[fic] the mystery around string boy
Title : The mystery around String boy
Beta :
yunho_ism
Genre : AU ; Humor ; Fluff
Pairing : Chibi Yunho x Jaejoong
Length : OS
Rating : G
Summary : And before Yunho noticed it, he forgot about his little mathematics task and was trying hard to guess what was wrong with that boy.
A/N: Written for
pikasu :)
Sighing on his chair for a few minutes, he didn’t know what to do. It was only six pm, he already studied and was bored. He would have played some video games, well, if his father hadn’t taken them away from him. There was no need, he thought, he always gets As, spends all of his time studying and doesn’t get into trouble. His room was full of books, dictionaries and dusty encyclopaedias; he didn’t even have a computer. His life was so boring, and Yunho was only nine.
Putting his sneakers on, he went downstairs, carefully checking the living room if his father had already arrived -but no, thank God- and left the house. Since the weather was chilling, he zipped up his jacket and hid his hands in his pant’s pockets. ‘Where should I go?’ he wondered. ‘Well… Let’s go this way.’ He realized after a few minutes that he was heading to a park.
Okay it was not Disneyland, -not that he actually knew how Disneyland was-, but it was far from being huge. A few trees here and there, lots of bushes, a fountain in the middle, benches, swings and other games for the children. To sum it up, nothing exciting, right? Some people were taking a walk, chatting or even playing while he was just sitting on the bench. How odd would it be for an nine-year-old to play on the swing? Really odd. Even if Yunho craved for the swing, he didn’t want to humiliate himself. He was told to pay attention to his image, and he was only nine.
The little boy got bored -once again- and stared at the people walking in front of him. He even decided to count them, calculate the women, men and children’s percentage to distract himself. At least he had something to do. Two minutes later, he had already counted ten women, three men and was abou- Wait. What was this boy doing? He paid attention to this black-haired boy, finding his behaviour weird. Indeed, the latter was holding a little string with nothing on it and was waiting patiently.
Well Yunho supposed that he was waiting, the boy seemed like he was whistling, tapping his feet on the grass… as if he was waiting for someone. He looked down and left the park, still holding his string. What was so important with this string anyway? And before Yunho noticed it, he forgot about his little mathematics task and was trying hard to guess what was wrong with that boy.
What if the string was a part of a yo-yo? Maybe he lost the cylinder thing and ended up with the string in his hand… ‘But he would’ve just put it on his pocket…’ Yunho sighed. He frowned, pouting. ‘I don’t get it.’ He was the kind of person who didn’t give up when he didn’t understand something. ‘There has to be reason.’ Everything happens with a reason, his father always told him.
About ten minutes later, the little boy finally decided to leave, it was starting to get late and he had to go home before dinner. Still intrigued about that string boy, Yunho decided to come back to the park the next day. Well, after doing his homework of course.
- - - - -
He never labelled himself as someone particularly ‘lucky’, he didn’t really believe in luck, his dad told him not to. If he ever got excellent grades, it was only due to his efforts, not luck. However for some reason, today he felt… fortunate. Indeed, he wasn’t sure if String boy would come again -which would be strange by the way- but when the black-haired boy’s silhouette appeared, his eyes widened.
He was holding the same string as yesterday… with nothing on it! Curiosity got the best of Yunho, it was really really strange. He waited a few seconds before standing up, heading to this mysterious boy. He’d usually bow to a stranger but String boy might be his age, what’s the use? Besides, he was really bothered by this string thing…
“Hi! My name is Yunho!” he instantly said to his interlocutor. The latter stopped walking, looked at him and nodded, meaning ‘hi’. “I’m sorry to ask you this and it might be quite stupid by the way… But I wanted to know what you were doing.”
The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow, confused by the sudden question. “Err, taking a walk?” This conversation was getting nowhere, he thought. Plus, even if it was a child, his attitude was kind of odd. “Can I go?” As soon as he asked to leave, the other boy interrupted him.
“But, what are you doing with this string? It doesn’t make any sense!” Yunho exclaimed, pointing to the said string. String boy let out a heavy sigh, he knew that he had to answer to that detective boy, otherwise he wouldn’t set him free. He was 100% sure of it.
“I’m taking my sheep out for a walk. There, you happy?” he replied, slightly annoyed. “Geez. Whom do youwork for, the FBI?” Noticing that his interlocutor had stopped talking, he walked away from him. That was a strange boy, definitely.
On the other hand, Yunho suddenly turned mute, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. He blinked several times, trying to recall what had occurred. String boy did say ‘sheep’, he wasn’t hearing things, he was positive. But there was nothing on the string, nothing! Not even a little sheep plushie… nothing. ‘Wait. Maybe he just lied to me,’ the little boy conceived the second after. He could have lied to him but he seemed so sincere, it was strange.
Strange and a headache material too. This was bothering Yunho too much, it was distracting him while it shouldn’t. It wasn’t an ‘important’ thing, but he really wanted to solve the mystery around this string. Since the first time he saw String boy -yesterday-, he wasn’t focused in school nor at home. Enough! Pouting with a frown, he sighed and went back home, deciding to not think about this again. This was all because of a string! Fine, he won’t ever consider trying to discover the string’s secret. Never again.
- - - - -
“Gaaah! Where is he?” Yunho groaned, on the verge of pulling out his hair. He had been waiting in the park for more than thirty minutes and there was still no sign of that kid. The day before, he figured that he’d break his own promise, that he knew he’d come to the park again to meet the boy. He had to; it was driving him crazy. And now, here he was, hidden behind a tree -because he realized that the other kid would run away if he ever saw him-, almost praying for him to come.
Glancing at his watch, he made a face; it was ten to seven. It was getting late; he had to leave the place soon. He was almost sure the black-haired boy wouldn’t come because of the day before. Well, he’ll come tomorrow and maybe see him. Yunho let out a sigh, he really wanted to talk with String boy. When he was about to leave his spot, he noticed that the other kid had just entered the park! He was so lucky and couldn’t hide his joy. Running towards him, he bowed this time before speaking.
“You’re here, hi!” he continued, seeing his interlocutor sighing. “I’m sorry for my behaviour yesterday, really. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He was expecting String boy to smile or say something, but the latter only nodded, mumbling an ‘okay’. And Yunho talked again. “You left me quite confused yesterday, I have to say. Why did you say that you were taking your sheep out for a walk?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go, so I had to say the truth, right?” the boy replied, less annoyed. “Ah I get it, is this a hidden camera?” he added with a whisper, while Yunho was already shaking his head. “Well then, I don’t know why you’re so persistent.”
“But but but…! There is no sheep! There’s nothing on your string!” Yunho exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air.
“You!” String boy shouted, putting his finger on Yunho’s chest. “Who do you think you are to talk like that about Fluffy, huh? There’s no need to insult my pet, he may be little but he is here!” He was so angry that he had to prevent himself from strangling the other kid.
“But…” Yunho wasn’t expecting the other boy to get angry so fast, maybe he crossed the line. But once again, he saw nothing on the string. He didn’t understand why. “No buts, you’re mean.” And with that, String boy left him, guilt appearing on Yunho’s face.
He felt bad because when the black-haired boy murmured his last words, he seemed sad and Yunho figured that he went too far. He didn’t mean to hurt him nor bully him, he just wanted to know why he couldn’t see the sheep. ‘I probably should apologize again,’ he thought. He decided to follow String boy’s steps carefully, without the other knowing about his presence.
Yunho suddenly stopped, hiding behind a mailbox when String boy greeted another kid. The two of them seemed close, you don’t hug anyone unless you’re great friends with him. He stared at them, jealousy rising in his chest. He had always put his studies before everything else and never sympathized with anyone. He’s always been alone and seeing them interacting with each other, he couldn’t help feeling envious.
He decided to go back home but froze when he looked at the new kid. The latter was kneeling, and stroking the air. Was he…? Was he stroking the famous sheep? Yunho widened his eyes upon watching the scene in front of him. Why couldn’t he see the animal? Was there something wrong with him? He blinked several times, maybe he misunderstood, maybe String boy’s friend was… No, he was in the same position, raising his head, talking with his friend.
Scratching his head, Yunho finally decided to go home. He was exhausted, hungry but overall confused. ‘Do I need to see a doctor?’ he wondered. He was probably ill, he didn’t want to lose his sight. Maybe he needed to wear glasses, he didn’t know. His thoughts were meddling together, he couldn’t think clearly. He was certain of one thing: he wouldn’t go back to the park again. ‘It’s a pinkie promise to… myself,’ he thought bitterly when he entwined his pinkies together.
- - - - -
Yunho didn’t go to the park the day after, nor the following days. He was a boy of his word, even made a promise to himself. It was true that he really wanted to know why and how he couldn’t see String boy’s pet but he figured that he had been curious enough, that he should leave the boy alone. That’s what he did. It was difficult at the beginning; the string still remained a mystery to him but then, he focused on his homework and slowly forgot to return to the park.
On a Saturday morning, while his mother went out for errands, the little boy was heading to an ice cream shop. He had already done all of his homework so he had a lot of free time! Since he was craving for some ice cream, he decided to buy one and paid with some of his piggy bank’s money. Thanking the seller, he left the shop, careful about his treasure, and walked for a few seconds until he found a bench.
‘This is the best,’ he thought, eating his soft coconut flavoured ice cream. He probably shouldn’t -his father told him not to- but this was really good, it was like his long-awaited reward. He worked really hard, he deserved it, okay. Taking all his time, he licked his dessert slowly, looking at the people walking in front of him, and relaxed. However, when he recognized someone’s silhouette, he froze before getting up and running away.
“Hey! FBI boy!” a voice called Yunho while the latter was trying to escape. But Yunho wasn’t used to running, so the other person was able to seize him by the arm so easily. “Why are you running away?” String boy asked, still grabbing his arm.
“Well, I-I… I have thi-things to d-do,” Yunho panted. He was having a difficult time to catch his breath but thank God his ice cream was still in his hand! The other kid stared at him, frowning. “I bet you have nothing to do, otherwise you wouldn’t be there eating, huh?”
Rolling his eyes while letting out a heavy sigh, Yunho surrendered. “What do you want?” He had noticed that this time, the black haired-boy didn’t have his string, but why was he still thinking about this? “Come here, let’s sit,” his interlocutor replied, leading him to the park, towards one of the benches. “First of all, my name is Jaejoong and I was surprised to not see you again here. So, now let’s talk.”
Yunho side-eyed him; it was strange coming from String boy to open up like this. He didn’t know him but he was sure the boy wasn’t like this. “Is this a prank?” Jaejoong shook his head, sighing. “Come on… or I’ll eat your ice cream!”
“Okay okay!” Now Jaejoong was threatening him? “So, can I ask you some questions?” he still asked, in case the other changed his mind, we never know. Seeing him nod, Yunho couldn’t help but think about the string and the sheep. This was his chance to know the truth! “What… What is the string? Why do you still have it?”
Giggles came from the black-haired boy when he heard the first question. “It’s my leash.” And as soon as he answered, he got another question. “Does the sheep really exist?” A smile appeared on his face, Yunho was still curious about his pet, huh? “It’s not because he’s not there that he really isn’t, you know.”
The ice cream long forgotten, Yunho was focused on Jaejoong, he was trying to understand his words, but he was as confused as ever. He asked him an explanation, finally he’d understand everything about the sheep and the string.
“If you wanted to know why you couldn’t see Fluffy -cute name, right?-, it’s because he’s not there but somewhere else,” Jaejoong smiled. When the other boy desired to know what he meant, he simply tapped his temple with his finger. “It’s in here,” he murmured. “I’m well aware that Fluffy doesn’t exist, you know. With some imagination, you can do anything you want. You just have to believe in something very much until it happens, and it will happen. To me, Fluffy is real, and that’s all that matters.”
For a practical boy as Yunho, Jaejoong’s speech was hard to consider. He was used to learn methods based on real things where imagination wasn’t needed. He wasn’t the type to have an imaginary friend even if he was alone. He didn’t understand how the boy could create something real from his imagination, it was absurd.
“I don’t get it…” he finally said after a few seconds. “Yes that’s what I was thinking, you still haven’t touched your ice cream,” Jaejoong laughed. “Well, there’s nothing to understand. I created Fluffy and he is forever with me,” he added amused.
“Why? Why did you create it and how come your friend can see him?” Yunho asked again. Even if he had some answers to his questions, he still wasn’t feeling satisfied, he needed to understand everything. String boy raised his eyebrows. “How did you know that Chunnie knows him?”
Jealousy. Again, Yunho felt that he would be jealous just from hearing Jaejoong’s story. “I followed you and he was there,” he admitted. The other boy burst out laughing, hiding his mouth behind his hand. Yunho was so funny! For a minute, he couldn’t stop. The thought of him being stalked was so fun, he felt like a star! ‘Hey, stop laughing,’ Yunho pouted.
“You’re so fun, Yunho-ah! Anyway, let me explain, since you’re so interested. But before that, are you going to eat the ice cream, or not? You better leave me some of it ‘cause I can’t talk forever, hm,” the black-haired boy warned him. “I was adopted a few days after I was born and since I had no siblings, well… I wanted a pet, my pet, only mine. So I created Fluffy. I know Yoochun-ah since pre-school and before I realized it, he could see Fluffy not to make me happy but because he believed in it.”
“Is it bad that I can’t imagine it…?” Yunho asked in a murmur, lowering his head. He thought that it was unfair, how come this other kid could see the sheep and not him? Jaejoong patted his shoulder, looking for a little note pad and a pencil in his pockets. “Look, it’s okay! I’m going to draw him so that you’ll have an idea of how Fluffy looks like! You will love him, I’m sure.”
While Jaejoong was completely immersed in his little drawing, Yunho paid attention to his ice cream before it’d melt -and he still had to give it up otherwise the other boy would threaten him, he was certain. He leaned over to spy and realized that it was a really cute sheep! Though, why this animal?
“Jaejoong, why is it a sheep? Why didn’t you create a dog or a cat?” Jaejoong raised his head and smiled. “Because not everyone has a sheep as a pet, haha! There, finished! How do you find him?” he showed his little notepad to Yunho. He wasn’t mad at Yunho actually, he was happy that the other had developed such an interest on his pet, always asking questions. It made him glad.
“Whoa! Cool!” Yunho exclaimed, amazed at the final result and at Jaejoong’s drawing skills. “Haha, it is really fluffy! Thank you Jaejoong.”
“Can we exchange the notepad and the ice cream now, please, pretty please?” Jaejoong required, joining his hands as if he was praying. “You can keep the drawing if you want, hmm yummy~,” he added, his mouth already full of ice cream.
The other boy widened his eyes, surprised and nodded. The sheep was really cute, he liked it and he felt thankful towards Jaejoong. Now he knew the whole story about the string and the sheep, he was really happy! Besides he got to meet Jaejoong, who was quite talkative when you got to know him; he was really enthusiastic. ‘Thank you so much!’
Raising an eyebrow, Jaejoong stared at him. It was only a drawing -Fluffy’s I.D- not a big deal to him, but apparently it was for Yunho. “No one gave me something as a present -well except for Christmas or my birthday from my parents- so I’m really happy.” He wasn’t used to smiling like Jaejoong did but for the first time, it was a genuine smile. He was really blissful.
“I’m happy too, I got free ice cream! I loooove coconut!” Jaejoong exclaimed cheerfully. “Come on, let’s go to my house!”
“Your house?” the other boy looked at him, puzzled. He had never gone to anyone’s house before. Could he really go? He wasn’t really invited, maybe it was just Jaejoong’s excitement… The latter got up and offered him his hand.
“You’re my friend and I want you to go to my house! I have toooooons and tooooooons of video games!” Jaejoong announced with enthusiasm, taking his hand. “And oh! If we’re lucky, Mommy may have baked some cookies! Hurry up!”
- - - - -
Since that day, Yunho and Jaejoong became as inseparable as ever. Despite being in different schools, they would always hang out whenever they could, be it at the park or at Jaejoong’s house. Yunho finally met Yoochun and figured that he was actually really nice. Jaejoong succeeded in making Yunho less study-centered, opening him to a lot of games and activities such as cooking, painting etc. On the other hand, Yunho would help Jaejoong with his homework. Somehow they completed each other.
Since he met Yunho, Jaejoong didn’t need Fluffy as much as he did before. He would only need his sheep when he was feeling alone and when Yunho wasn’t with him. For some reason, Yunho replaced- no, Yunho became his Fluffy.
THE END
A/N: So, how was it? XD I hope you liked it, you too little brat :3
Comments anyone? :D
Beta :
yunho_ism
Genre : AU ; Humor ; Fluff
Pairing : Chibi Yunho x Jaejoong
Length : OS
Rating : G
Summary : And before Yunho noticed it, he forgot about his little mathematics task and was trying hard to guess what was wrong with that boy.
A/N: Written for
pikasu :)
Sighing on his chair for a few minutes, he didn’t know what to do. It was only six pm, he already studied and was bored. He would have played some video games, well, if his father hadn’t taken them away from him. There was no need, he thought, he always gets As, spends all of his time studying and doesn’t get into trouble. His room was full of books, dictionaries and dusty encyclopaedias; he didn’t even have a computer. His life was so boring, and Yunho was only nine.
Putting his sneakers on, he went downstairs, carefully checking the living room if his father had already arrived -but no, thank God- and left the house. Since the weather was chilling, he zipped up his jacket and hid his hands in his pant’s pockets. ‘Where should I go?’ he wondered. ‘Well… Let’s go this way.’ He realized after a few minutes that he was heading to a park.
Okay it was not Disneyland, -not that he actually knew how Disneyland was-, but it was far from being huge. A few trees here and there, lots of bushes, a fountain in the middle, benches, swings and other games for the children. To sum it up, nothing exciting, right? Some people were taking a walk, chatting or even playing while he was just sitting on the bench. How odd would it be for an nine-year-old to play on the swing? Really odd. Even if Yunho craved for the swing, he didn’t want to humiliate himself. He was told to pay attention to his image, and he was only nine.
The little boy got bored -once again- and stared at the people walking in front of him. He even decided to count them, calculate the women, men and children’s percentage to distract himself. At least he had something to do. Two minutes later, he had already counted ten women, three men and was abou- Wait. What was this boy doing? He paid attention to this black-haired boy, finding his behaviour weird. Indeed, the latter was holding a little string with nothing on it and was waiting patiently.
Well Yunho supposed that he was waiting, the boy seemed like he was whistling, tapping his feet on the grass… as if he was waiting for someone. He looked down and left the park, still holding his string. What was so important with this string anyway? And before Yunho noticed it, he forgot about his little mathematics task and was trying hard to guess what was wrong with that boy.
What if the string was a part of a yo-yo? Maybe he lost the cylinder thing and ended up with the string in his hand… ‘But he would’ve just put it on his pocket…’ Yunho sighed. He frowned, pouting. ‘I don’t get it.’ He was the kind of person who didn’t give up when he didn’t understand something. ‘There has to be reason.’ Everything happens with a reason, his father always told him.
About ten minutes later, the little boy finally decided to leave, it was starting to get late and he had to go home before dinner. Still intrigued about that string boy, Yunho decided to come back to the park the next day. Well, after doing his homework of course.
- - - - -
He never labelled himself as someone particularly ‘lucky’, he didn’t really believe in luck, his dad told him not to. If he ever got excellent grades, it was only due to his efforts, not luck. However for some reason, today he felt… fortunate. Indeed, he wasn’t sure if String boy would come again -which would be strange by the way- but when the black-haired boy’s silhouette appeared, his eyes widened.
He was holding the same string as yesterday… with nothing on it! Curiosity got the best of Yunho, it was really really strange. He waited a few seconds before standing up, heading to this mysterious boy. He’d usually bow to a stranger but String boy might be his age, what’s the use? Besides, he was really bothered by this string thing…
“Hi! My name is Yunho!” he instantly said to his interlocutor. The latter stopped walking, looked at him and nodded, meaning ‘hi’. “I’m sorry to ask you this and it might be quite stupid by the way… But I wanted to know what you were doing.”
The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow, confused by the sudden question. “Err, taking a walk?” This conversation was getting nowhere, he thought. Plus, even if it was a child, his attitude was kind of odd. “Can I go?” As soon as he asked to leave, the other boy interrupted him.
“But, what are you doing with this string? It doesn’t make any sense!” Yunho exclaimed, pointing to the said string. String boy let out a heavy sigh, he knew that he had to answer to that detective boy, otherwise he wouldn’t set him free. He was 100% sure of it.
“I’m taking my sheep out for a walk. There, you happy?” he replied, slightly annoyed. “Geez. Whom do youwork for, the FBI?” Noticing that his interlocutor had stopped talking, he walked away from him. That was a strange boy, definitely.
On the other hand, Yunho suddenly turned mute, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. He blinked several times, trying to recall what had occurred. String boy did say ‘sheep’, he wasn’t hearing things, he was positive. But there was nothing on the string, nothing! Not even a little sheep plushie… nothing. ‘Wait. Maybe he just lied to me,’ the little boy conceived the second after. He could have lied to him but he seemed so sincere, it was strange.
Strange and a headache material too. This was bothering Yunho too much, it was distracting him while it shouldn’t. It wasn’t an ‘important’ thing, but he really wanted to solve the mystery around this string. Since the first time he saw String boy -yesterday-, he wasn’t focused in school nor at home. Enough! Pouting with a frown, he sighed and went back home, deciding to not think about this again. This was all because of a string! Fine, he won’t ever consider trying to discover the string’s secret. Never again.
- - - - -
“Gaaah! Where is he?” Yunho groaned, on the verge of pulling out his hair. He had been waiting in the park for more than thirty minutes and there was still no sign of that kid. The day before, he figured that he’d break his own promise, that he knew he’d come to the park again to meet the boy. He had to; it was driving him crazy. And now, here he was, hidden behind a tree -because he realized that the other kid would run away if he ever saw him-, almost praying for him to come.
Glancing at his watch, he made a face; it was ten to seven. It was getting late; he had to leave the place soon. He was almost sure the black-haired boy wouldn’t come because of the day before. Well, he’ll come tomorrow and maybe see him. Yunho let out a sigh, he really wanted to talk with String boy. When he was about to leave his spot, he noticed that the other kid had just entered the park! He was so lucky and couldn’t hide his joy. Running towards him, he bowed this time before speaking.
“You’re here, hi!” he continued, seeing his interlocutor sighing. “I’m sorry for my behaviour yesterday, really. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He was expecting String boy to smile or say something, but the latter only nodded, mumbling an ‘okay’. And Yunho talked again. “You left me quite confused yesterday, I have to say. Why did you say that you were taking your sheep out for a walk?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go, so I had to say the truth, right?” the boy replied, less annoyed. “Ah I get it, is this a hidden camera?” he added with a whisper, while Yunho was already shaking his head. “Well then, I don’t know why you’re so persistent.”
“But but but…! There is no sheep! There’s nothing on your string!” Yunho exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air.
“You!” String boy shouted, putting his finger on Yunho’s chest. “Who do you think you are to talk like that about Fluffy, huh? There’s no need to insult my pet, he may be little but he is here!” He was so angry that he had to prevent himself from strangling the other kid.
“But…” Yunho wasn’t expecting the other boy to get angry so fast, maybe he crossed the line. But once again, he saw nothing on the string. He didn’t understand why. “No buts, you’re mean.” And with that, String boy left him, guilt appearing on Yunho’s face.
He felt bad because when the black-haired boy murmured his last words, he seemed sad and Yunho figured that he went too far. He didn’t mean to hurt him nor bully him, he just wanted to know why he couldn’t see the sheep. ‘I probably should apologize again,’ he thought. He decided to follow String boy’s steps carefully, without the other knowing about his presence.
Yunho suddenly stopped, hiding behind a mailbox when String boy greeted another kid. The two of them seemed close, you don’t hug anyone unless you’re great friends with him. He stared at them, jealousy rising in his chest. He had always put his studies before everything else and never sympathized with anyone. He’s always been alone and seeing them interacting with each other, he couldn’t help feeling envious.
He decided to go back home but froze when he looked at the new kid. The latter was kneeling, and stroking the air. Was he…? Was he stroking the famous sheep? Yunho widened his eyes upon watching the scene in front of him. Why couldn’t he see the animal? Was there something wrong with him? He blinked several times, maybe he misunderstood, maybe String boy’s friend was… No, he was in the same position, raising his head, talking with his friend.
Scratching his head, Yunho finally decided to go home. He was exhausted, hungry but overall confused. ‘Do I need to see a doctor?’ he wondered. He was probably ill, he didn’t want to lose his sight. Maybe he needed to wear glasses, he didn’t know. His thoughts were meddling together, he couldn’t think clearly. He was certain of one thing: he wouldn’t go back to the park again. ‘It’s a pinkie promise to… myself,’ he thought bitterly when he entwined his pinkies together.
- - - - -
Yunho didn’t go to the park the day after, nor the following days. He was a boy of his word, even made a promise to himself. It was true that he really wanted to know why and how he couldn’t see String boy’s pet but he figured that he had been curious enough, that he should leave the boy alone. That’s what he did. It was difficult at the beginning; the string still remained a mystery to him but then, he focused on his homework and slowly forgot to return to the park.
On a Saturday morning, while his mother went out for errands, the little boy was heading to an ice cream shop. He had already done all of his homework so he had a lot of free time! Since he was craving for some ice cream, he decided to buy one and paid with some of his piggy bank’s money. Thanking the seller, he left the shop, careful about his treasure, and walked for a few seconds until he found a bench.
‘This is the best,’ he thought, eating his soft coconut flavoured ice cream. He probably shouldn’t -his father told him not to- but this was really good, it was like his long-awaited reward. He worked really hard, he deserved it, okay. Taking all his time, he licked his dessert slowly, looking at the people walking in front of him, and relaxed. However, when he recognized someone’s silhouette, he froze before getting up and running away.
“Hey! FBI boy!” a voice called Yunho while the latter was trying to escape. But Yunho wasn’t used to running, so the other person was able to seize him by the arm so easily. “Why are you running away?” String boy asked, still grabbing his arm.
“Well, I-I… I have thi-things to d-do,” Yunho panted. He was having a difficult time to catch his breath but thank God his ice cream was still in his hand! The other kid stared at him, frowning. “I bet you have nothing to do, otherwise you wouldn’t be there eating, huh?”
Rolling his eyes while letting out a heavy sigh, Yunho surrendered. “What do you want?” He had noticed that this time, the black haired-boy didn’t have his string, but why was he still thinking about this? “Come here, let’s sit,” his interlocutor replied, leading him to the park, towards one of the benches. “First of all, my name is Jaejoong and I was surprised to not see you again here. So, now let’s talk.”
Yunho side-eyed him; it was strange coming from String boy to open up like this. He didn’t know him but he was sure the boy wasn’t like this. “Is this a prank?” Jaejoong shook his head, sighing. “Come on… or I’ll eat your ice cream!”
“Okay okay!” Now Jaejoong was threatening him? “So, can I ask you some questions?” he still asked, in case the other changed his mind, we never know. Seeing him nod, Yunho couldn’t help but think about the string and the sheep. This was his chance to know the truth! “What… What is the string? Why do you still have it?”
Giggles came from the black-haired boy when he heard the first question. “It’s my leash.” And as soon as he answered, he got another question. “Does the sheep really exist?” A smile appeared on his face, Yunho was still curious about his pet, huh? “It’s not because he’s not there that he really isn’t, you know.”
The ice cream long forgotten, Yunho was focused on Jaejoong, he was trying to understand his words, but he was as confused as ever. He asked him an explanation, finally he’d understand everything about the sheep and the string.
“If you wanted to know why you couldn’t see Fluffy -cute name, right?-, it’s because he’s not there but somewhere else,” Jaejoong smiled. When the other boy desired to know what he meant, he simply tapped his temple with his finger. “It’s in here,” he murmured. “I’m well aware that Fluffy doesn’t exist, you know. With some imagination, you can do anything you want. You just have to believe in something very much until it happens, and it will happen. To me, Fluffy is real, and that’s all that matters.”
For a practical boy as Yunho, Jaejoong’s speech was hard to consider. He was used to learn methods based on real things where imagination wasn’t needed. He wasn’t the type to have an imaginary friend even if he was alone. He didn’t understand how the boy could create something real from his imagination, it was absurd.
“I don’t get it…” he finally said after a few seconds. “Yes that’s what I was thinking, you still haven’t touched your ice cream,” Jaejoong laughed. “Well, there’s nothing to understand. I created Fluffy and he is forever with me,” he added amused.
“Why? Why did you create it and how come your friend can see him?” Yunho asked again. Even if he had some answers to his questions, he still wasn’t feeling satisfied, he needed to understand everything. String boy raised his eyebrows. “How did you know that Chunnie knows him?”
Jealousy. Again, Yunho felt that he would be jealous just from hearing Jaejoong’s story. “I followed you and he was there,” he admitted. The other boy burst out laughing, hiding his mouth behind his hand. Yunho was so funny! For a minute, he couldn’t stop. The thought of him being stalked was so fun, he felt like a star! ‘Hey, stop laughing,’ Yunho pouted.
“You’re so fun, Yunho-ah! Anyway, let me explain, since you’re so interested. But before that, are you going to eat the ice cream, or not? You better leave me some of it ‘cause I can’t talk forever, hm,” the black-haired boy warned him. “I was adopted a few days after I was born and since I had no siblings, well… I wanted a pet, my pet, only mine. So I created Fluffy. I know Yoochun-ah since pre-school and before I realized it, he could see Fluffy not to make me happy but because he believed in it.”
“Is it bad that I can’t imagine it…?” Yunho asked in a murmur, lowering his head. He thought that it was unfair, how come this other kid could see the sheep and not him? Jaejoong patted his shoulder, looking for a little note pad and a pencil in his pockets. “Look, it’s okay! I’m going to draw him so that you’ll have an idea of how Fluffy looks like! You will love him, I’m sure.”
While Jaejoong was completely immersed in his little drawing, Yunho paid attention to his ice cream before it’d melt -and he still had to give it up otherwise the other boy would threaten him, he was certain. He leaned over to spy and realized that it was a really cute sheep! Though, why this animal?
“Jaejoong, why is it a sheep? Why didn’t you create a dog or a cat?” Jaejoong raised his head and smiled. “Because not everyone has a sheep as a pet, haha! There, finished! How do you find him?” he showed his little notepad to Yunho. He wasn’t mad at Yunho actually, he was happy that the other had developed such an interest on his pet, always asking questions. It made him glad.
“Whoa! Cool!” Yunho exclaimed, amazed at the final result and at Jaejoong’s drawing skills. “Haha, it is really fluffy! Thank you Jaejoong.”
“Can we exchange the notepad and the ice cream now, please, pretty please?” Jaejoong required, joining his hands as if he was praying. “You can keep the drawing if you want, hmm yummy~,” he added, his mouth already full of ice cream.
The other boy widened his eyes, surprised and nodded. The sheep was really cute, he liked it and he felt thankful towards Jaejoong. Now he knew the whole story about the string and the sheep, he was really happy! Besides he got to meet Jaejoong, who was quite talkative when you got to know him; he was really enthusiastic. ‘Thank you so much!’
Raising an eyebrow, Jaejoong stared at him. It was only a drawing -Fluffy’s I.D- not a big deal to him, but apparently it was for Yunho. “No one gave me something as a present -well except for Christmas or my birthday from my parents- so I’m really happy.” He wasn’t used to smiling like Jaejoong did but for the first time, it was a genuine smile. He was really blissful.
“I’m happy too, I got free ice cream! I loooove coconut!” Jaejoong exclaimed cheerfully. “Come on, let’s go to my house!”
“Your house?” the other boy looked at him, puzzled. He had never gone to anyone’s house before. Could he really go? He wasn’t really invited, maybe it was just Jaejoong’s excitement… The latter got up and offered him his hand.
“You’re my friend and I want you to go to my house! I have toooooons and tooooooons of video games!” Jaejoong announced with enthusiasm, taking his hand. “And oh! If we’re lucky, Mommy may have baked some cookies! Hurry up!”
- - - - -
Since that day, Yunho and Jaejoong became as inseparable as ever. Despite being in different schools, they would always hang out whenever they could, be it at the park or at Jaejoong’s house. Yunho finally met Yoochun and figured that he was actually really nice. Jaejoong succeeded in making Yunho less study-centered, opening him to a lot of games and activities such as cooking, painting etc. On the other hand, Yunho would help Jaejoong with his homework. Somehow they completed each other.
Since he met Yunho, Jaejoong didn’t need Fluffy as much as he did before. He would only need his sheep when he was feeling alone and when Yunho wasn’t with him. For some reason, Yunho replaced- no, Yunho became his Fluffy.
THE END
A/N: So, how was it? XD I hope you liked it, you too little brat :3
Comments anyone? :D