epilogue.

The following weeks slip by in a flurry of kissing, love-making, and—rather regrettably—studying.

Donghae would like to say that now that he’s happily in a relationship, the rest just seems inconsequential in comparison, but really, that would be lying. He still has exams to take, a degree to graduate from, and, hopefully, a job to find. Whenever he forgets about it for even a second, Hyukjae is here to remind him right away.

Thankfully enough, between the two of them they manage to finish off the report without much difficulty, with plenty of time to spare for a thorough final proofreading. They also complete their presentation material fairly easily, as Donghae has always rather enjoyed formatting documents. Hyukjae had been so pleasantly surprised by the result that he rewarded him with a terrific that he’ll remember for a long, long time.

All in all, they’re definitely ready for their presentation. Donghae would be highly surprised if they don’t get one of the best grades in the class.

Unsurprisingly Donghae’s confidence that everything will go well does nothing to ease Hyukjae’s stress.

The economics class during which they’re expected to present is only scheduled for later in the afternoon. Even though it’s still early in the morning, Hyukjae already looks like a right mess of nerves and anxiety. He keeps checking his watch every now and then, gulping nervously under his breath as he stares at the time ticking by. His hands are twisting together into painful-looking angles. His whole body is tense as he keeps bouncing up and down on his feet.

It only gets worse as the day slowly goes by. By mid-afternoon, Hyukjae has nibbled so hard on his lips that they’ve become a little swollen. He’s so on edge that he’s lashed out against the few people that were stupid enough to come too close. He’s taken to reciting his presentation speech under his breath over and over again, a rush of hushed words flowing out of his mouth, and then panics every time that he forgets even a single word. A restless frown creases his eyebrows and pulls the corners of his mouth into an agitated grimace. His breath is becoming more and more ragged, more anxious, like he’s about to burst into tears.

Donghae feels his heart ache painfully every time that he sees such raw panic flash across Hyukjae’s face. He’s fairly nervous, too, and it’s not a pleasant feeling. He can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for Hyukjae. The urge to reach out and pull him into a hug—to just be here for him, like a silent, reassuring anchor—tugs at his insides. He wishes that he could do more—something, anything—but Hyukjae seems so wrapped up in his own anxiety that it becomes hard, even for Donghae, to get through to him. But he keeps on trying, over and over again, never giving up.

Hyukjae starts to fidget nervously again as they make their way to the economics classroom together. Spontaneously Donghae rests a hand on the small of his back—a weight that he hopes to be warm and reassuring, instead of distracting. For a second Hyukjae tenses and his eyes flash dangerously, like he’s about to lash out once more. Then he takes a deep breath and finally leans into him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he exhales slowly, very slowly. He glances at Donghae and mumbles a quiet ‘thank you’.

Donghae smiles softly. “It’s fine,” he tells him. “I don’t mind.”

He really doesn’t. If there’s at least something that he’s learned over the time that they’ve spent together—from the rough beginning of their group project and all the way to their new-found relationship—it’s that Hyukjae is who he is, and there’s no point in trying to change him. He just happens to be particularly anxious about his academic performance. While Donghae won’t pretend that he understands, he can try his best to help Hyukjae through his nervousness.

“Oh no!” Hyukjae blurts suddenly. He whips around to stare at Donghae in horror, eyes wide in panic. “We forgot to put our slide show on a USB key!”

“No, we didn’t,” Donghae placates him. He wraps his arm around Hyukjae’s waist and squeezes gently. “I added it on my key two days ago, remember? And then I put it on your key as well—which is in your bag—so that we’d have a backup one just in case I lost mine.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good.” Hyukjae frowns, looking very troubled. Then he whimpers, “I’m so nervous.”

“It’s fine; you’re fine,” Donghae tells him, and he means it every time. “It’s almost over, alright? Just remember that you are ready for it. You’ve worked so hard and you’ve been practicing for days now; there’s no way that you’ll get anything else but an excellent grade.”  

Hyukjae narrows his eyes at Donghae suspiciously. “We worked and rehearsed for it together.” He waves an accusing finger at his face. “Do not think for a second that you’ll get out of this, Lee Donghae!”

Donghae laughs and rolls his eyes. Under his hand, Hyukjae relaxes minutely. “It’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He nudges him playfully. “Anyway you’d probably kill me if I ever thought about not doing the presentation.”