Clash

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A few toys and a single teddy bear were neatly laying on the blue comforter of the bed. Books were filling the shelves fitted against the creamy walls. The windows were slightly open, letting the warm air of the night flow in. Only the papers sprawled all over the carpet were breaking the order of the bedroom.

There wasn’t a single sound breaking the summer night except the sobs flowing out of the boy’s trembling lips. Crouched down in a corner of his bedroom, his fists rubbing his eyes, heavy tears were falling down his wet cheeks. His knees brought up against his chest, the kid’s body was shaking as his cries grew louder.

The door then softly opened, the dim light of the corridor shining through as an older girl hesitantly walked in. The boy’s head snapped up, his single-lidded eyes full of fear as he slumped down even more. The other kid chewed on her lower lip with worry, shuffling further in until she was standing in front of her little brother. She wordlessly squatted down next to him, feeling sorry and worried. Almost immediately, the boy threw himself into her arms, clinging onto her as he cried harder. The sister protectively wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him as much as she could.

 

“Everything is fine, Hyuk’,” she muttered. “Don’t cry anymore.”

 

The boy only shook his head, his sobs loud and pained. Sora could only hug him tighter, understanding way too well the way he was feeling. She looked down on the floor, almost immediately finding the source of his brother’s sorrow; a crumpled piece of sheet was laying forgotten on the beige carpet. It was Hyukjae’s latest assignment that he had handed in a week ago. There was a big, bright red mark on the top left of the paper, underlined two times; 87 out of 100.

 

“Siwon’s mommy congratulated him when he got his 79,” Hyukjae’s squeaky voice then spoke up. “Why did ours yell at me?”

 

Sora couldn’t reply, resting her head atop of his brother’s as she soothingly ran her hand up and down his back. “I don’t know,” She mumbled.

 

They were only kids, seeking for their parents’ loving and encouraging words, even if they had done something bad. Scolding was something they couldn’t avoid and they knew it – failure was something they had to confront every single day and to be yelled at was an inevitable consequence. However, there was a line parents shouldn’t cross.

Sora was still so young, only a few years older than Hyukjae. Even though, she had to mature way faster than any other child – first not to break down because of the pressure their parents were putting on their back, and second to protect his little brother.

Hyukjae was a cute kid, nice and well-behaved. He was also weak at heart, his confidence crumbling down when someone scolded him – and this ever since his parents started their strict raising methods.

 

The older girl could feel her brother slowly falling asleep in her arms, his breathing calming down to a more peaceful one. She sighed in relief, happy to realize Hyukjae would get some rest after the awful yelling he got the hour before.

But then –

 

“Hyukjae!” Their mother’s voice angrily resonated in the staircase. The boy startled awake, squeaking in fear as he went through another fit of scared sobs. “HYUKJAE! HYUKJAE!”

 

---

 

“HYUKJAE! LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!”

 

Hyukjae warily glanced at her as he shut the door close with a kick. The woman was furiously glaring at him, her eyes dangerously shining with madness.

Oddly, the redhead couldn’t help but to take a fraction of second to stare at her, despite the catastrophic situation he currently was in. There was a strange feeling of déjà vu lingering in his mind, making him frown in perplexity. Years had went by and successfully did their work on his mother’s face, wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead. He could remember her often praised beauty, her smooth and perfect skin and how beautiful she would have looked only had she genuinely smiled once in her life. She was unmistakably older but only the face of it had changed; her mother’s horrible personality was still there, maybe even sharper than when he was a child. 

Suddenly, Hyukjae felt as if he was that little boy all over again, hiding in a corner of his room because he was so afraid. He had the urge to flinch in fear and show submission, scared of being scolded at once again. His heart was erratically pounding in his chest and adrenaline was madly running through his veins, making him tremble pathetically as he suddenly found himself frozen on the spot.

He could almost picture himself standing at the exact same place as an innocent kid so many years earlier, tears already falling down his cheeks because he was so scared of his mother. He could remember the way it felt to hear her insult him, to run to his bedroom and hide into a corner to cry his sorrow out – how horrible it felt to wonder if her mother actually loved him.

And there he was again, being yelled at for something he supposedly wasn’t in the wrong. He couldn’t figure out why his mother would be angry at him for having a relatively good grade – or being in love.

his trembling fingers, Hyukjae wordlessly stomped past her, ignoring the angry yells of his name as he walked toward the staircase.

It wasn’t like one of their past arguments when yelling back hadn’t been a problem. This time, the stakes were so high Hyukjae couldn’t help but to worry. He shouldn’t have since his mother truly had nothing to do with whatever he decided to do with his life, and he knew it. But his mother still was his mother, and oddly enough, the redhead wanted to hear her opinion on the topic. The thing was, Hyukjae knew what his mother thought about it – and it frustrated him to no end that he still wanted to clearly hear it leave .

He felt – he felt so confused –

 

“HYUKJAE!” She screamed once again, her voice coming out as a shriek. “Where do you think you’re going?! Stay here and listen to what I have to say! I will not allow you to see that boy-toy of yours anymore, do you hear me?!”

 

The redhead felt a painful tug of his heart as the insult directed toward his boyfriend loudly chattered in the air. A bubble of anger rose up in the bottom of his stomach as he abruptly stopped dead in his tracks. He gritted his teeth together, absolutely hating the offending words leaving his mother’s mouth.

Donghae was probably one of the best things that ever happened to his life. The brunette kept him sane and made him feel safe and loved – something his own mother never managed to do ever since he was born. The need to defend his lover itched his sense as he stiffened, narrowing his eyes as he whipped around.

His mother threw him a disgusted look, an ugly rictus plastered on her face as she wheezed furiously.

 

“Do you even realize how much humiliation you’re bringing to your father and me?!” She shouted, frantically waving her arms in the air. Her hair were disheveled, falling on her face and in front of her eyes. “This is not acceptable, Lee Hyukjae!”

 

“What the hell does it have to with you, anyway?!” Hyukjae finally retorted as loudly as her. “This is about my life, not yours!”

 

“I raised you, young man! You owe me respect!” She hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

 

Hyukjae let out a dark, humorless laugh. He glared at her, blood thumping in his temples as rage slowly build up, stronger and faster, in his head.

The redhead closed his eyes, shakily breathing out to calm himself down as he did his best to bite back from yelling the bitter and angry words that were heavily threatening from escaping his tight-lipped mouth. It was pure reflex to stay silent, valiantly refusing to talk back as he was sure his mother wanted him to. He knew what would happen then – yells and insults, even hard slaps across the face sometime when she was really mad. He couldn’t afford that.

He took another deep breath, until – until he remembered that he wasn’t the five-year-old boy of so many years ago anymore. He didn’t have to be scared anymore, of anything or anyone – even his own mother, despite all the fear he was used to feel whenever she got as angry and mad at him as right now.

 

“I don’t have anything to hear from you!” He finally spat.

 

Relief brutally washed over him as he realized it was the good thing to do – that it was what he had wanted to do for so many years.

 

“You may be my biological mother but what did you do for me, huh? Something nice that wasn’t yelling or screaming or insulting me?!”

 

 She took a step back, offence painted all over her face. “I did so much for you,” She hissed in a low tone. “You would be nothing without me.”

 

“Oh, I beg to differ!” He snorted. “I would be so much more!”

 

His mother’s face turned red with fury as she pointed a trembling finger to her son. “I hope this phase will end soon because I won’t tolerate any more of it, Lee Hyukjae! You are to obey and stop this madness with this kid!”

 

“For God’s sake, shut the up!” He finally screamed, throwing his hand in the air in frustration and anger. “Donghae brings the best out of me! And what we do together has nothing to do with you! Nothing! How many times do I have to repeat it so you can finally get it, huh? I love him, ok? I ing love him!”

 

A hand flew in the air and suddenly slapped him. His head jerked to the side with the force of it and he stumbled backward. He could feel his cheek stinging with pain, probably already reddening.

 

“You don’t love him,” She said, her voice suddenly stoic and cold. “You do not. This is just a phase. You are not a , Hyukjae.”

 

More frustrated than ever, the redhead opened his mouth in order to let out a furious yell, to tell his mother that he was definitely sure that he was, at least for Donghae, because the way the brunette had roughly ed him against a wall the day before had felt really real and very good. However, the entrance then calmly opened, somehow breaking the ongoing madness with a loud silence. A tall man appeared, wearing the almost exact same features as Hyukjae, his stern eyes emotionlessly sweeping over the two persons standing in the middle of the hallway.

The man put his suitcase down before straightening up, smoothing out his vest before raising an eyebrow and speaking up.

 

“What is going on over here?” Mrs. Lee spoke up, his voice low and authoritative.

 

Hyukjae felt his blood turn into ice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donghae had never felt as angry with himself as this particular night.

He had been walking from Hyukjae’s house to his own for the past ten minutes, fuming and angrily grumbling under his breath. His fists clenched at his sides, he painfully gritted his teeth together, feeling stupid and useless. He couldn’t even make out the turns he was taking and the streets he was at, his feet automatically bringing him forward as all his brain was focused on the scene he had witnessed at Hyukjae’s house – a episode he had partially took part of. Only partially, though, because Donghae was so stupid and weak that he hadn’t been able to do anything else but hiding and fleeing as soon as the opportunity had been offered to him.

When he finally found himself in front of his house, he fiercely glared forward as an angry growl slipped out from his pursued lips. Narrowing his eyes, he unceremoniously barged in and carelessly threw his bag aside before stomping to the living-room. His parents and his brother were comfortably settled on the large couch while watching some nameless variety show he couldn’t find it himself to recognize. Instead, he huffed in annoyance and took two large steps to grab the remote laying on the coffee table. His aggressiveness palpable, he turned the TV off and whipped around to stare at his family. The latters were looking back at him with shock and bewilderment, surprised to see him so angry, at home when he was supposed to sleep over at his boyfriend.

The mere thought of his lover made Donghae see red as he hissed through his teeth, folding his arms against his chest. His mother straightened up in worry while his father frowned questioningly.

 

“What’s happening, son?” he asked.

 

“Didn’t you say you’d crash over the Head-on-Fire kid’s tonight?” Donghwa casually asked.

 

Donghae jerked around to glare at his brother. The latter squeaked in fright, snuggling against their mother.

 

“What happened, Darling?” she also asked him. “You look bothered.”

 

“Hyukjae.” The moment he spoke his boyfriend’s name, another wave of anger toward himself assaulted him. He briefly closed his eyes, trying to control himself.

 

“Did he hurt you again?” his father’s frown deepened in worry.

 

“No. It’s – his parents.” He growled, unable to refrain himself. “I just – they’re just so horrible and I –” He briefly closed his eyes once again before he continued, his voice shaking and cracking. “And I didn’t do anything! I just – I just watched and hid behind his back as if I was a ing coward! He’s my boyfriend and I love him and he was being insulted in front of me! And still I wasn’t even able to say something to protect him because his parents are simply atrocious and they should rot somewhere far away from Hyukjae. Why couldn’t I say anything?! If I can’t even defend the person I love the most, then what am I supposed to do? Relay on him to the end of my ing life? I’m not like this! I wanted to protect him so much! To – to slap his mother because she was the biggest I’ve ever seen in my whole ing, pathetic life!” Angry tears were running down his cheeks as his speech turned into furious yells of frustration, his fingers turning into tight fists. “I just – I just walked out the door. He told me he was fine but he wasn’t and I should have stayed! I know I should have but because of this stupid thing Leeteuk likes to call ‘naughty mouth’, I was only good to keep my head low as if I was the ing victim of it all. It’s so frustrating and annoying and –”

 

“Donghae,” his mother softly called him as she stood up from the couch. His father and brother were stunned, staring at him with wide eyes, not used to see him vent his frustration like this. “Donghae, come here. I’ll make you a hot tea, yes?”

 

“But Mom –”

 

The stern yet reassuring look her mother gave him shut him up as he reluctantly nodded, quietly following her to the kitchen. Upon going in, the tiny woman immediately went to boil some water as he shuffled to the nearest chair and heavily flopped down on it. He suddenly felt exhausted, strength abruptly leaving his limbs as he slumped down. He tiredly closed his eyes, biting on his lower lip as guilt seemed to eat him up. He felt disgusted with himself for being so weak, even when it was for the person he loved.

The worst was that Donghae knew he wasn’t someone particularly weak. He was sarcastic, sassy and y whenever his mood was down, and he could be clingy and touchy with Hyukjae when he was happy, and might feign being tired whenever it was to his advantage – but Donghae’s personality was never to shut up in front of direct insults and provocation.

Deep down, hidden somewhere in a far corner of his heart, Donghae knew that he had the strength to stand up against them – strangers, professors, bullies, and Hyukjae’s parents. He just didn’t know how to unlock this something and do what he liked and wanted.

His mother gave him a sympathetic smile, handing him a hot cup of fuming tea. He took it and mumbled a thank you. The woman sat down in front of him, sipping from her own mug before speaking up.

 

“Tell me what really happened, Donghae. You just barged in and I can’t understand anything except your current frustration toward – toward Hyukjae’s parents?” she frowned, not fond of the way Donghae talked about older persons.

 

The boy chewed on his lower lip, lowering his head in slight shame before muttering “If you knew them, you’d understand.”

 

She raised a graceful eyebrow. “Then, please do tell. I’m listening.”

 

Donghae told her everything; from the very start when he had over-heard Hyukjae’s argument with his parents at his house the first time, to the scene the redhead’s mother had thrown an hour earlier. He felt more awful with each word he was saying, more and more pathetic and disgusted of himself.

When he was done, his mother’s frown was still plastered on her face although she seemed more angry than stern.

 

“I take back what I said,” she commented. “His parents are completely awful. I can’t believe a nice boy like him had to go through all this.”

 

“Yeah, right?” Donghae immediately nodded in agreement. “But Mom, it’s not that, it’s –”

 

“I know, Donghae,” she sighed. “I know. Listen, finish your cup of tea, okay? And then take a long night of rest and you can talk with Hyukjae tomorrow. Donghae, nobody is angry at you – we all know it’s only partially your fault. Leeteuk said it – you can’t control it… I’m sure that if you work on it, it’ll work. You being angry like this is already a good step. Don’t overwork yourself and sleep, love. Go.”

 

“But –”

 

“Go, Donghae. Sleeping will calm you, and you have school tomorrow.”

 

With a defeated sigh, Donghae nodded and stood up, kissing his mother on the top of the head before heading out and walking off to the staircase. He sighed heavily once again, feeling depressed and tired as he slowly reached the door of his bedroom. He went in, tiredly flopping down on the bed before closing his eyes.

Hopefully – hopefully, everything would get better tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Except it didn’t.

In fact, the following actually got worse; the weather was horrible, the rain continuously falling on the city while the sky stayed grey and menacing without a single interruption – and Hyukjae was nowhere in sight. The redhead couldn’t be found anywhere in the high school; he wasn’t lazing around at the rooftop, or avoiding teachers, or hanging out with Siwon in the staircase. He was simply nowhere to be found despite Donghae’s efforts to get in contact with him. He had sent text messages, called countless times, but not a single reply came.

Of course, Donghae’s mood had went downhill from there. He felt pissed-off and horrible, and anxious for his boyfriend. Guilt was still there, too, viciously blending up with his concerns and making him feel even worse, if that was humanly possible.

The hardest thing was probably to stay still, unable to do anything, while worrying so much for his boyfriend. Seated at his usual table in class, Donghae relentlessly fidgeted on his chair as he wondered why he was still there instead of looking for Hyukjae. He was glancing out at the window every now and then, half-heartedly waiting for Hyukjae to suddenly appear out from nowhere in the rain. His fingers were impatiently tapping on the wooden surface of his table as he darkly grunted, glaring at the wall-clock and praying for the period to just end already.

It felt as if every single thing could instantly make him snap in anger. Donghae felt exhausted, the whole situation nerve-wrecking and out all the energy out from his body.

 

Suddenly, a loud thud resonated, startling most of the students, before someone barked out “Lee Donghae!”

 

The student’s head snapped up, frowning impatiently as someone rudely pulled him out of his deep thoughts.

 

The Philosophy teacher huffed at him, crossing his arms on his chest as he scolded. “Were you even listening to the lesson, Donghae? I’ve never seen you so out of it like today. Can you tell me what I just talked about or were you too busy watching the rain?”

 

The interested brunette could only shamefully lower his head as he chewed on his lower lip, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. He was about to mumble a half-hearted apology when a kid at the front cackled;

 

“He’s probably too busy thinking about his wonder boy!” Some other classmates snickered along, staring at Donghae. “Hey Donghae! Where’s your so-called boyfriend Hyukjae, huh?”

 

More snickers rose up, people mocking and staring at him. The sounds resonated in Donghae’s head as he stared back.

 

Those ing bastards. They don’t know anything.

 

Everything was suddenly thumping in Donghae’s temples as the despicable words continuously resonated in his head. They were there, twirling endlessly and playing with his nerves without interruption; pulling and tugging, and never stopping to hurt him. Provocations were working fast on his mind, dangerously playing with his boundaries which were becoming less and less clear in his head. Another insult flew out, followed by loud fits of laughter.

 

And Donghae’s patience snapped. He was angry and pissed-off and this kid was just stupid enough to provoke him on one of his worst days. He jerked his head up, his eyes dark with hatred as he murderously glared at the student who had mocked him.

 

“Right,” he spat with a contemptuous snort full of hardly contained hatred. “Because you’ll have so much to say when I’m going to punch your ing face.”

 

Silence followed his sudden outburst. Even the teacher was too stunned to dare scold him for his language. Dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on him, shocked to hear such blunt and aggressive words slip out of his mouth.

Before anyone could react, the bell finally rang the end of the period and Donghae immediately sprung up from his chair and stomped out of the classroom. He was panting, feeling as if he had just ran a marathon while adrenaline madly coursed through his veins.

 

Kyuhyun was quick to reach him, slightly panting too as he tried to keep up with his best friend’s angry walking pace. The shorter brunette looked awful, glaring and grunting under his breath without stopping.

 

“Hey, what happened?” Kyuhyun carefully asked. “I mean, that was so cool hearing you talk back like this but you look so horrible and –”

 

“Shut up,” Donghae growled. “Shut up, just – don’t talk okay? Hyukjae is not here and this day is just terrible and I just can’t –”

 

“Hyukjae’s not here?” Kyuhyun cut him off, earning a glare which he easily ignored despite its intensity. “Really? Siwon, too.”

 

Donghae glanced at his best friend as he finally allowed himself to slow down, chewing on his bottom lip with a frown creasing his forehead. “You’re sure?” he frowned when Kyuhyun nodded.

 

“He was already being weird yesterday,” the other said thoughtfully. “Kind of because I was at that to finally get to third base. Never waited for so long to get in someone’s pants.”

 

“Serious?” Donghae raised his eyebrows in curiosity, momentarily forgetting about his dark mood. “What happened?”

 

“Dunno,” He shrugged. “We were making-out on his bed and I was quickly getting him and then his stupid phone started ringing. ing er. Apparently it was urgent because he apologized and dropped me off at mine in less than half an hour. Without a goodbye kiss like he always does, because he’s sappy like this. A pity, if you ask me. Not the goodbye kiss, I mean. I was so close to finally get past his chastity belt.”

 

Kyuhyun sighed in disappointment and shook his head in pity.

 

Donghae had to bark out a laugh at that. “He wears a chastity belt?”

 

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun sniffed as they walked out of the high school. “His boxers.”

 

 

 

When they finally walked out of the high school, Siwon was already there waiting for them. The tall man was thoughtfully leaning against a tree at a few meters away from the gates of the high school. A deep frown seemed to have been permanently plastered on his forehead as he folded his arms on his chest, looking bothered.

However, as soon as he noticed Kyuhyun and Donghae walking toward him, a blind smile quickly softened his features before he excitedly waved at the two others. The shorter brunette chewed on his lower lip, knowing that Siwon wasn’t bringing any good news judging by the way he was avoiding his eyes. Kyuhyun also noticed it but didn’t comment, giving a lop-sided smile at his boyfriend before properly greeting him with a “hey” and a long, sloppy kiss.

The lip-lock was so intense Donghae had to look away, feeling as if he was shamelessly staring at something too intimate and private going on between the two other boys. He sighed, then, when Kyuhyun finally parted away from his boyfriend with a satisfied smile and cautiously turned to face them in case his best friend decided to go for another make-out session.

Siwon’s face was entirely flushed, his eyes glazed with something Donghae easily recognized as desire. Not entirely sure if he was ready to witness such a heated and eager look directed toward his own best friend, he decided it was time to grasp his attention again and loudly cleared his throat. The tallest man seemed to snap out of his daze, his head whipping around to stare at him before he furiously blushed.

 

“Oh, hi, Donghae…” he mumbled. “Um… What’s up?”

 

Donghae grimaced, narrowing his eyes at him. “Don’t be stupid and tell me now. What happened? You must know, right? Else, you wouldn’t have been absent all day.”

 

Kyuhyun casually leaned an arm on Siwon’s shoulder as the latter awkwardly fidgeted, throwing nervous glances toward the third boy.

 

“You should tell him,” Kyuhyun innocently commented. “He’s in a bad mood today.”

 

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” Siwon muttered. “It’s just that – I don’t know how to say it. It’s rather complicated.”

 

“I’m used to ‘complicated’, don’t worry,” Donghae sarcastically snorted.

 

Siwon paused, silently staring at him for so long that the other brunette suddenly felt uncomfortable. The tall man then finally opened his mouth, at the same moment as a car abruptly honked at his right. Time seemed to slow down while his brain abruptly shut down as Siwon’s lips formed words after words.

 

His heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach as their meaning slowly lit up in his head.

 

“Japan?!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I mean Japan! He can’t even say ‘hello’ in Japanese!” Donghae furiously rubbed a dirty spot of the dish he had in hands. “That’s completely insane, isn’t it? I mean, all of them are obsessed with those manga comic-books and animes and technologic things, and I’m almost completely sure that Hyukjae doesn’t like sushis! And – and – and did you know that Japanese people like to act out scenes to get it up before having ? Those people are just crazy! Who would like to go to Japan? Hyukjae hates Japan!”

 

Sungmin rolled his eyes next to him as he warily looked at the cup being abused in Donghae’s hands. “I don’t even remember why I asked you this question in the first place,” He darkly muttered.

 

“I feel your pain,” Heechul made a face from where he was seated at the other side of the counterbar, furiously typing on his smartphone as he mockingly snorted at the youngest. “I’m going back home so I don’t have to listen to you whining like the baby that you are.”

 

Sungmin grumbled some more as Heechul nonchalantly got up before looking up. “You do realize I freakishly love Japan myself, right?”

 

Donghae sent an offended glare to the both of them, slamming the cup on the counter. “Hyung!” he exclaimed. “I’m being serious!”

 

“I am, too,” Sungmin grumbled as Hankyung sent him an amused glance. He glared at his boss before crossing his arms on his chest. Unfortunately, the café was almost empty which meant that he couldn’t use this an excuse. “Look, I understand that you’re angry. But it’s not like he’s really going to Japan, is he?”

 

“His parents want him to,” Donghae sniffed. He glanced at Siwon and Kyuhyun, seated at one table in a corner of the Dumpling. “Siwon said his parents are ready to force him if he refuses. He doesn’t know all the details either but they seem really angry about him being my boyfriend.”

 

Sungmin encouragingly patted his shoulder before sighing out as Hankyung came back with another order.

 

“I’m sure everything will work out for the best,” the oldest smiled at Donghae. “Maybe it’s only menaces?”

 

“I doubt it,” Donghae grumbled. “I doubt it as much as I doubt you’ll be able to resist Heechul hyung any longer.”

 

Hankyung immediately turned around to glare at him. He playfully punched his arm before grunting out “If you can joke like this, you can get back to work and stop whining like a spoiled baby.”

 

Donghae faintly smirked before raising an eyebrow at his boss. “You like him, don’t you? Heechul hyung, I mean. He’s weird and I’m practically sure he’s entirely crazy, but you do like him.”

 

Hankyung grumbled some more. “You shut up and take care of your boyfriend. He might even be preparing his luggage for Japan as we speak.”

 

Donghae immediately flinched, chewing on his lower lip. “That was a mean blow,” he muttered.

 

“I agree, but he’s right,” Sungmin said. “I don’t exactly know what, but you should do something about it.”

 

He got up from the stool he was sitting on, going to prepare the drinks the customers ordered. Donghae’s gaze followed him as a bothered frown creased his forehead before he turned his attention back to his current task.

 

Japan.

That’s what Siwon had said earlier. And Donghae still couldn’t fully believe it. He couldn’t figure out the thousands of feelings currently assaulting him at this precise moment. He felt so many things at the same time that he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to keep sane or not until the day ended, thoughts stumbling one upon another without giving him the time to anticipate the next one. He felt angry and furious, of course, but scared and anxious, too. The brunette didn’t know what he would do if Hyukjae really was forced to move out to another country, whether it was Japan or somewhere else. It would break his heart into million pieces – that he was sure of. 

Even now as he tried to think about it objectively, sending Hyukjae to another country sounded crazy and way too excessive. Handling such a matter this way seemed merely absurd. It felt unreal, as much as currently being at the Dumpling to work when he knew he should be trying to get an explanation from the redhead.

Hyukjae was his boyfriend, after all – his lover. In a kind of a very twisted way, he was his first love. Even when only thinking about losing him made his heart ache in the most horrible ways and Donghae couldn’t bear with that.

He loved Hyukjae, and Hyukjae loved him, too. There shouldn’t be any problem because of such an innocent reason. But, Donghae bitterly realized, there were still some people in the world thinking that it wasn’t the right thing to do – that it wasn’t acceptable to live this way. The brunette could understand, more or less, the reason why lots of people were scared of two persons of the same gender falling in love together; it was odd, unusual and against what they had been told to be normal. But even if Hyukjae’s parents were proud homophobic – which he still somewhat doubted, even now –, sending their son to another country only for this reason still seemed too extreme.

Well it’s not like Hyukjae’s mother looked even slightly reasonable yesterday, Donghae darkly thought as he sighed out.

Donghae knew he should be going to Hyukjae’s house and ask for a proper explanation, and maybe even confront his parents. He knew that it wasn’t right for him to stay here, standing around the counterbar of the Dumpling while complaining to others and waiting for a miracle to happen. Distantly looking at Hankyung and Sungmin, and Kyuhyun and Siwon, Donghae felt more helpless than ever. He wanted to help Hyukjae as much as he could but he was so scared at the same time; what if it was actually true? What if the man he loved really had to go to Japan because his parents were too blind and awful to realize how ridiculous this decision was?

What if he couldn’t actually do anything?

This would break him more than anything. Donghae wanted to do something and figure out a way out of this big mess, but if all the tricks and plans he had in head were to be useless in the end – what would he do, except helplessly watching his own boyfriend leave?

 

“I would be devastated,” He muttered.

 

Any semblance of hope and will left him as he sorrowfully lowered his head. The countless dirty dishes had been forgotten in the sink while soap peacefully floated on the surface of the blurry water.

Donghae had never known that falling in love would lead to such a hard path.

 

“Hey,” someone eventually called him.

 

Donghae slowly looked up, suddenly feeling exhausted. It was Hankyung, worriedly frowning at him. He ushered Sungmin to take care of the customers instead of him before laying his concerned gaze on the brunette.

 

“Are you okay, Donghae?” he muttered. “You seem even more out of it than earlier.”

 

The interested only shook his head, refusing to speak. Hankyung could only sigh out as he told him to clean and dry his hands, before he lead him to a stool and made him sit on it. Then, he straightened up before him and gave him a stern look.

 

“You look horrible,” he concluded.

 

Donghae grimaced, wrapping his arms around himself as if to repress a shiver. It felt too cold without Hyukjae by his side. “I know that, thank you,” he sarcastically mumbled back.

 

“Look, Donghae,” Hankyung continued, ignoring him. “I know that you must feel as if the whole world is against you – against you two being an item. But truth is that it’s absolutely wrong. Hell, there’s probably not even one tiny percent of the world that cares about you! It’s only a matter between this Hyukjae kid and you. No one else. Not even his parents, or yours, or your friends. Whatever you decide to do, the world still goes on. The decision you’re going to make won’t impact anybody else but you. Only you, and him. This is why life isn’t all about waiting to see what will happen – but also about what you want to happen.”

 

Donghae frowned, both surprised of the sudden flow of Korean coming out from Hankyung’s mouth and what he was telling him. “But –”

 

“You’ll regret it if you don’t do something. As much as Hyukjae wants to make it look like, we both know that he’s weaker at heart than he seems. He’s only strong and arrogant on the face of it, but he’s a sweet kid. He’s most probably scared of his parents even if he talks back to them all the time. He’s scared and I’m almost one hundred percent sure that he needs you right now, because he doesn’t know how to handle the situation.” He paused for a second before continuing. “And if I’m wrong about all this ‘Hyukjae is actually weak’ thing, do not ever tell him I said that because I might end up without a head by next week.”

 

“I guess that would be an awful shame,” Donghae muttered.

 

“He’s actually pretty scary,” Hankyung nodded with a frown. “I wouldn’t like to be on his bad side.”

 

“Me neither,” Donghae chuckled.

 

“You once were, though,” Kyuhyun, who had sneakily went over to the counterbar to eavesdrop, slyly noted. “I agree with Hankyung’s speech, although I’m not sure where you suddenly got all this fluent Korean from. You should go talk to your redhead boyfriend. So Siwon can stop worrying, too.” Kyuhyun glanced at his boyfriend with a frown.

 

Hankyung laughed loudly as he started finishing Donghae’s dishwashing task. “I don’t think I’ll be able to talk fluently as much as today before two months from now.” He turned back to smile at Donghae who hesitantly grinned back. “When do you plan on going to see your boyfriend, hmm? I can give you your day-off.”

 

Donghae sighed closed his eyes. Hankyung was right, of course.

 

“I’ll go now, then, I guess,” he mumbled, gathering his courage.

 

Kyuhyun let out a triumphant sound before he high-fived Hankyung.

 

“So now you can just –…” Before Kyuhyun could end his sentence, Donghae felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Ignoring his best friend’s offended expression, he took it out and unlocked the screen, mildly curious about the text he had just received.

 

His heart seemed to abruptly skip a beat before starting again at a furious speed.

 

13.03.14 05:43PM; FROM: Gummy-smiling-redhead

At your house in fifteen minutes? I miss u.

 

Donghae gulped in sudden excitation before he raised his head up, meeting two pairs of curious eyes. He smiled mysteriously before speaking up;

“Hankyung hyung? I think I’ll take the end of the day off.”

 

The Chinese man could only smile and nod in approval.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hyukjae walked quickly, feeling shivers run along his spine with each blow of wind hitting his back. Chewing on his lower lip with a thoughtful look painted on his face, he absentmindedly headed toward Donghae’s house which he could see at the end of the street he was walking at.

The redhead was exhausted, his mood continuously switching between anxious and frustrated and angry at a backbreaking pace. He felt at the verge of crying as much as he was about to scream out his anger, and sleepiness was creeping in his system as the same time that his nervousness kept him wide awake. His ears were still horribly ringing as if someone – his mother – was shrieking into them right next to him and his eyelids were dropping close on their own. The silence surrounding the quiet neighborhood almost felt unusual for him after the past day hearing his mother constantly yell and insult him. All the awful and hurting words she had spat at him were still relentlessly twirling in his head, slowly making a hurtful headache appear in his temples. The only strength that kept him fall giving in and falling asleep to quieten down the loud noise going on in his head was the longing to see Donghae again. The redhead yearned to hug tight the shorter, to kiss his thin lips and fall asleep in his comforting embrace. He wanted to hear his deep and calm voice murmur soothing words at his ears, to feel his arms tightly holding him and his hair softly tickle his cheek. He wanted to kiss and make love and cuddle as long as he could.

Hyukjae had never missed someone as much as he had craved for Donghae’s presence by his sides for the past day. It was frightening and thrilling at the same time. His heart seemed to beat a little faster with each step he was taking to his boyfriend’s house. Shivering again as a strong blow of chilly wind twirled around him, Hyukjae quickened his walking pace even more, trying to get to the front door as fast as possible and not waste any second he could share with the other brunette instead.

Soon enough, Hyukjae was finally standing in front of the house, knocking at the door. He only waited for a minute before Donghae’s mother opened the door with a smile. She warmly greeted him, ushering him inside and offering him a cup of hot tea before telling him that Donghae was taking a shower upstairs. The two of them went to sit down at the kitchen table where a stew was cooking on the stove.

 

“He should be going down soon,” the woman said as she poured hot water in a mug she handed him. “If you knew how excited he was when he told us you would be coming tonight.”

 

“Thank you,” Hyukjae mumbled. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

 

“Oh no, don’t be,” She chuckled with a sweet smile. “I’m glad you’re here. Donghae was absolutely insufferable lately because he didn’t have any news from you.”

 

“Right.” Hyukjae took a long gulp of his drink, sighing in relief as the hot liquid went down his throat and nicely warmed him up. “Things have been hectic at home.”

 

“Donghae told me,” she nodded with a frown. “I’m sorry for what happened.”

 

“It’s ok, it’s just that –”

 

There were the sounds of precipitated steps coming down the stairs before someone barged in the kitchen and a low, familiar voice that sent pleasant chills down Hyukjae’s spine spoke up;

 

“Hyukjae?”

 

The interested man twirled around on his chair, his eyes immediately finding the object of his desires; Donghae was standing at the door frame, a hand curled around the door knob as he stared intensely at him, his hair still wet and falling in front of his round and bright eyes. Hyukjae’s heart abruptly skipped a beat as he looked back, before starting again at a furious pace. He gulped, a destabilizing warmth washing over him as he took in his boyfriend’s look.

He avidly watched as Donghae’s eyes swept over his own face as if looking for any kind of injuries before his facial muscles relaxed, his eyes turning soft and gentle. He chewed on his lower lip and Hyukjae stared at the small, crooked teeth with a small smile before he looked up again.

 

“Mom,” Donghae then spoke up. “We’ll go up to my room. Call us when it’s dinner time, yes?”

 

His mother only had the time to say “of course” before Donghae ushered the redhead up, tightly curling his fingers around his wrist as if scared that he might disappear and then dragging him to the staircase. They climbed up the stairs to the brunette’s bedroom in silence, both feeling the tension build up between them as the desire to touch each other and unspoken questions seemed to fill the air. The usually short walk from the first floor to the bedroom felt endless for the both of them as they hurriedly made their way through the corridor to the familiar door leading to Donghae’s room. They were quick to walk in, still in silence until the door closed behind them. There was a pregnant pause upon which Donghae and Hyukjae stared at each other, a bunch of messed emotions quickly flickering in their eyes until their respective patience snapped.

Hyukjae was the quickest, moving so fast Donghae actually didn’t see him. All he knew was that one moment he was standing in the middle of his bedroom and the next his back abruptly collided against the nearest wall. The redhead’s hot breath ghosted over his face, panting and eager, before the familiar strong chest was firmly pressed against his own. Donghae gasped, his eyes automatically fluttering close as he naturally sneaked his arms around his lover’s neck, trying to bring him closer fast. Apparently, Hyukjae wasn’t in the mood of teasing him because he was quick to comply, pressing his lips against the brunette’s without any hesitation. As soon as their mouth crashed one against another, the redhead immediately the other’s lower lip, asking for entrance with a silent plea. Donghae instantly granted him access, parting his lips and sighing in contentment when their tongue met since what felt like forever. Their pink, wet muscle entwined and curled together, seeking for each other into a fierce and sensual battle. Moans of pleasure and longing were quietly shared into their tight lip-lock.

The kiss was hard, determined and full of passion, almost desperate with the need to touch each other as much as they could after a long, stressful day worrying about the other. Hyukjae groaned into the kiss, his tongue eagerly sweeping over every surface it could reach within the brunette’s hot, inviting cavern. He wrapped his arms around Donghae’s waist, grunting as he brought him so close it looked like they were trying to blend together. The brunette tilted his head to the side, as he deepened the kiss with sensual and on the other’s tongue. He harshly pulled on the redhead’s hair, the soft locks seemingly shorter between his fingers. He mewled a little, kissing with all his might while Hyukjae kept him trapped against the wall with a fierce and possessive hold.

 

“Your hair –…” He mumbled before a moan escaped his swollen lips. “– shorter…”

 

“Mother,” Hyukjae only grunted before he shut the other boy up with another intense, sloppy kiss, his hands avidly running along Donghae’s sides.

 

His tongue was sensually running behind his teeth, dancing along with Donghae’s own pink, wet tongue. They were both vehemently battling for dominance, skin almost burning with each other’s touch even through the annoying fabric of their shirts. Hyukjae growled when Donghae twirled his tongue within his mouth almost harshly and senseless, just the way he wanted it at the moment. One of his hands went to cup the other’s -cheek and squeezed it hard, earning a surprised gasp. Not wasting a moment, the redhead grunted and pulled Donghae to him until their arousal were rubbing together, earning long and pleasured moans from both men. Donghae whined and gasped continuously as his lover eventually parted away from him, his lips never leaving his skin and teasingly trailing from the corner of his mouth to his neck.

They were both lost into some sort of frenzy and euphoria, mixed with their respective anxiousness. It felt as if this kiss could be the last one they would share and it made them even more desperate to take everything the other was willing to offer. They were kissing hard and fast, pouring so much emotions it was almost destabilizing. Anger, fear, frustration, love – everything was blending into a huge mess that they were too scared to take care of at this precise moment. They only wanted to drown into the glorious feeling of having the other close and safe.

 

“God I’ve missed you,” Hyukjae mumbled against his neck, his lips teasingly brushing against the delicious tanned skin. “I love you so ing much, Donghae.”

 

“I know,” Donghae panted as he felt him bite and on a random spot, surely until a deep purple mark was left. He whined, sneaking his fingers under the redhead’s shirt. “Hyuk’… I love you too.”

 

Hyukjae felt his heart beat faster when he heard the three familiar words. Suddenly breathless, he lifted his head to gaze straight into Donghae’s eyes, wanting to steal and keep the loving gleam shining through them forever. Fluttering his eyes closed, he gently leaned down until his lips were pressed against the brunette’s once again. The lip-lock they shared was gentler this time, their mouth moving along in a slow pace as if saying those three small words had calmed the madness of their heart. Donghae cupped the redhead’s face with both hands, kissing with so much passion Hyukjae felt his toes curl in pleasure.

Still kissing, they clumsily walked to the bed, sharing short and sweet kisses until they fell on the mattress into a mess of entangled limbs. They chuckled, shifting around until Donghae’s chest was pressed against his lover’s sides, planting soft kisses on his shoulder. They both fell silent, enjoying the peaceful silent and each other’s presence, their eyes close in contentment. One of Donghae’s hands idly Hyukjae’s hair as he absentmindedly gazed at it. His red locks were shorter on the sides while the mop of hair on the top of his head had been subtly styled in a way that it looked clean and handsome without hinting that someone had cut them.

 

“Your hair is still nice,” Donghae eventually commented. “Still blindingly red.” When Hyukjae only hummed in response and kissed the top of his head, he continued while nervously glancing at him. “Siwon told me you had to go to Japan.”

 

The redhead grunted and opened his eyes. As he let out a tired groan, he his sides and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Donghae’s neck. “Nothing you need to worry about. I won’t be going anywhere.”

 

“But your parents want you to,” the other quietly stated, worrying his lower lip. “That’s – that’s awful.”

 

Donghae heard the other release a sigh before he grumbled “Stop it. Trust me, I’m not going anywhere out Korea or Seoul, or even my neighborhood. That’s just meaningless threats.”

 

The brunette sniffed and hugged Hyukjae tightly. “Sorry if I disagree,” he muttered.

 

Laughing quietly, Hyukjae gazed at his boyfriend with an unconscious loving gaze. His heart and his mind had both greatly calmed down, drowned into a peaceful daze that only Donghae could provide. “It’s just my mother trying to scare me off. Nothing too horrible, I swear.”

 

Donghae scrunched his nose up in disbelief as he weakly glared at him. “You’re saying this now but I know you. I know it must have hurt anyway.”

 

The redhead shrugged, holding Donghae close. His warmth was comforting and his familiar scent was calming.

“Then maybe we could move out to another country, no? Like some sort of a plan B,” he offered with a sly smirk. “Like France, for example. Heard that they allow gay marriages now. That’s our chance, Fish.”

 

As Hyukjae snickered, Donghae huffed and glared at him. “I hope that wasn’t your actual proposal, dumbhead,” he grumbled.

 

“Why? That’s quite fitting.”

 

“Because it’s completely lame. And I want a big family with lots of babies so you’ll have to think about this, too.”

 

Laughing good-naturedly, Hyukjae raised an eyebrow at him. “Babies, you say? It shouldn’t be too hard, I always knew you were actually a woman.” Donghae immediately punched his arm, glaring still and earning a loud laugh from the redhead.

 

Another short silence went by until Donghae spoke up again. “Do your parents know you’re here, with me?”

 

Shrugging, Hyukjae his back and stared at the ceiling. He could almost feel Donghae’s thoughtful gaze on him, probably sweeping over his features in a mix of wonder and worry. “I didn’t exactly tell them, of course, but they probably guessed it anyway. I kind of ran away from home when it got too out of hand.” He paused and sighed out before talking again. “My mother basically yelled at me like crazy without stopping. She was so mad I swear. She even cut my hair, see?” he pulled on his red locks with a dark chuckle before running a frustrated hand through them. “Said it was a part of phase therefore I definitely needed to get rid of it. You know, so I could get back to my senses and stop being a humiliation to the family. Something along those lines, anyway. I expected her to do something like this so I was relatively okay despite the insults and the slaps and all that but –” He frowned deeply, and anxiety flashed across his face. “Well my – father learned about it, too. He walked in on my mother and me when we were yelling at each other.”

 

“And it’s not good, I suppose,” Donghae quietly concluded as he softly continued to his hair.

 

“I don’t know actually, but most probably not. My father is nothing like my mother. He’s colder, and scarier. Yesterday, he stared at me without saying a word and I just felt so much worse than were having a fit with my mother. I truthfully don’t even know if he’s actually against it or not, but he just makes me uncomfortable to no end.”

 

Donghae hummed in response, feeling sorry for his boyfriend. Nobody deserved to live this kind of thing. It was horrible to realize that Hyukjae’s relationship with his parents was nothing but dysfunctional.

 

“I’m sorry, for everything that happened,” he said. “It’s partially my fault, too, so I –”

 

“Don’t be stupid,” Hyukjae cut him off with a glare. “Nothing’s because of you. And I’m fine so forget about it.”

 

“Don’t lie to me, Lee Hyukjae. I can see that you’re hurt because of whatever bull your mother told you and it just breaks my heart, ok? I feel just so useless when I can’t do anything to help you.”

Suddenly feeling frustrated toward himself, Donghae pushed himself to a sitting position, glaring at his lap as he continued muttering. “Yesterday, when your mother was going ballistic on you, I swear I wanted to do so many things so she would just shut up. But I – I just couldn’t and that’s ing annoying! How pathetic is that, huh? I’m not even capable of saving the guy I love. So I’m sorry. Because I’m just so lousy and pathetic and –”

 

Letting out a dramatic sigh, Hyukjae cut the other boy off by yanking on his arm. The brunette yelped as he fell back on the mattress, weakly glaring at his boyfriend when the latter threw a leg over his body and buried his nose into his hair.

 

“Will you not shut up, stupid?” He chuckled. “I’m fine, you’re fine, that’s all that matter. I know it’s not your fault.”

 

“It is, though,” Donghae mumbled. “It really is.”

 

“Shut up, I say. What kind of boyfriend doesn’t obey, huh?” The redhead smiled upon hearing his lover huffed in annoyance as he kissed his temple.

 

They stayed in this position for a while, lulled by each other’s warmth and calm breathing until Donghae was on the verge of falling asleep. Hyukjae thoughtfully gazed at him, tracing random patterns on the warm skin of his waist as he watched the way the brunette fought to keep his eyes open. Smiling, the redhead bent down and kissed Donghae's nose.

 

“Are you doing something tomorrow night?” He whispered.

 

“Why?” Donghae sleepily replied. “Are you taking me on a date?”

 

“Nope, unfortunately.” He hesitated a little before sighing out. “My father wants to meet you, actually.”

 

Donghae’s eyes snapped open as he stared at the redhead with surprise. “What?”

 

The redhead shrugged helplessly, grunting. “Yeah. That’s why I told you I don’t know what to expect coming from him. I never know what he’s thinking.”

 

“But meeting me?” Donghae exclaimed. “I mean, I thought he would just banish me or something.” Whining in despair, he hid his face into Hyukjae’s chest. “It’s going to be awful.”

 

“I know,” Hyukjae quietly replied.

 

“You’ll owe me so much.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Your parents are probably going to hate me even more than before.”

 

“I know.”

 

Donghae stared at Hyukjae with a pout before grumbling. “I love you.”

 

This time, Hyukjae smirked before smugly saying “I know.”

 

The brunette laughed, pinching the taller’s waist as he muttered. “Good, then.”

 

Hyukjae lovingly gazed at Donghae for a while until he gently leaned down, pressing the first kiss of a long series of passionate others as they spent the rest of the night making love until they passed out.

 

 

 

=

 

 

 

Donghae nervously twisted the knot of his necktie as he warily looked around him. The luxurious hotel Hyukjae’s father had set their appointment at was exactly how he had pictured it – huge, beautiful and full of arrogance – and it made him even more uncomfortable to be there. It was one of the most pricey and famous place of all Seoul where the greats of the city were told to be enjoying their time at. Everything looked beautiful and definitely unaffordable wherever Donghae dared to land his eyes on. From the corner of his eyes, the brunette could see the staff quietly working in the background, their skills allowing them to remain almost invisible and still offer the best quality of their services, while rich-looking customers were simply spending their time by leisurely strolling around. A classical music was softly playing in the background to give a chic atmosphere to the place.

Biting on his lower lip, Donghae couldn’t help but to stare in mild disbelief, watching a little girl who looked as if she never experienced the fun children of her age should have. The brunette felt completely out of place, standing in the middle of this luxury hotel. It felt as if he had stumbled in a country he didn’t understand the language and the customs of, lost and confused over everything he saw. Donghae was smart enough to understand that Hyukjae’s father had chosen this place most probably to intimidate him and show him that they were coming from totally different worlds. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were about to reenact a scene of those stereotypical drama his brother was so found of.

Next to him, Hyukjae looked perfectly at ease as if he owned the place. His hands in the pockets of his trousers, he was casually leaning against a wall of the lobby and looked almost bored. Some people Donghae guessed to be important had even greeted him earlier, engaging into short, formal conversations as if the redhead was as important as the father himself. While the other knew it was more than just likely, it was easy to understand why Hyukjae’s parents were so reluctant about their only son being gay; a director’s and a company’s image are tightly linked together and if it was to be found that the son of a respectable man like Hyukjae’s father was gay, his credibility as a CEO might hit downhill at a frighteningly fast pace. Adding it to the fact that the redhead had high chances to inherit of the company, Donghae felt almost sympathetic for his parents.

 

“Are you alright, Donghae?” A low, familiar voice called him.

 

Tilting his head around, the brunette managed to give a weak smile to his boyfriend, who raised a disbelieving eyebrow in return.

 

“Don’t give me this kind of uncertain smiles, yeah?” he snorted good-naturedly.

 

“Sorry but I don’t feel comfortable in here,” Donghae grimaced as he darkly glanced around him.

 

“Not the same as the Dumpling, right?” the redhead chuckled. “What I would do to go back there and ask you to make me a strawberry milkshake.”

 

“For all the mess you’ve dragged me through, I think it would more like ‘beg’ than ‘ask’,” the redhead sniffed as he halfheartedly glared at his lover.

 

Hyukjae only smirked, pushing himself away from the wall to walk toward him with nonchalant steps. “Oh really?” His smirk widened as his face got closer to Donghae’s, his mouth an inch away from his.

 

“Yep,” the other whispered. “I knew you were trouble as soon as I saw you.”

 

“Life without trouble is no fun.”

 

Donghae was the first to close his eyes when they pressed their mouth together. Hyukjae was kissing him with so much passion it made his toes curl in pleasure and shivers run down his back. They lips gently moved together, the two of them taking their sweet time to enjoy the kiss. They both knew that everybody in the lobby were staring at them but neither of them cared, only focusing on the perfect sensation of lips against lips.

 

“And even if it doesn’t go well,” Hyukjae mumbled against his lips when they broke apart. “We still have plan B.”

 

Donghae grunted, painfully pinching his arm. “And what if plan B doesn’t work, huh?”

 

“Then it’s plan C,” the redhead winked. “You and I ing senseless in the bathroom of the airport until we both die of exhaustion and an overdose of mind-blowing pleasure.” He laughed, kissing him another time. “I actually like plan C more than plan B.”

 

“You ,” Donghae laughed as he pushed him away, their fingers still securely entwined.

 

Before Hyukjae could have the time to retort one of his crude comments – Donghae had to admit he had walked right into this one – a low, cold voice sounding so much like the redhead’s called them and made them turned around.

Donghae’s heart seemed to skip a beat as his eyes instantly found Hyukjae’s parents, both standing at a few meters away from them; Hyukjae’s father was silently staring at the both of them. His expression was incredibly cold and emotionless, scrutinizing them without a single word. Donghae felt the urge to lower his head when the man stared at him, his aura strong and intimidating. He made a move to let go of Hyukjae’s hand but the latter tightened his hold instead, looking back at his parents without a hint of hesitation showing on his face. Mr. Lee then frowned, almost too quickly for the brunette to see it, when he noticed their entwined fingers.

 

“Hyukjae,” he calmly greeted, his voice devoid of any emotion, and the interested teenager simply nodded in return. “And who is this?”

 

Donghae felt his boyfriend tensed to him before he spoke up, sounding protective. “Donghae,” he replied through gritted teeth. “My boyfriend.”

 

The brunette then bowed awkwardly. “Good afternoon,” he mumbled. “My name’s Lee Donghae. It’s – uh – nice to meet you…?”

 

Mr. Lee raised an eyebrow at him, looking almost amused. “We shall go in,” he said. “I made a reservation under our name before coming.”

 

Hyukjae made a move to nod and refrained himself, asking instead “Where’s mother? I thought she would come, only for the pleasure to insult me some more.”

 

Mr. Lee and the redhead started walking, leading the way and briefly nodding at the people they knew.

 

“I told her to stay at home. Right now, it’s my matter with you, not hers.”

 

 

 

When they were finally settled down at a table in a secluded corner of the wide restaurant, Donghae couldn’t help but to fidget awkwardly as the father and the son mutely stared at each other, as if sharing a silent conversation. Their fingers were still entwined, settled on Hyukjae’s armrest. Mr. Lee’s eyes lingered on their linked hands for a few minutes before he looked up to gaze at the brunette.

 

“So you’re Hyukjae’s boyfriend, I heard?”

 

“Yep,” the redhead replied for him. “My boyfriend. My other half. My pain in the , as much as figuratively as literally.”

 

A deep blush creeping on his face, Donghae immediately stomped on Hyukjae’s feet, earning a pained sound with satisfaction. “Behave, idiot,” he grumbled before he focused his attention on Mr. Lee. “Yes, I am.” He briefly hesitated before adding “And I’m not sorry about it.”

 

“I’d kick you if you were,” he heard the redhead mumble next to him.

 

Hyukjae’s father sighed, shaking his head as a waiter came by and placed glasses of water in front of them; the elder man then motioned for the waiter to not take orders and just leave, not wanting their conversation to be disturbed by anyone else whatsoever.

 

“I hope you two understand that this is a crazy situation. Hyukjae is the future heir of my company and you being gay is just unacceptable in our field of work. Have you even thought of –?”

 

“Well I’m sorry but I don’t care,” Hyukjae retorted. “I love him and that must be enough for you, if you cared about my happiness like a parent should.”

 

“I do care about you, if not I –”

 

“Sorry but I disagree with that,” Donghae suddenly spoke up, his voice weak but determined. Hyukjae whipped around on his chair, surprised to hear him voice out his inner thoughts. “From what I gathered and learned about him, and your family in general, you’ve made his life a complete hell. Why do you think he jumped off that roof in ninth grade? For the fun of it? It was because he felt misunderstood. Nobody would listen to him – to what he had to say, what he wanted. It made him angry and frustrated, he probably thought nobody could understand him. Doing something like this can mean two different things; either he’s stupid or he was too unhappy. He might be a complete brat – honestly he is – but I’m one hundred percent sure that Hyukjae is not suicidal only to get a rush of adrenaline.” He took a deep breathe, his hands shaking as a wave of adrenaline crashed into him. “I get it that it’s going to be horrible for your company’s reputation and whatnot because he’s gay and all that, but it’s not really like he chose it, right? I mean, if he’s in love, shouldn’t it be enough for you to accept it? I’m not exclusively talking about me, because that would be hypocritical and selfish – I’m talking in general. You should care about what he wants and what he doesn’t, because he’s your son and he might just blow up one of those days when he gets tired of being ignored and harassed every single day.” He glanced at Hyukjae, sending a small smile before continuing, his voice shaking as well. “I’m not completely sure about it, but since we’re together he looks happy. Or happier, at least. We still fight like no other in the world but it’s a part of what we call a couple. I’m sure that you love him, too – well I hope so. We have the same goal, don’t we? Make Hyukjae happy. Even if sometime I want to build his head into a wall because he can be so annoying and noisy, and –”

 

“Yeah, yeah, we got it,” Hyukjae cut him off with playful grumbled. “Hyukjae is really bad and you’re really nice.”

 

“I’m glad you admit it,” the brunette laughed tiredly.

 

In front of them, Mr. Lee stared at Donghae in wonder, his head slightly tilted to the side in what looked like wild curiosity. Finally, he let out a tired sigh. “So I guess it’s not a phase?”

 

Hyukjae stared at his father silently, glancing at Donghae with a look full of wonder and love. “No. It’s not.”

 

Hyukjae’s father let out yet another sigh of disappointment before his eyes went to Donghae, scanning him over as if looking for any and all flaws the boy could possess. The brunette glanced up for a second before immediately diverting his gaze to the table, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

 

“That’s funny,” Mr. Lee then said thoughtfully. “Donghae – is that it? – looks weak and strong at the same time. It’s destabilizing.”

 

Yeah well sorry about that. That’s offered in the package.

 

“At least it seems like you can handle Hyukjae,” he noted, raising an eyebrow at his son. “Your mother won’t be happy with this.”

 

“Is she ever, anyway?” Hyukjae grumbled under his breath.

 

“Good point,” the elder man mumbled absentmindedly as if he hadn’t plan to say it out loud. “I’m still cross about this though. I’m not going to go as far as sending you to Japan like your mother wanted me too – do you even know how to greet in Japanese, anyway? – because I’m tired of all this drama– but at the first wrong step you two are going to make, I won’t hesitate to bring your couple down. And Hyukjae will inherit of the company, so you better not interfere with this.”

 

A short moment of absolute shock followed his words as the two boys tried to process what the elder man had just said.

 

What? Donghae widened his eyes. Just like that? Did I just get his blessing or something?

 

He glanced at Hyukjae who looked as stunned as himself. His father then snorted, gesturing for the waiter to come back and take their order as he spoke up. “Your grandmother called earlier. That’s pretty rare and you know how scary she can be,” he shrugged as he leaned back in the chair. “She said I should leave you alone. I’m pretty sure it’s Sora who told her to call me. If Mother says it, then why not?”

 

He smiled at them, a little uncertainly, before standing up, stating he needed to make an important call and that he would be back in a few minutes. Dumbfounded, Donghae watched him leave the restaurant to stand in the lobby, talking into his phone.

 

“Well that went incredibly well?” he said incredulously. “You said he was scary?!”

 

“I thought he was, too,” Hyukjae mumbled, as shocked as he was. He stared at his father in bewilderment before shrugging. “I’m not going to complain anyway.”

 

Relief washed over the both of them as they abruptly realized that they weren’t in troubles anymore. A chuckle escaped Donghae’s lips before another followed and suddenly they burst out laughing. They finally managed to relax a little as the redhead took their order. A relieved silence fell between them before Hyukjae spoke up “Still up for a plan C?”

 

Donghae couldn’t help but to go through another fit of laughter, playfully punching his arm. “No, you complete plank!”

---

Look at that, an update. After two freaking months. So sorry about that guys <3 But since I'm a proud uni student, it's more difficult for me to find the time to write :<

Anyway, I hope u liked this chapter (even if the ending is sort of pathetic but I thought two despicable parents were too much and they needed a break)! Tell me what you think <3 I'll try to update sooner next time. Although it's probably going to be the second to last chapter ;A;

 

Also, is it me or there's only EXO stories getting featured lately? I'm suddenly feeling united with eunhae writers because we need to spread some eunhae love on the website guys srsly (even though I srsly love EXO too).

 

Thank you for reading ~ Please subscribe, comment and upvote <3

 

Oh, and PS! I started writing a new story entitled Beautiful Wolf; suprise surprise ~