True to their word, Kyuhyun and Yesung stay awake with him through the night, and they manage to get through three rounds of monopoly (all of which Kyuhyun wins, much to no one’s surprise). 

“Hey babe,” Hyukjae whispers, gently shaking Donghae’s shoulder as Yesung packs away their stuff. “Donghae, we have a doctor’s appointment to get to.”

“I can drive you guys,” Kyuhyun offers as Donghae groans, his left arm coming up and wrapping loosely around Hyukjae’s waist.

“That would be great, if it's no trouble for you,” Hyukjae says. He shakes Donghae again since his boyfriend has dozed off while they were talking. "Come on, babe."

Donghae finally gets up, giving Yesung and Kyuhyun a tired greeting.

Hyukjae goes to change before he bustles Donghae out the door, Kyuhyun following closely behind. Donghae looks much more awake by the time they get in Kyuhyun's car.

"Thanks, Kyu," Donghae mutters as Kyuhyun starts the car.

"No problem," he says, smiling softly at Donghae through the rearview mirror. Hyukjae is sure Donghae doesn't notice, given that his boyfriend is busy rubbing his eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Donghae says, yawning. "Sore, but it doesn't hurt."

Donghae says the same to his doctor after relaying to her the events of last night (with Hyukjae filling in some of the gaps). She examines him and tells them she doesn't see any glaring issues, much to Hyukjae's relief.

But she sends Donghae for a CT scan anyway. Since she doesn't seem too worried, Hyukjae doesn't let himself worry too much either.

Donghae, though, holds his hand so tightly that Hyukjae swears his blood circulation is being cut off as they head up to the CT room.

"Relax, babe," Hyukjae whispers, gently prying Donghae's fingers off of his hand. "You'll be fine. It's basically a giant x-ray machine, so it's not too bad. And it's not the first time you've had one."

"What? When?"

"Oh," Hyukjae says, realizing that Donghae hadn't been conscious the first time. He barely remembers—those days are fuzzy in his mind and he'd much rather forget them, so he doesn't mind all that much. "Nevermind then. It'll be okay. The scan only takes a few seconds and it doesn't hurt."

"Okay," Donghae says quietly. He takes Hyukjae's hand again, but this time he doesn't squeeze quite so hard.

When they get to the exam room, Hyukjae stays by Donghae's side through the preliminary preparations. He manages to keep Donghae calm through the injections needed for the scan and then walks him to the door and waits for him to finish.

“See, not so bad, right?” Hyukjae says when Donghae emerges again. Donghae nods, taking Hyukjae's hand.

“Yeah,” Donghae says as they head back to the doctor's office. “It wasn't bad."

"Good," Hyukjae says, pressing a featherlight kiss to Donghae's temple. He rubs circles on the back of Donghae’s hand as Donghae takes a seat again in front of his doctor. His grip tightens on Hyukjae’s hand and he gives Donghae a reassuring squeeze as Dr. Kim looks through the results.

"Okay, everything looks normal," she says and Hyukjae lets out a sigh of relief. "Just be more careful, okay? Next time you might not be so lucky."

"Yes, of course," Hyukjae says as Donghae nods. 

"Yes," he echoes.

Dr. Kim nods, satisfied. 

"Okay, then other than that, I think you're just about ready to change your physical therapy sessions from every other day to twice a week."

"Really?" Donghae says, perking up. 

"Your progress has been going well, so yes," Dr. Kim says, giving Donghae a gentle smile. Donghae gives her a wide grin in return. "Do Tuesdays and Fridays work for you?"

"Yes," Donghae says. 

"Perfect, then I'll put that in," she says. "And I'll see you in two weeks."

⸺

Hyukjae’s stomach growls violently as they leave the hospital, causing Donghae to laugh.

“I’ll make lunch,” he says and Hyukjae is glad his boyfriend isn’t the type to about these kinds of things—he’s embarrassed enough as it is. 

“We can buy takeout,” Hyukjae offers. “You’ve been cooking a lot.”

“Can we get sushi?”

“Of course,” Hyukjae says and Donghae smiles about that for their ride home.

Lunch is a delicious and relatively painless affair, until the end when Hyukjae gets up to get Donghae his pain medication.

"Here," Hyukjae says, handing Domghae his pill. Donghae stares at it for a second before he pushes Hyukjae's hand away, shaking his head.

"No, it's okay," he says. Hyukjae sighs.

“Come on,” he says. “You should still be taking them.”

“But they make me so sleepy,” Donghae protests. “And I get tired easily enough on my own.”

“Sleeping is what helps you heal faster,” Hyukjae says. “And taking painkillers will ensure that you can get the rest you need.”

There’s a stubborn set to Donghae’s jaw, but Hyukjae isn’t about to let this go. He can’t help but wonder if this is going to be the topic of their first fight.

“No,” Donghae says.

“Come on babe, please,” Hyukjae says. Donghae shakes his head.

“I don’t want it,” he says. Hyukjae sighs.

“I am not above bribing you,” he says. Donghae's eyebrow raises.

"With what?" 

"Kisses," Hyukjae offers.

"I get plenty of those from you already."

Hyukjae scoffs. "Fine, I will stop kissing you if you refuse to take it."

Donghae looks affronted and he bites his lip.

"Does it really mean that much to you?" he asks.

"Yes," Hyukjae says. Donghae slumps, holding his hand out. Hyukjae beams, putting the pill in Donghae's hand and kissing him.

"Thank you," he says. Donghae hums, swallowing the pill dry.

With that finally over with, Hyukjae settles in the living room while Donghae cleans up in the kitchen. Donghae will no doubt end up falling asleep again soon, so Hyukjae also pulls the throw blanket from the box next to the couch he had recently gotten for the purpose of easier access when Donghae naps.

"By the way,” Hyukjae says casually as Donghae enters the room, “Did you mean it when you said you want to get a dog? Together?"

Donghae stops in his tracks.

"When did I say that?"

"Last night," Hyukjae says and Donghae blinks.

"I don't remember saying that," he says carefully.

"Well that's not that surprising," Hyukjae says. Donghae purses his lips, looking displeased by his answer. He walks over to the couch and drags Hyukjae close, clinging to his arm. 

"What else did I say?" he asks.

"Well," Hyukjae says, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "You said you loved me over and over again. And that I'm perfect, very handsome, and your favourite person in the whole world." Donghae flushes.

"Well it's not a lie," he admits. "I do love you. And you are perfect, handsome, and my favourite person in the world." Hyukjae's heart warms at his casual admission. He bops his boyfriend on the nose, laughing at the way his nose scrunches.

"Flatterer," he says. "And you also asked if we could find a place together."

Donghae stiffens. 

"I did?" he says.

"Yeah," Hyukjae says, playing idly with Donghae's hair. "I mean no pressure, I wasn't even going to ask about it. But we can get a dog if you want."

Donghae's eyes widen. 

"Really?"

"Yeah," Hyukjae says casually. "I would love to get a dog together."

"And Yesung is okay with that?" Donghae asks.

"Yup," Hyukjae says. Donghae's eyes shine.

"So we can get a dog?" Donghae asks. Hyukjae can feel the man practically vibrating in his seat next to him.

"Yes, Donghae, we can get a dog," Hyukjae says, chuckling at his boyfriend's excitement.

"Now?" Donghae continues.

"Okay let's not jump the gun," Hyukjae says. "When you're healed a little more and we've done some research, we will, okay?"

"Okay," Donghae says, but he frowns. Hyukjae rubs at the crinkle between Donghae’s brow.

"Why the frown, babe?" he asks.

"Healing takes so long. I just want to be normal again," Donghae says, deflating as he speaks, his hand drifting to his wound. His boyfriend suddenly looks defeated. And without the normal brave face Hyukjae knows Donghae puts up for most of the day, Hyukjae can easily see that his eyes still lack the brightness it had had before he had gotten hurt. 

Hyukjae bites his lip. 

He knows Donghae will still be healing for months to come. He realistically won't feel close to normal until about two to three months from now, and for Donghae, who is clearly already feeling impatient, that would certainly be an eternity.

"Give it a month, okay? And then we'll look at some shelters," he says. A set date would give Donghae something to look forward to.

"A month," Donghae repeats and then nods. "Okay."

Hyukjae watches his boyfriend as the mask carefully reconstructs itself before his very eyes. He doesn’t know if Donghae is aware he’s doing it, but with his nightmares under control, it’s been easier for Donghae to keep a brave face. But at the same time, Hyukjae wonders if he should ask Donghae about it, ask him about his feelings, or if this is just Donghae’s way of coping and healing. He supposes he's much the same if he thinks about it.

“What is it?” Donghae asks and Hyukjae blinks.

“Hm?”

“You were staring,” Donghae clarifies.

“Oh,” Hyukjae says. “I just… are you okay?”

Donghae stares at him for a few seconds before he smiles.

“I—I think so?” he says. “At least… I will be.”

Hyukjae nods.

“Okay. Good. That’s good, I—uh—I will be too," Hyukjae says. Donghae smiles wider and Hyukjae pulls his boyfriend close, savouring the feeling of his warm weight against his own body. Donghae rests his head on Hyukjae's shoulder.

"What breed of dog do you want?" Hyukjae asks after a moment of silence.

"Mm," Donghae hums. "I don't know. What breed was Choco?"

Hyukjae looks down at Donghae, his heart warming at the thought that Donghae remembered the name of his beloved childhood dog. 

"She was a pomeranian," he says, idly the hairs at Donghae's nape.

"Oh," Donghae says. "Can you show me pictures of her some time?"

"Of course," Hyukjae says. "I'll ask my mom to send me some."

"Mm," his boyfriend hums, slumping further onto Hyukjae's shoulder. Hyukjae chuckles, carefully shifting Donghae into his lap. Evidently not careful enough though, because Donghae lets out a sharp hiss of pain as he moves.

"Are—"

"I'm fine," Donghae assures him quickly, smiling up at him. "Just shifted the wrong way."

"Careful," Hyukjae admonishes half-heartedly. Donghae giggles breathily.

"I am," he murmurs. Hyukjae nods. A moment of silence falls between them as Donghae finds a comfortable position on Hyukjae's lap. "And also… I think I would like a Maltese? Or maybe a toy poodle? I don't know. Whichever dog feels right, I think."

Hyukjae makes a vague noise of agreement, placing his hand on Donghae's head. He runs his hand through his boyfriend's soft hair. 

"I think whatever dog feels right is a good mindset," he mutters, but Donghae has already fallen asleep, so he doesn’t get a response. Hyukjae sighs, gently petting Donghae on the head before pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and over Donghae’s shoulders.

As Donghae sleeps, Hyukjae texts Ryeowook, who's off work today. He manages to convince Ryeowook to come over for dinner the next weekend. He's looking forward to catching up, given that they had barely had time to keep up even before Donghae had gotten hurt.

Hyukjae eventually drifts off, waking only when he hears a knock at the front door. 

Hyukjae carefully extracts himself from Donghae, replacing his lap with a pillow before jogging to answer the door.

“Heechul,” Hyukjae says, unable to hide his surprise at his unexpected appearance at his door.

“Sorry for showing up unannounced, is this a bad time?" Heechul asks and Hyukjae shakes his head.

"Donghae is taking a nap, but he'll probably be awake soon, so it's fine if you don't mind waiting a bit," he says. 

"Yeah that's fine," Heechul says and Hyukjae moves aside to let Heechul inside. "Where is he?"

"Couch," Hyukjae says as he locks the door. 

Heechul nods, quickly making his way to Donghae, a smile on his lips as he brushes some of Donghae’s hair out of his face. 

Donghae must have already been partially woken when Hyukjae had moved because he stirs as soon as Heechul moves his hair. He cracks an eye open, glancing up at his brother.

“Heechul?” Donghae asks, sounding groggy as he slowly sits up. Hyukjae sits down on the couch next to him, and Donghae uses him as a handhold to move faster. The blanket pools on his lap and Hyukjae pulls it off, tossing it aside.

“Hey kid,” Heechul says. “Good nap?”

“Mm,” Donghae says, a clear noise of displeasure. “I’m always tired.”

He doesn't sa