The throbs on his head forced him to wake up and soothe the pain. He clutched his head strongly and squirmed a little. Feeling that he was holding something, he slowly opened his eyes and the something turned out to be the same person he always saw when he woke up every morning these past few weeks. Heechul, snuggling closer to him, was still sleeping like a baby. He smiled and was about to pull the comforter to cover Heechul when his eyes widened rapidly looking at the strange view in front of him. With a few buttons undone, he could clearly see what was under Heechul's shirt. Red marks stood out among the pale, unblemished skin. There were a few on the neck, and collarbone, and a bit on the chest. As his eyes traveled farther, his heart twitched when he saw the cut on Heechul's lower lip. He suddenly had a headache; he persistently tried to remember what he did last night. 

Were all of these his deeds?

 

 

 

"P-prof. Park."

Jungsoo's breath hitched hearing Heechul's mumbling his name on his sleep, along with a hand crawling anxiously on the bed. And when it was already like this, he could not do anything—let alone proceed to ponder over the mess—other than lying back down on the mattress and pulling his husband close. And he did not know what to feel when Heechul was calmed as soon as they cuddled up. All he knew that this felt like the kind of morning he longed for but sadly it would not last any longer.

 

 

 

He glanced down and caressed one of the marks that had turned into a faint purple on Heechul's collarbone.

"Did I hurt you last night?"

He still remembered vividly why he drunk like a maniac last night. The things he accidentally overheard from Heechul and Kyunghoon's conversation shook him to the core. He even blamed himself for taking Heechul's presence for granted even though he knew for sure it was reaching the end. Moreover, when he realized they were talking more than that, more than what his heart was capable to bear—about their love—the pain was excruciating. 

 

 

 

Perhaps drinking and getting completely wasted would help him forget this matter, that was what he thought. He was wrong. Knowing that he probably scared Heechul, or worse hurt him physically or mentally last night, as he barely remembered a thing, he couldn't help but regret to ever involve alcohol in the list of his solutions.

Inhaling deeply, he eventually kissed Heechul's crown and stayed like that until the sun had set high—high enough for him to remember his responsibility for getting to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

»»————-　♡　————-««

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: Prof. Park I'm heading out to the campus, taking the kids with me. Breakfast is on the table. Good morning. (received: 7:43)

 

From: Prof. Park Lunch? (received: 1:13)

 

 

 

Heechul closed the chat room, his expression not changing much—the same blank one—albeit his mind already losing a screw. Since this morning, he replied to none of the persistent messages from his professor because he was still overwhelmed by what happened last night. He failed to sort out his feelings because, which feelings he had to think first, he did not know. They were coming like a bullet train. 

 

 

 

Walking to the main entrance of his building, he was about to throw his phone inside his bag when another message came. He intended to ignore the message and kept walking but his curiosity kicked in.

From: Prof. Park Look ahead. (received: 2:44)

 

 

 

Before he finished processing what the message meant, his eyes met a pair of familiar shoes right in front of him. He wished he was not so careless; he wished he could still escape from his professor. But his wish remained a wish.

"You're avoiding me," Jungsoo firmly stated. Heechul decided that the ground was more interesting so never did he lift his gaze.

"I'm talking to—"

"I'm not avoiding you. Don't be funny."

Lie. What a pathetic lie.

 

 

 

He heard Jungsoo let out a low sigh and brought his hand to caress his shoulders over the thick material of his turtleneck; the reason why he was wearing the damn clothes in such hot weather was not a secret between them. None of them wanted to let anyone see the result of the very same event that got them all awkward.

 

 

 

"If it's about last night, I'm terribly sorry. I... I—"

"That's fine, Prof. Park. Nothing happened if that's what you're worried about."

Jungsoo gently cupped Heechul's face but the younger dodged it and moved away. He was on the verge of giving up.

"No. I'm worried about you. Let's talk—"

"I'm busy. I have to go to the faculty, and then I need to meet my friends in the bar. Now if you may excuse me, I'm actually in a rush." 

 

 

 

Heechul managed to walk past his professor but what happened next sent his heart to explode. Jungsoo caught his wrist and naturally pulled him into his embrace. He could only shut his eyes tightly although they were wide open when he felt that Jungsoo was rubbing his ear and kissed it, whispering afterward.

"But you have to go home. Don't run away."

Heechul pried Jungsoo's arms forcefully and jogged to the building across his major, leaving his professor alone.

 

 

 

Home?

Did he even have one, though?

 

 

 

 

 

 

»»————-　♡　————-««

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heechul regretted to ever come home. The first thing he saw when he opened the door was his professor standing nervously behind the entrance, twining his hands behind his head. He wished he could just turn around and leave. But—

"Maw! Up up!"

Jungsoo was not the only one who was waiting for him. In the living room were his two angels—Hyukjae busy with his homework and Donghae who immediately ran towards him the moment he got in.

 

 

 

"It's already late. Where... Where have you been?"

Jungsoo asked yet his eyes never met Heechul. The younger, who had secured Donghae in his arms, ignored the question and strode to the couch right away. He plopped down beside Hyukjae and put Donghae on the seat beside him.