ok u know what im embarassed abt this too haha enjoy

Donghae stares wide-eyed at Hyukjae, mouth open in disbelief.

Hyukjae had retracted his hand in a pure reflex to the freezing cold. However, Donghae pulled back for a whole other reason. The question hangs in the air as they stare at each other with matching wide eyes, one in shock and one in fear as they both wait for each other to break the silence first.

“How did you touch me?”

“What do you mean?” asks Hyukjae first, voice weaker than he expected.

Hyukjae looks guiltily at Donghae, and almost feels like he’s in trouble for doing something wrong. Donghae just closes his mouth and opens it again, wanting to say something but almost not knowing exactly the words to say. He furrows his brows and sighs before opening his mouth to speak again.

“I… it’s just… you’re not supposed to be able to do that.” Donghae’s voice is a lot colder that it was only moments prior, and Hyukjae almost feels the same cold run through him again just through the sound of his voice. “You’re not supposed to be able to touch me.”

“I’m…sorry?” Hyukjae tries, and Donghae just shakes his head.

“It’s fine, it’s just…” Donghae looks away, breaking eye contact for a moment before looking back once again at Hyukjae, eyes edging between being apologetic and frightened.

Hyukjae comes to his feet looking at Donghae curiously as his hand lifts, edging closer to Donghae’s cheek, wanting to test waters. His hand almost grazes the edge of Donghae’s cheek as the man just stares back, curious yet scared to try, lips parted slightly and eyes warm.

“Is it okay if I…” he asks, and Donghae nods ever so slightly, almost leaning into Hyukjae’s hand.

His hand presses Donghae’s cheek again, the sudden cold giving him a slight chill though his hand is still softly placed on the man’s cheek, and the two remain looking at each other, discovering.

“You’re... cold.” Donghae smiles slightly as he brings up a hand and places it over Hyukjae’s hand on his cheek.

“And you’re hot.”                      

Hyukjae snorts.

“Sweetie, I know.”

“So tell me about you,” Donghae’s voice comes all of a sudden, warm and friendly as he’s lying on the pull-out bed from Hyukjae’s own bed, about to sleep. “I’ve kind of been talking this entire time and you know so much about me already, so I wanna know about you. I feel like I don’t even know you!”

Hyukjae laughs so shortly that it comes out as almost an exhale. The idea that Donghae is so eager to know about him makes him wonder briefly about how much he knows about other mediums, or if he even asks about their personal lives, or if Hyukjae just happens to be some sort of special case.

“Well I’m normal, I guess. I mean, before this I was normal, maybe? I… like dancing, I live alone, and I go to that university across the road but it’s the summer holiday now and that ends this week so I’m going back next week… and that’s pretty much it, I guess? I’m afraid I’m not all that interesting.”

“Any family?”

Hyukjae opens his mouth to say something, but closes it to rethink.

“Well I have a mother and a father, I guess… you know, the usual. I have a sister, or, had… I don’t know. She’s been gone for a while,” is his revised answer. “She… kind of died in a fire. It was kind of shocking and sudden. The news came when I was in the middle of class back in high school, but, I don’t know. It was all so much for me.”

Donghae is silent as he listens to Hyukjae talk about his sister, wishing he could help as he aches at the pure pain in Hyukjae’s thick voice. “I just- the only thing I regret is not saying goodbye. I mean, I didn’t know she’d die, but I really, really wish I got the chance to say goodbye.”

“A fire…?” Donghae mumbles to himself in deep thought before acting on impulse. “Did her name happen to be Lee Sora?”

Hyukjae furrows his brows, heart beating slightly faster in his chest as he continues, “Yes, h-how did you know?”

Donghae takes a deep breath. “I know we just met but you told me quite a lot and I told you quite a lot and honestly it’s been kind of hectic and everything and you might not believe me, but I happen to know a Lee Sora that was in a fire and I think I know where she is right now and if you’re willing I could take you to her.”

As soon as Donghae finishes the last word, Hyukjae is out of bed and grabbing a thin jacket and his keys. He turns back to Donghae with determination in his eyes, nodding his head towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

Hyukjae stands anxiously outside the door that Donghae had led them too, his heart furiously hammering against his chest as he waits for the door to open. He hears feet shuffling and some muffled voices, and then the door opens.

The man standing there is rather tall and lanky with a brown mop of tangled hair on his head. He pushes up his thick framed glasses and looks rather surprised.

“Oh? Donghae? What are you doing here? Who’s this?”

Donghae smiles slightly, and Hyukjae tries to peer over the tall man to see if he can find Sora.

“This is my new medium, Hyukjae, and we’re looking for Lee Sora?”

The man looks at Hyukjae with analysing eyes, and Hyukjae squirms under his glare. He’s about to