"Mom!" Sora shrieked, not caring if the boys in front of her were still asleep. It was, after all, barely an hour after sunrise, and being the busy idols that they were, Hyukjae and Donghae would take every minute of rest that they were offered. "Just look at how cute they are! Where's my camera?"

"Sora, dear, don't disturb them please. I'm sure they're both exhausted from the turn of events the past two days. Let them relax," Mrs. Lee quietly advised her daughter.

"Just one picture, mom," Sora whisper-shouted. "The fans will go crazy over this."

"Sora, don't you dare," Mrs. Lee scolded. "You know what kind of position they are in right now. We don't want to provoke the media and cause any more problems for them."

"Fine, I won't post it anywhere." Sora pouted. "But I need a picture of this before they wake up. They're adorable, mom, just look at them!"

Mrs. Lee rolled her eyes at her dramatic daughter, but she had to agree. Donghae was snuggled so closely to Hyukjae under the blanket, the older one's arms wrapped protectively around the brunet's waist and Donghae's head tucked under the blond's chin. They both looked so peaceful, as if they have never slept so well in their lives, and Mrs. Lee felt sorry that she would have to wake them soon so they could return to the dorm and face the unavoidable press.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sora asked softly after snapping a few pictures of the sleeping couple.

"I can't say for sure honey," Mrs. Lee replied.

"The media is going to tear them apart, right?" the girl asked, even quieter.

"I don't think so. Look at them, they love each other too much," Mrs. Lee reminded her daughter. "They're too strong to let some stupid magazine article break them up, I can tell you that much."

***

"Drive safely please," Mrs. Lee muttered as she embraced the brunet tightly.

"We'll be fine, mom. You only have to worry about us when Hae is driving," Hyukjae replied jokingly, receiving a pout from the younger who was currently being squished by Hyukjae's mother.

"Hey," Donghwa grunted and hugged the blond. "Take care of my little brother, please."

Hyukjae smiled. "You know I will."

"And if he doesn't, I'll smack him," Sora announced.

"You will not," Mrs. Lee said, a warning tone in her voice as she looked at her daughter.

The other Mrs. Lee smiled at her son beside Hyukjae. "We hope to gather like this again soon. It was so nice to hear such special things from the both of you. Go on now," she beamed, waving her hand at them to shoo the couple away. "Go make some more wonderful memories to share with us."

Hyukjae and Donghae left not long after that, their hands finding each other somewhere between the living room and the driveway.

They climbed into the car without a word, the first few minutes of the drive back to the dorms completely silent as well. Hyukjae noticed the way both of their moods changed. It was as if the night with their families was a dream, and now that they were awake again, they were forced back into reality.

"You okay love?" Hyukjae whispered to the brunet and squeezed the younger's hand. Donghae sighed but nodded his head. "Are you sure?"

"I'm just worried about us," Donghae mumbled. 

"There's nothing to worry about baby," Hyukjae assured his boyfriend. "I'm gonna take care of you and I won't let anybody do anything to us, I promise."

"Will you keep that promise?" Donghae asked softly.

The blond smiled. "Absolutely."

"Hyukkie?"

"Yes baby."

"I love you."

"I love you more Hae."

"Do the members know we're coming home now?" the brunet wondered.

"No, why don't you take my phone and call Leeteuk, okay? Put the call on speaker so I can hear it," Hyukjae suggested.

"Hello? Hyukjae?" their leader's voice sounded from the other end.

"And Donghae!" the brunet cheered, his sadness from earlier practically vanishing into thin air. "We're on our way back to the dorm now. Hyukkie is driving."

"Oh, um.. about that," Leeteuk trailed off.

Hyukjae frowned. "Teuk? Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly."

"What's going on?" the blond asked, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road.

"Some of the managers actually just stopped in to talk to all of us," Leeteuk told them. "They're everywhere, Hyuk. There's fans crowding outside the building and they're protesting."

"Protesting?" Donghae repeated, confused.

Leeteuk heaved a sigh. "I've read so many comments online."

"We haven't looked at any," H