Although Donghae had spent most of the night driving he couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep, he was scared that if he closed his eyes, he’d open them to the same disaster that had been his life what seemed just moments ago, and the fact that he had his hyukjae back made it slightly more bearable. The poor monkey was completely exhausted, curled up on the pillow beside Hae and to him, normality was restored.

 

He’d never payed particular detail to his pet... and considering he couldn’t sleep he allowed himself the chance to examine ever little detail about him, seeing him asleep now, lips slightly parted in his sleep he couldn’t imagine there being a single vicious bone in his body. 

 

Donghae marveled mostly over his small padded hands, fingers surprisingly human like although one of them was marred with a particularily beautiful freckled that he wondered if it was some kind of birthmark, one of many things that made Hyukjae completely different from other monkeys and pets all together. His tiny hand currently grasping one of Donghae’s digits in his sleep, much like a baby seeking comfort.

 

He’d refused to let go of him for the whole drive home, wrapped around Donghaes neck and half buried under his sweater.

 

I won’t leave you.

 

His little peach nose scrunched up in his sleep and almost tempted to reach out and trace his fingers through his pets fur Donghae resisted, burying his face back into his pillow to hide from the sunlight that was slowly creeping in through the window.  He wondered what hyuk dreamt of, he wondered really, what was it that made him all that different from being human. His features sometimes resembled  a human child, too stubborn to resist Donghae when he was telling him off. 

 

His eyes, although dark pits of chocolately brown sometimes held a keen understanding that had Donghae turning away, baffled by how much the little monkey could really understand.

 

Donghae was beyond the point of finding this ridiculous. He didn’t feel alone anymore, he hadn’t started getting sick again once the monkey had returned home with him. He felt content, despite his sub-concious taking on the voice of Kyuhyun nagging at him that he wasn’t normal. That was nothing new to him. He gained no affection from anyone else in his life, and having a pet was good for him.

 

Unconditional love and all those things.

 

Having something to care for subsequently gave him purpose to care for himself.

 

Donghae couldn’t remember at what point he had closed his eyes but his mind was switched back on when it was greeted with a soft whimpering noise filling the room, and at first he suspected it was probably just himself... but when he shoved himself up on his elbows he sighed at the sight of the small monkey curling in on himself in his sleep, ears flickering at some dream he was having.

He hated to consider the fact that maybe he was more than a little bit traumatized because of all he’d been through today.

 

Suppressing another sigh that was bubbling up in the back of his throat he stretched his spare hand over him, fingers tracing over the bandage wrapped around Hyukjae’s forehead, almost identical to his own. “Hyukkie...” He whispered, trying to wake him, bury his fingers in his soft fur. He was definitely softer than any dog he’d ever met.

 

Trying to subtly wake him without scaring him to death and back donghae poked him in the nose, causing Hyukjae to wrinkle his face up adorably in his sleep. When the little capuchin started to stirr, curling his limbs inwards towards himself and rolled over, rotating his ear forward as Donghae scratched his neck, making soft chuntering noises that despite the language and species barrier Donghae could understand as some kind of thank you.

 

---------------------

 

Weeks had passed since Donghae got Hyukjae back, and despite the fact that Donghae’s stay at home job wasn’t exactly blossoming and bringing him enough income to pay for his bills, he reasoned that if he needed to, he could easily downsize to a smaller apartment, even though Hyukjae still had a lot of energy he could take to the park, he had enough time on his hands.

 

Besides he much preferred cherishing everything he had in the moment, even if that did mean childishly chasing Hyukjae around the house at stupid hours and trying to scale the wardrobe to try and catch him.

 

He refused to ask for help from anyone though, the only person he had to turn to who could help him out was Kyuhyun, but he hated to admit that he hadn’t answered his calls since the night he got Hyukjae back. He was trying to hold off telling him he had his pet back, not only would Kyuhyun be disappointed that Donghae hadn’t been as strong willed as he liked, but he had never liked his monkey and so helping Donghae out finacially was something he was sure Kyuhyun would refuse to do if he knew that Donghae was still spending a massive sum of his monkey buying Hyukjae all the specialized food that he needed. 

 

Speaking of the devil he was currently clinging to Donghae’s leg and allowing himself to be dragged along the floor the kitchen full of hopeful potentials. Donghae could tell he was probably trying to tell him that he was hungry so Hae just played stupid for a while as he stared down at Hyukjae, purposely looking dumbstruck. “What is it you want Hyukkie?” He questioned, almost almost immune to the big round eyes staring up at him. 

 

“You want a bath?” He questioned innocently and he could have sworn that the monkeys forehead knitted together in frustration. 

 

Laughing to himself he dragged the both of them over to the fridge and dutifiully started preparing Hyukjae’s lunch.

 

By this point, having considered turning his phone off, another vibration rang through his hand set and he couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Donghae... please i’m getting worried about you.’

 

“Should i reply to him Hyukjae? But then he might get angry that you’re back.” He muttered, talking to himself as he chopped up an apple. 

 

“Hae, i’m round the corner, i’ll be there in a second.”

 

“.” Donghae cursed almost chopping his own finger off. Kyu was coming here, and completely unconcerned about the current mess of his house, he was more anxious about having to hide Hyukjae. 

 

Shaking him off his leg gently he scooped him up, making a mad dash, food bowl in hand up the stairs, placing the apples on the bed and shutting the door before Hyukjae could even pay him the blindest bit of notice.

 

Please be good...

 

Seconds later he heard Kyuhyun let himself into his house, waltzing in as if he lived in the place. “Lee Donghae are you alive?” He shouted, but there was a tint to his voice that made Donghae feel guilty. It was a genuine question on Kyu’s behalf because he hadn’t heard from him in months.

 

“Kyu!!” He called, hopping down the stairs and taking them too at a time. His voice sounded weird but he put it down to the fact that he hadn’t really spoken to anyone in two weeks. 

 

“Hyung you bastard, you’ll be the death of me.” He told him, swiping a hand out to hit Hae round the head as he scowled at him. 

Donghae couldn’t help but smile. “Giving me that look won’t make me text you back you brat.” He told him, after having successfully dodged Kyuhyun’s hand he carried on dancing backwards away from him until he could dump himself down on the couch.

 

“I’m... i’m sorry though.” He murmured, knowing he took having a friend like Kyuhyun for granted, and he hadn’t realised until now that the guilt had been eating at him for a while.

 

With Kyuhyun’s arm wrapped around his neck he couldn’t tell whether he was embracing him or strangling him. 

 

“Seriously though.” His long time friend murmured, towering over him and looking scarily determined. “You should-”

 

A loud bump from upstairs sent Kyuhyun’s keen eyes suspiciously rising towards the ceiling and Donghae pretended to look just as puzzled before he shrugged it off, purposefully taking his friends hand and dragging him into another room as quickly as he could. Hyukjae damn it... shut up.

 

He could still hear the faint patter of feet from upstairs but Donghae just made a comment about how his heating had been playing up and so it often made strange noises all the time. 

 

Kyuhyun made a face like he’d smelt something bad. Probably my bull. Donghae thought.

 

Dumping himself down onto the couch he sat indian style dragging Kyu down to sit next to him. Conversation was something that Donghae had trouble staying interested in, although Kyuhyun was making small talk, about another Lee that had joined his work lately, about the fact that he’d recently hunted down an old school friend of theirs Leeteuk and even though he could feel Kyuhyun’s eyes burning onto his he couldn’t bring himself to react.

 

“You really don’t want to see him Hae?” Kyuhyun questioned. Donghae had gone downhill but honestly Kyuhyun was baffled at how he managed to become this anti-social.

 

Blinking up at him Donghae shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know Kyu... he always had his life planned out... mine in comparison is just...” Gesturing vaguely to everything around him he sighed.

 

“Oh come on.” Kyuhyun complained, elbowing Donghae hard in the arm. “At least add him on facebook.”

 

To Donghae facebook was a dusty part of the internet that he didn't dare venture onto. He much preferred his monkey based tumblr with a close knit community of other monkey owners.

 

Groaning to himself as Kyuhyun went and practically pranced over the room to fetch Donghae’s laptop, dumping it on Hae’s lap much like an over eager terrier. 

 

With his hands ghosting over his keys he logged in, pretty much letting Kyuhyun use the computer over his shoulder finding Leeteuk’s facebook and adding him to Donghae’s friends. A lower count than last time he’d checked, Donghae realized. 

 

He wondered if.... 

 

He had never unfriended her, in fact he hadn't been on facebook since that fateful day that she walked out of his door. 

 

“....”

 

“Donghae?” Kyuhyun pressed, peering annoyingly over the top of the laptop.

 

“Holy .” Donghae wheezed, laptop sliding out of his hands into Kyuhyun’s eagerly awaiting ones.

 

It took him an agonizing moment longer than Donghae to realized what exactly had his friend paling so fast. “.” Kyuhyun echoed eyes flickering fast to linger on donghae’s face.

 

“That was fast man.... insanely fast.” He murmured, looking over the wedding pictures quickly, recognizing neither the name nor the face of the man that Sunny, Donghae’s previous girlfriend had so obviously gotten married too. 

 

The smiling joyous pictures on the screen were a completely contradiction to the stunned blank face sitting beside him. 

 

“Hae...?” He questioned, shoving the laptop onto the floor and twisting around so that he was hovering over his friend. “I thought you were over her...” He whispered, his dark sincere eyes eating up the stricken expression currently spreading over his friends face. 

 

She never loved me. I thought i loved her. I thought that would be me, in that picture, watching her walk down the isle. She’s happier now than i could ever make her. Than i can ever make anyone.

 

“Donghae, you know you speak out loud right?” Kyuhyun murmured, tilting his head at him as his shoulders slumped, stumbling over words that he could never use to comfort his friend. “You’re capable of making people happy Hae... you just have to make yourself happy first.”

 

“How?” Donghae murmured, lifting his damp brown eyes up to linger on his friends, although he was younger he was just desperately seeking his guidance. “How do i make myself happy again Kyu?” He questioned.

 

Kyuhyun had realized for a long time that although sadness was an ugly thing for anyone to have to carry on their shoulders, Donghae did so in a way that worked. He jutted his bottom lip out a bit too much, his eyes went round and watery a bit too much, and it’d been grating on his conscience for a long time now. 

 

He wanted nothing more than to get rid of that pout, as a child when Donghae fell over and grazed his knee, even know when he was sat in front of him, a grown man with the sad expression of a kicked puppy.

 

He would have liked to say he didn't know what drove him to do it but honestly, he’d been thinking of stealing moments like these when Donghae was at his worst, when he was lost for words and knew no other way to make things better. Capturing his lips in a kiss that was full of affection, and open promises that things would be better for Hae. With his fingers barely managing to brush over the scar on Donghae’s forehead, fingers ghosting lightly down the side of his face, his lips a light pressure against Hae’s something that had been forbidden all these years but certainly not something he expected him to reject.

 

He could only sigh when Donghae shied away, round eyes now startled at something else that was entirely foreign in his life, when all Donghae really needed at that moment was the same old normality.

 

Selfish. Kyuhyun scolded himself, realizing he had just cost Donghae a friend, trying to make things more when in reality things were fine as they were, Donghae felt more alone than ever. 

 

“I’m sorry Hae.” Kyuhyun whispered, looking just as shocked as him as he backed up, tripping half over the laptop placed on the floor, stumbling out the doorway. Part of him wanted to take a parting glance back at Donghae, still concerned that he wouldn’t be okay.

 

But staying wouldn't help Donghae now.

 

But somehow the soft bouncing noise pattering down the stairs calmed his heart slightly.

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: OOH!

*Cries* I never planned on making this part of the fic this long

But if you carry on reading until the next chapter you will get the plot twist

Next chapter is going to be as long as this one. Muhahah i apolagise.

 

AND this is not a kyuhae fic, Eunhae will be shortly i promise.

I just feel so guilty doing this to Kyu :c

And hahaha just needed to point out this is not some sort of zoophillia fic, im not that scary. This is just Donghae finding comfort in his pet, and for now the little monkey is all he has to turn to for company.

 

THANK YOU GUYS! i wouldn't carry on writing if i didn't get comments <3