A/N: Uhm… surprise? does anyone still remember Amore? It’s been a long while, but I've never been satisfied with this and I have a few things I need to get out of my system, so ta-da

“Hyukjae?”

He knows that tone well by now, that slight curious quiver at the end of his name, and he smoothly looks from where he picked up the bag of groceries, closing the door shut with his heel.

“Donghae, what did I tell you about carrying the television around?”

“But…” the usual pout forms on Donghae’s lips and Hyukjae smiles despite himself.

“What did I tell you?”

“The people are not really inside the box…” Donghae mumbles.

“It’s not a box, it’s…?”

“A television…”

“That’s right. And?”

“And…” the brunette keeps his gaze down, ashamed of doing this for the third time that week, “they will not see the view outside the window even if I showed them…”

Hyukjae hums in approval, “And?”

“And…” Donghae scrunches his eyebrows, “and…”

Hyukjae decides to help him out, gently taking the television from his hands, “They don’t…?”

“Ah! They do not get lonely, so I do not have to bring them with me around the apartment.” He finishes, smiling sheepishly as he helps Hyukjae with the groceries.

“Perfect,” Hyukjae holds the back of his head and presses a quick kiss on his lips. Donghae is eager to kiss him back three times, earning him a wide smile that until now, still makes him feel dizzy with pleasure.

Dear Mother,
I know it’s silly for me to write to you
but I just wanted to say,
Love sure is a wonderful thing.

After their three-year separation, Hyukjae was quick to find an apartment big enough for both of them. It took some time and a lot of patience to teach Donghae about the complexities of the human world, his constant need to make friends with the people in the television, his endless questions about the kitchen stove and where the toilet leads and why can’t I be pregnant like her? are all worth it the moment he holds his hand, feels his warmth after a long tiring day, sees him smile so genuinely that his eyes twinkle, and Hyukjae is convinced that he’s the only person in the world with a real angel by his side, one he can speak to and love and keep.

An angel who loved him enough to give up his wings.

“Hyukjae?” A warm hand is pressed against his cheek, “Are you okay?”

He blinks once, twice, and before he could stop himself, he tackles Donghae to the couch, planting kisses on every inch of his face. “I’m-” kiss. “just-” kiss. “really happy-” kiss. “you-” kiss. “came back.”

Donghae is acutely aware of the slight tremble in Hyukjae’s voice and with a soft smile he embraces the lean body, guiding Hyukjae’s face until it rests against the crook of his neck. He may act like the strong one but inside, Donghae knows that he’s still that lonely boy who lives oceans away from his family, working hard and alone for much too long. It may have been months since his return that fateful Valentine’s Day but he wants to make up for every second of lost time and every night Hyukjae had to spend alone.

“Today,” He pulls away from the embrace and smiles up at Hyukjae, “I have something for you.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“It is a surprise!” Donghae smiles and his eyes twinkle and Hyukjae feels breathless all over again.

- - -

Twenty minutes later, they’re standing in front of the pet shop Donghae works part time, dogs planting themselves against the glass at the mere sight of the brunette.

Before Hyukjae could ask, Donghae simply smiles and drags him inside, waving at the store owner who’s grown attached to him (Hyukjae doesn’t blame the old man all that much) and leads them to a little brown Pomeranian seated in a corner. She sat upright and looked posh, prim and proper for a dog, her beady black eyes staring straight at Hyukjae.

“I knew it!” Donghae exclaims and squats between them, looking from Hyukjae to the dog and back to Hyukjae, “you look the same!”

“What?” He takes a step back, not sure if he should laugh or feel offended.

“You do!” Donghae picks up the Pom and brings her to Hyukjae’s face. “See?”

“No, we don’t!” Hyukjae takes the dog in his arms and stares at the giant black eyes, before turning to Donghae, “do we?”

At that moment, Donghae couldn’t handle the sight of Hyukjae with his puppy counterpart—both looking at him with large expectant eyes—and the brunette had to walk away to compose himself.

It’s no surprise they came home that day with a puppy, Choco, tucked under Hyukjae’s arm, an overly excited Donghae, and a photo of their first ‘family’ portrait stuck on the fridge.

Love is an amazing feeling
that grows stronger and stronger
each day.

- - -

Hyukjae sees it.

Donghae may try to conceal it with his smiles and his laughter, but Hyukjae still sees it.

When he stops and stands by the window, when he tilts his head up and the sun hits his skin but his eyes remain open, unflinching at the blue vastness of the sky he used to belong in—Hyukjae sees it and he knows.

Love is also a sacrifice.
The human world is so strange,
Sometimes, I wonder…

“Hey,” Hyukjae wraps his arms around Donghae’s waist and the brunette smiles at the warm breath tickling his nape.

“Hello,” Donghae turns around to rest his elbows on Hyukjae’s shoulders, fingers reaching to weave through the soft strands of his hair, “Are you ready to take me on the date that is romantic?”

Hyukjae grins despite the slight flush in his cheeks, “Yes, but this year, we’re going to make things a bit different.”

“Oh? But I do not mind the sightseeing, Rome is so beautiful, and the hand-holding and the joining of lips and you still have not taught me the next lesson on how to make love—”

 “Yes,” Hyukjae cuts him off, a bit flustered, “but we can do all that any time we want! Rome is just outside our doorstep and this year, I want our Valentines to be special.”

“You mean we will not hold hands and join lips?” Donghae pouts, confused. “And you will not teach me how to make—?”

“I will! I mean, w-we-- we will! I mean,” He clears his throat, “yes, we'll still do all that, just… not in Rome. How does the beach sound, Hae? I’ve been saving money these past two years and I know a friend’s friend at the travel agency who helped me get you a passport and I know it’s a bit far, but—”

People along the streets could only watch as Donghae tackles his boyfriend and they topple over into Fontana Di Trevi, half of the crowd secretly taking photos and the other half wondering why they look so happy despite their soaking wet clothes.

- - -

Some say that you never really know a person until you’ve travelled with them, but Hyukjae would beg to differ.

Two years living under the same roof as Donghae has made him somewhat an expert—Hyukjae knew they’d run a bit late because Donghae would feel the need to say goodbye to every nook and cranny of their apartment, he knew they’d keep going back because Donghae apparently forgot something…thrice, he knew Donghae liked to wander off and made sure to keep a tight grip on his hand, he knew Donghae was a sweetheart so he wasn’t all that surprised to see him bring an extra pillow for Hyukjae’s stiff neck gets or how he finds a small handwritten letter of gratitude on his lap when he woke up that morning.

The airplane ride is filled with shushed excitement, handholding, and Donghae’s cheek pressed against the window. Hyukjae was the anchor, the one who remained sensible as he tried to contain his boyfriend’s antics and thousands of curious questions—almost as if he were babysitting instead, though Hyukjae didn’t really mind. At least he had something to keep his mind off the uncharacteristic nervousness slowly building in his stomach. He groans, hating how despite how long they’ve been together, he still gets reduced to this embarrassing bundle of nerves every time he prepares something for Donghae. With a huff and an unconscious grab for Donghae’s hand, Hyukjae closes his eyes and tries to not think about how this plane ride was filled with more anxiety than excitement.

The moment they land, however, is an entirely different thing.

They both had no idea where they were, not exactly. Gone were the familiar stone paths and picturesque buildings of Rome. Instead, there were coconut trees, endless rolls of white sand, and the sound of waves crashing along the shore and crawling back into the deep blue with a surface that shimmered in the sunlight.

Donghae and Hyukjae slowly turn to each other, eyes wide and sparkling as giant smiles slowly tug on their lips, and almost instantly, the two are racing towards the beach, shouting at how unexpectedly hot the sand was on their bare feet, but still skip towards the water in what looked almost like desperation. People are staring but neither of them really cares as they swim and splash around, wrestling after Hyukjae’s attempt to pull at Donghae’s shorts and somehow, they end up with Donghae’s ankles locked behind Hyukjae’s lower back and his arms around his shoulders, the perfect position for Hyukjae to reach over and… tickle his armpits.

“Stop!” Donghae laughs loudly, but still clings onto him like a koala despite his words, “H-H-Hyukjae! Stop it!”

“What was that? I can’t hear you!” Hyukjae’s laugh is drowned out by Donghae’s own that slowly turned hysterical.  

In an attempt to save his armpits, Donghae presses even closer to him, wounding his arms tight around Hyukjae’s neck and leaving no space between their heaving chests. Donghae is laughing into his ear so loud it almost hurts, but he smells like the sea and his words change from ‘stop’ to ‘thank you thank you thank you for this’ that Hyukjae feels so damn proud of himself for making an angel sound this happy.

“You haven’t changed,” Hyukjae pulls away so that he could look Donghae in the eye, “you always say thank you when we’ve barely even started!”

Hyukjae untangles Donghae from his torso and grabs his hand, pulling him to the shore. Donghae lets out a confused smiled but simply follows and stares at the warm hand around his, happy for the simple reason that Hyukjae is happy.

Love is worth it.

- - -

“Where are we going?!” Donghae shouts over the roar of the speedboat’s engine, holding desperately onto his hat that could fly away any moment as they skip over waves.

“You’ll see!”

Hyukjae is excited and nervous and oh god, he just really really hopes Donghae would like it. When the speedboat comes to a stop far from the shore, they clamber onto a bigger boat where they’re asked to put on life vests and several harnesses are clipped to the point that Donghae gets a little nervous. He feels a hand squeeze his and Hyukjae’s smile is all he needs to feel better.

“Parasailing,” Hyukjae says and bites his lip, “It’s called Parasailing and it’s fun—I hope you’ll have fun.”

“Will I be with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then…” Donghae smiles like he doesn’t have a worry in the world, “I will definitely have the ‘fun’.”

It’s only when they’re strapped in to the parachute and seated, it spreads, catching the wind from the boat’s speed and they’re pulled back as if the sky were reeling them in that Hyukjae hears Donghae’s howls of excitement and he lets out a la