🧸❤️🧸

“Now if you want to go back, you could press the screen a second longer then swipe your finger towards the center.” He and Hyukjae are currently huddled together on the couch. With his old smartphone in his hand, Hyukjae is patiently demonstrating everything Donghae needs to know about the device. 

When Donghae expressed his desire in looking for a part-time job, Hyukjae and Kyuhyun were ecstatic yet a little weary. Despite being reassured by the two best friends that their monthly allowances were more than enough to sustain all three of them, Donghae has not failed to express wanting to contribute more. 

So when the aunty from Hyukjae and Kyuhyun’s go-to hole-in-the-wall restaurant posted an opening, they hurriedly introduce Donghae for the job. At least their hearts are at peace that Donghae will be in the hands of the kind old lady who seems to be intent in keeping their friend as her grandson.

And since Donghae will most likely be out of the apartment the whole day, the two bestfriends suggested that he needs a phone. Conveniently, Hyukjae’s old smartphone was still in perfect condition and is safely tucked at the back of one of his drawers. 

So here they are, spending their Saturday morning going about the basic functions of the smartphone as well as all the other features that Donghae could benefit from like YouTube and Instagram. 

“Okay so when you exit an app, you have to press the screen for a second longer again then swipe upwards to see all the applications running. If you’re not going to a particular app anymore, you have to quickly swipe it away upwards because if you just leave it there it’ll continue running in the background—”

“WHAT THE ?!”

Donghae has never shot up in his seat so high it felt as though his soul just left his body for a second. It’s also a good thing that he leaned back the last second or his and Hyukjae’s heads would have collided and that surely would have been painful.

The two turn towards the door where the shrill voice originated from, lo and behold there stands Kyuhyun looking like he’s seconds from bursting into a fit of teasing snickers (the twinkle in his eyes speaks volumes and Donghae is afraid that he has an idea as to what they mean) and a much shorter male whose eyes are blown so wide, Donghae fears they’ll fall right out of its sockets. 

There’s a pregnant pause, a solemn silence inside their living room before Hyukjae takes the liberty of breaking it, “Wookie, what brings you here?”

The obvious diversion of the elephant in the room shakes Wookie out of his apparent shock thus prompting him to walk across the threshold and is now standing right in front of the two. Despite his shorter stature, he’s exuding so much motherly explain-now-or-you’re-grounded-for-a-month energy, Donghae almost wants to cower behind Hyukjae.

“Hello there, I’m Ryeowook, this rude guy and Kyuhyun’s friend.” Ryeowook or Wookie pulls out a sweet and welcoming smile for Donghae, a complete contrast to his look of disbelief just a second ago. 

Note to self: don’t mess with this guy.

“I’m Donghae, Hyukjae’s—”

“Friend! Donghae here is my friend. He works at auntie’s restaurant, that’s where we met.”

Hyukjae’s nerves are palpable from Donghae’s side. His hand itches to reach over for Hyukjae’s to at least offer him a sense of comfort and it’s taking all his willpower not to give in to that urge. So instead he settles with verbally agreeing with what Hyukjae just said even if Ryeowook doesn’t look the least bit convinced.

“Okay. I’ll let you keep whatever this is a secret. For now.” Ryeowook looks between them one more time before leaving the living room in favor of following Kyuhyun to his room. He feels Hyukjae breathe out a sigh of relief once Ryeowook is out of hearing range.

“I’m sorry about him, Wook may look harmless but he’s got a sharp tongue paired with the ability to call out bull. Unfortunately, even if we’ve been friends for years, even we aren’t immune from his ability.” Hyukjae smiles at him apologetically. His shoulders are no longer tensed straight and he’s starting to look like the Hyukjae he knows. 

“It’s alright. I know he’s only being a good friend to you. But I’m not going to lie, I would have peed my pants if you hadn’t stepped in.”

Hyukjae guffaws completely carefree, obviously finding Donghae’s confession hilarious and temporarily forgetting about the two other people in the apartment. 

A wide smile soon finds a place on Donghae’s face. There’s something so mesmerizing about this Hyukjae with his eyes crinkling at the sides and his smile so wide his gums are on display. 

Admittedly, Donghae will never know the weight that Hyukjae carries as a graduating university student. No matter how many nights the latter spends talking about his worries and struggles with Donghae, he will never have an idea as to what runs inside Hyukjae’s mind on a daily basis. 

And, truthfully, it hurts Donghae to hear Hyukjae pour his heart out only to know at the back of his mind that that was only the tip of the iceberg. That although Hyukjae says talking to Donghae before he sleeps in his arms helps calm his heart and put his mind at ease, the thought that one day what he’s doing would no longer be enough scares him. 

But for now, he focuses and stamps this version of Hyukjae on his mind. The Hyukjae in front of him who isn’t carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. This Hyukjae who’s laughing his guts out and isn’t overthinking whether he’s earned to be carefree and happy for the day. 

This Hyukjae is who Donghae wants to see when the day comes that he no longer needs Donghae to unload all his worries to. Because although Donghae knows that there’s already something stirring in his heart for the one who freed him, he can’t find it in himself to be selfish. 

Because if that day does come, Donghae knows in his heart that he gave it his all to make Hyukjae happy. And by then he’s confident that his heart will be full and content knowing that Hyukjae is free from the shackles in his mind. 

🧸❤️🧸

“I can’t believe you didn’t at least warn me that you were bringing Wook over!” 

Hyukjae and Kyuhyun are currently preparing dinner, something simple for tonight consisting of bibimbap made with leftover veggies and kimchi jjigae. While Donghae is in the shower, Hyukjae takes advantage and corners his best friend in the kitchen. 

“You should have seen you two, you looked like a teenage couple caught making out by your parents.” Kyuhyun snickers, the image of his best friend and Donghae looking like a couple of deers caught in headlights gets more hilarious the second, third, and fourth time around. “And would you chill, from the way you’re reacting it’s like you two really are a couple.”

“I’m just worried about Hae, his situation isn’t really something that’s easy to digest. We were lucky telling you the whole truth since you already had an idea about these kinds of things.”

“I get that but how long are you going to keep this story going? Wook has already caught on and it won’t be long before he’ll start pressing you for the truth. There’s no doubt he already told his boyfriend about you being weird earlier.”

“I don’t necessarily have a say in that, we’d have to ask Hae if he would be comfortable enough to tell the others. Heck, would he be comfortable even meeting our other friends is the real question here.”

“He’ll be fine Hyuk, you don’t have to baby him.” Kyuhyun stirs the stew before letting it simmer for a few more minutes, “He may have missed a few years but he isn’t entirely incapable of adapting and meeting new people.”

“I know… and you’re right, it’s just I don’t want him to feel obligated into telling the others.” 

“Understandable but what I’m getting at is to just talk to him. At least let him decide for himself, you might be worrying for nothing.”

“It still scares me how you tease me one second then the next you’re making great points.”

“What can I say, it’s one of the many gifts I enjoy abusing.” Hyukjae smacks the smirk right out of his best friend’s face. He would have argued but then Donghae emerges from his shower with his sleep clothes on already looking comfortable and ready to hit the hay.

The two meet eyes and smiles automatically bloom on their faces. “It smells amazing in here, is dinner ready?” Donghae asks after like he and Hyukjae didn’t just spend a second to themselves as if Kyuhyun wasn’t in the room with them.

“It is and I’m starving. Now,” Kyuhyun seats himself at the dining table, the two only now realizing that the former had already set the table, “if you two are done giving googly eyes at each other, I would very much love to start eating. Please.”

Hyukjae feels the tips of his ears starting to burn from what his best friend had implied. He turns to take the kimchi jjigae off the stove and quickly but carefully places the stone pot in the middle of the dining table. Once everyone is sat at the dining table, they start with their meal quietly exchanging conversation every now and then.

Sometime in the middle of eating, Hyukjae lifts his gaze and sees Donghae gobble up a spoonful of bibimbap causing his cheeks to fill thus making him look like a chipmunk. He quietly suppresses the fond snort threatening to come up his throat, dropping his gaze back down on his own bowl so as to not get caught by the latter. 

Unbeknownst to him, Kyuhyun had been watching the whole thing. Though it’s still too early to tell, there wouldn’t be anyone else Kyuhyun would want to take care of Hyukjae than Donghae. He just wishes they wouldn't hold themselves back once they do see each other in a different light.