Chapter 23 #Lavendar

Donghae rubbed his palms against Hyukjae’s cold cheeks. “Hey, what’s wrong? You haven’t uttered a word since you passed out.”

Hyukjae shook his head, not once lifting his gaze from the hospital sheets.

Donghae let out a defeated sigh before climbing up the bed to sit beside Hyukjae. He pulled the slender body into his arms despite the latter’s resistance. “Don’t you have something you want to tell me?”

The boy shook his head again.

“Are you still angry about your mother’s necklace?” Donghae questioned with a frown. Feeling Hyukjae stiffen in his arms, he tightened his embrace, “Hyukjae, would you trust me if I told you it was not intentional?”

“...I trust you.” Hyukjae finally replied in a small voice.

Surprised and happy that Hyukjae was at last talking to him, Donghae forced the boy to raise his head and meet his eyes. “Well I’m happy to hear that.”

Hyukjae widened his eyes as he saw Donghae’s silly grin for the first time in weeks. He could feel his eyes starting to turn watery. There were so many things that he wanted to tell Donghae, but he didn’t know where to start.

“Aw, don’t look at me with those sad puppy eyes.” Donghae messed with his hair fondly. “I’ll want to eat you up.”

Hyukjae blinked both eyes, trying hard to control his tears from falling. God, how much he’d missed this mischievous side of Donghae. It was almost like the angry, spiteful Donghae was just his imagination, a bad nightmare. How he wished it was.

“I-I’m sorry.” Hyukjae dropped his head when he failed to keep his tears from spilling down the sides of his cheeks. He had never felt so miserable. Not even when he was trapped in the basement- because he believed that Donghae would definitely come for him. Putting himself in Donghae’s shoes, he understood why Donghae exacted revenge. He failed to keep his promise, causing Donghae’s immense suffering. He had even inflicted pain on Donghae on purpose. He does not deserve to be forgiven.

Donghae took some time to pry away the hands covering Hyukjae’s own face. He trapped those hands at the side and pressed the latter’s head into his chest.

“Ssh. It’s alright.” Donghae laid a soothing hand over Hyukjae’s back, feeling the boy sob harder. “I don’t blame you.”

Donghae’s comforting words only made Hyukjae feel worse about himself. He bit his own lips till he could taste the familiar rust in his mouth. I don’t deserve to be forgiven, Hae.

“About your mother’s necklace..” Hyukjae heard Donghae clear his throat to speak, “At one, I was diagnosed with Achromatopsia, or what you would call Color blindness. I couldn’t differentiate between the three necklaces using your last clue, so I grabbed all of them, not wanting to lose the game.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother.” Donghae rest his chin on the top of Hyukjae’s head, and Hyukjae didn’t know what to say except mutter sorry over and over again. He had never once entertained the thought of Donghae being sick, even now, he had not notice Donghae’s difficulty. Was Donghae too good at hiding or was he too neglectful towards his lover?   

“I-I never knew.”

“Of course you wouldn’t know, silly.” Donghae’s laugh vibrated all the way to his chest