"Please Donghae", Heechul muttered, coaxing the younger with his soft voice, his fingers playing with the newly cut hair. "I didn't think you'd react like this, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, okay? I won't take it off if you don't want me to, alright? Don't be upset with me..."

Donghae took a little breath and parted his trembling lips. He wanted to tell the other that he was okay, that he wasn't mad, but the words died in his throat before he managed to let them out.

A few hours had passed since they had cut his hair but he was still a mess. He couldn't stop trembling and quietly sobbing, fresh tears endlessly building up in his eyes and damping the black cloth concealing his eyes. He couldn't talk anymore either. Every time he tried, he would just start crying again.

He wasn't mad at Heechul but he couldn't deny he had been deeply shaken up to have the blindfold being removed from his head. Even after hours, the shock was still strong, leaving him vulnerable and weak. And none of Heechul's attempts to make him feel better had worked.

Heechul had hugged him, wrapped him in a warm quilt and placed him on the couch, then hugged him again. He had given him a mug of hot chocolate, given him sweets, even baked a cake. He had apologized countless times, wiped off his tears and cleaned his snotty nose, desperately tried to soothe the cursed boy.

Donghae had calmed down a bit, his chocked sobs had turned into soft sniffs, but he still hadn't been able to utter a single word.

A part of him kept repeating that he was fine, that Heechul was fine too, that nobody had been hurt, but the terrible truth was stronger than the little voice in his head. He could have harmed Heechul. He could have killed him. It could have been Hyukjae.
No matter how many times Heechul told him that everything was fine, he knew it wasn't. The first time he had taken off the blindfold, Donghwa had died. He had murdered his own brother, the only person who cared and loved him.

The combination of guilt and terror were stronger than Heechul's gentle voice.

"Here", the elder sat back next to him on the couch. The cursed boy felt something being pressed against his lips. "It's a chocolate cake", Heechul informed him. Donghae slowly parted his lips and the small piece of cake was instantly pushed inside his mouth.

He munched on the food in silence. He hadn't eaten many cakes in his life, he savored the sweetness of the pastry and enjoyed how it melted inside his mouth and on his tongue. The cake was good, but what touched him was that Heechul wanted to make him feel better, that he cared about him. He was still not able to speak but he wanted to thank him, so he snuggled closer to the elder male and pressed himself against him, shyly resting his head against what he believed was Heechul's shoulder.

He felt how Heechul suddenly relaxed, happy that Donghae didn't seem mad at him anymore. A thin but protective arm sneaked around the cursed boy's shoulders and Donghae soon found himself wrapped in a nice and warm embrace.

Heechul fed him with more cake as he began to blabber about buying him some books and movies, because Hyukjae didn't have any and they needed to find something to do during the day. Donghae quietly listened to the elder, not always understanding what he was saying or what he was talking about. At some point, he found himself dozing off, lulled by Heechul's low voice. The elder didn't seem to notice and kept talking, like he had done the whole day.

When he woke up some time later, it took him a while to remember where he was. Feeling a bit weak and drowsy, his heart clenched when he remembered what had happened earlier. An unpleasant lump appeared in his throat but he fought back the tears building up under his closed lids.

"Are you awake?" Heechul asked, fingers smoothly playing with his hair. Donghae nodded, still unable to talk. "Aren't you hungry? You didn't eat anything for lunch, only that little piece of cake earlier." This time, Donghae shook his head from right to left. The simple idea of eating made him feel sick. "Aish", the elder sighed. "Hyukjae's coming home anytime soon, he'll kill me for not feeding you well."

Donghae's heart began to beat a little faster as he heard Hyukjae would soon be back. A restless feeling crept up into his heart and remained stuck there. Though he wasn't sure what this feeling was, he knew it had something to do with the fact that he wanted to see Hyukjae.

"If I cook something, will you eat it?" Heechul insisted. Donghae shook his head again. "Just a little bit? Just to make me happy?"

The cursed boy captured his bottom lip with his small crooked teeth and began to chew on the soft flesh hesitantly. He wasn't hungry at all, even less with this strange sensation in his chest, but he wanted to make Heechul happy.

"Good", the elder cooed as Donghae eventually nodded. He patted the boy's head a couple times before he stood up and walked away, leaving Donghae alone on the couch. The boy shivered, feeling suddenly cold when Heechul's warm body abandoned him.

From what he guessed was the kitchen, he heard Heechul's voice ranting about something not being easy to find because Hyukjae's way of tidying things was abnormal. It made him smile softly, until another sound caught his attention. He heard a door being opened and some clothes rustling, before the door was closed with a short thud.

"I'm home!" Hyukjae's voice boomed, making Donghae's heart miss a beat.

The boy sat up on his knees, his body straight and tense. The quilt slipped from his shoulder and slid down a bit but he didn't care about it. His mind was focused on every sound his ears could take and his whole being craved to see Hyukjae, to the point his heart began to pound frenetically.

Soft steps approached.

"There you are, Donghae", Hyukjae's gentle voice spoke again, getting closer to him. His voice was so sweet Donghae felt like crying. "Heechul has cut your hair I see", the other went on.

Donghae chin began to quiver at the memory of what had happened earlier. He lifted his arms, letting the quilt fall down his body, and desperately reached out for the other.

"What's wrong?" he heard Hyukjae's voice turn worried, and soon a pair of strong arms embraced him, pulling him into a protective and comforting embrace.

Donghae's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around Hyukjae's neck and he hugged the man tightly. He buried his face against the curve of Hyukjae's neck, letting Hyukjae's scent fill his nostrils, inhaling it deeply, and let out a shaky gasp.

"Donghae, what's wrong?" Hyukjae asked with a hint of panic in his voice. He pulled the younger closer and lifted him up. Donghae's legs automatically circled the elder's hips not to fall, clinging onto Hyukjae like a baby koala. "Heechul!" Hyukjae called frantically when the cursed boy began to tremble in his arms.

Donghae felt strange. A part of him felt better, the restless feeling in his chest vanished as soon as he felt Hyukjae's arms around him, and he felt secure again. But at the same time, all the fears and guilt came b