Hey! So a writing meme on twitter had me thinking about this AU today, and what do you know, I found some unposted content in my docs???? So I thought I might as well toss it up here. It actually picks up directly from where part 1 left off. I did find another couple small unifinished scenes for this AU, and maaaay or may not create an actual work dedicated to posting snippets rather than having it here with my other WIPs. Fair warning, I don't see myself writing a coherent plot but this story *is* my guilty pleasure so I might write more in the future.

Sorry to be a flaky when it comes to writing, bless anyone who still reads! 

A sound wakes him up. Donghae opens his eyes, blearily taking in the wall on the opposite end of Hyukjae's bed.

The sound again. Knocking. "Are you two awake yet? Are you... can I come in?"

That's strange. Jungsu hyung has never asked before coming in to wake them up.

"No,"calls Hyukjae, practically right in Donghae's ear, the particular gravely undertones of sleep in high definition. The night before comes rushing back to him, and Donghae remembers why Jungsu would be hesitant around them.

Touchbond. He bonded. With Hyukjae. He tries to let that sink in. It's kind of huge. Donghae attempts to wrap his head around the reality of it. All in all, though... he's not as shocked as he should be.

He turns his head to see Hyukjae watching him. Hyukjae doesn't flinch or avert his eyes or anything, but his expression is blank. "I need to use the bathroom," he says.

"Okay," Donghae says dumbly. There's a pause. Hyukjae squeezes Donghae's elbow hesitantly.

"Is it safe?"

Oh. Donghae thinks about it: his headache is gone, he doesn't feel nauseous. He's not cold or warm or anything. He's actually pretty damn comfortable. "I think so? We should try."

The bed is too small for them to truly get any distance, so Hyukjae sits up on his knees, bedsheets pooling around his waist, hand still wrapped around Donghae's elbow. After a beat, he pulls his hand away.

Nothing happens. Their gazes meet - Hyukjae looks worried. But after ten seconds, Donghae still feels okay. After thirty seconds, he sits up, and Hyukjae backs off the bed.

Last night it had been instant pain when they'd stopped touching for even a second. Last night their had also not been an issue, and in truth it still shouldn't be an issue, but as soon as Hyukjae realizes that neither of them are getting sick, his cheeks color and he flees to his dresser.

Donghae looks down at his hands, awkward. After a minute a pair of shorts are placed beside him, and he looks up at Hyukjae - who is also now wearing shorts himself - and Hyukjae gives him a smile, close-mouthed. Then he leaves.

Donghae pulls the shorts on to the sound of Hyukjae talking with Jungsu out in the hall- he catches " - but I really need to shower first"  - and then Jungsu slides into the room, wearing a thin smile that's almost identical to the one Hyukjae had been wearing.

Nobody really knows how to handle this situation. Donghae's fingers clench and unclench, feeling strange to be without Hyukjae. He doesn't hurt, but it's... just strange. Hyukjae is only there across the hall, but Donghae feels anxious to have him back already.

"We're going to the hospital soon. Junghoon is driving. Donghae, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, hyung." He's being half honest. Hyukjae comes back into the room then, and that makes what Donghae said 100% honest. He smiles - Hyukjae catches his eye and smiles back, but it’s quick, closed-mouthed, and he turns his attention to Jungsu immediately.

“I thought you were showering?” Jungsu asks him, frowning.

“I’m going to, but I forgot… something.”

“Okay, well. There’s about twenty minutes before we have to leave, so -”

“Twenty minutes, we’ll be ready,” Hyukjae interrupts, grabbing Donghae by the wrist without looking at him and pulling him out of the room.

Showering together: also on the list of things that are practically normal for the group members. Donghae stands with his back against the counter, listening to the shower run. It’s much easier to think with Hyukjae in the same room, but he almost wishes his head weren’t so clear. He tries to focus on the sound of the water, like it can wash away the awkward uncertainty of this entire morning.

Hyukjae steps around the shower door without bothering to turn the water off, and they switch.

It’s quiet at first - through the frosted glass of the shower door, Donghae can see Hyukjae toweling off his hair roughly. He reaches for the shampoo.

“Maybe we needed to stay in bed longer,” Hyukjae offers, voice muffled by the water hitting the shower floor. Donghae closes his eyes as he tips his head back, washing the shampoo out of this hair.

“Yeah, maybe.” There’s only one washcloth in here. Does it really matter? Donghae grabs it.

“It was just a little anxiety, though, right? Much better than last night. So it’s not so bad. We could probably have lasted for five -”

Donghae shuts the water off abruptly, the sound of the pipes closing drowning out Hyukjae’s words. He looks slightly startled when Donghae steps out of the shower, but recovers quickly and hands him a dry towel.

“Breakfast?”

-

Jungsu keeps glancing between them, brows knit together in concern. Donghae tries to ignore it. Hyukjae had spent the entire ride to the hospital apologizing - for inconveniencing Jungsu hyung, for making Junghoon hyung lie about why they were canceling schedules, for complicating everything. They both insisted that he had nothing to apologize for and that it wasn’t his fault, while Donghae watched the city streak by out the window and tried not to let his hand slide across the seat and collide with Hyukjae’s.

Now they’re waiting for Junghoon to finish signing what seems like a million papers. A doctor is apparently on her way. She’s had to travel from her private practice to the hospital - it wouldn’t do to have the public suspect that members are being treated by a touchbond practitioner.

That’s an apology Donghae thinks is owed. The one to the fans. Is a lie by omission as bad as lying outright? He shifts closer to Hyukjae, no longer caring about keeping his space. They’d been separated for about an hour while they were given physical exams, just the basics, and since those nurses hadn’t been privy to the information of their recent bonding, there was no rush to get the two of them back into the same room. Luckily they were let back here to wait for their doctor before Donghae’s nausea became unbearable, and he could only tell that Hyukjae had been shaking because they sat with arms pressed together, and Donghae could feel the slight tremors. They’ve died down for now.

A nurse comes out of the door at the opposite end of the waiting room, smiling gently at them. “Lee Hyukjae, Lee Donghae? Doctor Ko is ready for you.”

They stand hesitantly, waiting for Jungsu to gesture them off, like children nervous on their first day of preschool. “Good luck,” Jungsu says, and Donghae tries to ignore the strain in his smile.

Doctor Ko is younger than Donghae expected, dressed smartly and smiling at them with sure composure. They both shuffle into bows as the door closes behind them, greeting her in turn.

“Hello, boys,” she says, voice teacher-like without being stern. “My name is Dr. Ko Eunyoung, and you can relax, because I’m well aware of the delicacy of this situation. You can be sure that I take confidentiality laws seriously.”

“We appreciate it, Doctor,” Hyukjae says. She nods and gestures them to sit on the couch. Rather than a patient room, they’re in an office, the nameplate on the desk behind Doctor Ko not her own. She’s pulled the desk chair around to sit in front of the couch, nothing but a notebook folded between her hands.

“Your skin should be touching when possible,” she informs them. They scoot closer together, and Donghae wraps his fingers loosely around Hyukjae’s. “While it’s certainly fine to separate for as long as you can stand it, it’s not recommended. It’s healthiest for bonded pairs to be in contact at all times, but of course, that’s not practical. You two are lucky; many pairs have never met before their bond, it can be quite awkward at first.”

It’s not awkward for them. It’s natural, which is something Donghae can think comfortably now that it’s actually medically proven for his wanting to be near Hyukjae to be perfectly normal. He thinks about Hyukjae’s behavior, though, and Donghae feels a little better about how strange he’s been acting this morning.

“Do you have any questions for me before we get started? They’re likely to be answered anyway, but I like to clear up any anxieties you’re sure to be having right from the get-go.” Doctor Ko is calm and measured, looking carefully between the two of them without letting any of her thoughts show on her face.

“Are we here to learn which type we are?” Hyukjae asks.

“Ah. That’s a common concern. Type must be determined over time - we’ll be periodically recording each of your bodies’ hormone levels over time to help us give you a specification. It’s easier to narrow it down in a broader sense. Type A typically involves anywhere from 6 to 8 hours of continuous contact before pairs can separate without any discomfort. Distance has little effect when separated, and as long as pairs can recharge their bond regularly there are no ill effects. Type B is a little more complicated. Typically 12 to 16 hours must be spent in physical contact, and separation over long distances is discomfiting when not properly charged. Most pairs learn how much time is needed through trial and error, and as such, it can take years to properly determine type and class of bond. The bond is mostly self-regulating. Your side-effects give you ample warning when it’s time to recharge before the individual bodies begin to shut down.”

“So we won’t know medically, but we can guess?”

“You can guess,” she confirms, sounding amused. “It’s best to err on the side of caution, of course.” Hyukjae nods, shifting slightly. Slightly away, Donghae notices, but he doesn’t remove his hand. “Let’s begin then, alright? When did you first bond?”

“Last night,” Donghae says immediately, thinking back. “We, um - I think it was. We were on stage and we, we always all bow together, you know, hand-in-hand.”

Doctor Ko nods, jotting something down. “Around what time was that?”

“Probably near 9? 9 PM?” Donghae can feel Hyukjae’s eyes on the side of his face. He glances over when Doctor Ko lowers her head again to write in her notebook, but Hyukjae’s not very focused on him. He blinks and notices Donghae looking.

“I didn’t - think about that until now,” he says lowly. “I didn’t notice. Did you?”

Donghae shakes his head frantically. “No, I thought about it after, you know. That had to have been it.” He tries to remember. What was he thinking, that moment right before his life was about to change for good? What did Hyukjae’s hand feel like - was it warm? Soft, or damp with sweat? Could Donghae have felt something in the touch over the noise of the crowd and the pounding of his own adrenaline-fueled heart in his ears?

“Yeah, okay,” Hyukjae says, still in that hushed tone, like his mind is in the past. “Yeah I think that was it.”

“And when did the withdrawal symptoms begin?”

They both look back at her at once, pulled once again into the present. Donghae feels his cheeks flush.

He knows he looked at the clock when he woke up with the symptoms, but the light had hurt too much to really comprehend what the numbers were. It was already after one when he went to bed, and he thinks it was close to three when he’d crawled in with Hyukjae for the second sleep of the night, so it must have been around -

“Two in the morning. Well, my watch said 1:52 right after I threw up.” Hyukjae says, surprising Donghae. He squeezes his hand tighter. He’d never asked, had he? Never said how are you feeling or was it as bad for you as it was for me. It was safe to assume that it had been, though. But Donghae’s nausea had never gotten quite bad enough for him to throw up.

Doctor Ko makes a tsk sound like a concerned mother. “I’m sorry that it got that bad. Were the symptoms the same for both of you?”

It’s like she read his mind. Donghae looks at Hyukjae, who looks back, and then shrugs.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I tried to make something to eat,” Hyukjae starts, “but I felt nauseous. I thought I had the flu or something. I was really cold but my temperature was over 37, and I had a headache, and I couldn’t stop thinking about -” He breaks off.

“That’s normal,” Doctor Ko assures him, “of course that’s normal. Your stomach will hurt when you’re hungry, won’t it? Your throat gets dry when you’re thirsty? It’s your body telling you what it needs. When you’re bonded, it needs the touch of your partner’s skin. I assume it was the same for you, Donghae?”

He nods, then shakes his head. “Well, I had no trouble sleeping. I was exhausted, actually, but I woke up with a headache. I couldn’t see straight and I was nauseous, too. Like the flu, yeah. But, is it still normal that thinking about Hyukjae made me feel worse?”

She nods, but not before Donghae catches a small crease form between her eyes. When she speaks, she does so while writing in her notebook at the same time. “The symptoms are a response to touch starvation as much as they are a warning. A stronger reaction most likely signified the severity of the starvation. Think of it more like your body confirming the cause of the illness. Did the symptoms subside quickly after you were able to be in skin-to-skin contact?

“Yes, but - “

“Not completely,” Donghae finishes. “I still had a small headache. And I think Hyukjae had fever.”

Another scribble in her book. Donghae tries to stop wondering what it means every time she writes something; it’s what she’s here for, after all.

“To alleviate starvation, pairs need as much of their skin surface area to be in contact for as long as needed for the symptoms to subside before they can begin to recharge. The notes I was given say you were advised as much?”

“Well, mostly. Our manager, Kim Junghoon, has a sister who’s bonded. He told us. But it was probably an hour that we were - like this.” Hyukjae lifts their hands to indicate how much contact they’d had while they’d been sitting on the couch. “It hurt too much to stop.”

Doctor Ko nods slowly. “Yes. Hyukjae, remember that skin contact with Donghae is what defines healthy for you now that you’ve bonded. Think about it like sleep - you need an average of 8 hours within a 24 hour period to function properly. If you forego sleep for too long, your body will eventually shut itself down or even die. But those sleep deprivation symptoms won’t be as strong if you only sleep, say, 5 hours within a 24 hour period, even though you still won’t function at full capacity, so to speak. The difference is that you can’t make up for lost sleep. You can’t nap another 3 hours to make up for those you missed; you’d still need to sleep for 8 at the next cycle. With the touchbond, there is no minimum. Your bodies would prefer to touch at all times, but you can still safely separate.  When it comes to the types I mentioned earlier, the classifications are based on how long you can safely be separated rather than how long you must be in contact. It’s just easier to think about it the other way around given the expectations of our society. The majority of us move to the rhythm of sleep cycles; you do as well, but more pressing is the need to be in contact. It’s like breathing. You can hold your breath, but only for so long. Is this making it easier to understand?”

“Yes,” Hyukjae says, voice small, and Donghae nods along with him. Like breathing. Yeah, he can understand.

“Doctor Ko,” Donghae says, “What about, um, being in the same room, if we’re not… charged? This morning, we weren’t sick anymore but we went to different rooms and it was, it was uncomfortable.”

“It’s low-grade separation anxiety. It doesn’t sound like you two were in maximum contact for long enough.”

“Four hours, maybe a little more,” Donghae confirms.

“All right. Don’t try to push it, boys. I don’t want to see you two back here within the week because of touch starvation, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hyukjae mumbles. It sounds so petulant that Donghae laughs, covering it up with his free hand.

“I trust that you do take this seriously,” Doctor Ko says, mouth quirking up a tiny bit at the corner when she goes to jot in her notebook again. There’s a smile tugging at Hyukjae’s lips, too, so Donghae doesn’t feel too badly about being rude.

“I want you two to spend the next twelve of 24 hours in full contact, okay? It doesn’t have to be twelve continuous hours, but I want that minimum. Since you’ve so recently bonded, your bodies will need longer contact at least for now, like an initial charge. Don’t worry, the starvation symptoms won’t always get that bad, but you’ll still need to learn how much time apart is tolerable. Hopefully you won’t ever experience what you did last night again.” She sounds sincere when she says it. Flipping to the back of her notebook, she pulls out a sheet of paper and leans forward to hand it to them.

Hyukjae takes it, and Donghae is glad for an excuse to scoot even closer, although the clothes separating their skin is bothersome. It’s a list, punctuated here and there by diagrams of the human body, different areas shaded in.

“Those are some rough guidelines you can use until we can determine the exact parameters of your bond. Remember to err on the side of most contact, most time. I know your schedules will make this difficult, so I’ve written my home number on the bottom of the sheet if you have any questions. After today, I want you to have 8 hours of maximum contact each day at the very minimum. The chart will give you some examples of how to maximize surface area when it’s not socially acceptable to have access to bare skin. For example, a smaller surface area like hand-holding will need a longer charge time than a wider surface area, like back-to-chest. You may have to do some math. For safety’s sake, try not to be in different rooms for more than four hours at a time. Your bodies will tell you what’s best, but if you can stick to this routine for the next two weeks, it will be a good start in determining your type. I’ll see you back here in two weeks for another physical exam, and we’ll go from there. Any more questions?”

“That’s it?” Hyukjae blurts. “You don’t need to take any special tests?”

She shakes her head. “Your bodies’ reactions over the next two weeks will be all the tests I’ll need. We’ll be monitoring your hormone levels bi-monthly until we can narrow down your specific type and class of bond.”

Doctor Ko stands, bowing, and Donghae and Hyukjae scramble to follow suit. Their hands don’t separate, and Hyukjae never half-asses a bow, so it’s almost a strange little mirror of being on stage last night. The moment everything changed.

Donghae can’t help it, he feels a little thrill at the thought.

“Thank you, Doctor Ko,” Hyukjae says.

“Of course, Hyukjae-ssi, Donghae-ssi.  And remember that you’re welcome to call me with any questions. Anything at all.”

They bow their heads once again before leaving, back out towards where Jungsu and Junghoon are waiting. Donghae notices Jungsu hyung’s eyes flicker down to where his hand is still joined with Hyukjae’s before he smiles, dimple showing, and bounces to his feet.

“Well?”

Hyukjae s the list of guidelines towards him without speaking. Jungsu glances over it, then hands it off to Junghoon, looking a little more preoccupied than he had been a second ago.

“We’ll need another appointment for two weeks from now,” Hyukjae says. “And we’ll… we’ll probably… hyung, do you mind having a room to yourself from now on?”

A frown tugs at Donghae’s mouth, even as Jungsu starts nodding animatedly, talking about how they’ll work on getting a larger bed for Hyukjae’s room, and Donghae deflates a little. He likes being close to Jungsu hyung. Someone has to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t work all the time, right? Someone has to. And he’ll miss Heechul hyung, and Ryeowook…

Hyukjae drifts closer to him and their shoulders bump together as they exit the waiting room. Well, he won’t have to get up early to go wake Hyukjae anymore.

“Are we picking up schedules again?” he asks Junghoon, who is looking at his mobile phone. Junghoon shakes his head distractedly.

“No, we’re going back to the dorms for now. We’ll work on moving you to the other floor and trying to accommodate this schedule.” He waves the list of guidelines.

Donghae has to let go of Hyukjae’s hand when they leave the building. Hyukjae doesn’t make any move like he’s going to grab Donghae’s hand again once they’re in the van, so Donghae just listens to his voice while he explains what Doctor Ko had told them.

They stay like that, a step too close but not close enough, as they make their way back up the dorm building. They’re going to gather as many of Donghae’s things as they can and likely spend the rest of the afternoon trying to fit them neatly into Hyukjae’s room. Junghoon opens the door to their dorm and as soon as they pass the threshold Hyukjae is reaching back, fingers finding Donghae’s, pressing their palms together. Whatever it is inside Donghae that puts him off-center when they aren’t close enough clicks gently back into place.

Then Ryeowook’s too-loud laughter comes drifting over, and when they step into the main room Hyukjae drops Donghae’s hand immediately. They all freeze. Lee Soo Man is sitting on the couch across from Ryeowook.

He stands and they hasten to bow before he does. Donghae swallows, heart thumping in his chest. Of course Lee Soo Man would have to know about this. Of course he’ll have the final say in whatever happens now.

“Hello,” he says, “I trust you had a pleasant meeting with Doctor Ko? She comes highly recommended.”

There’s a moment where Donghae wildly tries to understand what this means, and Hyukjae breathes, “Thank you, soensaengnim,” beside him.

“I’d like to speak with you in private, if you’d be so kind?” Lee Soo Man asks, ostensibly to them, but he actually addresses Jungsu hyung.

“Of course!” Jungsu says brightly, dimples flashing. “Ryewookie, let’s go downstairs, don’t you think?”

Donghae focuses on breathing as everyone else leaves the dorm completely. It’s Lee Soo Man, not the president, why does he feel so nervous?

“You must be tired,” he asks them, and Donghae has no idea what to say to that. Hyukjae makes a noncommittal noise, cut-off, like maybe he’s wondering it that’s a trick question too.

Lee Soo Man chuckles. “Sit, sit, and relax. Yes, I know that we now have a bonded pair among our talent, but I’m not here to deliver bad news. Rather, I’d like to settle some of your fears. Your positions in this company are secure.”

They sit. “Thank you, seonsaengnim,” Hyukjae says again, and then makes another bitten-off sound, like he’s realized he’s essentially repeating himself. Donghae reaches out unthinkingly, wrapping his hand around Hyukjae’s wrist.

Lee Soo Man’s eyes track the movement, and neither of them breathe for a moment. “I won’t take up your time. Things will be more difficult from now on, but your group leader is very hard working, I’m not worried.”

“Too hard,” Hyukjae laughs, seeming to have recovered from his anxiety. Donghae frantically thinks of something to say but comes up empty.

“You will of course need to be careful. Your choices in this matter are your own, but I would warn you that this is unprecedented. We cannot predict the public’s response if they learn about your bond.”

“We don’t have any plans about going public, sir. We’ll continue to work hard, we’ll work even harder. I promise you won’t have anything to worry about,” Hyukjae says. Donghae nods, feeling calmer himself.

“Son, your job is not to worry. This information will be on a need-to-know basis. I know your group members are all aware, Ryeowook told me that much. Your families, of course, will be told. Beyond that you’ll continue activities as normal so long as you are healthy.”

“Thank you,” Donghae finally manages to get out. “We want to - we want - we’ll - you’ll be proud of us, seonsaengnim, we promise.”

He chuckles again. “I’m already proud, I assure you. And thankful. Just look after yourselves. The company will treat this matter delicately.”

Soo Man stands, and so does Hyukjae, and Donghae follows, still unable to comprehend what’s happening. They’re getting the okay from Lee Soo Man? All their fears from last night were unfounded. They’ll be fine.

He’s gone then, and Donghae hopes he said goodbye. He blinks. “Hyukjae? Did that just happen?”

Hyukjae chuckles. He squeezes Donghae’s hand and they grin at each other for a moment, feeling light. The hand-holding is not quite enough, which he becomes aware of because his hands are still shaking, and not from adrenaline. Maybe they can recharge before he has to move down to the other dorm? Donghae’s free hand drifts up and he settles his fingers around the back of Hyukjae’s neck, feeling only slightly better, but Hyukjae is still smiling.

“I think what just happened is that we got damn lucky,” says Hyukjae, and it takes a moment for Donghae to realize that he’s talking about Lee Soo Man’s unexpected approval. “I’m sad Heechul wasn’t here to see it.”

“I wish he was, he should have seen your face. You looked like you were going to pass out.”

“At least I didn’t just sit there gaping like a fish,” he shoots back, which just makes Donghae laugh.

“We should go tell Jungsu so he doesn’t worry himself to death.”

Hyukje nods. Neither of them makes a move, Donghae’s fingers playing with the hair on Hyukjae’s neck.

The door swings open and they jump apart, but it’s only Jungsu coming down the hall, saying he just passed Lee Soo Man in the elevator and please tell him they’re still in the group?

He’s as relieved as they were when they tell him what happened. They do end up moving most of Donghae’s things into Hyukjae’s room, but the members are adamant that they help, so Donghae does a lot of standing around holding Hyukjae’s hand and trying not to feel sad about moving dorms.

Sorry it ends abruptly! I really can't believe I never posted this, if you've read it somewhere and I've forgotten then just smack me idk. I could swear I wrote more at the end of this scene (to help understand Hyukjae's less-than-thrilled behavior about the whole thing); I'll update if I find it.