Ch. [08]
Blue Tomorrow
It has been almost seven weeks since Hyukjae moved in and nothing has gone for the best. Not that Kyuhyun was willing to make it better anyways. But they hadn’t fought over nothing and just passed by each other’s sides without even mentioning each other’s names. It had been slightly peaceful.
Kyuhyun groaned tiredly as he sat on the living room, checking on some papers that were troubling him since weeks ago because Siwon was supposed to sign them since months ago and he probably forgot but right in that moment were really important.
He turned up when he heard a low noise and he realized Hyukjae was going out with Chaerin, probably to play to the park or just walk around. He looked at the little girl that hid behind Hyukjae from him and Kyuhyun wondered, if he really was such a monster.
“Wait Chaerin, I forgot your sun block,” Hyukjae said and told Chaerin to stay there while he went to look for it.
Chaerin looked at Kyuhyun and bit her lower lip, it was as if she wanted to talk to him but she didn’t dare to do so.
“What is it?” Kyuhyun asked and the girl flinched lightly.
“N-Nothing… Sr. President…,” Chaerin said shyly, looking down nervously.
“It’s okay, you can talk to me,” Kyuhyun said chuckling softly when the girl looked up with bright eyes.
“Really?” Chaerin asked with a wide smile. “Can I?” she asked again.
Kyuhyun nodded. “Of course,” he said smiling gently and Chaerin grinned, that grin that was so much like Siwon’s.
The little girl ran towards Kyuhyun, almost stumbling with the carpet and the small table in front of her and grinning when she was finally in front of Kyuhyun and the sea of papers. “What are you doing?” she asked innocently, tilting her head because she still couldn’t read.
“Work,” Kyuhyun said chuckling and admiring how the girl seemed so interesting in something she didn’t understand.
“You have to write?” Chaerin asked and Kyuhyun laughed softly. “And read?”
“Both,” Kyuhyun said and Chaerin nodded impressed.
“You’re so smart…,” Chaerin said giggling. “Daddy was really smart too…,” she nodded proudly.
“Yeah well, he had some moments though,” Kyuhyun said sighing loudly, remembering that certain sign and seal he needed.
“Huh?” Chaerin asked confused, not understanding what Kyuhyun meant. “Why?”
Kyuhyun smiled. “You see this sheet?” Kyuhyun asked lifting one of the papers and the girl nodded eagerly. “See this small line at the end?” the girl nodded again, proud that she could see it. “Your dad was supposed to sign this a long time ago but he probably forgot… now I need it…”
Chaerin nodded. “Ohh…,” she looked at the paper intently. “What is a sign?” she asked later and Kyuhyun laughed, because he talked to the girl as if she would understand everything when it wasn’t like that, but it was fun anyways.
“It’s a personal doodle baby,” Hyukjae suddenly said by Kyuhyun’s side and the taller gasped silently. “Let me,” Hyukjae then said, taking the paper from Kyuhyun’s hands and grabbing a pen from the table, quickly signing it. “There.”
Kyuhyun gasped loudly and looked at the sign in amusement, taking another file and realizing it was exactly the same. “What? How?” he asked still surprised.
“Sometimes he couldn’t sign the papers and I was there for him,” Hyukjae smiled and reached a hand for Chaerin. “Come on baby, let’s go, your friends are waiting,” he said smiling softly and Chaerin grinned widely before taking Hyukjae’s hand and squealing loudly.
“Don’t you want to come, Sr. President?” Chaerin asked looking at Kyuhyun and Hyukjae simply smiled. He liked how his little daughter was still so innocent and if Kyuhyun was accepting her, it was enough for him to have a little respect for the male.
Kyuhyun looked at the small girl looking at him before looking up at Hyukjae, still shocked because how many problems he could solve with that ability of having the same sign as Siwon’s. “N-No…,” he shook his head. “Go ahead… I still have some things to do.”
“Come on baby, let’s go,” Hyukjae called again, pulling Chaerin’s hand as the girl nodded at Kyuhyun and waved goodbye. “You should eat something Kyuhyun, you look pale.”
Kyuhyun turned up shocked but he couldn’t see Hyukjae’s figure anymore. He ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t sure if he should yell and sue Hyukjae for the sign or thank him and ask him to sign the other papers he had missed. Why would Hyukjae act so nice towards him anyways? Why after they had decided to ignore each other?
Kyuhyun arranged his papers and went to his studio to continue his work there in silence, only paying attention to any sound so he would know if Hyukjae and Chaerin had arrived already.
A soft knock in his studio’s door made Kyuhyun jump up and look at it. “Yes?” he asked confused.
The door opened and Chaerin peeked inside before walking until she was by his side. “Sr. President… mommy told me to give you this…,” she said handing Kyuhyun a small plate with food.
Kyuhyun looked at the plate. “No thanks,” he said even when he hadn’t have anything since the day before.
“Why not?” Chaerin asked with sad eyes and Kyuhyun couldn’t take it.
“Okay, give it to me…,” Kyuhyun said groaning softly and taking the plate.
Chaerin grinned. “Eat well Sr. President!” she exclaimed happily before skipping out of the studio.
And even when Kyuhyun didn’t want to eat and denied his hunger desperately, he couldn’t help himself and ate the food in the plate, sighing after because damn, he hadn’t realized how hungry he was before and he really needed to take care of that.
It was after a few hours that he heard the door knock again and he looked up. “Come in,” he ordered looking down at some papers that didn’t make sense at all.
A glass filled with juice was placed in front of him and it wasn’t a child’s hand. He looked up and found Hyukjae’s face smiling weakly at him. “Give them to me,” Hyukjae said reaching his hand to Kyuhyun and the taller looked at him confused. “Those papers that he left pending, give them to me,” Hyukjae cleared out and Kyuhyun looked at him intently before handing some documents.
Hyukjae smiled and grabbed the papers, going to the couch in Kyuhyun’s studio to sign them all. “Mommy?” Chaerin called opening the door slightly and peeking inside.
“What is it baby?” Hyukjae asked softly while Kyuhyun could only see the scene silently.
Chaerin shook her head and simply went to sit by his mother’s side, peeking to see if she understood anything from there. “There are some that I believe are not relevant but sign them as well,” Kyuhyun said and Hyukjae looked up at him, nodding softly before turning down.
“Kyuhyun…,” Hyukjae called after a few seconds. “I believe this contract is wrong,” he said and Kyuhyun frowned, standing up and taking the paper from Hyukjae’s hands. “You see? It doesn’t have the specifications that the one before and it’s already sealed…”
Kyuhyun frowned deeper. “Maybe this was just a draft…,” he said pursing his lips. “But then I have no idea where is the original one…”
Hyukjae looked up at Kyuhyun. “Where are his things? Maybe we can look for it…,” he said softly, caressing Chaerin’s hair gently as the girl was already falling asleep in his lap.
Kyuhyun sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, turning around to one of the corners of his studio to where three big boxes filled with Siwon’s papers were. “It’ll take a lot…,” he said frustrated and Hyukjae turned as well.
“It’s okay, I know how it is,” Hyukjae said. “Let me just take Chaerin to sleep, it’s late already…,” he said and even him was amazed by how civil they were being with each other.
“I…,” Kyuhyun gulped. “I’ll take her,” he said and Hyukjae looked at him shocked before nodding slowly and taking his hands away from his daughter.
Kyuhyun stepped ahead and slid his hands under the small body, carrying her up without any kind of effort. “She’s so light…,” he mumbled looking at the girl sleeping in his arms.
“She’s only three Kyuhyun,” Hyukjae chuckled and stood up, going to kiss his daughter’s forehead. “Go ahead, I’ll start searching for it in the mean time.”
Kyuhyun simply nodded, admiring the small figure in his arms as he walked out carefully, walking to the room he gave to Hyukjae and entering. He went to the bed and fixed the small girl there, taking out his shoes and socks and the ribbon from her hair. He covered Chaerin with a blanket before smiling. “Did he do this all nights?” he asked himself, looking at the sleeping girl and thinking how relaxing it was.
Kyuhyun sighed after a few minutes and stood up, looking around. The room was exactly like he remembered it to be, neat and clean, just like his entire house. He walked out after a while and went to his studio.
It was amazing enough that Kyuhyun was accepting Hyukjae’s help, even more that they talked as if they didn’t hate each other. Kyuhyun thought that it would be better that way, he would save himself a lot of disgusts.
When Kyuhyun went into his studio again, he saw Hyukjae going through a box of papers meticulously. “Anything yet?” Kyuhyun asked and Hyukjae simply shook his head.
“Is it really important?” Hyukjae asked.
“Well, the producer is trying to charge us for materials I believe we didn’t buy so the contract would help me stand my point… also if you find any buying bills…” Kyuhyun trailed and Hyukjae simply hummed.
“I remember all the bills’ photocopies are in a blue envelope, it’s quite big, just look for it,” Hyukjae said not taking away his eyes from the papers he was reviewing.
Kyuhyun pursed his lips, not really liking to be ordered around but not having any other option than do what he was told.
It wasn’t long for Kyuhyun to find what he was looking for and he quickly checked if the things he wanted were there. “Ah… I didn’t know this envelope existed…,” he sighed and mumbled for himself.
“Siwon didn’t know either…,” Hyukjae mumbled biting his lower lip.
Kyuhyun turned to Hyukjae and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he asked curious and Hyukjae simply chuckled bitterly, fixing some useless papers in the box again.
“He wasn’t the most organized man… I always helped him keeping everything neat or he would lose it or just forget about it…,” Hyukjae explained and Kyuhyun could hear the shaky voice. It was obvious that Hyukjae wanted to cry. “H-He used to say it was really useful…,” he said and quickly dried the single tear that was about to fall.
Kyuhyun looked at Hyukjae, he didn’t remember him that vulnerable, that sad and broken. Kyuhyun had never seen Hyukjae as an actual human before that night. “He always said he was going to take his work home and he never stayed late at the office…,” Kyuhyun said with a bitter smile.
Hyukjae turned to Kyuhyun and smiled weakly. “But he always ended up playing with Chaerin and working late at night… he never, not even once, pushed us away for work…,” he said with a smile growing and his shoulders falling. “He… He was perfect…”
“What kind of games did they play?” Kyuhyun asked and it wasn’t his intention to do so but he realized he didn’t know a single thing about his brother and that alone made him feel guilty.
Hyukjae sighed and smiled dreamily. “Everything they would like…,” he said. “Tea party, go out and run around, go to the park, with dolls… everything… they were always having fun…”
“And you?” Kyuhyun asked and Hyukjae dedicated him a sweet and bitter smile.
“I was happy only watching them,” Hyukjae admitted. “Ah, I found it,” he said smiling brightly at the paper in his hand and handing it to Kyuhyun. “Is this one right?” he asked and Kyuhyun looked at the paper absent minded, only nodding slowly. “That’s good!” Hyukjae chirped. “Now I’ll just clean this mess, you should go to sleep already Kyuhyun, it’s late.”
Kyuhyun looked at Hyukjae. “You too,” he simply said and Hyukjae chuckled.
“I’m used to clean at night, just go and sleep,” Hyukjae said already arranging the papers into the box.
Kyuhyun nodded and left the papers on his desk, walking to the door. “I- um… thanks…,” he said and Hyukjae looked at him.
“I just wanted to make you see how we can be civil with each other,” Hyukjae said. “Let’s not fight anymore Kyuhyun, we can live like this… you don’t need to be my friend, just don’t treat me as if I were much less than a bug…,” he pleaded.
“It’s hard when I think about it every time I see you,” Kyuhyun admitted but Hyukjae chuckled.
“Let’s just be this decent strangers living under the same roof. Its tiring to argue all the time and we’re grown men,” Hyukjae said and Kyuhyun simply hummed.
“I’ll go then…,” Kyuhyun announced and Hyukjae smiled widely.
“Have a nice rest,” Hyukjae said and he didn’t get an answer but at least he was calmer now that he wouldn’t have to fight every morning. It was as if a heavy weight just disappeared from his shoulders and it felt good. “Siwon… I might not be his friend… but I’ll try to at least make them not hate me so much anymore…,” he promised and smiled at his own effort.
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