Chapter 21
The Blue of the Sky on Rainy Days
It would be wrong to say that Eunhyuk did not feel like punching Heechul, not viciously, but just to evacuate his frustration on the person who was its source. But he restrained himself, just in case his friend had the video’s memory card on him. It would be quite a shame to break it. Instead, he advanced his palm in an authoritarian air. Embarrassed, Heechul went through his pocket for a moment and finally put it in his hand. As soon as he had it in his possession, Eunhyuk abruptly stood up, bumping into the table and making the glasses wobble dangerously. Onew’s gaze, as he looked at him exit the bar with big steps, was completely panicked with the thought of being alone with Heechul who had grabbed Eunhyuk’s beer and quietly sipped it.
Eunhyuk did not take the elevator when he arrived at the center, but leaped up the stairs not to lose a single second. He hoped with all his heart that Donghae would be open to listen to him, that he would understand, that things between them were not arriving to an end. His heart trembled with anxiety when a little voice inside him whispered that maybe their friendship would soon be no more than a vague memory for him, a small rosette hanging to the wall of his room. He was clenching his fists and teeth while going up the stairs as fast he could, as if a reward would hopefully be waiting for the trouble he was physically giving himself.
But instead of falling into Donghae’s arms, he found himself face to face with the irascible nurse floor when he opened, or rather smashed, the door leading to the second level.
- "Ah! You scared me! Be a bit more careful young man! And where are you going running like that anyway? It's forbidden here, our patients need calm and silence."
- "Excuse me, madam", Eunhyuk replied, trying to get rid of her as quickly as possible.
- "You, by the way, I need to talk to you about this thing going on with patient 412 ..."
- "Patient 412?" The high school student asked with surprise. "I didn’t know that people, in addition of being tied in the shower, had numbers here."
- "That’s an administrative matter young man, no need to get on your high horse. Numbers prevent mistakes in the treatments’ inoculation."
- "Treatments’ inoculation?" The surprise in Eunhyuk’s voice expressed in reality a rancor growing towards this center that used traditional medical techniques and considered barbarians since the 1980s, which was approximately equal to the period of the nurse’s glorious youth.
- "It doesn’t matter, that’s not the issue, and you're not a doctor. Did you see the patient’s monumental attack the other day? He hadn’t had one like this since the day his father had tried to make him wear a tie for Christmas when he was fourteen. I don’t deny that your friendship allowed him to make progress, but see the enormity of the negative aspects his devotion for you creates..."
Eunhyuk could not deny this and looked down at his shoes, arms crossed in his back. At the other end of the hallway, Kaehyun was coming back from the refectory with Donghae who had refused to swallow anything, just like the previous night. Although Kaehyun had stayed three hours in the empty canteen to force him to eat his mashed potatoes, he had not given in and had waited for her to crack, withdrawn on himself. He froze when he saw Eunhyuk at the other end of the hallway then tried to run away towards the game room or his bedroom, anywhere, not to see him. But the nurse firmly kept him by his wrist, and his will wavered.
Eunhyuk did not take the elevator when he arrived at the center, but leaped up the stairs not to lose a single second. He hoped with all his heart that Donghae would be open to listen to him, that he would understand, that things between them were not arriving to an end. His heart trembled with anxiety when a little voice inside him whispered that maybe their friendship would soon be no more than a vague memory for him, a small rosette hanging to the wall of his room. He was clenching his fists and teeth while going up the stairs as fast he could, as if a reward would hopefully be waiting for the trouble he was physically giving himself.
But instead of falling into Donghae’s arms, he found himself face to face with the irascible nurse floor when he opened, or rather smashed, the door leading to the second level.
- "Ah! You scared me! Be a bit more careful young man! And where are you going running like that anyway? It's forbidden here, our patients need calm and silence."
- "Excuse me, madam", Eunhyuk replied, trying to get rid of her as quickly as possible.
- "You, by the way, I need to talk to you about this thing going on with patient 412 ..."
- "Patient 412?" The high school student asked with surprise. "I didn’t know that people, in addition of being tied in the shower, had numbers here."
- "That’s an administrative matter young man, no need to get on your high horse. Numbers prevent mistakes in the treatments’ inoculation."
- "Treatments’ inoculation?" The surprise in Eunhyuk’s voice expressed in reality a rancor growing towards this center that used traditional medical techniques and considered barbarians since the 1980s, which was approximately equal to the period of the nurse’s glorious youth.
- "It doesn’t matter, that’s not the issue, and you're not a doctor. Did you see the patient’s monumental attack the other day? He hadn’t had one like this since the day his father had tried to make him wear a tie for Christmas when he was fourteen. I don’t deny that your friendship allowed him to make progress, but see the enormity of the negative aspects his devotion for you creates..."
Eunhyuk could not deny this and looked down at his shoes, arms crossed in his back. At the other end of the hallway, Kaehyun was coming back from the refectory with Donghae who had refused to swallow anything, just like the previous night. Although Kaehyun had stayed three hours in the empty canteen to force him to eat his mashed potatoes, he had not given in and had waited for her to crack, withdrawn on himself. He froze when he saw Eunhyuk at the other end of the hallway then tried to run away towards the game room or his bedroom, anywhere, not to see him. But the nurse firmly kept him by his wrist, and his will wavered.
- "Therefore I think it’s a good opportunity for you to loosen your bond", the nurse, who's bun was starting to lean dangerously, went on, "and besides, he doesn’t want to see you anymore. Better this way, it won’t create any dependency. It was not helping him to make him lean and rely on you anyway. He’ll be perfectly fine without you, you’ll see. And it's better for him to be a bit independent."
- "But what about me?" Eunhyuk said in a pitiful voice, head bowed. "I’m the one who needs him. What would I do without him? I know I mustn’t become Donghae’s only point of reference and that he needs to have his own opening to the world. But it’s not about seeing him as sick, as patient 412; I just can’t. He’s someone I care for, with whom I have good memories, my friend. He can also hurt me or make me happy. I can’t decide just like that not to come anymore, to give up seeing him without an explanation, you can still understand that."
As he was starting to raise his head to face the terrible nurse, Eunhyuk saw Donghae, shadows under his eyes, a few meters away from him, who Kaehyun had forced to listen by holding him by the wrist. Ditching his interlocutor on the spot, he advanced, fearing that Donghae would run away and barricade himself somewhere while refusing to talk to him. He stopped in front of him, both relieved to see that he did not move, but also very anxious, wondering how he was going to tell him the truth if Kaehyun was there. The latter, suspecting that her presence was not really desirable, walked away, offering the nurse room a cup of industrial coffee from the fabulous coffee machine.
- "Listen ..." Eunhyuk awkwardly began, hardly daring to look at him in the eyes, nervously clutching his left hand’s index and middle fingers in his right hand. "Donghae ... I, I ... I'm sorry she came to see you because of me and told you bull, but ... really ... everything she might have told you, don’t believe it. You have to trust me, I've never kissed this girl… well I did but ... I only love you. It's true you know ... it’s not easy thing to admit", he said with a forced laugh, scratching his head, "but ... you're the first person I really fell in love with. It's weird huh, but everything I’ve experienced before ... I don’t know ... it was just events, stuff that happened, that I lived, but I could have lived other of them you understand? With you, it's not the same ... Well I, I wanted to tell you ... Life outside, in the real world, isn’t the same as in the center. There are so many things that would seem horrible to you that we do without even thinking about it, life isn’t as pure as in your head. Donghae ... will you forgive me? I really didn’t want to hurt you, you know, I wanted to always protect you ..."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small colorful 2GB memory card that Heechul had entrusted to him. His eyes remained fixed on it for a few seconds, wondering if his friend had not betrayed him and if the video was actually in there, then handed it to him.
- "But what about me?" Eunhyuk said in a pitiful voice, head bowed. "I’m the one who needs him. What would I do without him? I know I mustn’t become Donghae’s only point of reference and that he needs to have his own opening to the world. But it’s not about seeing him as sick, as patient 412; I just can’t. He’s someone I care for, with whom I have good memories, my friend. He can also hurt me or make me happy. I can’t decide just like that not to come anymore, to give up seeing him without an explanation, you can still understand that."
As he was starting to raise his head to face the terrible nurse, Eunhyuk saw Donghae, shadows under his eyes, a few meters away from him, who Kaehyun had forced to listen by holding him by the wrist. Ditching his interlocutor on the spot, he advanced, fearing that Donghae would run away and barricade himself somewhere while refusing to talk to him. He stopped in front of him, both relieved to see that he did not move, but also very anxious, wondering how he was going to tell him the truth if Kaehyun was there. The latter, suspecting that her presence was not really desirable, walked away, offering the nurse room a cup of industrial coffee from the fabulous coffee machine.
- "Listen ..." Eunhyuk awkwardly began, hardly daring to look at him in the eyes, nervously clutching his left hand’s index and middle fingers in his right hand. "Donghae ... I, I ... I'm sorry she came to see you because of me and told you bull, but ... really ... everything she might have told you, don’t believe it. You have to trust me, I've never kissed this girl… well I did but ... I only love you. It's true you know ... it’s not easy thing to admit", he said with a forced laugh, scratching his head, "but ... you're the first person I really fell in love with. It's weird huh, but everything I’ve experienced before ... I don’t know ... it was just events, stuff that happened, that I lived, but I could have lived other of them you understand? With you, it's not the same ... Well I, I wanted to tell you ... Life outside, in the real world, isn’t the same as in the center. There are so many things that would seem horrible to you that we do without even thinking about it, life isn’t as pure as in your head. Donghae ... will you forgive me? I really didn’t want to hurt you, you know, I wanted to always protect you ..."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small colorful 2GB memory card that Heechul had entrusted to him. His eyes remained fixed on it for a few seconds, wondering if his friend had not betrayed him and if the video was actually in there, then handed it to him.
- "Here, that’s what really happened. You'll see that we were just talking, that I told her I didn’t want to go out with her, and that I pushed her when she kissed me. Watch it, I beg you, and don’t hate me because I didn’t betray you."
Donghae remained silent, scratched his cheek, and put his shirt with flowers back in place. He extended his hand towards the small plastic object, put it to his mouth and munched it.
Donghae remained silent, scratched his cheek, and put his shirt with flowers back in place. He extended his hand towards the small plastic object, put it to his mouth and munched it.
- "Donghae! What are you doing? You can’t eat that!" Eunhyuk shouted while trying to get it back. "You'll poison yourself idiot, spit it right now!"
The memory card crisped in Donghae’s mouth, and Eunhyuk pressed on his cheeks and pulled his jaw to make him spit it. Grinning, the young patient continued to chew until it was reduced to dribbling bits, before he finally agreed to spit it in Eunhyuk’s hand, latter that looked at its corpse in despair.
- "Oh no, look at what you've done, silly goose!" He lamented on the fact while trying to put the pieces back together, even though he knew it was useless. "Now, you’ll never have the proof that..."
- "I believe you, 'Nhyuk", Donghae cut him off with the sweetest smile he had never been given to see in his whole life.
His thin upper lip fully showed his beautiful white and sharp teeth, cut as thin and small ivory knives, bright as beads and well aligned, and his smile stretched to his eyes that were narrowed in a happy air, seeming to even spread its waves to the small strand of hair that swept his forehead. Donghae did not have blue eyes, but their color had become so clear that Eunhyuk swore he could see the sky reflect as in a mirror worth of him. The young patient seemed completely transformed, as if his rings and hollow cheeks had ran away, fearing that his friend would kick their backside. Eunhyuk, forgetting the plastic pieces agonizing in his hand, squeezed him against himself with such force it could break his bones, shaken by a liberating laugh while imagining Heechul’s face when he would give him back his possession.
- "Um ... um, ahem?" Kaehyun, whose voice seemed to hit an invisible wall, had to repeat in order to get their attention.
Eunhyuk finally agreed to let go of Donghae, and when he turned around, the young nurse had the impression that Donghae's smile was printed on his face, as when children stain a sheet with ink and fold it to obtain a butterfly. She gave Donghae, whose canines were printed on his lower lip in a silly and yet touching air, a few letters.
Eunhyuk finally agreed to let go of Donghae, and when he turned around, the young nurse had the impression that Donghae's smile was printed on his face, as when children stain a sheet with ink and fold it to obtain a butterfly. She gave Donghae, whose canines were printed on his lower lip in a silly and yet touching air, a few letters.
- "Here, your letters of the week. You should go and open it in your room, you might lose half of it in the playroom otherwise", she added, inwardly noting that she was quite generous and obliging.
The two boys did not need any more coaxing to leave the hallway under the suspicious gaze of the nurse room that this turnaround had left, forgive me the expression, as bug-eyed.
Among the letters Donghae had received, one came from his grandmother, who wrote quite succinctly: Dear grandson, I wish you good summer holidays and send you my best kisses with a bit of money so you can buy candies.
- "She sends me some every holidays", the boy explained to his friend while putting the tickets back in the envelope, "but I don’t really like it, it's a shame she wastes money."
- "But you can buy something else with that", Eunhyuk replied, surprised.
- "Really? But, they won’t say anything to me in the store? I almost never go out anyway; I don’t know what I want to buy."
Eunhyuk wondered in which world Donghae could live to believe that because his grandmother had written it on the letter, the money could not be used to buy anything else other than candies. He told him he would one day take him to make the new experience of buying, for his general knowledge. Donghae opened the second letter, which was only an advertisement to deal with adults’ urinary incontinence, and the third one, who had been sent by the jury of the math Olympiads, officially announcing his first place and explaining that he would receive his medal during an official ceremony in the town hall in early holidays. Donghae began to panic.
- "I don’t want to!" He exclaimed, throwing the letter away as to punish it for bringing such bad news.
- "Come on, don’t be silly, I'll go with you", Eunhyuk replied while leaning against the wall, happy to spend some time with him again, in this so trite bedroom, to hear the sound of his voice and his so weird and offbeat reflections.
He looked out the window at the clouds moving far away, while Donghae put away his grandmother’s card in the drawer of his nightstand, rolled the infamous advertising into a ball then threw it in the trash, and threw avenging glances to the official letter waiting on the floor, thinking that happiness was quite simple; to a few meters away from a elevator to a room, to a few hours, to a few more or less words. He grabbed the back of the shirt of Donghae, who was fidgeting on his own, and pulled him towards him, so they could, head resting against him, both look in the same direction.
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Hey hey~ Hope you guys still like this story ! =D It's so cute >.<
Oh and.. If there are Heaven and Hell's readers here.. Sorry about it guys but still no new French chapter /pout/ Wanted to let you know~
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