Job Hazards

            Had I known I were signing up for a permanent position from the beginning, would I have taken it on?  I guess the answer is yes.  All I’ve done is gain friendships along the way with the two maknaes.  And maybe a little more. 

            Would Donghae and I have gotten together if they’d never joined the group?  I don’t know.  Even he will tell you, if you asked, that their love for each other is what prompted him to recognize what was going on inside himself.  Would he have realized he loved me romantically without the maknaes around?  Would I have discovered what my feelings were for him?  It’s not impossible, but it could have taken longer—it already took long enough—and it could have been messier.  That’s all I’m saying.  I’d like to think that we were destined to be together no matter what, but I never claimed to be an expert on how the cosmos or fate worked.  I just feel lucky to have him.  Every day.

            I walked into the apartment, careful not to make too much noise, since I wasn’t sure if he was awake or asleep.  The hallway was dark, but I could see the lights from the Christmas tree blinking from the living room and I headed that direction first after taking off my shoes and winter jacket.  I set my bag on the couch and walked over to the window, looking down at the city lights below as the snow softly drifted past the glass and fell over the streets below. 

            The paper cup of coffee in my hand warmed my chilled fingers, the aroma tickled my nose and infused me with energy, and I shifted from side to side to keep my blood pumping through my body.  It was a bitterly cold night, the wind bit, and I knew it would take a long time to warm up.  That was when I noticed the sound of the shower running, further back in the apartment.  Ah, the scalding water streaming down my body would heat me up much quicker, probably, but that was not the thought that suddenly had my blood boiling. 

            Donghae.  Wet and . 

            I set down my coffee and headed to the bedroom, still taking care to be quiet.  The door to the bathroom, just off of the bedroom, was partially open, and I quietly snuck in so that he wouldn’t hear me and began to strip off my clothes.  My jean pockets were loaded with my keys and wallet, so I had to take care in dropping my pants and not letting them hit the floor with a loud thud which would alert him to my presence. 

            Once I was undressed, I snuck over to the shower curtain and peaked inside.  He was washing shampoo out of his hair and had his eyes closed, so it was the perfect time to enter the shower, if I could avoid rustling the curtain too much.  I tried my best to be covert.  The curtain made a little noise, but his head was practically under the stream of water and he didn’t hear me.  He was just stepping forward out of the water stream when I poked him in the sides.

            Donghae screamed and his eyes popped open in surprise. 

            I began laughing and wrapped my arms around him.  “Surprise, I’m home!”

            Donghae playfully glared at me.  “I see that.”

            I tightened my grip on him, pulling him into a hug, and kissed his cheek.

            “It must be cold out,” he said, shivering from the touch of my skin.  “You’re freezing.  Get under the water.”

            I refused to release him.  “I want you to warm me up.”

            “You want me?” he asked, whispering into my ear, trailing his hand down the back of me. 

            I moaned as his hand squeezed my and ground my hips against his.  He reached up with his free hand and angled the showerhead until the stream of water was hitting my back, warming me from behind and then he leaned forward, his lips brushing against mine.

            We remained in the shower until the water began to run cold and then moved to the bed, where we cuddled up under the blankets together, our hair and skin still damp.  I couldn’t feel the cold anymore though.  My blood was pumping steadily through my veins, my heartbeat still racing, as I wrapped my arms tight around Donghae. 

            “Do you want to celebrate Christmas at the apartment this year or go visit your parents?” Donghae asked.  It was only a couple weeks off and we only had a little time off around the holiday. 

            “I suppose we should visit my parents…since we won’t be here next year.”

            Donghae nodded. 

            It wasn’t his favorite topic to discuss.  Honestly, it wasn’t mine either, but I’d prefer to talk about it ahead of time than pretend it wasn’t going to happen and have it sneak up on us.  We knew that we were going to enlist sometime in the next year.  That’s all we knew.  But it seemed a little unfair.  We really hadn’t been together all that long.  Only a couple years.  I guess that might seem like a lot to some people, but Kyuhyun and Ryeowook had already been together for seven years.  We were going to be away from each other for nearly two years and we’d never been apart for more than a few weeks since meeting each other. 

            I felt nervous about such a long absence myself, but I still felt certain that nothing would be different once we were back together. 

            “Nothing will change, you know,” I assured him.

             Donghae laughed.  “We will be away from each other for a long time!”

            “We can visit each other during our breaks.”

            “That’s if we’re able to take breaks at the same time,” he reminded me.

             I flicked his nose.  “Quit being a pessimist.”

            “We’ll have to give up the apartment.  It’s a waste to spend so much money on rent when we’re not living in it.  We’ll have to move our into storage.”

            “I’m not moving my clothes into storage!  What if mice get into it?  I’ll move them into Kyuhyun and Ryeowook’s apartment.  They have enough storage space for a few boxes.”

            “A few?” Donghae questioned, looking over at the multiple wardrobes lining one whole wall of our bedroom. 

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