Donghae grumbled as he entered the high school football stadium because it was the first time he had ever needed to pay to get into a game. Five dollars was an absurd price for him to watch his boyfriend run around on the field when he could normally do so for free. Donghae stopped his grumbling when he saw Hyukjae on the sidelines, fully dressed in his uniform and slightly sweaty from warming up, already looking at him with an almost giddy smile on his face. Donghae inevitably smiled as well. He then took a seat in the stands that were mostly full of proud parents and set his eyes on the field.

Hyukjae occasionally turned to look at Donghae in the stands and Donghae thoroughly enjoyed pretending that he was not paying any attention to Hyukjae at all. When Hyukjae was busy playing the game, Donghae was staring at him rather intently. He was so lost watching the way Hyukjae played that he barely paid attention to the score. Hyukjae was a fantastic player. He obviously carried the team and could probably play any position he was put in. Donghae felt an overwhelming sense of pride as he watched Hyukjae play. He was proud that he was getting to know such a talented person. He was proud that the most talented boy on the field was his boy. He was proud to know that he, Lee Donghae, was the one who cracked the cold Lee Hyukjae and discovered that the coldness had been dying to melt away for a very, very long time.

When the game was over and the home team was celebrating their win (mostly thanks to Hyukjae), Donghae loitered around the entrance to the locker room, waiting for Hyukjae to emerge. And Hyukjae did emerge – much sooner than Donghae had anticipated – with a smile on his face and hair plastered to his skin with sweat. Before Donghae could even greet him, he was being dragged under the stadium stands where the flood lights illuminated the ground via the spaces in the seats above. It was there that Hyukjae looked beautiful and happy and just a little exhausted and Donghae could not stop staring.

“Congratulations,” Donghae said as Hyukjae stared back.

“Thanks,” Hyukjae replied. “But you should take some of the credit.”

“I should?” Donghae questioned.

“Yeah. I wanted to do my best while you were watching.”

Donghae's pride swelled in his heart. He smiled and leaned in to kiss Hyukjae but quickly pulled away.

“You are... so sweaty,” he observed as he took a step back.

“I'll take that as a compliment.” Hyukjae took a step forward and placed a hand on the small of Donghae's back to pull him closer and kiss him again. Donghae was too captivated in that moment to pull away yet again. Hyukjae was the one to pull back and Donghae thought for a moment before he spoke.

“Now that I think about it, the sweat is kind of hot. In a really, really gross way.”
 

Hyukjae grinned and began to lean in for another gross kiss but he was stopped by the sound of a shout coming from several feet away. In an instant, Donghae went from being proud and happy to being terrified and helpless. Approaching them was a small group consisting of football players, noticeably those who had thrown around unpleasant slang words before. Leading them was a large boy that Donghae did not recognize. It would have been hard to recognize him even if Donghae had known him because he was too focused on the baseball bat in the boy's hand instead of his face.

“Really, Hyukjae?” the boy questioned angrily as he approached and stopped in front of Hyukjae. “Of all people... you? Gay?” He said the last word as if it made him want to gag.

“It's not what it looks like,” Hyukjae tried although the confidence he was desperately reaching for obviously escaped him.

“It looks like you were getting pretty intimate with this...” the boy paused and glanced at Donghae, “this position-stealing piece of .”

“Back off, Park,” Hyukjae said. “We were just talking.”

Park? Donghae wondered. This must have been the same Park that he had replaced. Suddenly, Donghae felt even more terrified of the situation.

“Talking?” Park questioned with disbelief. “I saw the two of you run back here hand in hand like little schoolgirls. And I know I just stopped you – no, wait – I saved you from kissing each other just now.” There was a silence and Park sighed. “You know, when I started those rumors, I didn't actually expect them to be true. I just wanted to scare you off.”

“You started those rumors?” Donghae spoke up.

“If you're gonna give me credit for that, you've also gotta give me credit for that split lip of yours which is, unfortunately, healing well, it seems.”

“You're an ,” Hyukjae spoke loudly. He put his hand on Donghae's shoulder. “Let's go.”

Donghae was happy to oblige but as soon as they turned to leave, Donghae heard the shuffle of feet behind them and suddenly, they were surrounded on all sides. Before he could even turn back around, Donghae heard a thud followed by a cry of pain as Hyukjae fell to the ground beside him. Donghae gasped and kneeled to help him sit up. He looked back to see Park gripping the baseball bat and showing no remorse.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Donghae spat. Hyukjae sat beside him, recovering from the pain in his back.

“Me?” Park said. “The only thing wrong here is you.”

Donghae wanted to lash out but he wisely held his tongue. “What do you want from us?” he asked.

“That's a better question.” Park looked at Hyukjae. “I've already done the hard part for you. I got the off the team. You can do the easy part by convincing Coach to let me come back. The boys and I agree that it's the best thing to do.” The boys all nodded in agreement.

“Fine,” Hyukjae said sharply. “I'll get you back on the team. Now let us leave.”

“Not yet,” Park said. “I think you've learned your lesson, Hyukjae. You're a good guy and I don't think you really wanna be gay. But your friend, on the other hand...” Park gave Donghae a menacing look and, before Donghae could defend himself, the baseball bat was being swung at him with full strength. It smashed into his upper arm and he screamed as he felt the shock of pain all the way to his bones. He fell next to Hyukjae who reached for him just in time to break his fall.

“Hey!” A loud, booming, and frighteningly angry shout came from behind Park. Heads whipped around to find Coach storming towards the group of boys. He looked down at Hyukjae and Donghae, crumpled on the ground, and he ripped the baseball bat out of Park's hands.

“Coach,” Park said quickly, “it's not what you think, they're-”

“I don't care what you have to say,” Coach snapped. He looked to Hyukjae and Donghae. “You boys go wait in my office.”

“Coach, I,” Hyukjae said shakily.

“Just go,” Coach said calmly. Hyukjae and Donghae obeyed. With their heads down, they clambered to their feet and briskly walked towards Coach's office. Neither of them said a word. It was not until they were both in Coach's office and the door was safely locked behind them that Donghae managed to even breathe properly. He leaned against the wall and slid until he sat on the floor. Hyukjae quickly kneeled next to him with tears in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Hyukjae asked worriedly. He sniffled and lifted Donghae's sleeve to see the quickly bruising mark on Donghae's arm.

“I can't do this again,” Donghae said weakly. He held back a sob.

Hyukjae looked stunned. A tear slid down his cheek and he pulled Donghae close, hugging him tightly.

“We'll be okay,” Hyukjae said. “We'll be fine.”

Donghae started to hug Hyukjae back but quickly pulled away before he touched his back. “Are you okay?” he asked. “He hit you really hard.”

“I...” Hyukjae started, “I don't know. I'm so scared I don't even think I can feel the pain.”

“That bastard,” Donghae hissed angrily. “He can't get away with this. Coach saw what happened. He won't let it slide, will he?”

Hyukjae thought for a moment. He sniffled again and Donghae reached up to wipe the tear trail from his cheek. “I don't know,” he said. “I... I don't know.”

Hyukjae tried to sit next to Donghae but the wall was too harsh on his back. Donghae lifted his shirt to find horrible bruising across the flesh of his back. Although his spine was uninjured, the bruises would cause Hyukjae immense pain.

“I'm so sorry,” Donghae said, bursting into tears. Hyukjae quickly turned around and embraced him once again.

“Don't say that,” Hyukjae pleaded. “Please don't say that.”

Just then, the door was unlocked and Coach stepped into the room. Hyukjae and Donghae quickly separated themselves and stood. Coach sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hand. He then looked at the boys sadly.

“I'm sorry I couldn't stop that sooner,” he said. “I really had no idea. Park explained to me that the two of you had robbed the locker room and ran behind the stadium to count your money.” Donghae prepared to protest but Coach did not let him. “After I called him a liar, he told me that the two of you are gay. He also said that he was just trying to make your lives better. The way he said it was... as if he was just expecting me to agree with him and let him walk away.” Donghae and Hyukjae were silent. Coach sighed and continued. “My plan is to alert the authorities. The only problem with that is that bigots get away with this all the time. Especially young athletes. I can't guarantee you that they'll be punished for what they've done. The only thing I can guarantee is that none of them will play on my football team. If that means no season, then we won't have a season.”

Donghae nodded and there was a short silence as the words sunk in.

“I'm sorry, Coach,” Hyukjae said softly.

“Don't you apologize to me,” Coach said. “You have nothing to be sorry about, you hear?” Hyukjae nodded. “There's only one thing you need to do for me and that's letting a doctor take a look at you.” He sighed again. “You might wanna call your parents. The cops will wanna ask you questions and take pictures for evidence.”

“My dad doesn't know,” Hyukjae blurted out desperately.

“Then this is gonna be one hell of a way for him to find out.” Coach placed a hand on Hyukjae's shoulder. “I'm sorry, Hyukjae... he'll have to know. If you want, I can call him and tell him to meet us down at the station.”

Hyukjae kept his eyes to the floor but nodded slightly. Donghae reached out and took his hand, hoping that it would provide some kind of comfort. He wanted all of this to be over and he had a feeling that Hyukjae felt the same.

“Will Park be there?” Donghae asked as Coach flipped through the contacts on his phone.

“He won't be anywhere near you,” Coach replied seriously. “I'll make sure you don't have to worry about him anymore.”

-

Sitting in the back of Coach's car and driving to the police station was scary. Being prodded, photographed, and questioned was even scarier despite the kindness of the officers at the station. Still, the scariest part was Hyukjae practically flinching at the ticking of the clock on the wall, not because of what had happened but because of what he was afraid would happen when his father arrived.

Donghae's mother was already there, filling out paperwork she had unfortunately seen before and wiping a silent tear from her own cheek. Hyukjae's father had still been at work when he had gotten the call and would arrive at any moment. Donghae sat beside Hyukjae, wishing there was something he could do to ease his anxiety.

“Do you wanna go outside and get some air?” Donghae asked softly. “It's kinda stuffy in here.”

Hyukjae blinked a few times as if he was coming out of a trance. “Sure,” he said. The two of them stood slowly and walked side by side to the door but, just as they were inches from reaching it, it opened. A man with scared eyes was standing on the other side, looking at Hyukjae as if he had not seen him in years.

“Dad,” Hyukjae said. It was a simple word filled with tears. And it was all that he had to say. Hyukjae's father shakily reached forward and pulled his son into a protective embrace. Hyukjae clenched his father's shirt and clung to him as he sobbed against his chest.

Donghae quietly backed away. He did not want to disturb the two of them so he soon found himself at his mother's side where she gave him a weak smile before she continued the paperwork in front of her. Donghae gently leaned against her and tried to focus on the sound of the pen writing on the paper. He tried to focus on anything other than his throbbing arm and the sounds of Hyukjae sobbing in the hallway.

When Donghae's mother finished her paperwork and they were cleared to leave, Donghae began to exit the building slowly. He looked around, not finding Hyukjae anywhere. He sadly left the station and walked with his mother towards her car.

“Donghae!” a voice shouted from behind him. He saw Hyukjae running towards him.

“Should you be running like that?” Donghae instantly asked in concern.

Hyukjae smiled a little. “I'm fine,” he assured. He glanced nervously at Donghae's mother who had her back turned to give them privacy. Hyukjae gave Donghae a brief hug. “I'll call you when I get home,” he said. Donghae nodded. He then reluctantly watched as Hyukjae backed away and ran back into the station.

As Donghae got into his mother's car, he thought about how amazing it was that one tiny smile and a quick hug was enough to ease his nerves. He knew in that moment that Lee Hyukjae was a special person that could never be replaced in his life. He tried not to focus on that thought as his mother shook with tears beside him.

-

Hyukjae did call that night. Donghae answered eagerly although he was already in bed and ready to sleep.

“Are you okay?” is the first thing Donghae asked.

“I'm fine. I've got some pain relievers for my back. What about you?”

“I'm good... I guess. I'm as good as I can be in this situation.”

“Yeah...” Hyukjae agreed and then stayed quiet for a moment. “I'm sorry that... this isn't the first time that this has happened to you.”

“I'm sorry that it had to happen to you at all.” There was more silence and Donghae took it as an opportunity to change the subject. “So how is your dad taking all of this?”

“Surprisingly well,” Hyukjae replied. “I... I never imagined he'd be this cool about it. About everything. I think his exact words were 'I don't give a damn who you bring to dinner, I just care about getting the little pricks that did this.' And then he ranted... for a long time.”

Donghae smiled. “That's good,” he said. “It's awesome, actually. You don't have to hide it from him anymore.”

“And I can introduce him to you.” There was a smile in Hyukjae's voice.

“Yeah, introduce him to the guy who got his son beat with a baseball bat.”

“Donghae,” Hyukjae said sternly, “you know this isn't your fault. Park is a piece of . And apparently most of the team is too.” He sighed.

Donghae frowned. “I guess football is ruined now, isn't it?”

“That part's a blessing.” Donghae could hear Hyukjae shifting around in bed to get comfortable. “Now I can sleep in on weekends. And spend more time with you.”

Donghae rolled his eyes and smiled. “You know, I really like talkative Hyukjae.”

“Yeah? What do you like about him?”

“He's really, really cute.” Donghae let Hyukjae soak up that compliment and he listened to the pleased chuckle on the other end of the line. And then he thought. “Do you think... they'll come after us for getting them kicked off the team?”

“I hope not,” Hyukjae said solemnly. “I really, really hope not.”

Donghae nervously chewed on his lip and thought for a moment. “Hyukjae...” he started.

“Hm?”

Donghae's mind was playing images of his mother, constantly tired and shaken by the lack of safety in her son's life. “Nothing,” he said. “We should get some sleep.”

“Yeah.” Hyukjae yawned. “Night.”

“Night,” Donghae repeated. He hesitantly hung up the call and snuggled into bed and, as he sat in the dark, silent room, the only thing he could feel was the throbbing of his injured arm.

-

The next day, Donghae took slow steps on the sidewalk as he walked nowhere. He had not slept well during the night and was trying to clear his mind but was having trouble due to the thoughts that ran rampant in his mind. Luckily, a text on his phone caught his attention and it was just the way he needed to be distracted.

“I'm at your house... but you're not.”
 

Donghae frowned as he replied.

“Sorry. Had to get out for a while.”

“You okay?” Of course Hyukjae was concerned

“Yeah.” Donghae did not know what else to say.

“If you don't want to talk to me...”

Guilt. Donghae felt guilt. “It's not that. Meet me at your house.”

-

Donghae sat on the curb outside of Hyukjae's house, waiting. He began to wonder if it would be wise to fall asleep on the pavement when suddenly Hyukjae sat beside him with a warm smile on his face.

“Hi,” Hyukjae said, nudging Donghae's shoulder.

“Hi,” Donghae responded. He looked at Hyukjae for a moment. “I can't believe that I'm just realizing how much I've missed you since the last time I saw you.”

Hyukjae smiled rather bashfully and then tilted his head. “Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or am I gonna have to kiss it out of you?”

Donghae could not help the smile that spread over his face. “You'll definitely have to kiss it out of me.”

Although they were on the side of a residential street where anyone could see them if they were to look outside, Hyukjae leaned in and placed the softest, sweetest kiss on Donghae's cheek. Donghae's smile grew and he could not tell whether he was melting because of the sun or the kiss. He looked to Hyukjae and saw a boy who was smiling despite the terrible events of the previous night. He saw a Hyukjae who was so different than the Hyukjae he first met. The quiet, scared, and cold Hyukjae had blossomed into a confident, happy, and positive Hyukjae. And that made Donghae's smile fall. Hyukjae's fell immediately after.

“Please tell me what's wrong,” Hyukjae coaxed.

Donghae did not know how to say it. He did not want to say it. He did not want it to be real.

“I'm moving... again,” he said. “My mom was up all night packing. She wants us to be out by the end of the week.”

“Why?” Hyukjae asked incredulously.

“She thinks this will keep happening to me here. And she's right. There won't be any kind of justice. There's never going to be justice because no one cares.”

Hyukjae was silent. Donghae watched as his face went from confused to scared and then to angry.

“So you're just leaving?” Hyukjae asked loudly. “You're leaving me?”

“I don't want to leave you,” Donghae insisted desperately. “I want to stay with you. I want to play video games with you and kiss you in the back of movie theaters. I just... I don't want to go through this again. And I can't watch my mom go through it with me. You don't know what it's like to-”

“Don't tell me I don't know what it's like,” Hyukjae fumed. “I may not have been through what you've been through but I've seen enough. I can protect you. Coach can protect you. We'll look out for each other. It doesn't have to be the way it was for you before. It can be different this time. You can't just... let me fall for you and then run away.”

“Hyukjae,” Donghae pleaded the name with tears in his eyes, “I want to stay. I want to stay and be with you more than anything. But my mom already has her mind made up. She's not staying here and that means I can't stay either.”

“We'll convince her to stay,” Hyukjae pleaded back.

Donghae shook his head. “It's not that easy, Hyukjae. I... I wish it was.”

Hyukjae stood and looked down at Donghae. “Fine. Leave. Go find some new town and some new guy and then break his heart too.”

Hyukjae turned and began walking toward his house. Donghae felt as if his insides were being churned. He refused to let it end like this. He stood and ran towards Hyukjae. When Hyukjae heard him coming, he turned just in time for Donghae to tackle him to the grassy ground. Donghae cradled Hyukjae's body as Hyukjae had cradled his before, protecting him from the pain of the fall. Before Hyukjae had time to react, Donghae was kissing him. Hyukjae kissed back.

Donghae pulled back and breathed. “I'm sorry,” he cried softly. “I don't want to leave you. Please believe me.”

“I believe you,” Hyukjae replied, holding Donghae close. “But I don't want to believe this is real.”

“Me either,” Donghae replied.

“Donghae?” Hyukjae said.

“Yeah?” Donghae responded.

“My back kind of hurts.”

Donghae sat up immediately. “Sorry!” he said.

Hyukjae sat up as well with Donghae still on his lap. He smiled a weak smile. “It's okay,” he said.

Donghae sighed. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Hyukjae's while Hyukjae's hands went to his waist.

“I can't leave if you're mad at me,” Donghae said softly.

“Then I'll stay mad forever.”

Donghae smiled. “Well then I guess I'm stuck here.”

Hyukjae sighed. “If you have to leave... to be safe... I understand. I won't be mad at you, I'll just be... really, really sad.”

“I'm already really, really sad.”

“So am I.” Hyukjae sighed again. “How long before you leave?”

Donghae pulled away slightly. “The last place... we left in less than a week. This time, we've already got some of our stuff packed from before, so... a few days?” Donghae's heart sank from his own words.
 

“Spend every second with me,” Hyukjae begged.

Just then, Hyukjae's front door opened and his father stepped. Hyukjae and Donghae removed themselves from each other and awkwardly stood up.

“Your mother's on the phone,” Hyukjae's father said. “She wants to talk to you. Make sure you're okay.”

“What'd you tell her?” Hyukjae asked, seemingly nervous.

“Nothing she didn't need to know,” Hyukjae's father replied.

Hyukjae turned to Donghae. “You can come in and stay,” he said with hope.

“I would but I've already ignored a few worried calls from my mom so I kind of have to go.”

Hyukjae looked pained. “Spend tomorrow with me?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Donghae replied.

Hyukjae smiled and reluctantly walked to his house. Donghae awkwardly smiled at Hyukjae's father who smiled back. Then Donghae turned to walk to the place that he could no longer call home.

-

Donghae's mother was very efficient. She had hired a moving company that had their entire house packed into a truck in only two days. She claimed that she wanted to hurry to get Donghae into a new school as soon as possible so that he would not have to miss many of his classes. Donghae felt like she was just trying to rip him away from Hyukjae as soon as possible. He knew that this was not true and that his mother was telling the truth but his heart was too broken to believe her.

Donghae had spent all of Sunday lying in Hyukjae's bed, kissing Hyukjae, crying with Hyukjae, wiping Hyukjae's tears, soothing the pain of Hyukjae's bruised back, and kissing Hyukjae some more. When Monday came, Hyukjae had to go to school. Still, he came to Donghae's house early in the morning, ready to send him off after their last few moments together.

“I'm gonna miss you constantly,” Hyukjae confessed to Donghae as they hid together behind the large moving truck.

“At least we can still call and text,” Donghae replied comfortingly.

“And we can video chat so you can show me how much better your new home is,” Hyukjae grumbled.

“After the money we spent getting here, I doubt it'll be anything to brag about,” Donghae replied solemnly.

Hyukjae placed his hand on Donghae's cheek. “It'll be fine.” He was obviously trying to be encouraging but Donghae was having trouble feeling optimistic. “Even if I'm not there with you, you can still call me and complain if you hate it there.”

“And you have to visit me,” Donghae demanded. “You have to.”

“Maybe I can spend winter break with you,” Hyukjae said excitedly.

“Maybe,” Donghae responded with a smile.

When the time to separate was merely seconds away, Hyukjae and Donghae embraced each other tightly. The motor of the moving truck came to life and Donghae pulled away from Hyukjae so that he could kiss him as hard as he could manage.

“I don't wanna say bye to you,” Donghae said against Hyukjae's lips.

“Then don't say it,” Hyukjae responded.

And so Donghae stayed silent. He reluctantly got into the truck and reached out the window to hold Hyukjae's hand one last time. Then, as the truck began to drive away, their hands slipped apart. Donghae stuck his head out the window to watch Hyukjae standing in the driveway until they turned a corner and Hyukjae was out of sight. Donghae then slumped into his seat and prayed that the hole in his chest would not be there forever.

-

Donghae had always loved the way the leaves changed color in the fall. He took in every single moment of their beauty, knowing that they would quickly fade and fall to the ground. It had been over one month since he and his mother had moved to a new town. Donghae had spoken to Hyukjae every single day. He was still just as sad as he had been when he first left but his mother's happiness and his own safety were now taken care of. Donghae's new school was more than just tolerant. On Donghae's very first day, he had met a student who proudly claimed that he was gay and proceeded to ask Donghae if he was interested in joining a school club that promoted the awareness of abuse against queer students. The sign-up sheet was almost full with two pages of names. Donghae had nearly cried.

His new school was undoubtedly an improvement. Even their football team seemed nicer. Still, Donghae was not tempted to join. He was content to spend his free time talking to Hyukjae instead of sweating on the football field.

Hyukjae had been keeping him up to date on what was happening in town. As predicted, the abusers were given nothing more than slaps on their wrists. All of them were kicked off of the football team as punishment and given restraining orders to keep them away from Hyukjae. In addition, Park was given one hundred hours of community service to serve. The town had wanted to keep the incident a secret and so Hyukjae was told not to speak of it. It was infuriating but there was nothing that they could do about it.

Instead of worrying about something that they could not change, they spent their time trying their best to distract one another from the issue with happier thoughts. Winter break was still two months away but Donghae had decided that he was willing to be patient for two months if it meant he could spend two whole weeks with Hyukjae. In the meantime, he was content to send photos of himself making obnoxious kissing faces to Hyukjae and receive photos of Hyukjae's arm muscles in return. It was in no way comparable to spending time together in person, but it was enough.

While Donghae was walking home from his after school club, he was excited just thinking about talking to Hyukjae later that night. Hyukjae had said that he would be busy in the afternoon but he would be free to talk at night. When Donghae arrived at his house, he saw his mother standing at the end of their driveway. He walked towards her.

“Mom?” he questioned. “What's going on?”

“New neighbors,” his mother replied simply.

Donghae looked across the street and rolled his eyes. “You're such a snoop,” he said playfully.

“They look interesting,” his mother countered.

Donghae sighed and focused on the large truck in the driveway of the new neighbor's house. He watched with his mother for a while before he saw someone familiar walking out of the house and towards the truck. Donghae blinked a few times and wondered if he was going crazy because the person looked a lot like Hyukjae's father. Donghae looked to his mother who only smiled innocently back at him. When Donghae looked back to the house across the street, he saw someone else familiar standing in the doorway.

“Hyukjae?” Donghae said quietly to himself.

Hyukjae began to run toward him. Donghae began to run as well. They both collided into a hug in the middle of the street. Donghae could not form coherent words so he made loud noises of confusion and excitement as he hugged Hyukjae tightly and happily jumped with him.

Hyukjae laughed joyfully and pulled away. “Surprise!” he said with an enormous grin.

“What is this?!” Donghae questioned. “Are you moving in?!”

“Yup! Dad bought the house across from yours.”

“Why?” Donghae asked, breathless from excitement.

“Well...” Hyukjae started. He glanced back at his dad with a smile and then turned back to Donghae. “He just wanted me to be happy.”

Donghae would remember to thank Hyukjae's father immensely later but for now, he pulled Hyukjae into a kiss that he had been dying to give. Hyukjae kissed back with great enthusiasm until sarcastic wolf whistles were suddenly being made by both of their parents.

“Dad!”

“Mom!”

Although their parents were obnoxious, Donghae could not have been happier that his mother was his mother and that Hyukjae's father was Hyukjae's father. His mother had always protected him and Hyukjae's father was protective and willing to do anything for his son's happiness.

“I'm gonna show Hyukjae the house!” Donghae said as an excuse to be alone with Hyukjae. He dragged Hyukjae to his house and kissed his mother on the cheek as he walked past her.

“Your mom was totally in on this, by the way,” Hyukjae informed as he was being dragged into Donghae's room.

“So you were all keeping it a secret from me?” Donghae practically groaned as he shut himself and Hyukjae into his room.

“Yup,” Hyukjae responded with a grin as he pulled Donghae against him. “Are you happy?”

“About being left out of the secret? No. About you being here? Yes.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae again. “I missed you. So much.”

“I missed you too,” Hyukjae replied with a soft smile. He held Donghae close as if he would never let him go again and Donghae hoped that they would never have to let go.
 

Donghae felt as if he was exploding with happiness. Just minutes ago, he was sitting with a group, telling them how much he missed his boyfriend. Now, he was in the arms of that boyfriend, content and warm. He was exactly where he wanted to be. He was with Hyukjae in a place that he hoped would stay his home for a very long time.

-

“You may not be in love with that boy yet. You may not even know what love is. But I guarantee you, if you stick around him long enough, you will fall in love. And love is worth it. Love is worth every penny we'll spend moving to a new town. And more importantly to me, seeing you happy is worth it. It's worth that and so much more.”

-

My apologies if the ending is rubbish! I was having trouble finishing the story. All that really matters is that they're happy in the end... right? Anyway, I have lots of feelings about this story so I hope you enjoyed it ♥ Let me know if you find any errors so I can fix them!