and he was torn between running after them or running away.
His curious and masochistic side won out, so Jaejoong immediately ditched his cart and followed after them. It was unfortunate for him however, that he had the grace of a drunken toddler.
Thus, he ended up slipping on the supermarket’s wet floor and falling onto the tiles with a resounding thud.
“Are you okay?”
The voice was immediately familiar, and Jaejoong cringed as he allowed Yunho to help him up. He met Yunho’s dark brown eyes and blushed in embarrassment, “I’m sorry, I should’ve -“
“Jaejoong, don’t apologize.” Yunho said with a smile as he brushed away locks of hair off the other man’s forehead, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m -“ Jaejoong met the gaze of the girl standing next to Yunho, who was looking at him with a curious expression on her face. “I’m fine.”
“Yunho, you should invite your friend with us to dinner.” The girl suggested with a smile as she tugged on Yunho’s sleeve. “You just won your first case. I think you should have as many people celebrate with you as possible.”
“Oh, I don’t know -“ Jaejoong stammered, desperately attempting to get out of an awkward occasion that involved Yunho and his probable girlfriend. “I’m really busy -“
“No, I think you should come.” Yunho said with a smile, “The more the merrier. It’s just me and Jihye right now after all.” He pulled the girl close, “It’d be nice if you had dinner with us.”
Jaejoong couldn’t find it in himself to disappoint Yunho, so he reluctantly said yes and was dragged out of the supermarket into the closest restaurant for dinner - where he discovered that Jihye was Yunho’s sister, and not his girlfriend.
o-o-o
Jaejoong didn’t know why Yunho was acting different.
He watched as Yunho stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee and wondered why the other man was suddenly becoming more withdrawn lately. Jaejoong watched worriedly and reached out slowly, his hand only centimeters away from Yunho’s.
“Are you okay?” Jaejoong asked softly, itching to reach out and touch Yunho.
Yunho looked up at him and nodded, “I’m fine.”
“Oh, okay.” Jaejoong murmured as he averted his eyes, not very pleased with Yunho’s answer since there was still obviously something bothering him.
“Jaejoong…”
At the sound of his name, Jaejoong looked up. In Yunho’s eyes, he caught the expression of genuine care and worry. Yunho smiled, “I’m…I’m okay.” He said reassuringly before he pulled back his hand and looked away.
In those brief seconds, Yunho had gone from genuine to indifferent, and Jaejoong studied him warily. It was obvious that something was bothering him, and he wanted to know what.
Jaejoong looked down at his textbook and sighed. He tried to continue reading the page, but he stopped as soon as he felt Yunho’s gaze on him once more. He could feel the other man’s intense look, and he snapped his eyes up quickly in order to meet Yunho’s.
Yunho’s eyes widened in surprise, “Ah, well -“
“Is there something on my face?” Jaejoong asked, trying to sound less worried than he was. He reached out touched his cheek, “You can tell me -“
Yunho shook his head and looked down at the table, “No, you look fine. You look…” he trailed off and met Jaejoong’s eyes. “You look perfect.”
A blush made its way across Jaejoong’s cheeks, and he smiled back shyly at Yunho, his hand covering his mouth in his usual mannerism. “Thank you.” He looked at him appreciatively, but noticed the flash of doubt on Yunho’s face.
What did he doubt?
“Jaejoong…” Yunho trailed off and let out a quiet sigh, “I happy to have met you.” He added softly with an almost wistful tone in his voice.
Jaejoong stared at Yunho in confusion, wondering why the other man had suddenly gotten so somber. He reached out slowly but paused, and he watched as Yunho’s hand almost instinctively reached out to touch his but quickly pulled away.
Yunho seemed scared.
It took a few more minutes of silence for Jaejoong to realize why, and his heart pounded faster in his chest with realization as he wondered if his assumptions were correct.
Yunho liked him, but was too scared to act on his feelings because he worried that their relationship would like end like all the ones he had before, that if they ended up getting together, their relationship with end like all the others.
Jaejoong reached out impulsively and took hold of Yunho’s hand. The other man looked at him with an expression of surprise and worry, but Jaejoong could only shoot him an innocent smile.
I’ll be different from the others, I promise.
o-o-o
The café was empty as usual, and the rest of Jaejoong’s co-workers were all asleep in the backroom. Management had never been strict, and the fact that the café was empty gave them just another more reason to slack off.
Jaejoong however, stayed with Yunho.
“I should try making something else.” Jaejoong murmured as Yunho finished the last bit of cake on his plate, “What else do you like?”
Yunho failed to reply, so Jaejoong raised his eyes off the paper and looked at him, only to catch him staring.
“What?” Jaejoong asked, worry evident his voice as the silence lingered. He was about to repeat his question when Yunho interrupted.
“Do you like me?” Yunho breathed, his eyes focused on Jaejoong completely.
The question hung in the air, and Jaejoong began to feel dizzy. His mouth was dry, his throat had somehow closed up, his heart was racing, and he was at a complete loss as to what to do next, because although he’d waited for the day Yunho would ask that question, reality was much different from dreams.
Jaejoong had been waiting so long for Yunho to make a move, that even though he’d tried to prepare himself, he still couldn’t think straight.
“I -“
Yunho shook his head and moved to stand up, “I’m sorry, that was a stupid question. Please forget it -“
Jaejoong immediately stood up, his chair scraping across the café floor loudly as he reached out and held Yunho’s wrist. “I like you. I do. I think I’ve been in -“ he stopped and shook his head, “I think I’ve loved you for at least a year.”
Yunho stared at Jaejoong in shock, the words an obvious surprise. A worried expression crossed Yunho’s face and he bit his lip.
Slowly, Yunho gathered his wits and replied, “I…I don’t want this to end badly.” He swallowed and moved closer to Jaejoong, “You know me.” He added, a bitter edge to his words. “I don’t seem like the right person for anyone -“
“Do you like me?” Jaejoong breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
Yunho nodded slowly, “Too much.” He breathed out, “I don’t want to ruin things.”
“You won’t.” Jaejoong replied, his voice earnest and filled with conviction. “You won’t ruin anything because there’s nothing wrong with you, and there’s never been anything wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
There was no more need for words as Jaejoong pressed his lips against Yunho’s, the faint taste of cake a reminder and symbol of the sweetness of new beginnings and newfound love.
Author’s Note: Ack, I’m sorry for being a date late with this manang Aiza! XD I hope you had a great birthday! I hope you guys all liked this. I’m really nervous nowadays, seeing as I haven’t been posting beta read stories in a bit…yeah. Hahaha. XD This was hugely inspired by the song Us Against the World by Coldplay, and I highly recommend it to everyone. ^__^ Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Also, if you haven’t read it yet, please read Tide, which is a oneshot I posted around two days ago. :3 Once again, thank you for reading and comments are greatly loved and appreciated! ♥
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, slight Angst, Fluff
Summary: Jaejoong’s heart was Yunho’s the moment the other man stepped into the café.
A one day late birthday fic for yukimiya87, who I always run away from in my comments. ♥
Jaejoong didn’t know what to do with his feelings. He’d had them for a couple of months now, and the only thing they did was make his heart flutter and hurt.
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he gripped his dish rag a little tighter. Did he only feel so hurt because he was young, because he was foolishly in love with a man he hardly knew at all?
Jaejoong’s eyes flickered over to the man in question, and he bit his lip hard.
Look at me?
The man’s gaze remained rooted on the papers set out in front of him, and Jaejoong clutch his rag a little tighter. At least the other man was alone on the rainy afternoon, and free from the plague of his usual choice of terrible company.
For the past year that Jaejoong had worked in the café, he’d seen the man get dumped, stood up, and argued with. Most of his relationships seemed to end in the café, and Jaejoong couldn’t help but be an overly concerned bystander in the series of events.
If anything, Jaejoong wondered why the man kept coming back. Their coffee wasn’t the greatest, and their pastries were decent - if such terrible heartbreak kept coming within the borders of the tiny café’s walls, why would the man want to come back?
Didn’t he see heartbreak reflected in the tiny café mirrors or recall the sight of his partner leaving through familiar doors?
“Jaejoong, could you clean that table up?”
After a glance and a nod, Jaejoong left his spot at the counter and made his way for the table tucked into a far corner of the café. He walked past empty tables and stopped in front of the one that needed cleaning.
He placed everything onto the tray, and as soon as he turned around, Jaejoong’s eyes widened in surprise and shock. His grip on the tray loosened, and just as it was about to fall to the ground, the other man caught it.
“Hi.” The man breathed out as he handed the tray back to Jaejoong, who took it back with shaky hands. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
Jaejoong bit his lip, “What do you need?”
“Another slice of cake,” the man said with a smile that lit up his face and made Jaejoong’s heart flutter. “There’s no one at the counter, and I’ll be going soon, so I just wanted to -“
“Okay, I…” Jaejoong nodded furiously, “I can get you another slice.”
He took the tray in his hands and quickly rushed for the counter. He placed the tray aside carelessly and wiped his hands on his pants before he stood back in his usual place in front of the cash register.
“I’ll have a slice of carrot cake to go.”
Jaejoong showed the man the price, and as the man rifled through his wallet for the bills, he packed the cake into a tiny plastic container and placed it inside the café’s brown paper bag.
“Here you go,” Jaejoong whispered as the man reached out and brushed his fingers against his. He swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Thank you, please come again.”
The man flashed another brilliant smile, “Of course -“
Bells rang in the distance, and a taller man stood irritably at the café’s entrance. He clapped his hands together and shouted, “Yunho! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!”
The man - Yunho - turned his head, “I know, I know!” he smiled apologetically at Jaejoong, “Thank you as well,” he held up the brown paper bag, “For the cake.”
Jaejoong watched the man leave, and as soon as he was out of the store, he tried out the man’s name on his tongue.
“Yunho.” He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
It was a good name, a strong name, and it sounded like it belonged to a resilient person. Jaejoong smiled to himself and looked down at the counter, and repeated the name once more in the silence of the empty café.
Yunho.
The name seemed perfect - just like him.
o-o-o
Jaejoong pulled at a strand of damp hair on his head and sighed. He’d just dyed his hair a shade of brown, and now his hair was looking terrible. He’d bought cheap dye from the store, and he hoped that it wouldn’t wash out.
He busied himself fixing his hair in the reflection of the espresso machine but paused as soon as he heard voices enter the café. He turned around, and just as he’d expected, Yunho was one of the people that had entered.
“He broke up with you?” his friend asked sympathetically as he placed a hand on Yunho’s shoulder, “That asshole, he was just like that girl you tried dating a year back. I told you that he wasn’t worth your time -“
Yunho shrugged off his friend’s hand, “I’m over it.” He muttered as they approached the counter, Jaejoong watching them come closer. Yunho glanced at his friend, “You’re right, he wasn’t worth my time.”
Yunho’s friend sighed and glanced at Jaejoong, “I’ll have two slices of the carrot cake, a blueberry muffin, a slice of apple pie, hot chocolate and -“
“You’d think he was the one he just got dumped.” Yunho said with a weak smile as he met Jaejoong’s eyes. His friend just rolled his eyes and glanced back at Yunho, “What do you want?”
“I’ll probably just take a slice of carrot cake from you.” Yunho replied as he pocketed his wallet, “Besides, you promised me that you’d be paying today Changmin.” He once more met eyes with Jaejoong, “Food is a source of happiness, isn’t it?” he asked, his eyes fixated on Jaejoong’s.
Jaejoong blushed and nodded.
“See, and besides, the carrot cake here has suddenly gotten really good.” Yunho finished as Changmin brought out his wallet reluctantly to pay for the food.
Jaejoong tried to hide the smile of delight that crossed his features because ever since the previous week, he’d been the one baking the carrot cake.
o-o-o
It was too much to take, and Jaejoong could only presume that his behavior was equal to the times when his sisters had followed around male idols during their free time. He was obsessively hung up on Yunho - noticing each haircut, each laugh, and each smile.
He was happy to note that Yunho hadn’t shown up sad in weeks.
Jaejoong wiped the counter one last time before he sat down on a stool, a smile flittering across his face. For some reason, Yunho always came to the café during the dead times of the day. It was rare for him to come in early in the morning, or late at night. He always showed up in the dead times during the afternoon.
Jaejoong couldn’t help but think that maybe if he wasn’t shy, if he wasn’t quiet, if he wasn’t a luckless working student, if he was just anyone else, then maybe they would be talking and not sitting in silence.
Jaejoong let out a wistful sigh and glanced in Yunho’s direction - only to find the other man staring at him.
He quickly looked away and bit his lip. Jaejoong ran a hand through his hair and cursed inwardly. Why did he look away? It made his awkwardness and uneasiness so obvious on his part. He sighed irritably and slowly turned back to look in Yunho’s direction.
The man mouthed a small hi which was accompanied with a dorky wave, and just like that, Jaejoong’s heart was lost to Jung Yunho once again.
o-o-o
“The carrot cake has really improved.”
Jaejoong slowly lifted his eyes off the word search book in his hands, and he gripped his pencil tighter as soon as his eyes met Yunho. He blushed, “Thank you.”
Yunho leaned across the counter, “Did the café change the food supplier or something?”
Jaejoong shook his head and swallowed hard, “I…I bake it.” He gripped his pencil even tighter and felt like it could break in his hand. “The café pays me.”
“Oh, I see.” A pleased smile flittered on Yunho’s face, “Well, it’s delicious. It’s why I keep coming back nowadays.” He pushed away from the counter and pulled at his loose shirt, “I think it’s why I’m gaining weight -“
“You look fine!” Jaejoong blurted out nervously before he realized the words that had just slipped from his mouth. He covered his mouth impulsively and looked down, “I mean…nothing.”
Yunho laughed, his voice warm and absolute music to Jaejoong’s ears. He smiled and leaned back across the counter, “Did you know that there are only three live species of elephants in the world?”
Jaejoong stared in Yunho in confusion until he noticed that Yunho was looking at the elephant bracelet around his wrist, a trinket made by one of his numerous nieces. He shook his head, and Yunho laughed once again.
“It’s not something a lawyer usually knows, but I think it’s interesting.” He said with a smile before he moved away, “I have a meeting to go to now, so thank you for…” Yunho smiled apologetically, “Thank you for letting me waste your time.”
“I…” Jaejoong trailed off, “Would you like a piece of cake before you go?” he asked nervously, his heart pounding in his chest. “Free?”
“Free cake?”
“For talking to me,” Jaejoong explained, but after realizing that what he’d said had just made him sound like a pathetic loner, he quickly remedied his words, “I mean, for making my afternoon interesting.”
Yunho tilted his head and smiled, “Alright then. I’d be a fool to pass up free cake.”
o-o-o
It’s not about cake, it’s about love - Jaejoong repeated mentally, trying to convince himself that his observations were the truth. He couldn’t help but hope that just maybe, Yunho was attracted to him too.
The other man had become an even more important part of his life as they’d become closer over the past weeks. If the gentle smiles, the kind laughter, the innocent touches, the hint of attraction on Yunho’s part were all part of a dream, then he hoped to never wake up.
“I’m allowed to be foolish, right?” Jaejoong murmured aloud as he shopped for ingredients, “I’m young.” He continued as he pushed his cart and tried to find his usual brand of flour. “I’m allowed to be lovesick and -“
Jaejoong paused in the middle of the aisle and stared as Yunho walked past him, his arm linked with another girl’s. His heart froze tragically in his chest, and he was torn between running after them or running away.
His curious and masochistic side won out, so Jaejoong immediately ditched his cart and followed after them. It was unfortunate for him however, that he had the grace of a drunken toddler.
Thus, he ended up slipping on the supermarket’s wet floor and falling onto the tiles with a resounding thud.
“Are you okay?”
The voice was immediately familiar, and Jaejoong cringed as he allowed Yunho to help him up. He met Yunho’s dark brown eyes and blushed in embarrassment, “I’m sorry, I should’ve -“
“Jaejoong, don’t apologize.” Yunho said with a smile as he brushed away locks of hair off the other man’s forehead, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m -“ Jaejoong met the gaze of the girl standing next to Yunho, who was looking at him with a curious expression on her face. “I’m fine.”
“Yunho, you should invite your friend with us to dinner.” The girl suggested with a smile as she tugged on Yunho’s sleeve. “You just won your first case. I think you should have as many people celebrate with you as possible.”
“Oh, I don’t know -“ Jaejoong stammered, desperately attempting to get out of an awkward occasion that involved Yunho and his probable girlfriend. “I’m really busy -“
“No, I think you should come.” Yunho said with a smile, “The more the merrier. It’s just me and Jihye right now after all.” He pulled the girl close, “It’d be nice if you had dinner with us.”
Jaejoong couldn’t find it in himself to disappoint Yunho, so he reluctantly said yes and was dragged out of the supermarket into the closest restaurant for dinner - where he discovered that Jihye was Yunho’s sister, and not his girlfriend.
o-o-o
Jaejoong didn’t know why Yunho was acting different.
He watched as Yunho stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee and wondered why the other man was suddenly becoming more withdrawn lately. Jaejoong watched worriedly and reached out slowly, his hand only centimeters away from Yunho’s.
“Are you okay?” Jaejoong asked softly, itching to reach out and touch Yunho.
Yunho looked up at him and nodded, “I’m fine.”
“Oh, okay.” Jaejoong murmured as he averted his eyes, not very pleased with Yunho’s answer since there was still obviously something bothering him.
“Jaejoong…”
At the sound of his name, Jaejoong looked up. In Yunho’s eyes, he caught the expression of genuine care and worry. Yunho smiled, “I’m…I’m okay.” He said reassuringly before he pulled back his hand and looked away.
In those brief seconds, Yunho had gone from genuine to indifferent, and Jaejoong studied him warily. It was obvious that something was bothering him, and he wanted to know what.
Jaejoong looked down at his textbook and sighed. He tried to continue reading the page, but he stopped as soon as he felt Yunho’s gaze on him once more. He could feel the other man’s intense look, and he snapped his eyes up quickly in order to meet Yunho’s.
Yunho’s eyes widened in surprise, “Ah, well -“
“Is there something on my face?” Jaejoong asked, trying to sound less worried than he was. He reached out touched his cheek, “You can tell me -“
Yunho shook his head and looked down at the table, “No, you look fine. You look…” he trailed off and met Jaejoong’s eyes. “You look perfect.”
A blush made its way across Jaejoong’s cheeks, and he smiled back shyly at Yunho, his hand covering his mouth in his usual mannerism. “Thank you.” He looked at him appreciatively, but noticed the flash of doubt on Yunho’s face.
What did he doubt?
“Jaejoong…” Yunho trailed off and let out a quiet sigh, “I happy to have met you.” He added softly with an almost wistful tone in his voice.
Jaejoong stared at Yunho in confusion, wondering why the other man had suddenly gotten so somber. He reached out slowly but paused, and he watched as Yunho’s hand almost instinctively reached out to touch his but quickly pulled away.
Yunho seemed scared.
It took a few more minutes of silence for Jaejoong to realize why, and his heart pounded faster in his chest with realization as he wondered if his assumptions were correct.
Yunho liked him, but was too scared to act on his feelings because he worried that their relationship would like end like all the ones he had before, that if they ended up getting together, their relationship with end like all the others.
Jaejoong reached out impulsively and took hold of Yunho’s hand. The other man looked at him with an expression of surprise and worry, but Jaejoong could only shoot him an innocent smile.
I’ll be different from the others, I promise.
o-o-o
The café was empty as usual, and the rest of Jaejoong’s co-workers were all asleep in the backroom. Management had never been strict, and the fact that the café was empty gave them just another more reason to slack off.
Jaejoong however, stayed with Yunho.
“I should try making something else.” Jaejoong murmured as Yunho finished the last bit of cake on his plate, “What else do you like?”
Yunho failed to reply, so Jaejoong raised his eyes off the paper and looked at him, only to catch him staring.
“What?” Jaejoong asked, worry evident his voice as the silence lingered. He was about to repeat his question when Yunho interrupted.
“Do you like me?” Yunho breathed, his eyes focused on Jaejoong completely.
The question hung in the air, and Jaejoong began to feel dizzy. His mouth was dry, his throat had somehow closed up, his heart was racing, and he was at a complete loss as to what to do next, because although he’d waited for the day Yunho would ask that question, reality was much different from dreams.
Jaejoong had been waiting so long for Yunho to make a move, that even though he’d tried to prepare himself, he still couldn’t think straight.
“I -“
Yunho shook his head and moved to stand up, “I’m sorry, that was a stupid question. Please forget it -“
Jaejoong immediately stood up, his chair scraping across the café floor loudly as he reached out and held Yunho’s wrist. “I like you. I do. I think I’ve been in -“ he stopped and shook his head, “I think I’ve loved you for at least a year.”
Yunho stared at Jaejoong in shock, the words an obvious surprise. A worried expression crossed Yunho’s face and he bit his lip.
Slowly, Yunho gathered his wits and replied, “I…I don’t want this to end badly.” He swallowed and moved closer to Jaejoong, “You know me.” He added, a bitter edge to his words. “I don’t seem like the right person for anyone -“
“Do you like me?” Jaejoong breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
Yunho nodded slowly, “Too much.” He breathed out, “I don’t want to ruin things.”
“You won’t.” Jaejoong replied, his voice earnest and filled with conviction. “You won’t ruin anything because there’s nothing wrong with you, and there’s never been anything wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
There was no more need for words as Jaejoong pressed his lips against Yunho’s, the faint taste of cake a reminder and symbol of the sweetness of new beginnings and newfound love.
Author’s Note: Ack, I’m sorry for being a date late with this manang Aiza! XD I hope you had a great birthday! I hope you guys all liked this. I’m really nervous nowadays, seeing as I haven’t been posting beta read stories in a bit…yeah. Hahaha. XD This was hugely inspired by the song Us Against the World by Coldplay, and I highly recommend it to everyone. ^__^ Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Also, if you haven’t read it yet, please read Tide, which is a oneshot I posted around two days ago. :3 Once again, thank you for reading and comments are greatly loved and appreciated! ♥