“That was really fun!” Exclaimed Hyukjae as the pair exited the building.

Donghae was trying to conceal the huge smile on his face, but it was really difficult. Between feeling like he had a knack for dancing and seeing Hyuk so excited, he was beside himself with emotion. All he could do was grin and nod...

“I didn’t know you were so good! At first I thought you were trying to trick me by telling me you’d never had a dance lesson…”

Donghae flushed and rubbed his head, “I’ve really never tried it before. But thanks a lot for inviting me today…”

Hyukjae stopped and reached out an arm in order to gently grab Donghae’s arm to stop him too. Hae turned to face the other man, eyebrows perked in question.

Hyukjae didn’t remove his hand from Hae’s arm. “Thanks for going with me…” Hyuk said, his tone suddenly serious.

Donghae tilted his head a bit, confused by the serious turn of their conversation. He watched Hyuk’s face carefully, noting the very light sheen in his eyes and how awkward he looked with the corners of his lips turned downward.

“I just… I don’t think you realize how nervous I was to move here… I was really scared that I wouldn’t make friends.”

Now Donghae was confused. “But what about Sungmin in class? You seemed friendly with him.”

Hyukjae lifted the hand he had placed on Hae’s arm, waving away the inference, “I only talk to or see him in class, though… and in terms of having him as a good, close friend, he already has Kyuhyun for that.”

Donghae nodded in understanding. “But Hyukjae, you approached me first. It didn’t really look like you have trouble making friends.”

Hyuk started walking again, a smile returning to his face, “Yeah, I don’t know why I did that… You seemed really bored from that girl and I think I felt bad for you.”

Just then, Donghae’s stomach interrupted the conversation and Hae winced. “Hyuk-ah, want to get something to eat?”

Hyukjae inhaled deeply through his nose as if thinking deeply about this suggestion. He really didn’t have to ponder long. Very soon, he patted Donghae on the back and asked, “Where?”

Donghae wasn’t really used to all the contact that Hyukjae seemed so comfortable with. But Hae also felt that he liked it… He’d never experienced skinship before and had fleetingly wondered what it was like and why so many people wanted it. But now he understood. It felt good to have someone give you a friendly, reassuring touch or pat.

They finally decided to eat some meat at the open-air market. Walking there, they laughed and talked, constantly learning about each other.

“How did you end up here with your aunt and uncle?” Donghae asked, always curious about it but only now feeling comfortable enough to ask.

Hyukjae didn’t answer immediately. In fact, Donghae was beginning to regret asking when Hyuk decided to respond. “My mom doesn’t really have it all together… staying with her and taking care of her wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere.”

Just then, they arrived at the food place and Hyuk lead them to a table. As he took a seat, he offered a bit more. “My uncle must have noticed it was a dead end for me, too, which is why he invited me along.”

Donghae nodded. He didn’t want to ask about Hyukjae’s dad right then… It seemed like it was pushing a little too much for now.

Or so he thought.

“What about you? How’d you end up here alone?” Hyukjae had always been curious about why Donghae didn’t bother finding a roommate or anything.

Donghae shrugged and shuffled his feet a bit. “I don’t really know anyone and actually, I think I prefer living alone.”

“Have you ever had a roommate before?” Hyuk asked, suspecting a negative response for his prodding.

“Well, no…” Donghae trailed off. Truthfully, he was scared of sharing a room with someone; the opposite of what most people want. Most people were more afraid of staying alone.

But not Hae… He’d been alone for a long time.

A lady in a uniform walked up to the table, extinguishing the conversation. They told her what they wanted to eat and drink and when she walked away with their order, Hyuk changed the topic.

“Do you think you’d like to come back?”

“Where? The studio?”

Hyuk nodded, “Yeah. You seemed like you were having fun.”

Donghae thought about it for a minute, chewing on the inside of this cheek as he thought. Did he have time? It was only one morning on the weekend and he was already ahead in most of his classes.

In the end, he nodded. “Yes, I want to come back.”

Hyukjae beamed, “Great! Sungmin will be happy. He mentioned how it was nice to see someone be able to dance at my level instead of having to wait around for everyone else to catch up.” Hyuk chuckled after that.

The waitress walked up and set their drinks on the table, mumbling something about how their food would be ready in a few minutes. Donghae nodded to her and pulled his drink close to him. “I’m not up at your level, though… You’re much better than me.”

Hyuk shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “Perhaps, but you’re learning a lot faster than most people. And I agree with him, it’s really nice.”

Hae stared hard at the rim of his glass, debating on how to ask the question that loomed in his mind. “Um…” he began intelligently. “So… Sungmin and Kyuhyun…” He squirmed in his seat. “They’ve been friends… long?”

Hyukjae looked on at Donghae with amusement and tilted his head. “Are you trying to ask if they’re gay?”

Donghae felt embarrassed with the ease that Hyukjae seemed to express something that he personally felt awkward about. Instead of responding with words, he just ducked his head and nodded.

Hyukjae laughed softly, a sound that helped Hae feel more at ease. “When I first joined the class, Sungmin was the first person to befriend me. He would tell me all about this amazing guy he knew and all the things he loved about him. Today was the first time I’ve met Kyuhyun. I think it’s kind of obvious that they’re gay, don’t you think?”

The waitress reappeared just then with two very large plates of steaming meat. It took a minute to clear enough space on the table to set it down, but once she left, Hyukjae resumed the conversation. “Do they make you uncomfortable?”

Donghae’s eyes widened and he shook his head quickly, “No! Not at all.” He blushed a little and picked up some chopsticks to move his food around with. “Actually,” he began shyly, “I thought it was kind of nice how caring they seem to be towards each other… I don’t really see that very often between people.”

When Donghae looked back up, he was surprised to see the way in which Hyukjae was staring at him. His mouth formed a slightly curved line—far from his usual smile—and his eyes were softer than normal, completely absorbed in looking at his new friend. Donghae couldn’t help but look back at that gaze, wondering why Hyuk was watching at him like that…

Eventually, they dug into their meal and the silence that enveloped them was a comfortable one. They busied themselves with eating and picking up on various conversations around them, looking at the people walking through the market buying produce and other things. It was relaxing and enjoyable and Hae found himself breathing easily. The weight of school and the lack of a kind ear to listen to him dissolved in the presence of Hyukjae.

When they were finished, both men stood to walk back to their homes feeling completely full. They talked about the meal, talked about things they needed to do; Donghae needed to review some notes and Hyukjae needed to take inventory of their supplies at the coffee shop.

“Where do you live?” Donghae asked, seeing the café in view down the street.

“We rent the whole building, so we just live in the apartment upstairs. What about you?” Hyukjae responded casually.

“Just five minutes from here,” smiled Donghae. “It’s an apartment building and I live on the top floor.” He didn’t know why, but he found a great source of comfort knowing that they weren’t very far apart.

So, feeling happier than he had in a really long time, they parted ways and went to their respective homes. Donghae, full of food and friendship, thought about the next time they would meet and found that he couldn’t wait for that time.

That wasn’t strange at all, was it?

AN: I'm busy busy busy working on more chapters! Please drop a review to let me know what you think :D More to come very soon! I love you all ^^ <3