Donghae’s breath was ragged. He didn’t know quite what was happening so for the time being he remained generally unresponsive.

     He’d spent so much time not dwelling on the kiss and being so heart-wrenchingly embarrassed for how he behaved that he’d never reflected on his feelings about the encounter in terms of whether he liked it.

     Now that he was thinking about it—because it was hard to not think about it when Hyukjae was so close to his face—he didn’t remember recoiling in disgust when their lips had touched. In fact, he suddenly remembered that they had kissed for a little while, lips brushing with feathery touches, never going in as far as they could potentially go.

     He vaguely remembered feeling his shirt tighten, presumably because Hyukjae had taken a fist full of the fabric and was squeezing…

     Because he liked it.

     “Donghae,” Hyukjae whispered between rumbles of thunder. But Hae wasn’t even focusing on the storm anymore.

     Now he was thinking about how close they were, how warm Hyuk’s skin was, how cozy it was to be curled up under the blanket with Hyukjae’s arm over his shoulders, hugging him, bringing him closer and closer—

     Donghae held his breath when the tip of Hyukjae’s nose brushed against his. The other man whispered a little louder, the desperation obvious in his voice, “Are you going to say anything?”

     Hae was grappling for the truth. It was as if it dangled by a string right on the edge of a cliff and if he just reached out a little further, he could latch onto it. But at the same time there was a perilous risk involved because if he managed to grab on, he would fall.

     And then the answer on the string started to move further away from the dangerous cliff. Donghae panicked, realizing that Hyukjae had just sighed through his nose (he could feel the air on his lips) and was slowly backing away, the arm across his shoulders loosening as the warmth of the candlelight reflected defeat on Hyuk’s face.

     Alarm swept through him and just as another clap of thunder filled their ears, Donghae suddenly found the courage to reach out his hands and fill his fists with the front of Hyukjae’s shirt.

     Suddenly he wasn’t so afraid of falling.

     He heard Hyuk make a little noise of surprise through his nose when their lips met, the touch a little more than what it had been the first time. Donghae was surprised he could recall that much since he’d obviously spent too much time concerned about the wrong things when it came to this kiss a week ago. He worried about perception, right and wrong, changing their relationship, all of those things. What he hadn’t considered was if he enjoyed this contact and all of a sudden—

     Oh yeah…

     He remembered now.

     Hae felt Hyuk’s arm refasten itself around his shoulders and the other hand sensually touching the side of his neck. They kissed softly like they had back then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Adrenaline began pumping through his veins, Hae’s brain became deprived of oxygen and his lungs burned for air but he didn’t want to pull away.

     Hyukjae was experiencing the same problem and was the first to break the kiss to inhale sharply, eyes opening half way to look into the dazed face of his counterpart, likely a mirror image of his own astonished expression.

     It didn’t take long for their mouths to meet again and this time, without the question of whether this was “okay” for the other, it felt easier somehow. Thunder and rain continued to pound against the apartment building, vibrations rushing through the bed frame and shaking their already quaking bodies, exciting them to the point where more felt right.

     Donghae didn’t know how far he should explore, didn’t know if he should follow his instinct to discover as much as he could or if there was some unwritten rule about voluntarily kissing your best friend who was also a guy. He didn’t feel that his experience with girls before would really apply to this situation, so the best he could come up with was to be acutely aware of how Hyukjae was responding to him—

     And, oh, was he responding…

     Hae could feel the hand on his neck inching further backwards, eventually gripping the back with fingers coming to brush against his hairline and pulling him further in. Their heads tilted slightly more to the side and their kiss deepened, mouths opened just slightly though tongues were stalled in their mouths, still too timid to take another step forward.

     Hyukjae twisted his body to make his access easier, his arm unwrapping from across Hae’s shoulders. From his new position, he brushed the back of his fingers against Donghae’s cheek and then pressed his warm palm to the soft skin, feeling how the other man’s jaw moved as they continued to kiss. He was quickly becoming breathless, the drive to continue their soft caresses forcing him to take in quick breaths through his nose. His stomach was tightening, especially when he felt one of Donghae’s hands release its grip on his shirt and fall down to rest on his thigh.

     Time passed and their lips swelled from the kissing. Heartbeats were going crazy and for the first time in a while, they felt like they were on exactly the same page. They both sensed that this was a time for exploration, for figuring things out, for simply feeling good.

     Heat was crawling up Donghae’s neck, making him hot. He shrugged off the blankets that were so necessary before and pushed further into Hyukjae, his hand on Hyuk’s thigh acting as a primary support. He resisted the urge to growl animalistically when Hyukjae boldly grabbed his lower lip between his teeth and nibbled, this simple action leaping them into another realm entirely.

     The weight of Donghae leaning against him caused Hyukjae to lose his balance and forced him backwards as if in slow motion. Before either of them knew what was going on, they were horizontal, still attached at the lips and kissing vigorously. Hae was kneeled over Hyuk’s body, hands gripping the other’s shoulders and one of his knees planted between Hyuk’s legs. Hyukjae was accommodating, one of his legs bent at the knee to make more room for the other man.

     Donghae didn’t know when it happened, but somehow one hand ended up sweeping against Hyukjae’s side, right in the slight curve of his midsection. Since his shirt was already a bit raised from the tumble, his fingers easily brushed against the fiery skin and without his consent, he was slipping his hand under the fabric to be in full contact with the flesh. Hae could feel Hyuk wriggling against the touch, one of his hands boldly slipping beneath the bottom of Hae’s gaping shirt to press against the hot skin of his stomach.

     The touch seemed to be the last push Hyuk needed to opening his mouth wider than before and tentatively sweep his tongue along the slit of Donghae’s lips, seeking entrance to pass yet another barrier between them.

     As the warm, moist muscle of their tongues met, Donghae’s mind raced between a million different thoughts. First he was thinking about how amazing this was (kissing girls was never like this), then he was thinking about what this meant for their relationship (were they like dating now?), then his mind was on the fingers tracing his abdominal muscles, the sheer pleasure of touching and being touched so directly enough to make him want to pull Hyukjae closer.

     How far would they go? What was the stopping point? For both of them, the future seemed so hazy, the next step always sitting just out of focus until they stumbled into it, already beyond it before they knew what they were doing. They were tripping and it felt so clumsy, yet they continued to move naturally, wanting more and more the further they got into it.

     Neither could tell you, in hindsight, how far things would have gone had it not been for a sudden wetness dripping onto Donghae’s neck and head. At first he didn’t notice, thinking that perhaps he’d broken into a sweat with all the heat emanating from their bodies. But soon the dripping became more insistent and with a noise of confusion, he pulled his hot mouth away from Hyukjae—who made a disapproving noise through his nose—and turned his face up to the ceiling where he was hit in the cheek with a skinny stream of water.

     Getting his bearings together, Donghae sat up onto his knees, holding his hand out under the leak to better figure out exactly what was going on through his reeling head and candlelit room. Beneath him, Hyukjae muttered something like, “What the—” before squirming his way out from under the drip.

     After a few moments more of allowing his heart to settle, Donghae slid off his bed and felt his way over to the table where he picked up one of the bowls he got out earlier. He quickly made his way back to the bed, not wanting his blankets and pillows to get wet and located the leak, effectively placing the bowl beneath to catch it.

     At some point (Donghae couldn’t remember), Hyukjae had gotten off the bed as well. Now they stood side-by-side, close enough to feel the heat rolling off the other person despite the fact that they had calmed considerably. They were both absently staring at the bowl of water through the dim candlelight, bodies stiff and minds racing.

     What do they do now?

     Just then, the lights began to flicker. On and off they went for several minutes, mostly staying dark. The men welcomed the distraction because they didn’t know what they would have done without it. Were they supposed to talk about what happened just now? How could they even begin to wade through all the actions to get to any sort of meaning that made any sense?

     Ultimately, the lights decided to stay on.

     The tension in the air was as electrical as the lightening outside the window. Both men blinked as their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness and, exhaling slowly, simultaneously turned to face the other head on.

     The sight before each person was too much.

     They both lost it.

     Hyukjae’s laugh was loud and inviting, Donghae’s quickly coming out to join the other. They laughed so hard that tears started to leak out of their eyes and they were grasping each other for support, lungs dying for a rush of fresh air.

     Hyukjae rubbed away the tears from one of his eyes, looking down at Donghae who was bent over with his merriment. “You look ridiculous!”

     Donghae lightly punched Hyukjae in the arm, trying to straighten himself and gripping his aching sides. “You look ridiculous! Completely crazy!”

     Indeed, both of the men were looking comical. Hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable, lips were swelled up from all the kissing and nipping, clothes were rumpled and hanging disheveled from their shoulders, cheeks and neck still flushed from their escapade on the bed plus the fulfilling laughter.

     And just like that, the tension evaporated. Suddenly, they were back to a comfortable place were they could touch each other without question and smile at the other without apprehension.

     “It looks like the worst of the storm has passed,” Hyukjae casually commented, looking out the window. Lightening was still making a fine firework display in the sky, but the incessant thunder had subsided. Donghae briefly wondered at what point in their make out session that had happened…

     Curious about what he looked like, Donghae quickly made his way over to the bathroom, leaving the door wide open as he approached the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.

     A strangled gasp fumbled its way from his lungs. “Oh my—what the hell?!”

     Donghae barely recognized himself. He touched his lips and his wild hair, knowing that he didn’t necessarily go to great pains to keep it neat but also knowing that it was never that messy.

     His lips were the most striking aspect. They were puffy from being bitten and as he examined his reflection, the image of Hyukjae appeared next to him in the bathroom.

     “Aish, look at this,” Hyuk mumbled, strands of his short hair and beginning the process of trying to organize it back into position. Donghae snickered and easily reached up into Hyuk’s hair, running his fingers through it to try and help get it back to its usual spikey appearance.

     “Better?” Donghae asked, stepping away from his handiwork.

     Hyukjae didn’t even look at his reflection. Instead, his eyes were trained on Donghae’s bright, flushed face and he couldn’t help but smile softly, feeling his heart beat strongly for this other person.

     The next quarter of an hour was spent with the two boys going through the apartment and emptying out bowls and mopping up puddles off the wooden floor. Hyukjae kept making comments about Donghae getting a new place to living which were always followed by Hae explaining that cheaper was better since he was just eating and sleeping here.

     “But don’t you want to be comfortable too?”

     “I am comfortable here. As long as the heat holds out in the winter, it will be fine.”

     “What if it doesn’t and you freeze? What’s your plan then?”

     In that moment, Donghae reached out and grabbed the wrist of an unsuspecting Hyukjae. Hyuk blinked, confusion flooding his face before the serious answer came, “I guess I’ll just have to come stay with you then.”

     Flushing a bright pink, Hyukjae wrenched his wrist away and made a trip to the sink to empty a couple bowls, rushing back to replace them before more water dripped on the floor. Donghae just smiled, pleased that he seemed to make the other man feel embarrassed for once. Usually it was Hae who felt more insecure about these things, so the role reversal was satisfying.

     “How about some coffee?” Hyukjae asked after all the water bowls and spills had been taken care of.

     Donghae just nodded, his body instantly pining for the caffeine fix that he’d been lacking for so long. “I’d really like to go the café and get one of your specialty drinks,” he murmured, watching as Hyukjae deftly walked around his kitchenette and prepared the coffee maker for use.

     Hyukjae smiled over his shoulder at his counterpart, “You could have been coming all last week. My aunt and uncle lost a lot of business because of you.”

     Grinning at the implication that Donghae was the café’s biggest customer, he snorted in response, admiring the way Hyukjae could make the coffee-brewing process look graceful like ballet.

     “So, you seriously didn’t come because you were afraid of what I would say?” Hyukjae asked, his tone completely conversational. It made it easier that his back was to the person he was talking to.

     Donghae nodded even though Hyukjae couldn’t see. “I didn’t know what to do. I guess I panicked.”

     Hyukjae shut the lid to the coffee maker and pressed the power button, turning around with his arms crossed and leaning back against the counter. “You should have just talked to me about it… I missed seeing you come in during the day…”

     Donghae tried to determine if Hyukjae’s cheeks were actually reddening at this confession or if it was just a trick of the light. In the end, he just smiled and waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah, I know… I’m sorry, Hyuk-ah.”

     Hyuk’s grin was genuine. “Make sure to come in tomorrow. I’ll make you something extra special and extra caffeinated.”

     Donghae arched an eyebrow and tilted his head in a way that Hyukjae found to be irresistibly cute. “Why extra caffeinated?”

     Hyuk laughed and tilted his own head to mimic Donghae. “Don’t you know what time it is?”

     Blinking, Donghae realized that he actually had no idea what time it was. It was dark when the storm started and it was dark now… How many hours had passed? How long had he and Hyuk been that way together. It had felt like mere minutes but he supposed that hours wouldn’t be completely out of the question.

     “It’s four-a.m., pabo,” Hyukjae offered helpfully.

     Hae thought his eyes would bug out of his skull completely. “Four in the morning?! When did that happen?!”

     Hyukjae laughed audibly and turned around, opting to not answer the obvious question (“When I had my tongue down your throat and your hand up my shirt”). Instead, he pulled out two mugs and went over to the fridge to get out some flavored creamer, deciding that some sweet coffee would be perfect for that moment.

     “Do you think you’ll have class today?” Hyukjae asked over his shoulder.

     Donghae rubbed the back of his neck, remembering fleetingly the feeling of Hyuk’s warm palm being pressed against it. “Probably. If they haven’t lost power, they’ll definitely stay open.” Donghae grimaced. At the moment, the only thing he wanted was to be cooped up in his damp apartment all day with Hyukjae.

     Something about the atmosphere they had created was so impossibly intoxicating, making it so Donghae never wanted to leave it behind. This was an environment where they had becoming something slightly more than friends and right now, it was completely fine. They both felt comfortable. And somehow Donghae knew that, once they left his place, it would puncture a hole in their happy bubble and it wouldn’t be so carefree anymore.

     He didn’t want to lose it.

     Hyukjae set the coffee mug in front of Donghae and retreated back to the counter, leaning against it instead of sitting down at the table with his friend. They silently sipped, Donghae marveling at how Hyuk could take the exact same ingredients that he used regularly and make something so much more fantastic than Hae ever could.

     “Are you going to sleep a bit before class?” Hyukjae said, finally breaking the comfortable silence.

     Donghae thought about it for a while before standing up and approaching Hyukjae, turning so he was leaning against the counter directly beside him. “I don’t know… Do you think I should?”

     Hyukjae leaned forward, trying to look towards the bed. “Is the leak gone?” Without waiting for an answer, he approached the sleeping place and checked the bowl, seeing that it hadn’t refilled and, after waiting with a hand out for several minutes, finally reported. “It’s safe if you want to grab a couple hours of sleep. Which you should.”

     Donghae thought deeply about the bed. He thought about all the things that had transpired there, about how it was likely that Hyukjae would be staying to sleep as well, thought about how comfortable it was to sleep with his friend.

     For the first time, nervousness bore into his chest. Was this going to change things? Would they still be able to sleep close together like they’d gotten used to during Hyukjae’s frequent sleepovers after that first time? Exactly what was their relationship now?

     More importantly… What did Donghae want their relationship to be?

     The question felt so huge. He wasn’t entirely sure of the answer, but he knew that he definitely didn’t want to be anything less…

     He liked Hyukjae. That much was clear. And not speaking to him for the previous week had impacted him in a negative way. And as Hyukjae stood staring at him from the bed, Donghae was hit with a sudden realization (that dangling truth that he’d been grappling for earlier).

     Not only could he not imagine Hyukjae ever being out of his life… but he simply didn’t want him to be. Donghae could clearly feel that, for the rest of his days, he wanted everything to include this hardworking man standing in his apartment. This man who had braved a storm to come offer his comfort, even after being treated badly for seven days.

     This man who would wake up early and stay up late just to get him the best cup of coffee.

     This man who simply talked to him, befriending him when he’d had no one else.

     Donghae didn’t know when he finished his cup of coffee, but he found himself setting the mug in the sink and walking over to Hyukjae, grabbing the man’s hand—not wrist or arm… hand—and pulling him into the bed with him, haphazardly pulling the blankets up over their bodies.

     As if it were the most natural thing in the world, they curled together under the covers, not even caring that the lights were still on. All the while, Hyukjae remained silent, allowing the college student to hug him close, tucking his head under Hae’s chin and closing his eyes, breathing in deep.

     Briefly, they both thought about talking through what had happened and what it meant for them. But something quite invisible held their tongues. Soon, they dropped off in a light sleep; Donghae to the steady rise and fall of Hyukjae’s chest, and Hyukjae to the strong rhythm of Donghae’s heart beating below his cheek.

     They both felt it without words. Something was different between them.

     Something was more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

     When Donghae pushed through the door into Hyukjae’s café, he had two thoughts:

1.     He wanted to die.

2.     Dying wasn’t really an option, so he needed some coffee.

     He plopped down into his usual seat and folded his arms, dropping his face into the sleeves of his sweater, resisting the urge to sob from feeling so miserable.

     “Tough day, huh?”

     Donghae grumbled into his arms, hearing Hyukjae’s laughter tinkling in his ears.

     “I’ll be back with your extra special coffee.”

     Hae couldn’t even look up. He felt tired, sick, frustrated, angry, and like he was facing death right in the face.

     He also knew he was being completely ridiculous. But when he got this way, it wasn’t uncommon for him to be overdramatic. When he was in the moment, he really couldn’t care less anyways.

     He’d gone to his first class without any coffee, waking up just ten minutes before it was set to begin. He remembered how he and Hyuk stumbled over each other to get their clothes on, Hyukjae also needing to be at the café sooner than he expected. They’d hardly been able to exchange a goodbye as they darted off in opposite directions.

     Hae hadn’t taken in a word of the lecture, but didn’t necessarily regret going. Some homework had been passed out that he would have missed otherwise. So feeling like he wanted to die was worth it, right?

     Donghae snorted into his arms. Yeah right.

     Hearing the familiar clink of a cup being set down in front of him brought Donghae out of his own mind and he peeked over his arms, looking at the coffee cup. He stared for a while, noticing that the top was covered with a little plate that was generally used to hold the teacups.

     “Double shot of espresso latte. Extra special,” Hyukjae said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his apron as he proudly gazed at his creation.

     Donghae glanced up at Hyukjae, completely amazed at how fresh and nonzombie-like the worker appeared. “How are you so awake?” Donghae asked, his voice husky and low with his lack of proper rest.

     Hyukjae grinned, amused at the grumpy face of his friend. “Please, Hae-ya,” Hyukjae began, setting a hand on the back of Donghae’s neck (Hae practically melting into the warmth of the palm), giving a little squeeze. “I’ve already had like four of these.”

     Donghae almost laughed, but his exhaustion caused him to cough weakly instead. He dragged the cup closer to him, wrapping his cold hands around the warm apparatus.

     “What’s so ‘extra-special’ about this coffee anyways…” Donghae muttered at Hyuk’s retreating back. More customers had entered the place so the worker’s attention had been diverted elsewhere.

     Sighing deeply and wishing for once that he could just sleep instead of getting a caffeine fix, Donghae worked up the strength to lift the little plate off the cup so he could wake up in the fifteen minutes he had left before his next class.

     Donghae’s eyes widened and he felt a jolt sore through his body, centering from his stomach. He stared down at the cup, his heart faltering for just a moment (was he dying?) before starting back up again and beating rapidly. He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until his lungs burned for air and he finally at the presence of mind to set the plate down on the table.

     Like usual, the foam art atop the coffee was beautiful. But suddenly, Donghae understood why this was, in Hyukjae’s words, “extra special”.

     An artistically crafted heart, full and without fault, had been manipulated into the foam of this particular cup of coffee. Perhaps he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to the image, except that he knew every coffee drink they served here (because Hyukjae had tested most of them out on his caffeine-addicted friend), and he knew that none of the foam decorations looked like this…

     This heart was specifically for him.

     Donghae finally got his bearings together enough to pull his phone out of his pocket and, with shaky hands, turn on the camera. He took a couple pictures, having to try again and again because he was shaking so badly.

     Eventually, he was satisfied and stared down at the picture of the heart design. He didn’t realize he was smiling until he looked up, seeking out Hyukjae in the café.

     Hyuk was behind the counter at the register, smiling and laughing with the couple, using his impeccable people skills to make everyone feel comfortable and welcomed. Donghae continued to stare, suddenly not even knowing the meaning of the word “fatigue” or “exhaustion”.

     He felt so awake, so desperately aware of everything. And the moment when Hyukjae slid his eyes just past the customers in front of him and looked over at the wide-eyed Donghae, the university student thought that he’d never felt so alive in his entire life.

     Those eyes, so soft and warm like freshly brewed coffee. They were looking straight at Donghae, searching for a sign that the message had been received.

     Hyukjae wrinkled his nose ever-so-slightly (Hae was sure the customers didn’t even notice) and the corners of his lips turned up in the gentlest smile Donghae had ever seen.

     All Donghae could do was smile back.

AN: Soooooo they didn't go aaalllll the way. But I felt like it was too soon! Don't worry, we'll get there!!

In the meantime, check out MY TUMBLR for teasers and other relative information and please please please give me story ideas (either for this one or something new). I'll also be adding a recommendations page soon so you can see what -I- consider to be quality work ^^

Have a good week, Pretties!!! See you soon!