okay so Kara blackmailed me - if I want some resolution of that INCREDIBLE tension in Gingerbread & Tinsel's last two chapters, I had to write. Talk about incentive. 

“The regular, Eunhyuk?”

“Of course. How’s little Siyeon?”

Donghae smiled, no longer perturbed that all of his special guests knew about his adopted daughter and had asked about her frequently for the three years he’d had custody of her. “She’s anxious to be back home already,” he replied honestly as he mixed Eunhyuk’s drink, the same one he’d been making ever since Eunhyuk had first come into his bar. “Honestly, if you ask me, I think that it was a little early to be shipped off to a boarding school, but she already had these past few years paid for and arranged by the will.”

Eunhyuk’s red eyes crinkled a bit as he smiled. “She will be allowed to return completely this year?”

Donghae nodded and slid the martini glass across the bar. “She’s almost exhausted her teachers’ knowledge and her control is much better now. She can at least stop giving me nightmares when she’s home.”

For a split second, Donghae saw the red irises turn a bit molten as plump lips quirked. Eunhyuk’s long and graceful finger trailed lazily around the rim of his glass before he picked it up. “I suppose that I should actually ask you out on a date before she returns. I would prefer to be the only one in your dreams.”

Donghae grinned as he picked up a bar towel to wipe the counter down. They’d had this kind of banter before, but had always gotten interrupted, or one of them had backed down before anything could come of it. “I suppose you should ask me properly instead of hinting at it.” Looking back up, he froze in place, ensnared by the hot look he felt all the way down to his toes.

Eunhyuk leaned slightly over the bar to softly his fingers down Donghae’s jaw. “Would you grant me the pleasure of your presence for dinner tomorrow night at my place?”

“Dinner?” Donghae shakily asked.

Eunhyuk rubbed his finger across Donghae’s lower lip. “Dinner… and perhaps dessert.”

“Seven?”

“A perfect time.” Eunhyuk took a deep breath. “Do please show up smelling just like… this,” he whispered into Donghae’s ear.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Donghae mumbled, tempted to turn his face just enough to encourage a kiss, or to just drag Eunhyuk across the bar and up the stairs to the large apartment he lived in.

Eunhyuk chuckled lowly. “Patience, baobei. The payoff will be worth the wait.” He pulled back, and Donghae braced his hands on the bar, breathing hard as he tried to regain his scattered wits.

A female form shimmered into being next to Eunhyuk, a glass already in her hands. “Eunhyuk, Donghae,” she greeted throatily.

“Hani, always a pleasure to see you,” Eunhyuk replied, waving a hand. Several bottles lifted off the shelf behind Donghae and poured themselves into Hani’s glass.

Hani looked unimpressed at the display, but she smiled when she looked at Donghae fully. “Oh, did I interrupt?” she teased.

“I do have some decorum,” Donghae replied, his voice still a little shaky.

“We were merely confirming a plan for dinner,” Eunhyuk added, leaning on the bar.

Hani snorted as she shimmered again, her form disappearing. “About time,” were her final words before she winked back out.

“You know she’s going to tell everyone,” Donghae said.

Eunhyuk looked amused. “I hope so.” He reached out and lifted one of Donghae’s hands, placing a delicate kiss on the jagged, uneven scars that stretched from his inner wrist to his palm. “Seven, tomorrow night.”

“Want me to bring anything?” Donghae was already shivering with excitement.

“Some wine would not be amiss, but the only thing I require showing up is you. I will see you then, Donghae.”

With a final wink, Eunhyuk slid away from the bar, wandering through the medium sized crowd of demons, dragons, normal businesspeople, and the occasional goblin that regularly gathered every night. Donghae took a moment to himself, thankful that the regulars could take care of their own drinks if they really wanted to have a refill. Most of them would even pay for it, too.

//

Donghae was having one hell of an early shift and he was literally counting down the minutes to where he could leave. He’d already broken up three potential fights, and only one of those was not caused by drunkenness. Of course, since it had to do with Hyorin’s affections, he really shouldn’t have been surprised.

“I didn’t realize I was even hungry,” Hyorin pouted.

Donghae laughed as he pulled her and another stunningly gorgeous woman through the store room and towards the back exit. “This time, don’t worry about it. You’re usually good about making sure you’re full before you come in.” Disengaging the alarm, he popped the door open, letting the two women sneak out.

Hyorin gave him a hug as he brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Eat well,” he playfully chided.

She glanced down pointedly, a smirk tilting her lips. “If I