“I’m going out!” said Donghae from the front door, already heading out.

 

“Oh? Where to?”

 

“To see a friend.”

 

“Okay, drive safely.”

 

Donghae frowned. That was it?

 

He hesitated a little before turning around. “You’re not curious?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You’re not curious about who I’m seeing?”

 

“Uh… you said a friend, no?”

 

“What if I’m going to see my ex? My ex is my friend.”

 

“Are you?”
 

“Well, maybe.”

 

Hyukjae pouted.

 

“Well, I’d feel upset if you felt like you had to hide that from me. But I don’t think that’s where you’re going, so...”

 

Donghae closed the door and looked at him.

 

“Really? You still won’t ask? Do you not care?” he said softly.

 

Hyukjae laughed. “What are you trying to do right now?”

 

“Don’t laugh. I always tell you who I’m seeing. I thought you’d find it suspicious if I didn’t tell you just now but you didn’t even notice.”

 

“So you’re not going out?”

 

“That’s not the point, Hyuk.”

 

“No, I know, ” said Hyukjae and got up to talk to his boyfriend. Donghae lightly squirmed away from him when Hyukjae put his hands on his shoulders. “I did notice, baby. Just didn’t wanna pressure you. I thought I shouldn’t keep asking, that’s all.”

 

“Then you don’t know me as well as I thought.”

 

Hyukjae frowned. “Hey.”

 

“You know I’m gonna tell you if you ask me twice, right?”

 

“I know.”

 

“Then why didn’t you try,” he pouted. “Do you not care?”

 

Donghae had already asked him that.

 

“Is that what you’re worried about? You think I don’t care about you?”

 

Donghae shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just sometimes I feel like you don’t mind whether I go to see my mom or, I don’t know, some hot dude that I met on the internet. Like you always react the same way.”

 

Hyukjae chuckled. “Well, I do care.” He caressed his arms, Donghae let him this time. “How can I not when I know you’re the most charming man everywhere you go?”

 

Donghae smiled. “Don’t you sweet-talk me. Don’t!” he warned him softly, making Hyukjae laugh.

 

“I’m not! Seriously, so many people have a crush on you, it’s scary. But I also trust you, you know. And if you end up developing feelings for someone else...”

 

“Hyuk.”

 

“I like to think you’re gonna tell me about it. Of course I’ll notice if you’re acting weird, and then I will ask you and I will keep asking. Because it’s a scary thought. For instance, if you came back home today and didn’t tell me anything about what you did with your friend, I would get worried right away. That’s what I thought earlier.”

 

“And if I’d told you I was meeting my ex?”

 

“Your ex is straight, baby.” Donghae chuckled. “I can think of other people who I wouldn’t like you seeing.”

 

“Wait, really? Like who?”

 

“Like that cashier that always hits on you.”

 

“Oh--”

 

“He keeps asking you out when I’m right beside you,” he whined. “I mean I can’t stop him from flirting or whatever but actually wanting to be in a relationship when he knows you’re already in one...”

 

“He doesn’t ask me out anymore, though.”

 

“Yeah, because I told him not to. But I still don’t trust him. He has no shame.”

 

Donghae stayed silent for a few seconds. 

 

“You told him not to?” 

 

Donghae had been wanting to do that but he never had the time. It was always one minute of passing his groceries to the cashier after all, and he never gathered the courage in time to tell him to back off. He was so relieved when the guy had just greeted him politely the last few times he went there.

 

“Yeah, I just told him, he was being too pushy and taking advantage of the situation. I didn’t like it.”

 

“Yeah… I didn’t like it either.”

 

“I know.”

 

Donghae looked at him. “I... wasn't going to see anyone.”

 

They both laughed.

 

“I figured. Now come here, let’s watch some TV.” Donghae kept looking at him. Hyukjae sighed. “You wanna go for a walk now.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Alright, let me get a jacket.”