“Donghae?”

I couldn’t tell if he actually recognized me or not because he looked up at me with unfocused eyes, and it seemed as if he was about to pass out. 

I panicked and let the umbrella slide out of my hand as I reached down to grasp at his shoulders, bringing him to stand up. He wobbled a little and I pulled him to lean into my side so that his legs wouldn’t give out and cause him to fall. 

The rain was still coming down with brutal force. I trudged over to the car, pulling Donghae along with me because he seemed too weak to move on his own. The rain slipped into the car as I opened the passenger door and eased the boy inside as quickly as I could. When he was settled, I ran around to the driver side and got in as well. 

We were both soaked to the bone and the rain that had collected on our bodies was now starting to seep its way through the seams of the leather seats. 

I shuddered from the cold and the wetness, but the feeling probably couldn’t compare to what Donghae was experiencing. He had his eyes closed with his head rested against the window. He was shaking and his lips were starting to take on a blue tint. 

I d around in the backseat for my suit blazer that I had abandoned after I got out of work and draped it around the boy. It wasn’t going to help but it was all I had at the moment. I the car and blasted the heat at maximum, reaching over Donghae to click his belt into place, and then pulled off on the route to my apartment, where I could better take care of him.

It must be uncomfortable for him and I didn’t want him to get sick, so I drove as fast as the weather allowed with my limited visibility and the slippery roads. As the car cut through the storm, I kept glancing over to check on the younger, and at one point, he stopped shaking and it looked as if he had fallen asleep. Either that or he’s fainted, and that assumption got me to go a little faster.

Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling into the underground parking lot of my building. I parked close to the elevator, and when I shut the car engine off, I hustled out to the passenger side. 

With my suit jacket still draped over him, I gently gathered Donghae up in my arms and carried him over to the elevator. I didn’t have to wait as the cart was already there and I stepped in gingerly, pressing the necessary buttons and watching the doors slowly close shut. 

The fourteenth floor was a long way up and I was getting anxious with every passing floor. I kept looking down at the boy laying limp in my arms and I couldn’t help but worry over why he was out at a time like this in this kind of weather. I was lucky I found him. If not, he might have still been out in the storm. 

The bell dinged and as I stepped out onto the polished white floors, I noticed that we had created a small puddle in the elevator, but oh well. It couldn’t be helped. 

I paced to my apartment at the end of the hall and struggled with the pass code seeing as my hands were still occupied. When to door unlocked, I hustled over to one of the three seater couches and gently placed Donghae down. 

Now what do I do? I’ve never taken care of someone before. 

He needed to get warm…

Ah! Blankets!

I scampered off into my bedroom and hauled the big comforter off my bed, rushing back into the living room to drape it over the younger, but coming to stand over him, I realized that he needed to get out of his wet clothes first. 

Letting the comforter fall to the floor next to the sofa, I went back into my bedroom, scouting the grand closet for a baggy shirt that would fit his small frame comfortably and a pair of boxers, then grabbed a towel from the master bathroom. 

Back in the living room, I knelt down beside the couch and began slipping the younger out of his clothes. I didn’t have time to think about the possibility of this being an embarrassing situation because I was focused on making sure he didn’t get sick. 

I stripped him down until he was left in his boxers, leaving a pile of dripping wet clothes on the rug, and then towel dried him as best as I could, making sure not to forget his mess of dark hair.  

Running the towel across his face, I noticed water tracks that didn’t look like they had been caused by the rain, but instead, looked to be tear stains. Looking more closely, I saw that his eyes were slightly puffy. 

Had he been crying? 

This whole situation was getting me quite bothered, but there’s no use trying to piece it together now— I still needed to get clothes on him and get him warm. 

And so I finished dressing him before gathering him up once again and carrying him into my room, laying him down in the middle of the king sized bed that was layered with blue and white sheets. 

Since my comforter was now on the floor in the living room, I confiscated another one from the closet and positioned it over Donghae’s body, tucking him in and making sure the blanket wouldn’t slip off in the case that he happened to toss around as he slept. 

I rested my palm against his forehead, feeling that his temperature hadn’t risen to anything worrisome. That was good. I should probably turn up the thermostat just to make sure it was warm enough for him. 

After, I absentmindedly went back over to stand at the side of the bed, just staring blankly at the boy. Looking at him like this, he really looks peaceful and delicate. 

A chill ran through me and I realized I still had on my wet clothes. I let out a sigh and walked back over to the closet and pulled something comfortable to sleep in. 

Feeling weird about changing in the master bathroom connected to my room because Donghae was sleeping in there, and not wanting to go all the way into the guest bedroom, I changed in the living room. 

I peeled off the heavy clothing and discarded them in the pile where I had left Donghae’s clothes. I pulled on the sweatpants and tee shirt I had brought and then picked up the heap of soggy fabric and took them into the guest bathroom, chucking them onto the titled floor, not really wanting to deal with them right now. 

Walking back into the spacious living room, I peeked once more into my room to check that the boy was alright before turning off all the main lights and going over to one of the other couches that wasn’t wet and laid down on my back. Man, I tired. 

I blindly reached for the forgotten comforter on the floor and pulled it over myself, using the armrest as my pillow. 

I could hear the rain still tattering against the floor to ceiling windows and hear the thunder rumbling off in the distance, but couldn’t see outside as the blinds were closed. The digital clock over by the tv stand read that it was well past 1. 

My thoughts kept running back to Donghae, but it didn’t last very long because I fell asleep shortly after. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up with a crick in my neck and most of the blanket spilling onto the floor. I repositioned myself more comfortably and let my head fall to the side so that I could see the clock. 

10:04 am 

I let out a groan and turned to bury my face into the backside of the couch. 

Sungmin was going to kill me. 

I would usually be in the office at 8, and I was sure I had a meeting in about an hour. Not to mention that bastard Changmin was coming in today to reck havoc in my company.

But I couldn’t just leave Donghae by himself and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up. I might as well let him sleep. And it’s not like I’m going to get fired or anything for showing up late— one of the perks of being your own boss. 

I, myself, was feeling quite lazy and even though I had a full night’s sleep, I didn’t want to get up just yet.

I could see the sun peeking out from behind the thin blinds, and for some reason, I felt at ease. It didn’t feel like a regular work day… maybe it was because I slept in late, which never really happens. 

I lived by myself in a luxurious two bedroom apartment not too far from the company building. It was nice and all, but a lot of times, it just felt too empty. Min barging in unexpected on the weekends sure makes it feel a lot more cramped, but for the most part, it was just me here. 

I’ve had a couple of girlfriends in the past who lived with my for a while at a time, but they just added to the furniture. Their presence wasn’t comforting or welcoming, but instead, felt more like a burden. I’ve never been really close to any of them. All of them were the same; they tried too hard and it was all fake. Their “cute acts” would come off as annoying and it was clear that’s not who they really were. In fact, I’m pretty sure most of them were just after my money. I let out a heavy sigh. 

Then my mind went to Donghae. Watching him lay there last night, he just seemed so fragile and helpless, and it made me feel like I had to do my best for him. Maybe it was because of how I found him last night and I actually knew who he was, not to mention that I was also well acquainted with his mother. 

But did she know he was outside last night? Was she worried? Should I have called her to let her know her son was with me? 

…maybe I should just wait until Donghae gets up. And, besides, I was too lazy to get my phone from the kitchen table where I had left it last night when we came in.

My thoughts went back to last night and I tried to formulate a decent scenario as to why he ended up in that kind of situation but couldn’t come up with anything. 

I was brought back to my senses when I heard an high pitched ‘Ahhhhh!’ and a loud bump noise coming from inside my room.  

Startled, I tumbled off the couch, managing to get my foot caught in between the comforter and tripped not so gracefully before regaining my balance, and stumbled into the room. 

I found Donghae on the floor next to the bed and in panic. When he noticed someone enter, he scrambled up and moved to press himself against the wall behind him.

“Donghae. Wait a minute. Just calm down,” I tried to reassure him, keeping my place by the door.

When he saw who it was, his eyes widen considerably and he let out a gasp. “H-hyukjae?”