Trust Me
Chapter 2
The angel watched the water trickle down from the showerhead, completely mesmerized. It was amazing! How the water was able to go up the pipe and sprinkle down from the nozzle was beyond his comprehension. It must be some kind of wondrous human magic, he decided.
“So the left one is for cold water, and the right one’s for hot water.” Yunho explained, pointing out the different knobs. “You can adjust the temperature with them.”
“What kind of magic is this?” Jaejoong gasped, tentatively turning the knobs and watching the water pour down into the tub. “It’s so fascinating! I’d like to learn it.”
Yunho smiled, gazing with amusement at his guest. “It’s called plumbing.” He joked.
“Plumbing.” Jaejoong repeated, dazzled by the shower. “What wondrous magic.” He sighed.
Yunho laughed, and ruffled the angel’s long silken black hair. This time, the boy didn’t flinch away from his touch too busy turning the water on and off. “I’ll get you something to wear, okay? Here’s the shampoo, it’s for your hair. And that’s the soap, for your body.” The man smiled, and walked out of the bathroom.
The angel stepped into the shower excitedly, trying to remember which knob was which. He turned the one on the right, and cold water came down, wetting his hair and face. He stared in confusion. He was sure that was the hot water knob. Jaejoong pouted unsurely at it, and suddenly the cold water warmed up until it was steaming hot. The angel let out a yelp of pain and surprise. He quickly turned the other handle. The temperature dropped again, now too cold for the boy’s heated skin. He groaned impatiently at the shower head. Why was it being so difficult? He turned the cold water off slowly, until the liquid reached a reasonable temperature. Sighing in relief, Jaejoong picked up the bar of soap, unsure of what to do with it. It looked like a big candy.
The angel took a big bite out of it. The disgusting bitter taste invaded his mouth, and Jaejoong spat it out. Gross! Who would create such a disgusting candy? Jaejoong dropped the bar of soap unceremoniously into the tub, sticking his tongue out to the water to wash away the gross taste.
Next, he eyed the bottle of shampoo distrustfully. What had the man said about it? For hair! Jaejoong picked up the bottle and squeezed a handful of nice-smelling gooey substance onto his head, and waited. Nothing happened. The angel pouted, looking down at the bottle in his hand. There were picture instructions on it, describing how best to wash your hair. Nodding understandingly, Jaejoong rubbed the watermelon scented goop into his hair.
When Yunho heard the scream he was half-way up the stairs with a pair of grey sweatpants and the smallest tank top he could find. He jogged up the rest of the way and stumbled into Jaejoong’s room. Throwing the clothes onto the bed, he tore open the bathroom door. The boy was wailing painfully, trying to rub the shampoo out of his burning eyes. Yunho held back his laughter, and grabbed the shower head.
“Jaejoong-ah.” He called softly, and the boy stopped squirming. “Stop rubbing your eyes, and keep them closed okay?” Jaejoong nodded slowly. Yunho smiled and pushed back the soapy hair on the boy’s forehead. He watered Jaejoong’s face with the nozzle, his dry hand brushing away the bubbles of soap hanging on his eyelashes. “You’re not supposed to let shampoo get into your eyes.” He chided kindly, his fingers deliberately tracing down Jaejoong’s soft cheekbones.
“You didn’t tell me.” The angel pouted unhappily. “And the sa-oh-p tastes bad.”
Yunho laughed, still stroking the boy’s face. “It’s soap. And you’re not supposed to eat it!” he noticed the bar of soap on the ground, with a big bite-shaped chunk missing out of it. “Maybe I should’ve shown you how to use it.” He mused. The angel opened his eyes slowly. They were still bloodshot from the shampoo. “Better?” Yunho asked, pulling his hand back, and pointing the shower head away from Jaejoong’s face.
“Yes.” He nodded, grinning at Yunho. “Thank you.”
The man smiled back. “Come on. Sit down.” He pushed softly down on the angel’s shoulders, until he sat down in the tub. Yunho crouched behind him, and slowly massaged the sweet smelling shampoo into the boy’s hair. “See? You’re supposed to comb the soap AWAY from your eyes.”
“I thought you said it was shampoo.” Jaejoong looked up at the man.
“Shampoo is a kind of soap.” Yunho explained.
“Your words are too complicated.” The angel pouted unhappily. “If it’s soap, you should just call it hair soap, not a completely different name.” He sighed. Yunho smiled at the silly boy, still massaging his head with his fingers. “That’s nice.”
“What’s nice?” He asked curiously.
“Your fingers in my hair.” The angel replied innocently, smiling softly. “It feels nice.”
Yunho’s fingers froze in the black locks. He couldn’t explain the bubbly feeling that rose in his chest at the words. The angel blinked up at him worriedly, wondering why he had stopped. He shook his head, and continued washing Jaejoong’s hair. “We should cut your hair. It’s not very conventional for a guy to have long hair nowadays.” He said conversationally, pulling the shower head down to rinse out the shampoo.
“Conventional?” Jaejoong pouted. “But I like my hair. I don’t want to cut it.”
“I like your hair too…” Yunho found himself saying. He rinsed the last of the soap out of Jaejoong’s long black locks. “It would still look good short, though. I’ll get an expert to cut it and make it look nice.” He reached for the bar of soap and the loofa, standing up to hook the shower head back in its place.
Jaejoong stood up too. “I’ve never cut my hair before… does it hurt?”
Yunho laughed again. “No, you don’t even feel it.” He lathered the loofa up with soap and handed it to Jaejoong. “Here, you rub this over your body and then you rinse it off with the water, okay? Don’t let it get into your eyes.” He smirked as Jaejoong pouted unhappily. “When you’re done you can dry yourself with the towel, and I left some clothes on the bed, okay?”
“Why do you always say ‘okay’?” Jaejoong cocked his head to the side curiously. “What does it mean?”
Yunho blinked blankly at the kid. “You don’t know okay? Where are you from?”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened. “Uh…” He looked away. “I’ll finish… washing. Thank you.”
Yunho smiled secretly and walked out of the room. Jaejoong was so interesting, and kind of dimwitted. He wondered what he really was. His uncle hadn’t been big on the details. Keep him in there and quiet no matter what! If he gets out it could be the end of the world as we know it! But the kid hadn’t done anything at all. Jaejoong was mostly just lost and confused, like he’d been plucked out of home and dropped in an unfamiliar house with people he barely knew bustling around asking him if he was okay. So that probably wasn’t exactly the confusion Jaejoong was feeling, but it was close enough.
Yunho practically skipped down the stairs, and almost smacked right into his butler, who was always wearing sunglasses, even indoors. “Yoochun! I was looking for you!” He sang happily.
“No you weren’t. You were just bouncing down the steps like a five year old school boy, and accidentally bumped into me.” Yoochun huffed, turning away from him and crossing his arms over his chest. He was shorter than his boss, and had to glare up at him. “I can’t believe I work for you.”
“Shut up!” Yunho smacked his forehead. “I need you to get the car ready.”
“Where are you going?”
“Out.” His boss replied vaguely, going to the kitchen for a snack.
“Does it have anything to do with the oddly dressed guy standing on the stairs?” He called after Yunho.
Jaejoong. Yunho rushed back into the main room to see his guest at the top of the marble staircase, wearing the underpants on his head, the tank top half-way up his waist, and struggling to put his arms through the holes in the sweatpants. “Yunho-ssi…” the boy grumbled. Yunho’s heart thundered in his chest at the sound of his name. “This doesn’t work right!”
The boy already looked fuller than he’d had the day before. Yoochun let out a loud whistle, and Yunho almost clocked him in the face. Rushing up the stairs, he covered up Jaejoong’s body with his own. “Jaejoong, that’s not supposed to go there!” He plucked the underpants of the boy’s head, and pushed him back into the guest room. “Pants go on your LEGS! Don’t you wear clothes wear you’re from?” He grumbled unhappily.
“No… Are you mad at me?” Jaejoong’s eyes widened worriedly.
Yunho stared into his guests dark eyes. He must’ve imagined the golden rim surrounding the angel’s irises that disappeared after a blink. “No, I’m not mad at you.” Yunho sighed. “Sit down.”
Jaejoong sat down on the bed, still watching Yunho nervously. “Oh… alright.”
“Here, give me your leg.” Jaejoong blinked in confusion. Groaning, the man reached for the angel’s ankle, and pulled it up. He slipped the underpants onto the boy’s legs and pulled them up. “There. THAT’s how you where pants. Now, try wearing these on your own.” He handed Jaejoong the sweatpants. “They’re sweatpants.”
“Thanks.” The angel nodded, not one to be ungrateful. He pulled on the pants trying to imitate what Yunho had done.
Jaejoong decided he liked the ‘sweatpants’. The insides were all soft and warm, and felt nice on his legs. He got up and walked around in them, revelling in the way the squashy fabric brushed against his skin. He’d known about clothes of course, that part was covered in his training. Not exactly how to put them on though. Yunho watched in amusement as his guest walked around in his pants, looking like he was having the time of his life. “Jaejoong-ah, how old are you?”
The angel froze and turned to look at him. He bit his lower lip. “Mm… my physical age is nineteen.” He didn’t mention that his body would never get older than that. Yunho hadn’t asked anyway. When angels land on earth, the change in the air stops their aging. Jaejoong would be nineteen forever… or at least until he gave his song to a human.
“You’re physical age? Do you have a mental age too?” Yunho chuckled, not wanting to show his real curiosity.
“Something like that.” The angel mumbled vaguely. He picked the tank top off the bed, holding it gingerly between his fingers. Jaejoong was sure that the white harmless looking piece of clothing was some kind of a complicated trap. “How am I supposed to wear this?” He asked the man.
“Do I have to do everything for you?” Yunho laughed, grabbing the shirt from his guest and rolling it up. “Your head goes through here.” He pulled the shirt down on Jaejoong’s head. “Put your arm through the holes there. Good.” He pulled the shirt down over the angel’s still protruding ribcage, wincing slightly at the sight. He reminded himself to feed the kid as much as he could. “See? That wasn’t so hard.” He smiled.
Jaejoong blinked, and looked away from the man, staring out the one window. He felt so confused and tired. When Yunho was in the room, he’d feel suspicious and safe at the same time. The opposing emotions were hurting his innocent head. Yunho had saved him from the old man -it was true- but why? Humans didn’t make sense to him anymore. But no matter how odd it felt with him around, it was worse when the man was gone. He was confused and disoriented and worried. Every time Yunho left the room, Jaejoong seemed to end up in painful and uncomfortable situations. Everything was just so unfamiliar.
“Come on.” Yunho grabbed his arm suddenly, making the angel jump out of his skin. “Sorry…” He mumbled, letting go of Jaejoong. “My butler should have had the car prepared by now. I’ll get you a coat and some shoes and we’ll go.” He walked out of the room.
Jaejoong followed Yunho closely as he went down the stairs. Another man was standing at the bottom looking up at them. The angel wondered why he was wearing those black spectacles. “Is this your date, Yunho?” He spoke informally to the man, smirking.
“Yoochun, shut up.” Yunho smacked the man in the back of the head. “Jaejoong, this is my butler Yoochun. He’s an idiot, so don’t listen to him when he talks, okay?” Jaejoong nodded understandingly.
“Nice to meet you.” Yoochun smiled, and Jaejoong thought it made him look a lot younger. The man stretched his hand towards him. The angel stared unsurely at it. He looked up at Yunho who gave him an encouraging nod. Jaejoong stretched out his hand, imitating Yoochun, and smiled friendlily. Rolling his eyes, the butler grabbed the boy’s hand and shook it. “What’s wrong with him?” Yoochun asked his boss.
“I think he was traumatised or something. He couldn’t remember his name. And ate soap.” Yunho sniggered.
“You didn’t tell me I couldn’t eat it.” The angel pouted unhappily.
The butler laughed, and clapped the angel on the back, making him fall forward onto the floor. “Sorry.” He chuckled. “You should eat other things than soap, Jaejoong. You’re bone thin.”
“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, unsure what he was apologizing for. It just seemed appropriate.
Yunho’s fingers brushed lightly against Jaejoong’s arm, shooting a short shock of warmth down the angel’s bloodstream. It was always happening when the man touched him, and he couldn’t tell if it felt good or not. He pulled his arm away in surprise. There was a small frown on the man’s face that passed quickly. “Come on, Jaejoong.” Yunho led the younger boy towards the roomy vestibule. He gave him some running shoes, which the angel put on easily. That part was covered by his training, oddly enough. He grabbed a black coat off a hanger and handed it to him. “Do you need me to show you how to wear it, or can you do it yourself?” He joked, making the angel pout.
“I can do it myself.” He took the coat, and realized he probably should be grateful. “Thank you. It’s a nice coat.” Jaejoong nodded, staring at the thing and wondering how he should pull it on. Those holes are probably for arms.
Yunho took the jacket out of his hands and held it open. “Here.” He smiled. “Put your arms there.”
“I knew that.” Jaejoong grinned proudly, making Yunho laugh. He slipped his hands into the sleeves. The coat was too big on him, and hung loosely on his shoulders. Yunho started zipping it up.
“See, you put this one, inside the zipper, and you pull it up, okay?” Yunho demonstrated. “This will keep you warm outside.” He pulled the zipper up to Jaejoong’s chin. The boy looked like an adorable penguin, grinning innocently up at him, and Yunho had a sudden urge to hug him. His arms went around the younger boy’s body. “You’re so cute.”
Jaejoong blinked, his body frozen in shock. He was getting hugged. Of course, angels hugged each other in heaven, but it didn’t feel quite the same. Yunho’s hug was warm and comfortable, making his body tingle in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He imitated the man’s gesture, wanting to share his happy tingly feeling. Yunho took a deep breath and almost reluctantly pulled away from the angel. “Follow me. We’ll go get your hair cut first, and then we’ll get you some clothes.” His hand unconsciously trailed down Jaejoong’s arm to take his hand. His fingers intertwined with the younger boy’s, making the latter gasp quietly.
“HEY! Don’t just go into your own bubble! I’m still here, you know!” Yoochun pouted, following them into the vestibule. “Where’s my coat?”
“Get it yourself.” Yunho huffed, and started to leave, trying to tug the angel behind him.
Jaejoong looked at the multitudes of coats in the big closet. “Which one is yours?” He asked the shaded man.
“Don’t bother with him, Jaejoong.” Yunho rolled his eyes. He pulled open the front door, pulling the dark haired angel after him, out into the bright street. “He can get his own coat.”
The angel walked out into the outside world, experiencing it for the first time. The lights were so bright. Cars sped down the street making an ear-splitting rumble. People were walking everywhere, talking, shouting, laughing. The electric lights buzzed overhead. There were all sorts of smells mingling together in the air, an almost suffocating combination of burnt rubber, coffee, cigarette smoke, balcony flowers, and human. There was just so much noise and light and scent.
Scared, and feeling disoriented, Jaejoong tightened his grip on Yunho’s hand. A small grin spread across the man’s face, and he squeezed the hand gently. “Come on. It’ll be quieter in the car.”
_______________
**Sooo, sleepy. Anywho, i hope you enjoyed the fluffness... and that it wasnt too cheesy. Yay! *dance breakout***