Chapter 11
The Blue of the Sky on Rainy Days
As days passed, Eunhyuk always stayed longer and longer at the center in the evening, every day pushing his leaving a bit more, just as the sun outside, in the purple sky, extended his walk of a few minutes as they drew near the end of June. He sat near Donghae to do his homework, not only doing math, but also other subjects in which he had to catch up. It was this way, for example, while watching movies in English with him, or while listening to him read grammar rules and vocabulary lists that Donghae managed to master a new language in just a month. The depths of his intelligence and his mind’s vivacity hit Eunhyuk whenever he spent time with him. He began to think that his place was not really in this small suburb center, but in a place that could develop, in their true dimension, the amazing capabilities of Donghae who stifled here like a flower in a field of potatoes.
He too had also made progress, especially in letters: always having to precise the definition of words for Donghae, he had eventually grown interested in their meaning and their hint, in what they could communicate and what they were powerless to describe. He had even begun to borrow books (in secret of course) to the school’s library to force Donghae to read aloud, then borrowed more he read alone on his bed, window open on the warm night.
Eventually, the trip-farm day finally arrived. The weather was really good, and a big bus was waiting in the parking lot when Eunhyuk arrived with his backpack on Sunday morning. All the young patients he usually saw in the playroom were gathered at the entrance by pairs, and the nurses and attendants did the registering while making sure they all had their belongings. This image recalled Eunhyuk of his junior school days as he looked for Donghae’s old-fashioned shirt. But when he recognized his face in the small group, he was surprised to see lines under his neck.
Eventually, the trip-farm day finally arrived. The weather was really good, and a big bus was waiting in the parking lot when Eunhyuk arrived with his backpack on Sunday morning. All the young patients he usually saw in the playroom were gathered at the entrance by pairs, and the nurses and attendants did the registering while making sure they all had their belongings. This image recalled Eunhyuk of his junior school days as he looked for Donghae’s old-fashioned shirt. But when he recognized his face in the small group, he was surprised to see lines under his neck.
- "Oh Donghae, is that your summer clothes?" He asked, pointing his chin towards his small beige shorts and his sailor. "They suit you well."
Donghae lowered his eyelids while slightly moving the corner of his mouth up, and they got into the bus. During the trip, which lasted about an hour, feet on the chairs in front, lulled by the gentle morning sun and the engine’s hum, they drowsed side by side while quietly listening to Epik High and, when they arrived at the farm, the verdant countryside made them squint. The small tribe of patients spread loudly in the courtyard between chickens and ducks while still rubbing their sleepy eyes. They followed suit then went to the stables to see a calf that could not yet go out in the fields and that everyone wanted to caress to the small animal’s greatest regret. Donghae, he, preferred to look from afar, planted on site in his shorts floating around his pale thighs, fiddling a strip of cloth hanging from his bag in a distracted way. Eunhyuk took advantage of this diversion to discreetly take a glance at his messages: 'We clubbing tonight man, you don’t have any excuses not to come' Heechul had sent him. 'Oppa, I can’t wait for tonight' Yoo Ra had written with lots of smileys. 'Hehe, no my friends, I’m in a farm tonight' he sent to all his contacts with the photo of the calf as evidence. Donghae had looked at his manipulations with interest.
- "I'll teach you how to use it tonight if you want", Eunhyuk offered him, to what the boy replied with a discreet nod.
The day was exhausting for everyone, the farmer had wanted to show his little area that was his pride, from the farmyard to the fields and from the garden to his tractors. It was with weary feet that the townspeople finally went back to the main building were the dormitory was.
Donghae lowered his eyelids while slightly moving the corner of his mouth up, and they got into the bus. During the trip, which lasted about an hour, feet on the chairs in front, lulled by the gentle morning sun and the engine’s hum, they drowsed side by side while quietly listening to Epik High and, when they arrived at the farm, the verdant countryside made them squint. The small tribe of patients spread loudly in the courtyard between chickens and ducks while still rubbing their sleepy eyes. They followed suit then went to the stables to see a calf that could not yet go out in the fields and that everyone wanted to caress to the small animal’s greatest regret. Donghae, he, preferred to look from afar, planted on site in his shorts floating around his pale thighs, fiddling a strip of cloth hanging from his bag in a distracted way. Eunhyuk took advantage of this diversion to discreetly take a glance at his messages: 'We clubbing tonight man, you don’t have any excuses not to come' Heechul had sent him. 'Oppa, I can’t wait for tonight' Yoo Ra had written with lots of smileys. 'Hehe, no my friends, I’m in a farm tonight' he sent to all his contacts with the photo of the calf as evidence. Donghae had looked at his manipulations with interest.
- "I'll teach you how to use it tonight if you want", Eunhyuk offered him, to what the boy replied with a discreet nod.
The day was exhausting for everyone, the farmer had wanted to show his little area that was his pride, from the farmyard to the fields and from the garden to his tractors. It was with weary feet that the townspeople finally went back to the main building were the dormitory was.
- "I'm really sorry", apologized Kaehyun who was very embarrassed to only offer little comfort to Eunhyuk, "and especially to force you to spend the night in a patient’s room when you had already shown great willingness in agreeing to come to the trip-farm, but organizers had not anticipated the fact there would be one more person. It doesn’t bother you too much to share a room with Donghae? We placed a futon in there..."
- "No, no, don’t worry", he answered, "everything will go perfectly fine. It’s only for one night anyway."
- "I don’t know how to thank you!" She said aloud before adding lower, seeing that Donghae was unpacking his bag: "If he ever was to have a strange behavior, or was to start panicking or whatever... Kangin is in the room next door, hit a few times on the wall, he’ll come right away."
- "Hmm yes, ok", Eunhyuk replied, "but frankly, there shouldn’t be any problem, Donghae and I get along very well."
- "Wise up, he always gives us a lot of trouble during those kind of small trips because he’s very afraid to change beds and always starts panicking in foreign rooms."
Eunhyuk suddenly began to suspect the nurses had pretended there were not enough rooms in order to sleep quietly, but he said nothing.
Once she was gone, seeing that Donghae had knelt on the futon to unpack his things, he said while wallowing on it:
- "You, you take the bed. The futon is for me!"
Donghae, he had slightly flattened, shook his head and showed his resolution by lying on the short end of the futon that Eunhyuk was not occupying.
- "No, no, don’t worry", he answered, "everything will go perfectly fine. It’s only for one night anyway."
- "I don’t know how to thank you!" She said aloud before adding lower, seeing that Donghae was unpacking his bag: "If he ever was to have a strange behavior, or was to start panicking or whatever... Kangin is in the room next door, hit a few times on the wall, he’ll come right away."
- "Hmm yes, ok", Eunhyuk replied, "but frankly, there shouldn’t be any problem, Donghae and I get along very well."
- "Wise up, he always gives us a lot of trouble during those kind of small trips because he’s very afraid to change beds and always starts panicking in foreign rooms."
Eunhyuk suddenly began to suspect the nurses had pretended there were not enough rooms in order to sleep quietly, but he said nothing.
Once she was gone, seeing that Donghae had knelt on the futon to unpack his things, he said while wallowing on it:
- "You, you take the bed. The futon is for me!"
Donghae, he had slightly flattened, shook his head and showed his resolution by lying on the short end of the futon that Eunhyuk was not occupying.
- "Go away", he told him in a teasing tone.
Donghae shook his head.
Donghae shook his head.
- "Go away I said."
- "No", Donghae replied in a small voice.
- "What, you’re afraid of beds, you want me to go away, that’s right?"
- "No", Donghae replied in an even smaller voice.
- "But there’s not enough space here for both of us. One of us has to move."
- "N…n"
- "Oh, okay", Eunhyuk capitulated in a fake annoyed sigh while shifting to give him more space.
He then casually put his arms behind Donghae’s neck while humming. Without saying anything, Donghae pointed at the window.
- "There are no clouds today", Eunhyuk pointed out to him while turning his head to look at him and perhaps encourage him to talk.
But neither of them found anything else to say. They looked at each other as a bird sang the same notes outside. Sometimes, one could hear a cow mooing. Donghae's eyelids were starting to get heavy. Eunhyuk was feeling the boy’s head let go against his arm. He was starting to let his mind wander in the room’s quietness when a sudden look from Donghae made his heart skip a beat. He had suddenly opened his eyes and was looking at him as if he was waiting for something. With his heart beating fast, without knowing what he was doing, Eunhyuk awkwardly approached his face from his. Donghae, completely stiff and shaking a little, slightly straightened and with their two movements neither expected nor synchronized, they bumped their forehead.
- "Ouch!" Eunhyuk said to give himself countenance.
A small, light laugh made him open his eyes. Donghae had very white teeth. Eunhyuk only noticed after a few seconds that it was the first time he could hear Donghae’s laugh. Then their lips touched, very softly, barely brushing again each other.
Eunhyuk would not have been able tell if the half hour that followed was the longest kiss of his life, or if it rather was hundreds kisses detached from each other. Donghae, who was horribly awkward in almost everything, seemed relaxed in his arms where he was almost purring, tickling Eunhyuk with his velvet tongue. A smell of cut grass had been blown into the room by the wind, and the light which was lightened the furniture almost looked like the color of a peach. Eunhyuk had his legs tangled with Donghae’s who was stretching like a cat, and he was pressing his lips against his in tender pressures, as if he was foraging in between his lips, sometimes slipping in the tip of his pink tongue. Eunhyuk did not notice it either when, from reality, he began to kiss Donghae in his dreams, the two boys having fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
A small, light laugh made him open his eyes. Donghae had very white teeth. Eunhyuk only noticed after a few seconds that it was the first time he could hear Donghae’s laugh. Then their lips touched, very softly, barely brushing again each other.
Eunhyuk would not have been able tell if the half hour that followed was the longest kiss of his life, or if it rather was hundreds kisses detached from each other. Donghae, who was horribly awkward in almost everything, seemed relaxed in his arms where he was almost purring, tickling Eunhyuk with his velvet tongue. A smell of cut grass had been blown into the room by the wind, and the light which was lightened the furniture almost looked like the color of a peach. Eunhyuk had his legs tangled with Donghae’s who was stretching like a cat, and he was pressing his lips against his in tender pressures, as if he was foraging in between his lips, sometimes slipping in the tip of his pink tongue. Eunhyuk did not notice it either when, from reality, he began to kiss Donghae in his dreams, the two boys having fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
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