Roadside Scratches 
 

“Why on earth is it taking so long for my car to be fixed?!” 

Hyukjae stormed into the rustic garage in his striking Armani suit, completely unannounced for the third time that week.

He glared at the man who was in middle of bending over his precious Lamborghini, with a couple of tools in his hand. The man was rather good looking, not that Hyukjae would admit to it, with his brunette locks and blonde highlights. 

He waited, rather impatiently tapping his foot against the floor, for the mechanic to  look up and at least acknowledge his presence. Hyukjae’s eyes travelled down to the brunette’s behind, the intensity of his state never reducing as he admired the brunette’s muscular body. Hyukjae ran a hand through his hair, straightening up as the mechanic finally lifted his head, just to role his eyes at him.

“I’m sorry did you expect me to do some magical ‘hand washing’ dance and keep apologizing to it hoping that the car would poof back to normal?” Donghae asked, his voice holding a tone of amusement. “I actually have to fix the stuff you broke, you know.”

That was partially true. It was Hyukjae’s fault for being careless while he was driving. But in his defense, it was a hectic day and he had missed his daily intake of strawberry milk. The mechanic was fortunate that Hyukjae’s hadn’t started an apocalypse or commandeered a revolution in his horrendous day without his precious milk.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Hyukjae huffed, irked that the mechanic wasn’t at all disgruntled by his threatening demeanor. 

“Of course it wasn’t. Now don’t you have anything better to do than bothering me?” The hot mechanic asked, smiling in almost fond exasperation as he wiped some oil off of his jeans. “You’ve been coming here every morning since the day your car broke and I did tell you that I’ll call when it’s done. Do you really have that much free time to spare, Mr. Almighty CEO?”

“I’m a very busy person.” Hyukjae glared, as he adjusted his suit jacket. “I have so many meetings to attend,projects to keep up with. You’re lucky I’m giving you a minute of my time.”

The brunette laughed at the snarky remark.

“Sure thing. I’m forever thankful that you decided to grace me with your presence.” The mechanic said, his deep voice laced with laughter. 

“Are you mocking me?!”Hyukjae growled, raising his arms in frustration. “Where’s your manager? Doesn’t he teach you anything about how to respect your customers?!”

The young CEO glared at the brunette who seemed unbothered by his emotionally driven outburst, casually leaning on the Lamborghini. Hyukjae’s cursed internally as his traitorous eyes lingered on the exposed expansion of the mechanic’s chest. 

“My manager’s in his office as usual.” The brunette answered, gesturing at the small office located in the corner of the garage, with a board that said ‘Heenim’s Room of Desires’. “But I’ll warn you now, he’s in the middle of mass ordering a shipment of Anna dolls for his cult members. I don’t think you should interrupt him.”

Hyukjae winced thinking maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bother the manager after all. He could already imagine the diva’s flaming red hair and inhumane screeches yelling all sort of insults at him. Their first meeting hadn’t been too pleasant to say the least.

Just as he was about to snap back at the brunette, another young man strolled into the room, yawning tiredly as he picked up his tool box, opening it while ignoring the two in the garage.

“Late game night?” The mechanic offered as he glanced at the other man knowingly. “You know Kyuhyun, one of these days I’m going to burn down all your consoles. You starting to look more like the zombies in your games everyday.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Kyuhyun snarled as he grumpily collected his tools. “And anyway you don’t need to be afraid of zombies hyung. They eat brains. Clearly you won’t be effected.”

The mechanic laughed humorously, slapping his thigh, not offended the slightest. Kyuhyun then turned towards our dashing young CEO, who shrank back slightly, anticipating the insults of the younger.

But something surreal happened.

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened as he blushed.

“You-u look amazin-g today hyung.” He managed to stutter out.

Hyukjae’s mouth dropped open as he gaped at the snarky mechanic incredulously. 

It took a few seconds to process that Kyuhyun wasn’t in fact looking at him, but at something behind him. Hyukjae turned around to see his assistant, Sungmin, standing behind him with a sheepish smile. The CEO internally facepalmed as he chided himself for thinking at the younger would ever say something like that to him.

“I’m flattered you think so.” Sungmin winked at the younger mechanic, who was red as a tomato and seemed to be in the middle of a mental break down.

“And I’m sorry to say this Hyuk, but you have a meeting in an hour that you can’t miss, no matter how much you value your flirting time with the hot mechanic over there.” Sungmin grinned looking directly at the man in the suit, who suddenly seemed as red as Kyuhyun.

“I don’t- I wasn’t- I just wanted my Lamborghini back.” 

He managed to splutter out incoherently, as he glanced back at the said hot mechanic, who looked as though he was about to burst out laughing.

“Sure thing Hyuk.” Sungmin nodded with a serious expression, only the teasing glint in his eyes giving his true thoughts away. “I believe you. Of course you’ve been breaking your brand new cars for the past years and sending them all to this garage, which coincidentally always ending up with the same hot mechanic having to fix them and you spending all your free time breaking into his workplace unannounced, demanding all of his attention and making the rest of us suffer since the suffocating between you two make us want to grab your heads and slam your lips together.”

Hyukjae gaped at him as the man who looked startlingly similar to a bunny, panting slightly looking satisfied at the effect his little outburst had had on the CEO.

“You know what? Screw this...” Hyukjae muttered, turning in his heel and striding towards the brunette. 

The hot mechanic, who was still leaning on the expensive car, gazed at Hyukjae with furrowed brows, his eyes holding apprehension and an edge of panic.

But he didn’t have much time to ponder over it as Hyukjae slammed his hands down on the Lamborghini, caging the brunette’s body, and proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of him. He smiled into the kiss as a pair of thin lips kissed him back just as eagerly. 

“Hey.” Hyukjae smiled adoringly the brunette as they broke apart.

“Hi.” Donghae replied, a loving look gracing his face.

The CEO pulled the mechanic back into another passionate kiss as the wrapped his hands around Donghae’s waist, pulling him impossibly closer as the brunette circled his arms around Hyukjae’s neck.

A not so discrete cough brought them back to reality. 

Hyukjae glanced at Kyuhyun, who looked utterly unimpressed, then turned to Sungmin who was staring at the pair looking rather apologetic.

“Meeting, Hyuk.” He reminded the CEO gently.

The man in the suit groaned in dismay, hugging the mechanic tightly, as Donghae brought up a hand, running his fingers through Hyukjae’s hair, smiling as the other sighed in contentment.

“Can’t I just skip this one?” Hyukjae whined, trying to savor his lover’s embrace, before he got dragged away by a judo-chopping bunny.

“You have a company to run, Hyuk.” Donghae chuckled softly, rubbing the other’s back soothingly.

“But I want to spend more time with you.” The CEO sighed, pulling away slightly to gaze into the other’s chocolate-brown orbs. 

“Well you know where to find me once you’re done with work.” The brunette smiled, gesturing at the Lamborghini. “You’ve actually managed to do quite a lot of damage to your car this time. It’ll probably have to stay here for another week.”

Hyukjae couldn’t stop himself from pressing another his against his lover’s thin lips.

“That’s fine, Hae.” The CEO replied, his fingers lazily the other man’s sides. “But since I don’t have a ride anymore, can you pick me up after work?”

A look of hesitation passed the brunette’s features as his brows furrowed slightly.

“But you can ask Sungmin hyung to drop you off or use your company’s driver.” Donghae replied, trying to back away, coming to a stop once the back of his thighs hit the Lamborghini. “That’s what you’ve been doing for the past years.”

Hyukjae took a step forward, closing the distance between them, pressing his body flush against the other’s as he placed a gentle kiss on the mechanic’s cheek.

“I would really like it if you could come and pick me up after work.” The CEO repeated, his gaze loving as he saw the flash of uncertainty in the other’s face. “Besides I’m sure that Heechul hyung would let you leave early.”

The brunette still seemed uncertain.

“Hyuk, you’re the CEO of one of the biggest multinational corporations in the country.” Donghae mumbled softly, his voice straining slightly as he spoke. “Are you sure you want to be seen associating with a lowly mechanic with an old pickup truck?”

Hyukjae hated the amount of insecurity that was evident in his lover’s expression.He wanted to smother the brunette with kisses and reassure him that he didn’t care about their different social statuses.

“I want everyone to see me getting picked up by my boyfriend, whom I love very much, with his treasured pick up truck that he adores.” The CEO answered firmly, pressing an insistent kiss on the mechanics’ sweet lips.

The sweet smile he received in return made Hyukjae’s heart flutter wildly in his chest.

“I should probably go now before Sungmin self combusts with frustration.” Hyukjae grumbled, placing his forehead against his lover’s.

The mechanic chuckled softly.

“Have a good time at work.” Donghae whispered, gazing into the other’s dark orbs.

“Doubt it.” Hyukjae replied, then puckered up his lips in the most ridiculous manner. “Where’s my goodbye kiss?”

The brunette laughed as he obliged, pressing a short yet loving kiss on his lover’s plump lips.

The CEO let go of the mechanic, walking towards his assistant who rolled his eyed as if to as finally. Hyukjae was about to leave the garage, when he suddenly turned towards his boyfriend.

“Donghae?” He called out, his gaze flickering towards his Lamborghini the to his beautiful lover. “Be careful.”

“Why do you think I’ll break your precious car more instead of fixing it?” Donghae laughed.

“No, I meant you should be careful.” The young CEO rephrased. “I don’t care about the car. Just don’t hurt yourself.”

He heard Kyuhyun complain about his cringey words but Hyukjae decided that the  ear splitting grin that he got from his lover in return was worth the comments he’d have to hear from the maknae.

•••

“So what made you reveal your secret relationship to me?” Sungmin asked his eyes on the road, as he steered his way through the busy streets. “I mean it was glaringly obvious that you two loved each other from the start, but you still pretended that you hated him and he was just a mechanic you went to get your cars fixed from.”

Hyukjae leaned back against the seat of his assistant’s Audi, looking at the pink haired man warily.

“I figured you already knew.” He answered looking out of the window. “I wasn’t doing much to hide it anyway.”

Sungmin glanced at the man in the suit for a second before returning his eyes to the road.

“I didn’t know that you two were dating.” Sungmin replied, sounding rather hesitant. “I mean you’ve always manage to break your car  then go down to the garage to bicker with Donghae. I honestly thought that you were playing with his feelings for a while. You actually did a good job at hiding your boyfriend in plain sight.”

“It’s not because I’m ashamed of him or anything like that.” The CEO said, his voice both defensive and slightly angry at what his assistant was implying. “I love Donghae and I want to be with him.”

Sungmin tried to gauge the other’s fiercely protective expression.

“Then explain it to me Hyuk.” The pink haired man said. “Not as my employer but as my friend. Because in the three years I’ve worked for you, Donghae has always been a constant part of your life. I didn’t want to pry since it was your life and your choices, but lately the topic of your relationships have been coming up more often in office and you know that.”

“Since you asked Donghae to pick you up from work today, I’m assuming you’re ready to let the world know who your dating. And as a friend, I want to be on your side when it all blows up in the company. I mean I like Donghae and I think he’s a perfect match for you, but most of the others won’t agree on this at all. So tell me Hyuk, what is really going on between the two of you?”

Hyukjae sighed, playing with the hem of his suit jacket as his gaze flickered towards his friend. 

“I guess, I’ve known Donghae for quite some time now.” The CEO finally answered, his voice holding a soft nostalgic tone. “Almost ten years I think. When I first met him, he was going through a really hard time. And I... Well I was in the middle of having a rebel phase because my parents wanted me to take over the family business.”

•••

10 years ago 

“What the hell were you thinking Hyukjae?! You could’ve gotten yourself seriously hurt because of your reckless driving!” Leeteuk roared on the phone.

Hyukjae winced as he distanced his phone from his ear, limping as he walked through the corridors of the hospital trying to find a place to sit down.

“Whatever hyung... Just come and pick me up.” Hyukjae muttered hanging up.

He found a small bench in the passageway, where a lone man sat in one end. Figuring that it would be a place to rest, since his leg was killing him, Hyukjae sat down on the other end, warily testing out his wrist which was wrapped up in a bandage.

The raven haired man was already anticipating the scolding he’ll get from his parents for wrecking his Maserati. 

But who cares?

He was the problem child anyway.

Hyukjae who was too dumb to follow his sister’s footsteps and enter a prestigious university. Hyukjae who spent his time strolling in and out of clubs, partying the night away. He rebelled against everything his parents and their company stood for.

The young man wondered whether his parents had finally had enough of his careless antics and was planning to ship him off into another country. 

He was an embarrassment to the family anyway.

He let out an exasperated sigh, leaning on the bench, wondering when Leeteuk, his father’s assistant would finally show up. Hyukjae’s gaze strayed to the man who was sitting beside him.

Hyukjae had to admit that the man was rather good looking, with long brunette locks that almost reached the nape of his neck. The young man was looking down at his hands, his feet tapping impatiently on the whitewashed tiles of the hospital.

But what caught Hyukjae’s attention the most was the heartbroken look on the other’s eyes.

The brunette on the bench payed no heed to the Maserati-wrecking delinquent as he seemed to be struggling to hold his tears back, his entire body shaking.

Hyukjae was about to ask the young man whether he was okay, because while he may seem like a heartless rich brat he actually had a conscience, when the sound of footsteps rushing down the corridors made him snap his head back up.

An older man dressed in a suit came to a stop in front of the brunette, immediately wrapping his arms around the younger.

“Hae it’s going to be alright. It’s okay. I got you.” The stranger mumbled as the brunette in his arms began to sob.

“Appa... he’s not...he’s not-t going to make it...” The young man whimpered out, as he tried to sniffle his cries.

It was at that moment that Hyukjae noticed how similar the two men looked. It didn’t take much for him to guess that they were probably brothers.

“Appa lived a good life Hae. He was happy. The doctor said he had about an year left right?” The older man said softly, his own voice breaking as he seems to be holding his own grief in. “We’ll just do our best to make him as comfortable as possible ok? The hospital bills are going to pile up soon too, the treatment is expensive. But we have to do our best Donghae. We have to make Appa happy in his last days too.”

‘Donghae’ nodded his head, trying to wipe his tears away with the back of his hand. 

While Hyukjae wanted to look away from the private moment between the two brothers, he couldn’t help but stare at the younger brunette who seemed so utterly devastated. The delinquent himself was confused when he had suppress the urge to wrap his arms around the young man and protect him from the cruel world.

But he didn’t have much time to ponder over his own thoughts when he noticed another frazzled looking man rushing towards his direction.

Hyukjae sighed and stood up, giving one last glance towards the sobbing angel before walking towards the fuming man.

~

“Why do I have to come with you?” Hyukjae complained as Leeteuk dragged him towards the repair shop to check on his trashed Maserati.

The older man had lectured him for hours before dragging him to the garage to check on the car.

“I can’t let you out of my sight after the way you acted today Hyukjae.”  Leetuek answered, as they strode into the small shop that was filled with cars that were to be repaired.

Hyukjae huffed as he entered the building, about to snap back at the older man when a commotion in the building made him freeze.

“An apology won’t cut it Lee Donghae! How many times have you been late for work this week?! I’ve had enough! You’re fired! Get your sorry self out of this garage!” A voice snarled viciously.

The young delinquent look up to see a middle aged man stand in the center of the room, pointing threateningly at a younger man. 

Shock travelled through Hyukjae’s vines as he recognized the brunette.

The beautiful man looked even more devastated than the time at the hospital. Hyukjae waited in a tense silence for the other man to defend himself, to tell the stupid manager that it wasn’t his fault he was late. That he had been to the hospital to visit his sick father.

But the brunette merely looked at the cruel man with tearful orbs, his hands shaking slightly.

“I’m so s-sorry... I promise I’ll do better-r...” The young mechanic stammered out, looking imploringly at his employer. 

“I told you once. Get out of my sight!” The old man roared, raising his arms threateningly.

The brunette flinched but he stood his ground. The young delinquent watched fearfully as the manager seemed to explode with fury.

“Please.” Donghae whimpered bowing, his gaze lowering to the ground.

Hyukjae wanted to scream when the owner stepped forward flinging the spanner he had in his hand towards the young man. But he stood frozen in his spot as he saw the spanner leave the older’s hand, hitting the brunette cheek painfully before falling onto the floor with a thud.

The sound of metal clashing onto the floor finally brought Hyukjae out of his stupor as he rushed towards the sobbing brunette as fast as his sprained ankle would allow him to, grabbing the young man’s wrist, pulling him towards himself.

The delinquent’s heart clenched painfully as he brought up his hand to gently caress the other’s bruised cheek and split lip.

The brunette was too overtaken by grief to notice that Hyukjae was the only thing holding him up at that moment. The broken look in the younger’s eyes made Hyukjae’s fury return in twice the amount.

“What the hell did you just do?!” Hyukjae yelled at the manager. “How can you just throw a ing spanner at a person like that?!”

The older man seemed quite taken aback at Hyukjae’s sudden appearance. The delinquent’s expensive clothes and accessories made it clear that he was a person with a lot of wealth.

Hyukjae grabbed the brunette by his arm, dragging him out of the building as gracefully as his ankle would allow them to.

“What are you doing Hyukjae?!” Leeteuk asked alarmed at the fury in the younger’s orbs.

“Get rid of that man.” Hyukjae snarled pointing  at the old manager. “You have my credit card anyway. I don’t care if you have to buy the entire garage but get rid of him.” 

With that being said the delinquent continued to drag Donghae out of the building, entering the one next to it, which just so happened to be a Taco restaurant and pushed the young man into a booth, wrapping his arms around him as he sat down beside him, letting the brunette sob against his chest.

Hyukjae patiently waited for the brunette to calm down from his shock, soothingly rubbing his lower back.

When Donghae did finally look up, his eyes widened when he saw the handsome stranger that comforted him. He glanced about, realizing possibly only then that he wasn’t even in the garage anyway.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” The brunette said distancing himself from the delinquent.

“It’s fine. You look like you needed a hug anyway.” Hyukjae answered, offering the mechanic a small smile.

“Thank you.” Donghae mumbled, pouting slightly as he looked down at his lap. “You didn’t have to comfort me... I mean you’re a complete stranger...”

The young delinquent sniffled a smile, trying to resist the urge to smother the cute creature before him in hugs. 

“The owner was a jerk. He had no right to treat you that way.” Hyukjae replied firmly, feeling strangely protective of the brunette. “And we aren’t exactly strangers anyway.”

The mechanic looked up at him quizzically.

“I was sitting next to you in the hospital bench earlier today.” Hyukjae admitted. “I kind of over heard the conversation between you and your brother.”

“Oh” Was all the brunette said.

The mechanic’s puppy-like eyes looked so sad and so lonely at that moment that Hyukjae found himself swearing to make sure that that expression never crossed Donghae’s face again.

“I’m sorry about you father’s illness.” The delinquent murmured sincerely.

“Thank you. We’ve expected it for quite some time now anyway.” The brunette mumbled back.

“Your name his Donghae right?” Hyukjae asked softly, hoping to distract the younger from his grief. “I’m Lee Hyukjae and I’m twenty four.” 

“We’re the same age then.” The brunette muttered, just as quietly.

Hyukjae cheered internally as the mechanic’s gaze become more interested in him, the devastated look fading away slowly. 

“How come you came to the garage?” Donghae asked his gaze dropping towards the delinquent’s bandaged wrist. “Did you get into a car accident?”

“I’m the one who crashed the Maserati that came to the garage in the morning.” He admitted sheepishly as Donghae’s eyes widened almost comically.

“But...but that car is so expensive! How can you just crash it?!” The mechanic asked his voice going up a notch.

“I honestly don’t care that much about the car. And I know I sound like a spoiled brat right now, but the Maserati was just a piece of metal that my father gave to console me. I don’t care about what the old man thinks  of the piece of junk anyway.” Hyukjae replied without thinking.

His own eyes widened when he realized what he said.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that.” The delinquent stammered, hastily correcting himself. “It’s just that my parents and I aren’t in the best terms right now.”

“But wouldn’t your father want what’s the best for you?” The brunette asked softly.

“My family’s not like that Donghae.” Hyukjae answered smiling sadly. “My father taught me since I was young that there was no such things as friends in his world. Everyone was my enemy. Life was a competition. He forced me to excel in my studies, isolating me from children my age. My parents raised me to be the next heir to their business empire.”

“But by the time I turned eighteen I found out what freedom was like and what life really was about. I guess I started to rebel then. And I started to truely hate my father when he made quit dance and study business instead.”

Hyukjae has never really admitted the real details of his lonely childhood to anyone and he wasn’t sure why he was so trusting of the brunette in front of him. But somehow, he knew that Donghae would protect his heart.

“But that’s horrible.” The mechanic exclaimed softly.

“I’m kind of the trouble child in my family.” The delinquent laughed humorlessly. “Hence the wrecked Maserati. I’m pretty sure my parents will ship me off into a foreign country any day soon, just so they can get rid of the humiliation of having a son like me.”

•••

“After that I turned my life around completely. Because my parents did end up threatening to send me to the US but I didn’t want to leave Donghae. So I took up business as they asked me to and worked my way up to the top.” Hyukjae said as the car pulled up in front of the glamorous building.

“To be honest, the real reason I wanted to take up the CEO position was because I wanted to become someone worthy of Donghae’s love.” The former delinquent admitted as he looked at his friend. “He makes me want to be a better person.”

Sungmin hummed as he stopped the engine of the Audi.

“But Hyuk, you’re almost in your mid thirties now.” Sungmin said in an apprehensive voice. “You  know that your parents are going to force you to marry someone. And they won’t let that person be Donghae.”

The CEO nodded his head. He already knew that.

“They made every important decision in my life.” Hyukjae replied firmly, “I’m not letting they choose who I’m supposed to love.”

•••

It was late evening when the young CEO finally managed to leave his office. He walked out of the building, smiling happily when he noticed an old beat up pickup truck, parked among the shiny BMWs and classic Benzs. 

He strolled towards the truck, noticing the bewildered stares of his employees as they openly gaped when he got into the passenger seat of the truck.

“Hey.” Hyukjae smiled at his handsome boyfriend.

Donghae clearly came straight from the garage, in his white top stained with oil that stretched across his broad chest in a breathtaking manner and the pair of shiny blue pants that Kyuhyun had given the mechanic as a gag gift.

The brunette was visibly nervous, glancing around at the spectators who was witnessing the scene from outside.

“There’s a lot of people staring.” Donghae said, his voice soft and uncertain.

“Let them stare.” The CEO replied, leaning back, making himself comfortable against the soft material of the car seat, as he lazily glanced about out of the window at the people who were watching their every move so unsubtly. 

He smirked when he realized that one of his father’s assistants were in the crowd.

Hyukjae expected to get a phone call from his parents any minute now. Too bad for them, as he had turned off his phone as soon as he left the office building.

“Clearly they haven’t mastered the art of being discreet.” The CEO chuckled.

He supposed that they were quite an odd pair. A hot-tempered delinquent turned CEO and a handsome mechanic who tended to break things more than fixing them.

Donghae however, seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. Noticing his lover’s discomfort, Hyukjae reaches out his hand to caress the brunette’s thigh soothingly.

“I shouldn’t have come to pick you up. They’ll probably spread rumors about you in office now. Oh god what if they lose all the respect they have for you?!” 

“Hae-“

“All your hard work for your company would go down the drain! Because of me! You have an image to maintain. I’m fine with keeping our relationship hidden Hyukjae, you shouldn’t be associating with someone like me in public.”

“Donghae-“

“Maybe you should pretend that I’m just a friend. You can say I just came to visit you. They won’t know the truth and your career will be safe-“

The mechanic didn’t have time to complete his sentence as the CEO hand shot up, curling into a fist against the fabric of his white shirt pulling Donghae forward suddenly, capturing the thin lips in a passionate kiss.

Taking advantage of the little gasp that the brunette let out, Hyukjae slid his tongue into the other’s hot cavern, nibbling on his beautiful lips. He kissed his lover eagerly, his other hand traveling towards the nape of Donghae’s neck, keeping him firmly locked in place. They pulled away breathlessly a few minutes later.

The CEO panted slightly as he stared into the his lover’s eyes.

“Never say that Donghae. Don’t ever think that I’m ashamed of loving you.” Hyukjae said huskily, as his voice dropped a tone lower. “I meant it when I said that I don’t care if other’s find out about our relationship. I love you dearly and that’s all that matters to me. The company and everything else is worthless compared to you. Having you by my side is my proudest achievement Hae.”

The brunette let out a watery smile that made the former delinquent’s heart flutter.

“But your parents?” He asked quietly, a flash of insecurity crossing his features.

Hyukjae’s heart clenched as he gazed at the sad orbs of his very own angel.

Hyukjae leaned forward, pressing a soft insistent kiss on the thin lips.

“I don’t care about what they think Hae.” The CEO answered truthfully and earnestly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. They may interfere with my life, but I’ll never let them take you away from me, Donghae. I’ll work harder to be a better boyfriend and a better man for you.”

He pressed a kiss on the mechanic’s nose.

“Besides I already have your father’s permission anyway.” Hyukjae added, running his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. “That’s all that matters.”

•••

9 years ago

Hyukjae and Donghae walked down the familiar corridors of the hospital hand in hand.

“You didn’t have to do this Hyuk.” The brunette murmured softly as they headed towards the private suite in the hospital. “I already owe so much for getting me a job with Heechul hyung.”

“It was nothing Hae.” Hyukjae answered pressing a kiss against the mechanic’s forehead. “It was the least I could do to help.”

Dongahe smiles sadly before opening the door and entering the luxurious hospital room.

Mr. Lee was sitting up on the bed, looking weak but joyous as Donghwa held up a small decorated birthday cake. The brunette immediately launched himself towards his brother, letting go of his boyfriend’s hand as he began to complain about how Donghwa should have waited for the mechanic to come. The former delinquent smiled at the bickering brothers, but didn’t leave his position near the door, as he felt slightly choked up witnessing the warm family atmosphere.

Mr. Lee looking so happy even though his health was deteriorating by the day and Mrs. Lee  arranging the utensils and plates, glancing in fond exasperation at the pair of bickering brothers.

It was what a real family looked like.

Something Hyukjae had never experienced in his own life.

“What are you doing standing by the door, Hyukjae dear? Come join us. They’re about to cut the cake.”

It was the kind voice of Mrs. Lee that broke him out of his reverie.

“I don’t want to intrude...” He answered hesitantly.

“You won’t be.” She reassured him as she ushered him towards the hospital bed where Donghae and Donghwa were still playfully fighting over the birthday cake. “Besides you need to eat more child, you’ve been so busy these days that I’m worried about your health.”

Both Mrs. Lee’s motherly concerns and the fact the Donghae immediately intertwined his with Hyukjae’s as soon as he got closer to him, made tears rush to his eyes.

“Donghae isn’t stealing your food, is he? He always used to steal other people’s food. Just flick him on the forehead and he’ll never do it again.” Mrs. Lee said chuckling softly as her youngest son protested at the accusation.

“Hae doesn’t need to steal food Umma.” Donghwa retorted, the teasing tone evident in his voice. “He just needs to glance with those pitiful teary eyes of his, and you’ll find yourself giving him whatever he wants. You need to learn to resist the power of the kicked puppy look, Hyukjae!”

Donghae wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, buring his face under the crook of the other’s neck as he mumbled incoherent but adorable grumblings.

“They’re being mean Hyukkie.” The brunette murmured pouting. 

Hyukjae couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he placed a his on his lover’s forehead, hugging the mechanic tightly. He simply couldn’t resist his boyfriend’s cute antics.

Another victim of Donghae’s childish charm was Mr. Lee himself.

“How about you blow out the candles for my cake Hae?” Mr. Lee asked, struggling slightly as he spoke but the love towards his youngest son unwavering. 

The brunette immediately perked up, nodding his head happily.

“How on earth are you twenty five Donghae?” Donghwa laughed looking thoroughly amused. “You still behave like a toddler!”

“Well you’re being mean hyung so you’re not going to blow out the candles with me.” Donghae declared, sticking out his tongue at his older brother. “Hyukkie and I will do it instead.”

The young mechanic rushed to find a box of matches to light up the candles, squealing as his brother started to chase him.

“Wait Hae I’m not part of the family, I can’t...” Hyukjae protested weakly but his boyfriend was already in the other side of the room, fumbling through his bag looking for a match box while trying to fend off Donghwa at the same time.

“You are part of the family Hyukjae.” Mr. Lee said firmly, looking up from his position on the hospital bed.

The former delinquent glanced at him surprised.

“You know after I was diagnosed with this illness, I was worried about how Donghae would cope with it. But I’m glad he met you, Hyukjae. Because I know you’ll be there for him even if I won’t be able to. It’s nice to know that there’s someone who would stay by my baby boy’s side to protect him once I pass away.” The older man added, a weak smile adorning his face.

Hyukjae felt the unshed tears sting his eyes.

“I promise that I’ll take care of Donghae, sir.” He replied, determination sweeping into his voice as he glanced at his grinning lover who was returning holding a match box in his hand. “I’ll make sure that he doesn’t ever get hurt.”

“Thank you, my son.” Mr. Lee smiled at Hyukjae, who felt a lone tear of happiness fall down his cheek.

•••

The young CEO looked fondly at the mechanic who looked more assured and comforted even though the shocked stares of the crowd outside didn’t reduce the slightest.

“Do you want me to drive or do you not trust me with your precious truck?” Hyukjae teased, his heart fluttering happily when a breathtaking smile graced his lover’s face. “But then again, in your defense I have wrecked a lot of cars.”

Donghae chuckled softly as he started the engine, steering his way carefully through the car park, leaving the avid spectators behind. 

“I’ll drive.” Donghae answered as they entered the main road. “Where do you want to go?”

“Do you remember that Taco restaurant where we first met properly? The one next to your old garage where we spent hours talking about everything and anything even though we were complete strangers? Let’s go there.” He answered, resting his hand on the brunette’s thigh.

Donghae hummed in agreement, changing lanes, heading towards the building that held so many fond memories to both of them.

“You know that’s where I first fell in love with you.” Hyukjae admitted, looking at his boyfriend’s beautiful face which was focused on the road. “After that day in the Taco restaurant, I just knew that you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I was willing to do anything to be worthy of your love.”

He admired the blush that graced his lover’s face.

As cheesy as his words sounded, Hyukjae was being completely honest. If he had Donghae by his side, the rest of the challenges that came his way in his life were insignificant.

Like a couple of roadside scratches.

“I’m yours for rest of eternity, Hyukjae.” Donghae assured him fondly.

Hyukjae’s hands curled possessively around  the small velvet box in his pocket. 

“There’s nothing more I wish for, Hae.” 

The CEO gazed at his mechanic with a look that held nothing but love.

The end.

•••

Author’s note 

And it’s over! I wasn’t really planning on writing this but oh well. Please excuse all the typos and the terrible grammar. It's past midnight and I'm exhausted:(

I’ll share my favorite line in this one shot! It’s,

But I’ll warn you now, he’s in the middle of mass ordering a shipment of Anna dolls for his cult members...

I’m not sure how I came up with that one (but if Heechul ever started a cult I would totally join haha)

I honestly think I prefer writing oneshots because I’m too lazy to complete full length fanfics :)

Also  I’ll shamelessly promote some of my other oneshots while I’m at it.

If you guys have some spare time maybe you could check these out.

Of Nightclubs and Online gamers.

https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1455712/of-nightclubs-and-online-gamers

Lee Donghae, I hate you!

https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1454974/lee-donghae-i-hate-you

Faithfully yours.

https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1456739/faithfully-yours

Thank you so much for reading this story!

I’m looking forward to reading the comments!

Constructive criticism always appreciated!

Thanks again<3