"Donghae?"

"Hmm?"

"What is that?"

Donghae looks up at Hyukjae for a moment, pen scratching against paper.

"It's a diagram, Hyukjae."

"A diagram?"

"Yeah, look! It's a diagram of you!"

Hyukjae takes the paper, scrunching his face at the weird looking arrows pointing towards an image that oddly looks like him.

Donghae takes the paper back, biting his lips as he adds a few lines to the bottom of the page.

Hyukjae looks at the man in front of him inquisitively.

"Can I-" He motions with his hands flailing about. "-Draw this diagram thing as well?"

Donghae looks at the confused face in front of him and he laughs, placing a red colour pencil into the other's hands.

"Here. You can help me fill in the colours."

A few minutes later, Donghae smiles when he sees the boxes with the red spilling out of the lines and makes a mental note about Hyukjae's colouring skills.

-

Donghae almost regrets programming curiosity into Hyukjae.

“Donghae, what is this?” Donghae sighs for the tenth time, placing his notebook down.

“It’s ramen, Hyukjae.”

“Ramen? What is ramen?” Hyukjae’s eyes gaze wonderingly at the bowl of yellow coloured looking strings with steam coming out of it. “Is it made by men? That’s why it’s called-”

“No, it’s not - Well, technically it is made by people but Hyukjae, just eat it, please?”

“Donghae, what is eat?” Donghae slams his forehead onto the table.

-

He ends up feeding Hyukjae, who oohs and ahhs at every bite he takes. Donghae wants to smack him on the head but he finds himself chuckling at the man who has soup dribbling down his chin. 

“Look how clumsy you are, wipe that a-” Donghae pauses, he wouldn’t know what wiping is anyway.

As he reaches out to thumb away the mess on Hyukjae’s chin, he finds his hand trembling just so slightly when Hyukjae stares back into his eyes.

Donghae hastily withdraws his hands and clears his throat, continuing to feed Hyukjae.

Hyukjae only stares at him blankly.

-

"Donghae?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did 150486 come from?"

"What-" Donghae pauses for a moment, only to realize Hyukjae is referring to himself. "-oh."

"Well, I guess you came from the head scientist's very own hands."

"Hmm," Hyukjae murmurs. "And what about you? Where did you come from?"

"I came from my mum," Donghae smiles sadly. "And my dad."

"Where is your 'mum' and 'dad'?" Hyukjae looks at Donghae who's now stopped writing in his notepad.

"They're up there Hyukjae..." Donghae's eyes glisten with the wetness at the edges.

"They're looking down on us."

Donghae looks away at that moment, trying to conceal his watery eyes. He doesn't catch Hyukjae staring at him with an expression in his eyes that's never been there before.

-

For the rest of the afternoon, only the scratching of pencil against paper can be heard. As Donghae draws, Hyukjae stares at him awkwardly.

"Donghae?" Hyukjae inches closer to the said man, their arms brushing against each other.

"Why do you look... like this?" Donghae looks at the man in front of him who's now taller than him ever since he programmed more growth hormones to be injected.

"This is sadness, Hyukjae. Do you know what sadness is?" Hyukjae shakes his head, looking at Donghae's weird expression.

"I don't know what that is Donghae," Hyukjae inches even closer. "But please don't feel that way anymore."

Hyukjae pulls Donghae towards him, wrapping his arms around the latter's waist tightly, albeit awkwardly.

"I only like to see you smiling."

Donghae feels his heart beating ten times faster, wondering how Hyukjae got this cheesy.

-

"Stop it Hyukjae!" Donghae squeals as Hyukjae pins him to the battered sofa, squeezing at his sides. He had not stopped tickling Donghae ever since he accidentally jabbed Donghae in the stomach and saw the way Donghae winced and laughed non stop.

"But it is so interesting!"

"What is?" Donghae exclaims exasperatedly.

"Seeing your face change into all these weird expressions! And look! It's so red!" Donghae groans, trying to push the oddly strong arms off him.

Donghae pinches Hyukjae's arm so hard while laughing, trying to get the said man off him. He gasps though, as he notices blood dribbling out of the small pinch mark on Hyukjae's arm. The puncture slowly heals, as always.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry-" Donghae frantically waves. "-that must have hurt."

Hyukjae only stares at Donghae, a rather puzzled look on his face.

"I felt... nothing, Donghae."

Donghae's face scrunches up at first, but he then gasps loudly, jumping off the sofa.

“Ah!” Donghae shouts. “Pain receptors!”

That night, Donghae smiles to himself as he leaves the room, drawing the curtains around Hyukjae's bed.

The next evening, as Donghae does the regular routine, he is shocked when he sees Hyukjae’s eyes well up with tears as he inserts the needle.

“What’s wrong, Hyukjae?” Donghae panics, seeing Hyukjae reacting this way for the first time after one month.

“It h-hurts, Donghae.” Donghae’s eyes widen. Pain receptors.

“Oh gosh. I’m sorry, Hyukjae. Does it hurt really badly?” Hyukjae nods, pouting. Donghae chuckles, wiping the tears away from Hyukjae’s face.

“Don’t worry, the pain will subside after a while.” Hyukjae pouts even more, clutching onto Donghae’s hand tightly.

-

The next day, Donghae raises his eyebrows when he sees Hyukjae back to his usual self. When he sees Donghae approaching him, he lifts up his hand and waves awkwardly from side to side, just like how Donghae had taught him to.

"Hello, Donghae."

"Um. Hi, Hyukjae." Donghae raises his fist up for a fist bump, only to sigh inwardly when he sees Hyukjae examining his fist curiously.

"So," Donghae says.

"How is your arm, Hyukjae?" Hyukjae's eyebrows furrow, but his eyes light up after a moment.

"It feels normal right now, Donghae. There is only pain when you insert that small metal thing. I hate that metal thing!"

Donghae only raises his eyebrows further, before heading to his table to work on more changes.

Donghae sighs, ruffling his hair agitatedly as he tries to come up with more ideas. His pencil scratches at the side of his notepad, his nose wrinkled as nothing seems to come to his mind. Hours later, Donghae is still at the same position, frustrated tears at the corner of his eyes. He quickly palms them away.

That night, Hyukjae backs away from Donghae as he sees Donghae approaching with the needle.

“C’mon, Hyukjae. Don’t be like this.” Donghae sighs, tired from a whole day of researching and experimenting.

"But Donghae-"

"Hyukjae! Just come here!" Hyukjae is startled, and he tears up. Donghae bites his lip, wanting to apologise, but the words hang off the edges of his lips and dissipates. He leaves the room.

He sits outside the lab for a moment, looking at the darkness that starts to slowly tint the sky. He thinks of all that has happened thus far, of all the hardships and obstacles. He clenches his fist with much more determination than before, and stands up.

"Hyukjae?" He enters the lab, only to hear a hissing sound and he sees Hyukjae wincing in pain as he tries to insert the needle into his wrist. Donghae gasps, moving forward and quickly hits the needle away before Hyukjae hurts himself even further.

"Hyukjae!" Donghae pulls Hyukjae's hand towards him, cringing at the cuts on his wrist. He quickly leads Hyukjae towards the chair, forcing him down despite the protests.

“I’m sorry, Donghae… I didn’t mean to make you upset…” Donghae only shakes his head, while putting some cream on the cuts on his skin. He tries to focus on that and also on willing the tears in his eyes away.

“Donghae.” Donghae continues to apply the cream, ignoring Hyukjae.

“Donghae.”

Donghae feels himself being pulled into Hyukjae’s arms.

“I know I’ve been bad today, Donghae. I’m sorry. Please don’t be sad.” Hearing these words and feeling the gentle pats on his head, tears stream down his face and he only burrows his face further into Hyukjae’s neck.

"I know now, Donghae. I know what sadness is." Hyukjae whispers, almost soothingly.

“I’m sorry, Hyukjae. I’m sorry…” He feels his heart clench with guilt as he feels how Hyukjae only nods, whispering words of assurance.

The cuts on Hyukjae's wrist don't fade that day.