Love is

The taxi slowed to a stop and stopped in front of a house in the countryside. Turning his head so that his nose caught a whiff of the shampoo that his boyfriend used, Hyukjae was met with a scene of an adorable Donghae dozing off on his right shoulder.

“Hae ah, Donghae,” Hyukjae whispered softly as his left hand reached over to tap his boyfriend lightly on his arms. “We’re here, wake up baby.”

“Mmm?” Donghae mumbled, his eyes fluttering open and his hands rubbing it furiously to get rid of the sting in his eyes. “Where are we?”

“Come on, you’ll see soon enough!”

Hyukjae eagerly dragged Donghae who was still half asleep off the cab and approached the house the cab had earlier dropped them off at.

Hyukjae inspected the gate carefully. “Hmm, it’s not open… It’s okay, let’s climb over the gates!” He let go of Donghae’s hand and immediately scaled the gates.

“What?” A shocked Donghae grabbed hold of his boyfriend’s leg who, by now, already had half his body over the gate. “Hyukkie! What are you doing!” 

“Ayy Hae ah let go! I’m going over so that I can open the gates to let you in!” But Donghae only hugged his leg even tighter.

“No Hyukkie! This is trespassing! What are we doing here anyway! We don’t even know who stays here! I can’t let you commit a crime and go to jail, no I won’t!”

“Aishh Hae, why are you so adorable?” Hyukjae stopped struggling against Donghae’s hold. “Okay, I won’t trespass, but let me go first so I can come down, okay?”

Donghae nodded his head and then loosened his hold on his boyfriend. Hyukjae, in a swift motion, used his strong arms to lift himself up over the gates and disappeared on the other side.

Donghae gasped. “Hyukkie! You said you wouldn’t trespass!”

The gates slowly opened to reveal Hyukjae behind it, “I didn’t trespass baby, this is my grandmother’s house, come in!”

“Huh?” Donghae’s mouth fell open and he dumbly stood there. “But, but, why are we here today?”

“To meet her of course, you’re so silly.” Hyukjae simply said and then pulled Donghae into the compounds of his grandmother’s house.

“Grandma~! Grandma~! I’m back!” Hyukjae shouted as he walked towards the door.

“Aigoo!” the door opened and revealed an elderly woman standing there with her arms opened. Numerous wrinkles lined her face and her hair was a glistening white, but the smile she had on the face made Donghae feel really warm on the inside. “Our Hyukjae is back!”

Hyukjae let go of Donghae’s hand and then rushed forward into his grandmother’s arms, enveloping her in a gentle yet strong hug. He was at least one and a half head taller than the hunching old lady.

“And who have we here?” Grandma said as her eyes found Donghae, who was standing there really awkwardly.

“Grandma! Remember the guy I was telling you about a few months ago? This is Donghae!”

Donghae took a shy step forward. “Hello Grandma, I am Donghae, Hyukjae’s friend –“

“-boyfriend, you mean.” Grandma interrupted and Donghae could feel a blush spreading across his face. Hyukjae beamed proudly.

“Hyukjae’s boyfriend, yes. I’m sorry to be here like this today without any gifts, Hyukjae didn’t tell me that we would be heading here. My apologies!”

“Aigoo, what a well-mannered boy we have here. And so good looking too! Hyukjae ah, I say you did well! Don’t worry about it boy, come in and lunch will be ready soon.” Grandma smiled happily and then wobbled back inside her house, muttering something about making themselves comfortable at the same time.

XX

“Grandma, I’ll bring Donghae out for a walk around our hometown, okay?”

“Of course dear, show him where you grew up in. Be back in time for dinner, won’t you?”

“Of course grans! You know I love your cooking!”

Hyukjae pecked his grandma on her cheeks before exiting the house, leaving Donghae to bow politely and then left to follow his boyfriend.

They walked hand-in-hand for a short while, through an isolated pathway with overgrown weeds and grass on both sides. The cooling breeze and sounds of nature made the walk extremely enjoyable, especially with Hyukjae pointing out places that he used to play in and sharing anecdotes about back when he was younger. They soon arrived by a lake and settled there.

A comfortable silence ensued as Hyukjae lay down on the grass and closed his eyes, releasing a relaxed sigh. Donghae positioned both his arms on either side of Hyukjae and hovered over his boyfriend’s face, carefully taking in each and every feature.

The fine lines by his eyes that crinkled into wrinkles every time he smiled… his cute button nose… his blonde hair… his ears that stick out just a little making him look a little like a monkey… his plump lips… the way his hair is swaying with the wind…

He closed the gap quickly and suddenly, catching Hyukjae by surprise when he placed a kiss on his lips, flashing an adorable smile at him when the latter’s eyes flew opened.

“Hi,” Donghae said, his body still hovering above his boyfriend’s on the grass.

“Hi,” Hyukjae returned the smile with a gummy smile of his own, the lines at his eyes immediately crinkling. He lifted his arms and grabbing Donghae’s head gently, he pushed it downwards towards himself, catching him in a kiss too.

“Hyukjae – unf- let go – unf – my arms are – unf – hurting,” Donghae mumbled while trying to fight Hyukjae’s tongue with his own.

“Deal with it, Hae.” Hyukjae said with a naughty glint in his eye and then continued attacking Donghae’s mouth with his tongue. 

“Okay then,” Donghae lifted one hand and started tickling Hyukjae furiously. Hyukjae immediately recoiled into a fetal position, laughters emitting with an occasional shriek.

“Lee Donghae! Hahahaheheheheahah! Stop it! Hehehakhdfksjhfashfas!”

“Well you asked me to deal with it, so I am!” Both of Donghae’s hands were all over Hyukjae’s body, tickling him at his weakest spots.

“You sfhskfhajfjsgekkjhadhiheajslk!”

After squirming around for several more seconds, Hyukjae’s flailing hands finally found Donghae’s. Using whatever left over strength he had left, he pushed himself off the grass and flipped them both over, so that Hyukjae was now on top.

“it’s your turn baby Hae,” Hyukjae declared evilly.

Donghae’s eyes widened, for between the two of them he was more ticklish than Hyukjae was and Hyukjae absolutely enjoyed tickling Donghae to no end. “No, no please Hyukkie!”

“Muahahaha, this is punishment Hae!”

“Nooo Hyukkie!”

“Then tell me you love me!” Hyukjae’s eyes sparkled and a playful smirk appeared on his face.

“…” Donghae stared at him blankly. “that’s all?” That was weird, Hyukjae usually didn’t let him off so easily.

“That’s all. Quick, tell me you love me~!” Hyukjae whined.

“I love you Hyukkie.” Donghae flashed another adorable smile at his boyfriend.

“I can’t hear you~”

“I love you Hyukkie!”

“What? I still can’t hear you!”

“I LOVE YOU HYUKKIE!” Donghae shouted.

Hyukjae smiled widely, but then he frowned and said, “You’re not doing it right, baby.”

“Hm? Then how?”

Hyukjae stood up from the grass and turned to face the lake. “I. LOVE. YOU. TOO. LEE. DONG.HAE!” He shouted with his all his might, his body bent over from exerting too much effort. A couple of people on the opposite bank turned to look at them curiously.

“Aish Hyukkie!” Donghae slapped his boyfriend lightly on the shoulder. “Why’d you do that for!”

“I have to let the world know that I love you, baby, and that you are mine.” Hyukjae replied. “LEE. DONG.HAE. IS. MINE. AND. I. NEVER. WANT. TO. LET. GO. OF. HIS. HANDS. FOR.EVER!!”

“Hyukkie! Stop it!” Donghae exclaimed but Hyukjae noticed a small smile that had escaped and the blush on his cheeks.

The two of them sat back down on the grass, Hyukjae’s hands protectively placed over Donghae’s.

“Hyukkie,” Donghae started. “Your grandmother knows about us?”

“mm hmm” Hyukjae nodded his head.

“and she’s not… against us?”

Hyukjae looked at Donghae and then said in a bright and cheery tone, “Nope!”

“Wow, most people her generation would be against people like us…”

Hyukjae’s expression turned slightly sad at his words.

“Well… my grandmother used to have an older brother. He was gay, but when people around him found out about it he was often given hell for it… and then one day my grandmother found a letter left behind by her brother that he’s leaving because he could no longer bear the judging eyes from society. My grandmother was heartbroken by his departure, of course, he was the closest to her after all. She’s always been accepting of gay people since then.”

“Oh.” Donghae looked at Hyukjae apologetically. “I’m sorry I brought this up. I didn’t know…”

“Don’t be silly Hae, of course you didn’t know. We’ve only been together for a short while. There’s still a lot we have to learn about each other!”

“But Hyukkie, why’d you bring me here today, of all days?”

“Because I promised my grandmother that I’d bring the one I love back to see her! And she doesn’t have much longer to live, actually… she really wants to see me find my happiness before she goes, she always says. So I thought I should put her mind at rest. And it seems like she approves of you too!”

Donghae felt the corners of his mouth lift into a smile. Both of them lay back down at the same time, hands propped against their heads as they watched the sun set, casting a beautiful hue across the sky.

“Hyukkie…”

“Yes Hae?”

“Do you believe in forever?”

“Hmm.”

“You said you never want to let go of my hand forever. But the thing is, I don’t believe in forever. People around me who professed that they will love their other half forever always break up in the end.”

“Have some faith, Hae. Have faith that I’ll be here for you, baby.” Hyukjae took Donghae’s hand and gave it a light squeeze.

“I have faith in you, Hyukkie. But sometimes we can’t help when love fades away… How long will you love me, Hyukkie?” Donghae, even though he knew that putting an expiry date on love is a silly thing to do, can’t help but ask. He just really needed some comfort at that moment.

Hyukjae turned his body on his side so that he was facing Donghae, who had done the same. He stared deeply into Donghae’s eyes for a while, and then used his other hand which wasn’t supporting his head to caress his boyfriend’s face.

“I’ll love you for as long as the stars above you continue shining. I’ll love you even longer, if I can. But I don’t just love you, baby. I need you. I’ll need you for as long as seasons continue changing. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Nature needs to follow their plan, and that’s how I need you too. And I want to be with you, Hae. I want to be with you for as long as the sun continues setting, the moon continues rising, the waves continue crashing onto the shore. I’ll continue wanting you for as long as you want me, and I’ll want you even when the time should come when you no longer want me. I love you, Donghae. I love you so, so much.”

Donghae felt his eyes water up slightly, touched by Hyukjae’s words. He knew that words are only words, but at that moment right there and then, he wouldn’t mind hearing it a thousand times over, even if those words would only turn out to be empty promises in the future. Afterall, aren’t these kind of things what memories are made of? The bittersweet feeling when you look back many years from now; that regretful smile when you remember those words spoken, the what-ifs, the should-have-beens?

“I love you too, Hyukkie.”

“Hae baby… no matter what happens tomorrow, let’s just enjoy today, shall we?”

Donghae smiled and nodded.  “Yes, let’s!”

“And Donghae ah, you probably must be expecting that we’d be doing something special today since it’s Valentine’s, but you’re stuck here with at me at the countryside. I’m sorry~”

Donghae laughed. “Don’t be silly Hyukkie. This is special, coming to meet your grandmother is special. Being right here with you is special.”

“Really?”

“Of course Hyukkie. Anyway, Valentine’s day is overrated. All the restaurants are extremely expensive today, and everyday can be V’day, no?

“mm hmm.”

“Love doesn’t have to be anything fanciful or extravagant… Love can be simple too. Spending time with each other, cuddling… like we are doing now, that’s enough for me Hyukkie.”

Hyukjae flashed his gummy smile at Donghae, wondering how on earth he ended up with someone as perfect as the one who was lying next to him. Donghae is right - Love doesn’t have to be extravagant or fanciful. Love doesn’t require big actions to tell the whole world that one is in love. It’s the simple things that matter; telling the other to becareful, to have a good night’s rest, wishing them a good day ahead, cooking them dinner… those are acts of love enacted in different situations.  And if Donghae is happy, so is he.

The sun had completely set by then. The buzzing of the night insects was getting increasingly louder, as more of them emerged into the cool night to hunt for food.

“I think we should go,” Donghae said. He got up and dusted the grass and dirt off his clothes. “Your grandma’s waiting for us to have dinner.”

“Let’s go, then.” And then Hyukjae held his arms out for Donghae to help him up.

Both of them set back on the road that they had used to go to the lake. Donghae jumped on Hyukjae’s back, insisting that he be carried all the way to the house. Their laughter rang out in the silence of the night against the sound of nature, and whoever heard it would have been able to tell that it originated from two fools who were very much in love with each other. 

----------END----------

Heol help me this is so crappy. 
I meant to write fluff but i always fail at fluff why TT
Either way i tried to write as best as I could and I hope you enjoy it. 
Go listen to Ellie Goulding's How long will I love you and Jay chou's Simple love (jiandan ai) 
because that was where I got my inspirationg from. 
Happy V'day to all! 
If you're single like I am, remember that loneliness is only a state of mind. 
Hopefully you've enjoyed reading all the three one shots! :) 

p/s - i really wouldn't mind comments and upvotes as vday gifts you know XD