fic: Mr. Perfect ch. 4
Chapter 4: Of an excited Tiger and Unexpected Confession
beta read by: borntobeacassie
Yunho was very excited with all the things he could do and enjoy. As soon as they entered the park; Yunho dragged a less enthusiastic looking Jaejoong for a rollercoaster ride. It was not like Jaejoong was scared or anything but he just didn’t get the point of having fun with a crazy ride of going against the gravity just to pull you back. But Yunho seemed pretty happy holding one hand on the handle bar and another hand on his tightly and screaming his lungs out. As for him he just felt like all the things he ate during their picnic lunch was going to make its appearance soon. But he was relieved when the ride was over before something like that happened. It would be disappointing since the younger must have put his heart and mind on making that lunch, knowing the level of the others ability in cooking.
After the rollercoaster ride, Yunho’s next target was bumped cars. So he dragged again a very constipated looking Jaejoong with him. However, from there Jaejoong started to have fun. They looked like small kids who just got a christmas present from Santa; laughing, shouting and bumping into each other among few kids. They Got a few adored looks from some teenage girls and also disapproved looks from some old ahjumas who were watching over their own kids. They continued with a few more rides after that, spinning cups, merry-go-round and Ferris wheel was the last rides before deciding that they had enough rides for the day. On the next they went to an indoor ice - skating rink and Jaejoong was surprised to see how Yunho skated around the ring expertly. That boy sure knew how to manipulate his skates easily. He could just admire him from behind and followed the other when he did some dance moves and enjoyed the rink without any care. It really was like he owned the place.
When it was around 7.30 pm and after nonstop enjoyment of more than four hours straight, they took some rest to calm down from all the excitements. Soon they were sipping their cold drinks at a bench, nearby a beverage stall where Jaejoong bought those drinks. They just sat with a comfortable silence admiring the lighting arrangement, decorating the entire park. But it was interrupted with Yunho’s stomach growling loudly as if telling them to continue their fun starting with the food stalls, making the elder chuckle and the other blushing hard.
“Shut up! I didn’t eat much before” oh the boy sure ate a lot but he was just hungry most of the times, which reminded him of his other friend. Or precisely a junior friend from college who had a bottomless stomach, besides it was approaching dinner time.
“I didn’t say anything” the elder just held up his hand in surrender with an amused face.
“But you were going to.”
But Jaejoong didn’t say anything more, just pulling the younger in the direction of a food stall which sold delicious looking snacks.
After they (mostly Yunho) filled their stomachs with variety of foods, they were at the shooting stall. Jaejoong was trying to win the biggest prize and Yunho encouraged the elder, standing besides him eating a burger (^.^). When Jaejoong won the said prize they bickered about which stuffed toy to take home. The stall had two big stuffed toys which they could chose. One was a teddy bear and the other an elephant. The younger wanted the elephant. It wasn't that he didn’t like the bear but because he knew it was elder’s favourite animal. However Jaejoong wanted him to have the bear because it reminded him of a certain cuddly bear.
But Jaejoong won their argument with a grumble, “take the bear. It’s cute and cuddly like you.” and he added, “also I was the one who won so it should be me who chooses the prize”, to overcome the slip with something mean. But Yunho just took the big fluffy teddy bear, happily snuggling and giggling a little, never minding the last sentence but pleased enough with the ‘cute’ and ‘cuddly’.
When they came out from the shooting stand, Yunho dragged the elder again into another stall which sold headbands with animal ears. He chose a tiger ear headband for himself and put it on his head but he wanted something unique for the other. And around the corner a headband with ‘polka-dot printed big ribbon’ on top caught his attention. Exactly that was the one he chose for the other. Jaejoong tried to get away from the offending thing but Yunho pulled a puppy dog face and pouted to him to make the other surrender. And he got what he wanted after all, much to the younger's joy.
And here they were now, wearing those ridiculous things (in Jaejoong’s opinion. I guess he’s still sore over the fact that Yunho won him to wear that feminine headband. But he shouldn’t, because Yunho always won or rather he always lost with that pout) on their head and posing for the photographs inside a photo stall. When they got their photos Jaejoong was a little happier to see Yunho was indeed very cute with that tiger ear band, looking like an over excited tiger kitten which he often had seen on cartoon movies.
Noticing the time, Jaejoong reminded the younger that they should go back home where the teenage readily agreed.
They were walking out of the park hand in hand Jaejoong carrying the large teddy bear for Yunho almost reaching their parking car when someone suddenly knocked Yunho from the side while trying to escape a chase, with quite a force making him loose balanced, sending him fly some steps and falling towards an approaching car, pulling Jaejoong along with him. But a much panicked Jaejoong just screamed out the others name and dropped the teddy bear. Then he pulled Yunho back into his chest with a fast reflex just in time before the car turned a little with a screeching sound escaping a narrow accident.
“You okay? Yunnie look at me.” None of them noticed the slip of the endearment.
The disheveled and disoriented Yunho just smiled a little inside the others arm. Then he looked at the elder’s eyes and said “I am okay, thank you. And though you dirtied my teddy I will forgive you since you saved me”. Jaejoong just held him tighter, not amused with the younger’s humorous remark at all. He was feeling quite lost himself and he was also scared of the idea that he could have lost the younger. In that moment he understood a few important things which were going on in his life. And when he nearly lost the younger he now realized the importance of the other’s presence in his life. He was really dumb for a smart man. He should have known before.
All the feelings, frustration, attraction, care, or the changes he had gone through just to please the younger. It was there all the time he just couldn’t comprehend it or rather he just denied it. It was too soon for him. Or so he thought. So he denied it. It was the best thing he could do at those given moments. But his heart actually knew better whom it belonged to. Once his innocent heart felt for the younger long time ago, it wasn’t so difficult for him to do so the second time. It was like revisiting that feelings again.
It all started precisely after his visit to his mother last week. His mother had asked about Yunho’s well being or rather his attention and had cared for the younger. So he did report back everything. Including his messy behavior, just in case his hospitality was not enough for his mother’s liking and to gain some favor and pity. But instead she had laughed it off good naturedly and praised the other instead for daring to mess with a neat freak like Kim Jaejoong. Then he had just shut up with a slightly sore feeling.
“Oh honey. What’s with the sore face? I thought it would be good for you to meet him again. If I knew you would be this irritated I could have arranged for him to stay with me instead. You don’t love him anymore? What about your promise to him?”
Then it hit him. Hard. All the memories came back at once making him overwhelmed. Starting from his visit to the younger’s home, falling in love at first sight, and his promises to the younger. He remembered now everything. How could he have forgotten those, even though he was still very young himself? Yunho was his first love. In other people’s eyes it would be just a naive admiration but he knew better. It was love, an innocent love but nonetheless a true love.
“Oh my son.” his mother sympathized knowing what just happened. But he smiled a grateful but teary smile. “Thank you mom. Next time I will come with Yunho. I will be fine. I just need to go home really fast. I don’t know what I will do when I see him; hug him,or kiss him or or maybe nothing? I don’t know and it’s not like he would remember all those. But I just need to see his face.” with that he got up, hugged his mother and kissed a goodbye on her cheek. Afterward he rushed home driving like a mad dog.
That day when he reached home he was welcomed by a cheerful Yunho as usual. He thought ‘oh Yunnie, my Yunnie’ but he didn’t do anything, he chose the last option so no hug or kisses. But from then he started to pay more attention to the younger and he started to notice him in a different light. This Yunho was very different from the past; he didn’t expect him to grow up like this. This Yunho was messy, a bit clumsy, and unpredictable like a whirlwind. But he was easy to love like the baby he met before; he was also adorable in everything. He was also attentive, affectionate and eager to please him whether it came out positive or in a mess. And he didn’t mind those anymore since he couldn’t look past his adoration towards the younger to notice his flaws anymore. Yunho could have killed a person but he would still adore him to no end. It was just short of right to love the younger unconditionally.
He was strongly hit by the sudden epiphany. He was in love with Yunho again. And now that he knows he won’t let go of other. He will make him his this time though. He won’t wait for another eighteen years again.
“Don’t ever scare me like that. You hear me? Yunho, for a moment I thought that I lost you. Don’t ever do that again. Don’t ever think of leaving me. I think I won’t be able to live without you.”
“Okay. I will be careful next time” (‘if you only knew. Once I nearly died chasing you.’ He added in his mind) mumbled Yunho feeling guilty for scaring the elder one and nearly killing him even though it wasn’t really his fault. But the elder’s next sentence shocked him more than the one earlier near-death experience.
“Yunho I love you. I love you so much.”
The younger was speechless to say the least when Jaejoong confessed so suddenly. Just like that. He didn’t expect that coming at all from Jaejoong - not that he disliked it or anything. It was so direct. But he would be a fool not to accept the confession from the man he was in love with since forever. So he just smiled looking into Jaejoong’s eyes and replied with his own confession of love.
“I love you too Jaejoongie hyung. Very much”. He was happy, really happy.
“What about your special someone?” that thing was bothering Jaejoong nonstop but he didn’t have any chance to probe more before.
“What about him? He confessed his undying love to me just now.”
“Yah! I was worried over nothing then.”
“Pabo Jaejoo….” But before he could finish the sentence, the older just claimed his lips. Molding them together with his in a loving kiss.
Their first kiss.
The confession of their love was not perfectly planned out. There were no hundreds of red roses, or music, or balloons, or wine, or a nice location, or suits but it was just more than perfect in all its imperfection.
That night, Jaejoong held the younger tightly until sleep took over and he swore to never lose him again, until his last breath.
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