Hi, hello? I hope you still remember this fic. Rereading past chapters is highly recommended. And the length is shorter than usual. And I am not sorry for the chapter ending that awaits you all. I am sorry for the very long delay though. ;n;

There is a hint of warmth amidst the morning chill – the telltale sign of the sun finally spilling over the horizon after a long night of rest. Soft, yellow light filters through the curtains, and he shuns it away with a grunt as he pulls his blanket over his head.

It’s too early for the sun.

In fact, it’s too early for anything.

Donghae is still in dire need of sleep.

After a night of tossing and turning, nervousness and excitement swirling together in the pits of his stomach, he had managed to fall half-asleep, his consciousness drifting to and fro. As he always does when he is in a state of anxiety, he wakes up the moment the sun makes its presence known, way before his phone starts vibrating against the bedside table in a feeble attempt to wake him up.

Groaning, he turns and buries his face into his pillow, desperate for at least an hour more of proper sleep. He knows he would need it after all.

Because it’s quite an important day.

Well, not in the sense that it could be considered the same level as his eighteenth birthday, where he would get inked, but it’s still a day he has been both dreading and looking forward to for the past week.

It’s the day of his movie date with Hyukjae.

Not that they actually agreed to call it a date – no way. As much as Donghae would have liked that, it’s not like they were a couple or something. They were friends. Friends who used to be best friends, and have just recently started to rekindle their old friendship. They’re still not as close as they were before. And even though they now have an entire fanclub of girls who think they should be together that way, they’re still just friends.

Sadly.

They’re going simply because they both agreed that it would be a waste not to use the ticket. Though in reality, Donghae didn’t care. His fans at school had always given him gifts and yet it wasn’t difficult for him to share or give those away to Ryeowook or Sungmin. Hyukjae, on the other hand, enjoyed receiving them and thought of how much effort the fans put into giving gifts to him. He thought that way about the couple ticket as well, deciding to use it because he didn’t want the fans’ efforts going to waste, and Donghae only agreed because, well, he really did want to go out with Hyukjae to see a movie.

Ulterior motives, yep.

Not that Hyukjae would know about it anyway.

Mumbling incoherently under his breath, Donghae snuggles further into his pillow and blanket. Soon enough, he feels himself finally spiraling down into a peaceful state of unconsciousness. He is given three hours to catch up on sleep before his alarm suddenly starts blaring.

Donghae groans out a curse.

♦

Although Hyukjae only got to sleep for exactly three hours and forty-two minutes, his energy as he wakes up is boundless. Almost immediately, he jumps off his bed the moment his alarm started ringing. He turns it off and runs to the bathroom connected to his room, shedding clothes along the way, jumping into the shower and blasting hot water that has him shrieking in surprise.

“,” Hyukjae winces, his senses becoming more alert as he turns the water temperature to something less like the hot springs in Japan. “This is what you get for being so excited.”

He hadn’t been able to sleep well. His stomach had been churning in anticipation and anxiety over the mere thought of going out on a movie date with Donghae. Of course it’s not an actual date. But Hyukjae likes to call it a date in his mind anyway. Donghae doesn’t have to know that.

He exhales, allowing his muscles to relax as he soaks up the warm water. His thoughts are in a frenzy, questions and ideas popping all over the place.

What should he wear? Should he bring something? Gifts? Food?

He shakes his head frantically.

Donghae doesn’t know it’s a date, he reminds himself. To the blond, it’s just two friends hanging out. There is no need for Hyukjae to bring anything. Nor is there a need to wear something different.

Determined not to scare off the younger, Hyukjae ends up in a plain white shirt and a red and white plaid button-up shirt worn over it. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and he chooses simple black skinny jeans and a pair of black and white sneakers to match it.

It’s casual – after all, they’re just seeing a movie, and probably hanging out somewhere afterwards. Though he couldn’t help but try and style his hair a little different than usual. He pushes it back, brushing the bangs off his face to reveal his forehead, only to grimace at his reflection and put his hair back in its normal order. After a few more minutes of scrutinizing himself in the mirror and fretting, he decides to prepare a quick brunch, knowing that they wouldn’t have enough time to grab a bite before the movie starts.

He is chewing on a slightly burnt piece of toast when he receives a text from Donghae, and it effectively causes him to launch into a state of panic and distress. The younger is apparently on his way to the mall where they will see the movie, and Hyukjae, the idiot he is, failed to realize the time. He bolts out of the kitchen and his house in the speed of light and gets on the first bus he sees, thanking the heavens for the fact that he’s a basketball player, and running quickly without feeling any ounce of tiredness is one of his abilities.

He soon arrives at the cinemas and after exchanging a few more texts with the younger blond, they finally manage to find each other.

Donghae, much to the redhead’s surprise, is in very casual clothes as well. Though it isn’t the casualness that makes him gape and blink stupidly, but the fact that Donghae is in a red and white hoodie, exactly the same color scheme as Hyukjae’s own shirt. He’s in stripes though, instead of plaid, but wearing clothes in the same colors is enough to make it look like they’re really dating.

And that string of thought is more than enough to make Hyukjae blush and splutter like an idiot.

Donghae’s friendly smile falters as he tilts his head and stares at him questioningly. “What?”

“N-Nothing,” Hyukjae quickly says, in a lame attempt to recover himself from the road to shame as he flashes a small grin. “Shall we go?”

“I think we need to get food first.”

“Of course,” he agrees immediately. “Popcorn? Chips?”

“Both,” Donghae grins, and it’s all sorts of cheeky and toothy and adorable that Hyukjae nearly keels over.

Jesus. It hasn’t even been five minutes.

They get themselves a bunch of food and their own large cups of soda. Upon entering the cinema and presenting the couple ticket, they get a knowing glance from the clerk, causing the both of them to blush and quickly rush away to their reserved seats.

The seats their fans had chosen for them are undoubtedly the best ones. They’re somewhere near the top, in the middle, where they get a perfect view of the big screen.

Hyukjae couldn’t help but grin excitedly now that they’re finally settled on their so-called couple seats, his eyes fighting to stay on the screen instead of drifting to stare at the blond boy to his left. Donghae is amusing himself with the trailers, and at the sound of his soft chuckles, Hyukjae couldn’t help but steal a glance.

It’s real.

He’s really out here with Donghae. Out to see a movie in casual clothes of reds and whites, and not just spending time together because of a science project. They’re here because they both wanted to be, even if it’s under the excuse of not wanting to waste a gift in Hyukjae’s case. But the thing is, Donghae had no hesitation in agreeing to come with him.

They’re okay, Donghae had said the day they woke up after their reconciliation. And truthfully, despite the blond’s smiles and friendly gestures, there were still times that Hyukjae found it difficult to believe.

But now they’re here, and it’s real, and not just a figment of his wild imagination or a part of a faraway dream.

It’s real, and they really are okay.

And Hyukjae couldn’t get any happier.

“It’s funny,” Donghae’s low voice murmurs from beside him and Hyukjae immediately snaps out