Butterfly Knots - [Oneshot]
Title: Butterfly Knots
Length: Oneshot
Author: sayhell
Rating: G
Pairings: Chibi! Yunjae
Genre: Fluff
Summary: Stubborn Jaejoong has trouble with his shoelaces, and Yunho helps.
At the age of seven, Yunho knew a lot of things other kids didn’t. He knew all the names of the deserts and their geographical location by heart; he knew why it was harder to breathe at high altitudes; he knew why people were born the same, yet different.
He also knew how to accomplish tasks others weren’t able to. He could build an impressive spaceship from Lego bricks without consulting the manual; he could balance cards into a friable house effortlessly; he could run backwards and still win at competitions.
Despite all the things he knew, there were issues which remained beyond the capacity of his knowledge, phenomena which even the encyclopaedia couldn’t explain. Just like this very moment, he couldn’t understand why delight rose within him like dough when the thought of seeing Jaejoong after two months of vacation surfaced.
He fixed his eyes on the passing scenery as the bright-yellow school bus cruised through the neighbourhood shrouded in snow. He counted the lamp posts left before the bus would halt in front of Jaejoong’s house. He tried to tame the heart that was thumping out of control by observing the snowflakes dusting the window panes, but that did little.
After what seemed like hours, the gaudy school bus pulled into driveway of a modest double-storey terrace that was Jaejoong’s home. Yunho stared expectantly at the brass gates, counting down to the moment where they would swing open and Jaejoong would barrel out and bounce onto the bus, his boisterous greetings livening up the dull atmosphere.
Minutes passed and Yunho began to sense something wrong. He frowned when the deep clangour of the bus horn grated out - courtesy of the bus driver. It wasn’t characteristic of Jaejoong to be late. Jaejoong couldn’t be sick; he was always healthier than a vegetable. He couldn’t have overslept either; not when he anticipated school more than all of the students put together.
Unable to keep still any longer, Yunho volunteered to take a look. He hopped down the steps, ran to the gates and pushed them ajar, grateful to find them unlock. He threaded pass the yard buried under a thick layer of snow before Jaejoong entered his line of vision.
Jaejoong sat on final step of the stairs that led to the porch, his body bent over his knees, his small hands tugging impatiently at his shoelaces. Clad in a fluffy white jacket and fleece pants, Jaejoong resembled an oversized cotton ball that blended immaculately into the snow. The ear muffs he wore were equally white, a contrast to the raven locks splayed across his forehead.
Yunho took two more steps forward, feeling more than disappointed when Jaejoong did not notice his presence.
“It’s not working today...” Jaejoong mumbled under his breath, the panic in his voice rising steadily.
Yunho craned his neck and took a closer look. The shoelaces on Jaejoong’s shoes were in a series of shapeless knots as they lied limp on the snow. Jaejoong pulled hard at one of the shoelaces and instead of creating the conventional butterfly knots, the shoelace knotted upon itself again.
Yunho finally realised why Jaejoong was late.
“Jaejoongie,” he called, moving and stopping in front of Jaejoong. Though he wasn’t supposed to, he felt amused when he saw how Jaejoong’s face was scrunched up in concentration as he attempted to tie his shoelaces again.
When Jaejoong’s head snapped up, he could see the tears of frustration that filled the corners of his huge eyes. They sparkled when they caught the sunlight, and Yunho thought they were more entrancing than the morning dew plopped on the blades of grass and even prettier than the string of pearls his mother kept away in her jewellery box.
“Go away.” Jaejoong looked back down at his shoes, his short fingers grabbing the shoelaces again.
Amongst the list of things he could do, Yunho wondered why he couldn’t walk away even when Jaejoong told him to.
Yunho took off the mittens his mother had put on for him before he had left the house, and tucked it into the pocket of his pants. He hunkered down before Jaejoong and reached his hands out for the laces. In an act of defiance, Jaejoong shifted his feet and turned away, his rosy lips pouting in a childish dignity.
“You just want to laugh at me,” Jaejoong assumed bitterly.
“I just want to help you.” Yunho sighed, remembering that Jaejoong had always been hostile to him despite the friendliness he had shown towards him. Yunho never understood why Jaejoong viewed him as an arch nemesis. Perhaps it was because he had defeated Jaejoong, the self-proclaimed fastest runner, in the school’s sports meet after their enrolment. He could still vividly remember how Jaejoong had burst into tears after the event.
The gears in Yunho’s head turned and he tried another strategy. “If you don’t let me help, all of us will be late. You know Mrs Lee is a monster when it comes to punctuality.” Yunho raised his hands into claws and rolled his eyes back into their sockets. Jaejoong reeled back, frozen. “All of us will get punished. All of us will get angry at you. You will lose your friends. And there’ll be no one for you to talk to in school.”
Horror crossed Jaejoong’s face at Yunho’s words. He gulped. “Really?”
“Really,” Yunho replied without any hesitation. “And Eunhyuk won’t lend you the game he promised to,” he added for dramatic effect.
Begrudgingly, Jaejoong turned back to face Yunho and propped his feet in front of him. A tiny smile played at Yunho’s lips as he undid the knots speedily beneath his dexterous fingers. He looped two sides of the shoelace over and then under each other. After mere seconds, a neat butterfly knot now rest atop the lip of the shoe.
“You’re going to tell the entire class that I can’t tie my own shoelaces.” Jaejoong accused and Yunho suspected that this was the exact reason Jaejoong refused his help.
“I’m not.” Yunho assured, reaching for the next shoe.
“Promise?” Jaejoong held out his pinky.
“Promise.” Their pinkies hooked and a pact was made.
After Yunho finished tying the second butterfly knot, he looked up and saw the admiration that brightened Jaejoong’s dark orbs. He felt a surge of pride and he puffed out his chest. “I can help you tie them tomorrow too.” Yunho offered good-naturedly.
Jaejoong jarred back to reality. Flags of red coloured his chubby cheeks. “Who needs your help tomorrow?” he said indignantly, standing up and stamping his feet. “I just forgot how to tie them today! Tomorrow! I’m going to remember how to tie them tomorrow!”
“Uh huh.” Yunho nodded his head, trying his best to sound convinced.
“I’m not going to say ‘Thank You’.” Jaejoong said stubbornly. “You’re the one who wants to help me. I would’ve been perfectly fine on my own!” As if knowing what he said were lies, Jaejoong flushed another shade deeper.
“Uh huh.” Yunho nodded again, holding back a laugh. Jaejoong looked adorable when he was flustered, he decided.
Jaejoong dashed past Yunho and towards the gate, kicking up snow in his wake. “And I still run faster than you!” Jaejoong shouted without turning back, as if that confirmed the idea that he was better than Yunho.
Yunho did not tell Jaejoong that since that time he had seen him cry after the competition, he had deliberately run a few seconds slower in the following matches so that he could take the second prize, and Jaejoong could take the first. That, Jaejoong wouldn’t need to know.
When the irritated honk of the bus horn sounded again, Yunho ran towards the bus, leaving his own set of footprints beside Jaejoong’s smaller ones. He boarded the bus and on his way back to his seat, he walked pass Jaejoong, who pretended not to see him.
As he settled down, a shiny glint on his bag caught his eye. It was a honey candy wrapped in purple foil. It was Jaejoong’s favourite kind of sweet.
And this, he realised, was Jaejoong’s way of saying thank you.
END
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A/N: A oneshot which I’ve been wanting to write but never got around to do so. It’s my first attempt at chibi Yunjae so I’m not sure how this turned out. Nevertheless, I enjoyed writing the fluff. I guess I needed a break from writing all the angst in ‘Breaking the Fall’. ^^
It’s no joke. It’s nearly 3 in the morning already and my eyelids are getting 20 pounds heavier with each passing second. I’m turning in soon.
Do enjoy this lil’ oneshot all right? =)