Lee Donghae. Lee Donghae, please attend to your child at register 5. Again, Lee Donghae, please attend to your child at register 5. Thank you.

When Donghae hears this through the PR system, he’s perplexed.

Because first and foremost, he knows he doesn’t have a child. On another point, he came to the grocery store with his boyfriend, who’s a grown man much like himself. So he tries to recall if his brother mentioned something about going grocery shopping with his nephew, but none come to mind. 

Maybe a customer here has the same name as me? He thinks, which is a valid enough reason; actually, that is likely the case. Yet somehow, a tiny voice in his head urges him to check still. Why? He doesn’t know either, but the small voice in his head has never been wrong before so, why not? 

So Donghae ventures out to look for register number 5, quickly taking a glance at his phone for any message from his boyfriend but winces when he remembers that Hyukjae’s phone is dead. Great. Now Donghae has to look for two people, the “child” that’s looking for a Lee Donghae and his boyfriend, who was the next in line at the register when he slipped out to take a leak. Coincidentally, they were lined up at register five before he went to the restroom. 

The distance from the men’s room to register number 5 wasn’t that far. However, Donghae wished it was far enough to prepare himself for the sight that would welcome him. 

Sitting by the bench directly opposite the said register, hunched over his form and his arms around his form, making himself smaller than usual, is his boyfriend. The oversized sweater Hyukjae chose to wear today just drowned his whole figure in a fluffy blanket. From a distance, Donghae can see that his Hyukjae is pouting and his eyes a little frantic as he scans through the crowd for a familiar face. God, I’m marrying him someday.

Hyukjae looks so adorable, if he didn’t spot Donghae standing a few meters from the register, Donghae would have spent a few more minutes just cooing at him from there (and maybe snapped a few pictures as well). 

“You left me.” Hyukjae huffs at him when Donghae is close enough. The latter tries and fails to hold the fond chuckle from escaping his lips, prompting Hyukjae to turn away from Donghae. Like the other had just betrayed him. 

“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to but I was sure I told you I was going to the restroom.” Donghae wraps his arms around his baby, albeit with some difficulty because of Hyukjae’s sulking. “Well, clearly you didn’t because when I turned around you weren’t there anymore and I didn’t have my phone so I had no other way to reach you.” Hyukjae whines indignantly, his voice is a little muffled from being smushed into Donghae’s shoulder but Donghae hears the pout loud and clear.

“So you’re the one behind the PR system.” It’s funny how relieved Donghae sounded that there wasn’t an actual lost kid looking for him or someone with the same name. Just when he thought Hyukjae couldn’t get any cuter, he does things like this. God, I love him so much. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to leave my baby alone for too long.”

“Don’t tease me, I panicked when you weren’t behind me anymore.” hearing his boyfriend say that while sounding small and soft sends Donghae’s mind in a series of keyboard smashes. So he throws all logical reasoning out of the window and showers Hyukjae’s whole face with kisses. Donghae’s arms are still tightly wrapped around Hyukjae’s thin form so no matter how much he squeals and squirms away from Donghae’s lips, it’s all futile. 

Hyukjae’s face, ears, and neck are flushed red when Donghae finally lets him breathe. Hyukjae is no longer sulking but now he’s embarrassed that his boyfriend would pull a cheesy stunt like that in front of so many passing shoppers. 

So Donghae holds Hyukjae’s sweater paws and pulls him along, his other hand slowly pushing their cart full of groceries. “C’mon now love, we’ve been in more embarrassing situations than this.” 

“This is the most embarrassing so far.” Hyukjae mumbles to himself, there’s a small pout on his lips but at least he allows Donghae to intertwine their fingers together.

“Really now? How about that time I fell for you?” Donghae says proudly, his chest puffed out and his eyes sparkling as he recalls that fateful day.

“I literally tripped you!” Hyukjae exclaims, his face a little red still, all the more making the confusion on his face more adorable.

“Exactly.” Donghae says after planting a smooch on Hyukjae’s right cheek just because. “You’re unbelievable, you know that wasn’t how I intended to confess right? I planned to do it at—”

“—at the aquarium we used to go to when we were kids, I know love. We’ve reached the same result still, that’s all that matters to me.” The couple look at each other with tender smiles on their faces, Hyukjae couldn’t take it anymore and kisses Donghae firmly on the lips. After all these years, they’re still making each other fall more and more in love each day.

“I still feel bad that you hurt yourself that day.”

“It’s alright. It was a necessary sacrifice to get to where we are now.”

“Can you turn down the cheese, at least for a few minutes?”

“Nah babe, it isn’t cheese if it’s the truth.”

“God, please shut up.”