Water my heart and let our love grow

"They always look so sad, I don't get why you like them so much," the taller boy wondered out loud with a small pout, watching his friend kneeling onto the ground and carefully burying a young branch into the hole of the earth.

"They are beautiful and my father always says; one generation plants the trees, another gets the shade," the brunet replied, proudly smiling while rubbing his hands to get rid of the dirt on them.

"Do you even know what this means?" the other asked, taking a step forward and kneeling next to the younger, glancing back and forth between him and the branch.

"Of course I do! What do you take me for?" his friend scowled at him, which earned him a nudge.

"Boys, what are you doing out here so early?" a low voice joined their conversation and the two children turned around to face a young man with lips formed into a soft smile, eyes tender and calm. 

"Dad, look! I buried the willow baby just like you told me!" the shorter child announced happily, waving at the man to come closer.

"It´s a branch, Donghae," he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement and walking up to them. "Wow, you really did well, my son," he acknowledged and ruffled the boy's brown hair, receiving a childish grin.

"Will it now start to grow, dad?" he asked, looking up to his father with doe-like eyes.

"Of course! And if you treat it well, it will grow into a huuuge tree!" the man stated, motioning his arms far into the air and the two youngsters made noises from fascination. 

"But they always seem so gloomy though. Are they unhappy?" the other child said and the man gently patted his head, another smile finding its way to his face.

"That´s just how they naturally grow, their branches droop because they always want to stay close to water. But you know what, Hyukjae? It's the most flexible tree in nature and nothing can break it. It's very strong especially against the wind. It even can easily grow into a new tree once a root is cut," the man explained and the boy stared at him with wide eyes.

"Really? I didn´t know that! Maybe they aren't that bad after all..." Hyukjae mumbled thoughtfully and his friend watched him with a frown.

"I told you so but you never listen to me," Donghae stated and the taller one stuck out his tongue.

"I believe your dad more than you," he retorted, making the oldest among them laugh heartily. 

"Alright, boys. Let´s go in now, shall we? If Donghae's mom catches us out here we will get in trouble," he said and the two children nodded eagerly.

"Bye, Mr Willow. See you tomorrow and grow well," the brunette waved at the branch and Hyukjae followed his actions.

"Bye!" And with that, the elder took the boys by the hand and walked from the late fall morning into the warm and cosy cottage, shutting out the cold from the outside.

"Hyukjae! Hyukjae! Yah, Lee Hyukjae!!!" a muffled voice shouted from the outside and made the said boy open his eyes, rubbing them at the sudden brightness. Letting out a sigh, the black haired boy sat up and went to the window, standing on his toes to open it. 

"What do you want? Do you know how early it is?" he yelled down to the brunet who grinned widely while jumping up and down.

"It doesn´t matter what time it is! Something amazing happened!" Donghae replied loudly. "Our branch, Hyukjae! Our branch grew sprouts and roots! It´s not that unsteadily anymore!" he added and Hyukjaes ears perked up.

"What? Are you for real?" he asked, the eager nod by his friend being answer enough. 

Without a second thought, the boy ran out of his room, down the stairs and through the corridor where he quickly slipped into a pair of shoes.

"Sweetheart, where are you going? You didn´t even have breakfast yet," his mother watched him from the kitchen, slightly concerned.

"Our willow grew again, I´ll be at Donghae's!" was the only response she got from her son before he headed out of the house, closing the wooden door and leaving the woman alone as she softly smiled to herself.

"There you finally are!" the brunet exclaimed when Hyukjae reached him. "Come on, let me show you now!" he said and took his friend's hand into his smaller one, pulling on him while the taller boy tried to catch up with him. 

Together they ran over large fields of corn, through high grass and laughing at the grasshoppers that danced around them as their short legs carried them as fast as they could. When they finally arrived at the younger's cottage, they fell onto the ground with heavy breaths, still chuckling endlessly. 

"Wow, it really grew a lot!" Hyukjae stated once he eyed the branch, carefully poking it and childishly grinning how the little tree barely moved from his gesture.

"I know! I´m so proud of it!" Donghae agreed, clapping his hands together. They turned to face each other, a crooked smile meeting a gummy one and the younger rolling over the dirty earth to come closer to his friend who wrapped an arm around the brunet's upper body once he reached his side.

"You did well, Donghae," Hyukjae whispered as he hid his face into the said boy's hair, a sweet scent filling his lungs.

"Thanks," Donghae giggled shyly, cheeks turning rosy by the praise.

Lying there in silence while their bodies kept another warm in a tight hug, they continued to watch the little tree with happiness filled eyes until a voice from behind gained their attention.

"Honey, come in! It´s too cold out there!" Donghae's mother ordered and with a sigh, the boy and his friend did as they were told. "Now look at you. Your clothes are all dirty," the woman scolded, closing the door again once the two youngsters walked in.

"And Hyukjae, dear. Are you still wearing your pyjama?" she eyed the black-haired child from head to toe, hands on her hips as he nodded sheepishly. "Really, what to do with you?" she then shook her head with light laughter, patting both their small butts. "Go up and change into something new. The soup is almost done so you can eat after that," she said and the boys nodded, running up the stairs while nudging another to reach the top first. "No running on stairs, how many times did I already told you that?" the younger's mother shouted after them, heaving a sigh at their overly cheerful temperament.

"I won!!" Hyukjae exclaimed with hands raised up into the air.

"That´s not fair, you´re taller than me!" Donghae wailed, his lips formed into a pout.

"Size doesn´t decide everything so it is fair," the older one remarked, causing his friend to cross the arms.

"Whatever," the brunet said sulkily, turning around and walking up to his room. 

"Must you always get into a huff?" Hyukjae groaned and followed the other.

"I do not!" Donghae replied loudly with a deep frown on his forehead.

"Sure you don´t," the older commented mockingly and carefully placed his forefinger between Donghae's eyebrows, softly pressing it against the spot and causing the frown to fade away as the muscles relaxed.

Donghae bit his lips, trying to hide a smile. "Let´s just change." 

The brunet sat on his bed as he watched his friend reaching out for the wardrobe, picking out suitable clothes against the cold weather.

"Is it okay if I wear this?" Hyukjae asked and held a red pullover into Donghae's view.

"Sure," the boy nodded, not even hesitating for a second even though it was his most favourite to wear.

"Great!" the black haired kid cheered with a wide smile.

He then went up to the bed where the younger sat on, motioning him to raise the arms and when Donghae did so he pulled the dirty long-sleeve shirt over his head and made him wear the thick cotton pullover, neatly bringing the boys brown hair into its original place again.

"Now take those off and get into these, okay?" Hyukjae pointed to the legs and handed the other one a pair of pants.

"Okay," Donghae replied shortly and the two of them continued changing. 

"Where is your dad, by the way?" the taller one asked when they slowly walked down the stairs, hand in hand.

"He´s still in bed. Mom said he caught a cold, being outside for too long," Donghae he explained with a small pout.

"Oh no, wish him all the best when you see him later, alright?" Hyukjae stated, squeezing his friend's palm who gave him a soft smile in return. 

With days becoming shorter and nights longer, the snowy December brought a long winter over the country. For the two boys, it was holiday time as the train didn´t drive during the frosty weather and their school was miles and miles away. And so were the other kids. However Donghae and Hyukjae never cared about that, at least they had each other.

Just like always they would spent days over days together, sometimes driving their parents insane but always bringing gentle smiles over their faces though.

"Look! Dad just look! We made a snowman!" Donghae pulled on his father's sleeve who carefully took step by step through the high layer of snow.

"Not so fast, son," he chuckled lowly, a rough cough catching his throat and making him hit his chest a few times.

"We even made him wear a cap and a scarf!" the little brunet happily babbled on, again a tuck on the elder's pullover.

"You did? That´s nice, now he won´t be cold," the elder said and the statement made the boy smile brightly.

"Come on, come on," he giggled, leading them to the work of art where Hyukjae was trying to perfect the man out of snow with small stones as buttons for his jacket. 

"Isn´t he handsome?" the black haired boy asked, his single-lidded eyes sparkingly in excitement.

"Oh yes, he really is! You two did a great job!" the man praised them while ruffling both their heads. "My boys should become artists one day," he added and his son took Hyukjae's hands and started to jump up and down with him.

"Should we? Should we?" he sang and his friend laughed, answering with a nod. 

Once Donghae let go of the other ones hand they got back to work, wanting to build a wife for their snowman so he wouldn´t be alone when they couldn´t play with him. The younger's father gave in after endless pleading to help them and with that, the three of them strayed through the fluffy snow, rolling it back and forth into balls.

"Donghae, dear! Be so good and help me with the dinner, okay?" the child's mother shouted to them after a while and the said boy groaned.

"Do I really have to?" he said and the woman send him a stern look from afar.

"Go, son. Hyukjae and I will finish this up here and show it to you later," his father said, a small pout appearing on Donghae's face.

"Okay, fine. But make her pretty!" he commanded, eyeing the other boy who gave him a thumbs up.

"Of course," Hyukjae grinned and the brunet left with a sigh.

"Can you please set the table? The dishes are on the counter," his mother said as soon as he stepped into the house.

"Yes, mom," Donghae replied, taking off the thick jacket and the wet boots.

The little boy then went up to the kitchen where his mother was cutting vegetables, taking the plates and placing them with cutlery on the wooden table in the living-room.

"When you´re done come here and help me with the rice, Honey,"

"Yes, mommy," Donghae answered yet again, doing as he was told.

After the boy and his mother finally finished the dinner, Donghae was about to go outside to let the other two know but one of them got there first as Hyukjae bursted into the house, unsteady breaths leaving his mouth and tears escaping from his terror-filled eyes.

"Dear Lord, what happened?" the woman froze, her soft and calm expression turning into a tense and worryingly one.

"D-Donghae y-your f-f-father is..." Hyukjae stuttered and trailed off with a sob.

Hyukjae groaned as he stepped out of the train, literally walking against a wall of heat. He hated this day. He hated this day so damn much. He hated the hotness, he hated summer and most of all he hated going to school alone. Without his best and only friend.

Wiping away the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, he dragged himself home with sloppy steps. Once he got there, his mother greeted him with a soft smile and a bowl of ice cream.

"How was your day, Sweetheart?" she asked when they took a seat at the wooden table, the boy directly gulping down the cold sweets to cool off his warm body.

"Terrible," he muttered grumpily between huge bites.

"It possibly couldn´t have been that bad, could it?" his mother commented and he frowned at her.

"You weren´t there so you can´t tell," he replied and the woman heaved a sigh.

"Fine," she said, his hair while trying to give him an encouragingly smile. "Donghae and his family will return from the city the day after tomorrow, his mother called and told me that the check up on his father turned out well. Seems like he´s getting better," she continued and Hyukjae had to think of the day from five years ago, his heart beating painfully within his chest when he remembered how the said man fainted just before his eyes, falling onto the ice cold ground with closed eyes, blue lips and skin just as white as the snow underneath him.

"I hope he will recover fully soon though," his mother then whispered, worry all over her face and eyes speaking of hurt.

"I´m sure he will, mom. Where do you think Donghae got his willpower from?" Hyukjae spoke up, reaching out for her hand and patting it soothingly which made her sad eyes lit up a bit.

"You´re right," she chuckled, shaking her head to get rid of the gloomy thoughts. "You´re right, Sweetheart," she repeated with a small voice as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Just like you and your family, also trees can get sick. Hyukjae recalled Donghae's father saying once. And there he was, sitting with his closest friend in front of their now grown out willow. Powdery mildew rarely became fatal, however it stressed the tree a lot and severe infections weakened it even more.

"It´s alright," he whispered in a hushed tone, bringing the other boy even closer and tightening the embrace around him.

"W-what if he n-never becomes healthy a-again?" the brunette spoke between sobs, voice muffled since the face was hiding within Hyukjaes chest.

"Don´t think like that. He will, he surely will get better," the black haired boy replied, leaving a tender peck on his friend's temple, still trying to calm him down.

But sobs soon got heavier, turning into uncontrolled hiccups and unsteady breaths while Donghae's slender fingers fisted the hem of the older one's shirt, clenching it so tightly until his knuckles turned white and blue veins stood out of his pale skin.

"W-w-what if..." the boy tried to speak, gulping down a wave of fresh tears. "What if-" he started again but Hyukjae interrupted him with a on the cheek.

"Don´t think about what if, Donghae. Just try to stay strong and be there for him, okay?" he said and the younger nodded against his chest. "Good boy," the older smiled faintly, letting a sigh escape from his lips as he stared at the white leaves of their willow. 

Just this morning they found out about Donghae's father's sickness, which he had carried for so long already. Hyukjae wished they knew sooner so they could have been a better help instead of fooling around and ignoring the tense atmosphere around them. But it was too late, they couldn´t turn back time and just had to wait what fate would bring over them. There was nothing they could do for him now.

Two more years after fighting, one of the warmest and kindest humans that ever walked on earth's ground left his spot to gift it someone else.

That was the day where Hyukjae finally understood the all known name for their tree - weeping willow. It was because raindrops that were falling to the ground from the drooping leaves resemble tears. Just like the ones that escaped his own eyes, slowly rolling down his cheek until drop, it would fall down.

"Hyukjae, dear. Can you please-" a faint voice made him come back to earth, him blinking a few times to get rid of the watery blur until the sight of the huge tree became steady again.

He quickly turned around, coming to face an elder woman who looked so endlessly tired with dark almost black circles under her doe-like eyes, brown hair messily tied together in a loose ponytail and her skinny body seeming so weak under the weight of the teenage boy in her arms.

Wiping away the tears with the sleeve of his black suit coat, Hyukjae made his way up to the other two and accepted the boy in his arms as the brunet reached out for him.

"H-hyukjae" Donghae managed to whisper before he broke down into a sobbing mess.

"I´m here for you," the taller one said and bit his lips not to give in himself again. "I´m here," he repeated, hugging the other one tighter and caressing his hair.

"Don´t go, don´t leave me," the younger cried even more and Hyukjae pressed him so hard against his chest that it almost was painful.

"I won´t, Donghae. I will stay here with you and never leave your side. I´m here. I´m here," he spoke softly, sniffling and hating the hot drops that left the corners of his eyes. "I´m here."

"Don´t you ever dare to forget me, Lee Hyukjae" Donghae mumbled with a dry voice and stared at the other one with tear-stained eyes.

"I should be the one saying this, Mr Oops-I-forgot-again," the black haired boy retorted with a grin, making the brunet scowl at him. "And you´re going to visit me anyway, right?" he added and the look in his friend's eyes told him that he would try. But he couldn´t promise.

"Dammit all," Hyukjae then sighed deeply, spreading out his arms and taking the shorter one into a bone-crushing embrace which Donghae gladly accepted while sneaking the arms around his friend's neck.

"Just don´t miss me too much, okay?" the brunet softly said.

"And you don´t get too clingy towards others. Just hug a pillow or something when you feel like cuddling," Hyukjae replied and earned a slap at the back of his head.

"Jerk," Donghae chuckled, making the other ones heart clench since he knew all too well he would miss hearing his friend laughing and giggling like that. 

Thinking about the boys leaving and that this actually was their goodbye for probably the next few months or even years made Hyukjae wanting to never let go from the embrace. And so his arms went down to the youngers waist, wrapping them firmly around it and burying his face into the brown mop of smooth hair. 

His favourite scent of lily of the valley filled his lungs when Hyukjae took in deep breaths and some of the strands tickled his nose, remembering how the meaning of the flower had been humility, sweetness, purity, luck in love and most importantly it stood for the return of happiness which made him hope even more to see Donghae again as soon as possible.

"Bye, Hyukjae," he then heard Donghae whisper, soft lips moving against the skin of his nape which caused a shiver to run down his spine, leaving goosebumps behind.

"Bye, Donghae," he responded in a low tone, feeling how the latter gave him one last squeeze before their hug broke. 

In silence they stared at each other for a while and just like in their childhood years, a crooked smile met a gummy one. But what was different from back then were the feelings within their eyes, they didn´t only show the friendly love for another but a much stronger one, which never got spoken out loud though. 

Hyukjae never imagined that missing someone could hurt that much. Neither did he ever thought that just a simple gesture could be so difficult. And that he could regret it for not bringing himself to do it. 

When Donghae moved away from home six months ago since he and his mother couldn´t afford the land and fields anymore, Hyukjae fought a lot with himself. What to do when head and heart are having different opinions? His head always wanted to stay as realistic as possible, telling him to re-think about his actions. His heart however, always wanted him to follow freely, him doing whatever he wanted to do and what he felt like doing.

In the end he listened to his head, fears of getting rejected or hurt were far too big. If he had gone with his heart, the black haired boy probably would have never let go of the younger, pleading him not to leave or at least showing Donghae how much he really cared about him through a sweet and tender kiss.

Hyukjae let out a snort, scoffing at himself for having such desperate thoughts and being such a chicken-hearted wimp. "You can´t do anything right, can you?" he spoke to himself, eyeing his reflection in the mirror and making a face. "Stupid," he sighed, patting his head a little too roughly.

"Son, there is a call for you!" his father's voice made him stop for a moment and a smile directly caught his lips, knowing that there was only one person who would call at this hour.

"Coming!" he shouted, standing on his two feet which quickly carried him down the stairs until he reached the man.

"Think of our poor phone bill, will you?" he remarked with a wink and Hyukjae rolled his eyes, grabbing the receiver and shooing the elder away. 

"Hello?" he breathed into the phone, heart beating rapidly in anticipation to hear his most favourite voice again.

"Hi," was the short answer which got followed by chuckling.

"Donghae," he sighed in relief, the smile on his face only widening.

"How have you been?" the boy asked.

"Aside from missing you like hell and that it´s so damn boring without you? Fine I guess," Hyukjae responded and a soft laughter reached his ears, giving him goosebumps all over the body.

"I miss you, too. I wish I could come and visit you," Donghae said and he clearly could imagine the cute pout lingering on the brunet's lips. "But it´s too expensive for now and mom said I should at least try to settle down here," he mumbled.

"She´s right. You live there now after all and as much as I hate to say it out loud it will be your home for the next time being," Hyukjae said, making the other one whine.

"But I don´t want to! I want to come back!"

"How? Donghae, that´s not possible and you know it," he pointed out, a short silence making him slightly nervous.

"But I miss everything so much..." the younger said quietly. "I miss our cottage, I miss the fields and the fresh air. I miss your parents and your cosy house, I miss our willow and most of all I miss-" the boy trailed off and worry started to creep over Hyukjae as he listened to the deep breaths from the other line- "you."

"Donghae, don´t cry. Calm down," Hyukjae spoke gently but received a sob.

"No, I won´t calm down!" the latter yelled. "Why did they had to part us? They already took away my father and now even you! How am I supposed to calm down when the people around me keep disappearing from my grasp and I can´t do anything against it?" he continued loudly. "But I´m not gone, Donghae. I´m right here, talking to you" Hyukjae tried to reasoning. "You and I both know that it´s not the same!" Donghae cried. 

The black haired boy felt uncertainty flow through his body as he thought of what he should answer to this. As Donghae had said, he knew all too well that nothing was the same anymore. But could the boy really return to his side when he would give in and listen to his heart? 

"Donghae, come on. Don´t be like that," Hyukjae started. "I know it´s hard but we somehow have to get used to it. Maybe I also can come and visit you soon, I will try to save some money and-"

"-Shut up!" the younger interrupted him. "Hyukjae, just shut up! I don´t want to hear anything of that!"

"Then what am I supposed to say?" the latter asked, raising his voice a little.

"How about telling me what you really feel? Can´t you stop thinking for a moment and just be honest with me?"

"I´m being honest with you all the time!"

"That´s not true! You´re hiding behind your pride, being too scared of getting hurt. But do you know what you´re doing to me while trying to protect yourself?" Donghae said and Hyukjae went silent, clenching his hand into a tight fist. "You´re rejecting me and which makes me all the more disappointed is how can you think I would ever hurt you?" the boy then ended his speech, making the older one feel even worse.

"Really, how could just one phone call turn out like this?" Donghae then whispered, chuckling sadly.

"Donghae, I-I-"

"No, you don´t need to say anything. Just call me when you finally feel ready and let your guards down, okay?" the boy stated softly and before Hyukjae could utter another word the line went dead, leaving him behind in confusion and a chaos of feelings.

It was funny how Hyukjae's hatred towards himself grew with every day. How hard could it possibly be to say three words? Three simple words yet they were so difficult to speak out loud. He knew they would be able to bring back a certain person, he just had to say them. 

His heart was aching, his body was numb and still, there was this voice inside his head shouting don´t do it - you can´t do it - you won´t do it. And Hyukjae listened to it because he didn´t have the strength to go against it. He felt how he slowly drifted apart from his love until the day he thought it would be too late. 

Months went by way too fast since their last conversation on the phone which was the last time Hyukjae heard the other one's voice who told him he would wait for him. Yet Hyukjae never gave him an answer, even refusing to speak to Donghae when the boy called him. He knew he was acting completely childish and was an for hurting the younger like that but never could he bring himself to do anything against his behaviour.

Once the winter came back, bringing thick layers of snow over the town Donghae gave up. Never again came a call from him, never again he send him postcards from the different places he visited, never again he wrote him a letter of how much he missed him. 

A deep sigh left Hyukjaes mouth, creating a little cloud as his warm breath met the cold air. He rubbed his arms with flat palms, trying to bring some warmth through his body while he sat on the icy ground and stared at the huge tree in front of him. The willow was drooping even more now that it had to carry the heavy snow and Hyukjae somehow felt sorry for it. The tree still hadn´t recovered fully from its sickness, having a white leaf here and there which the boy quickly cut off before it could spread out.

"You probably also miss him, huh?" Hyukjae said with a low voice and as if the tree would response to him, a slight breeze made its leaves waft through the air.

He softly laughed at the situation, shaking his head and bringing his eyes down to the ground where a tiny stone came into his view. Leaning forward, he reached out and took it into his hand while eyeing it sceptically. 

It reminded him of the one time where Donghae found a heart-shaped stone, being all happy and excited about it. The older couldn´t really understand why exactly it made the younger so cheerful but when Hyukjae started to remember the brunet's sentence he felt a crack in his chest. Would you accept my heart, Hyukjae? he had whispered with rosy cheeks and the black haired boy snorted, waving him off as he chuckled and thought it was just a silly joke.  How could he have been so blind back then?

However, Hyukjae felt even more idiotic when another memory came into his mind. It was when Donghae stumbled over his own foot while strolling through the corn fields beside him. Luckily the taller one was quick enough to grasp his wrist, preventing him from meeting the ground and bringing him against his chest instead. When the brunet looked up to him, their eyes met and foolish smiles found their ways to both their faces. Donghae then asked him; Will you always catch me like this, Hyukjae? No matter how and when I´m falling? And Hyukjae answered with a nod, not being able to notice the deep meaning behind those words he only now understood.

His heart then started to hammer painfully within his torso as he thought about all the times Donghae would give him a hint, opening so many doors for him while leading him the right way. Yet Hyukjae always was too stupid or slow to understand, leaving the younger behind in despair and making him think that he wouldn´t feel the same way. No wonder Donghae was so mad at him when they had their last conversation.

Hyukjae felt his body tensing up in nervousness, causing his hands to form into tight fists and him harshly biting his lower lip. The tension kept on creeping through his muscles as he realized in just how much pain he must have put the other one and still did with refusing to contact him in any way. 

With that Hyukjae quickly jumped onto his feet, running back home in a state of trance as he kept on muttering how endlessly stupid he was. Once he reached the small house, he bursted through the wooden door and directly went up to the phone, dialling a number he knew by heart since he called it every day. But instead of hanging up after the first ring like he normally did he waited and waited, listening to the beep which got followed by another one. After a minute he tried again, waiting for the other line to pick up.

He angrily slammed the receiver on the cupboard and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, having to accept that no one would answer him.

"What to do now?" he whispered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a burning sting in the eyes.

Just then the front door opened again, his mother stepping in while carrying heavy grocery bags and eyeing him slightly worried when he came into her sight.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" she asked gently and he came to face her with watery eyes. "

Mom, I can´t call him. He won´t pick up the phone," he said with a quivering lip, feeling completely lost in the mess of his feelings. 

His mother placed the bags on the ground and went up to him, taking her son into a tight embrace while directly knowing what he was talking about. She heaved a sigh as she caressed the boy's hair soothingly, him crying with a trembling body.

"Oh my poor son. What should I do with you?" she said, patting his back. "I don´t want to see you like this but I don´t want to hide it from you any longer though," the woman continued and Hyukjae raised his head from her shoulder.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, causing her expression to turn even sadder.

"Donghae said I should tell you at the right moment but it seems like I can´t wait any longer for that."

"Tell me what? Mom, what´s going on? You´re scaring me!" the boy panicked, his mother trying to calm him down as she his cheek.

"Donghae's mother she...Well, she got an offer for a new job,"

"And?"

"And she accepted it. But now they have to move again."

"W-where to?" Hyukjae asked carefully and the woman looked at him with sympathetically eyes.

"Taiwan."

"Taiwan?" Hyukjae laughed loudly, messily wiping away the tears with the back of his hand as he wandered through the fields yet again. Taking a few more steps, he soon came to the lonely parcel of land, passing the empty cottage and being thankful that nobody bought it until now.

He then walked up to the huge tree which he treasured deeply since it carried so many memories. Placing a hand on the rough bark, the black haired boy laughed again even though tears kept on escaping from his single-lidded eyes.

"Seems like this is the punishment for me, don´t you think so?" he stated, letting his palm linger a bit more on the willow until he spread his arms, not feeling stupid in any way for hugging a tree.

"Yes, seems like it," a slightly muffled voice broke the silence, making Hyukjaes ears perk up. "But now that I think about it... That isn´t enough punishment yet," the voice kept on talking and the black haired boy felt like fainting. 

"No way," he whispered to himself, quickly turning around and coming to face a brunet with a big scarf hiding almost the entire face. Except for his eyes and those were enough for Hyukjae to know who was standing in front of him. 

"I came to see you before saying goodbye," the boy said, the reduction of his eyes while they turned into little crescents bespeaking of a soft smile.

"No way," Hyukjae repeated speechlessly, feeling as if this would be a dream. 

"Is this all you can say? After not seeing nor speaking for such a long time I expected a better greeting," Donghae huffed, a frown appearing on his forehead.

"B-but how? And w-when? A-are you-"

"-God Hyukjae, can you stop stuttering like this? Talk probably, will you?" the younger remarked and the latter shook his head.

"Are you.. r-real?" he asked, causing the boy to chuckle.

"Of course, I am! What do you think?" he replied and before he could utter another word he was tackled into a breathtakingly tight hug.

"No way," Hyukjae mumbled into the brunet hair, feeling how the hot tears became more as the sweetest scent on earth filled his lungs.

"Yes way," Donghae said quietly and Hyukjae closed his eyes listening to his most favourite voice, tightening the arms around the shorter one's body and loving how the boy buried his face into the crook of his neck while nuzzling the nose against his skin.

"I missed you so much" the older whispered.

"Yeah, I could see that. Not contacting me for months is the way to show me, jerk," Donghae responded mockingly. "But I missed you, too" he then added, giggling against Hyukjaes nape who shivered from the action.

"I´m sorry. I´m so terribly sorry, Donghae," he said and felt the younger shaking his head.

"I was just joking, don´t feel sorry for that. I´m the one who has to apologize, yelling at you like this. I know it´s not an easy topic so I fully understand you. If you would have just accepted my calls I could have said this way earlier but-"

"-It´s okay, just don´t say anything further," Hyukjae interrupted him but the other one sighed, his hot breath coming in contact with the latter's skin. 

"There still is something I have to tell. Mom is already in Taiwan, I originally was supposed to follow her yesterday but I wanted to see you one last time before my flight goes this evening," the shorter one confessed and Hyukjae felt his chest clenching.

"Donghae I..." he started but trailed off again, biting his lips.

"Just say it" Donghae whispered, encouragingly his back. 

"Do you... do you really have to go?" Hyukjae asked with a faint voice.

"If you want me to stay, I will," the brunet answered and the other one knew if he said the wrong thing again it would be over forever and his last chance was gone. 

The black haired boy let out a shaky breath, loosening the embrace and placing his hands around the boy's waist while he stared into his eyes.

"Stay," he finally said with a gentle smile, causing Donghae to nod eagerly with a wide grin while tears started to roll down his smooth cheek.

"I will," he replied, sniffling.

"You better," Hyukjae nudged him and the both of them laughed softly as the older brought the brunette back into a hug.

"Hyukjae, what are you doing?" Donghae said from behind, his voice getting closer with every step he took forward.

Hyukjae turned around to face his lover, childishly grinning up to him when he showed his dirty hands to him.

"I buried a baby for our willow," he stated, pointing to the young branch in the earth.

"What for?" the brunet asked in amusement, kneeling down and taking the other one's hands into his while trying to clean them.

"Well, first of all, our poor willow was alone for way too long already and secondly one generation plants the trees, another gets the shade, right?" Hyukjae answered, making the younger laugh.

"Yes, you´re right," he nodded, placing a sweet peck on the older one's cheek. "You did well," he added softly, giving him a bright smile.

"Thanks," Hyukjae replied, reaching out for the boy's wrist and pulling on him which made both of them fall onto the ground.

"Yah!" Donghae yelled as he fell next to his lover, laughing at the silly action. "What was that for?" he turned to face the elder and tapped his nose.

"Just because?" Hyukjae commented and the brunet rolled his eyes.

"Stupid," he remarked as he got close to the latter who sneaked the arms around his waist, bringing him to his chest which Donghae gladly used as a pillow.

They then laid there for a while, letting time pass as a comfortable silence surrounded them.

"I love your scent, you know that?" Hyukjae spoke up, caressing the boy's smooth hair who happily wiggled within his arms.

"And I love you, you know that?" Donghae replied, making the other one chuckle.

"Yes, I know. Exactly like I love you," he responded and just like it always went, a crooked smile met a gummy one.

So here it finally is - le new one-shot!

I have a feeling that this is a bit.. clichéd? hahaha please let me know what you think, alright?

Thanks a lot for reading!♥