The skin around Hyukjae's eyes creased as he smiled, dark crescents for eyes and the overwhelming sense of adoration, affection and pure love that his heart felt made his whole body swim momentarily in naïve bliss and reminded him of when he had first set eyes on his long term boyfriend, Lee Donghae.

Hyukjae wondered whether Donghae remembered that day, the winter chill doing their best to freeze off every part of Hyukjae that wasn't covered up, just like today.
Donghae was a chronically thin youth with eyes that seemed too large and round for his face, such gentle eyes that seemed to warm Hyukjae even on this, one of Seoul's coldest winters.
Hyukjae remembered shivering, not sure whether it was because of this cold or because he had felt something, something he had never felt before; a twinge in his chest and a rosy flush in his cheeks that reached up to his ears. It was because of Donghae, Hyukjae knew it.
Donghae's face, even then, was something of beauty, strong lines with smooth contours, and, for the first time in Hyukjae's life, he'd wanted to fit his lips to another's. 
Donghae's lips were wide and pink, they turned up at the corners slightly, as if he was always smiling. Hyukjae liked that about him, he never thought that he'd be able to wake up beside his idea of perfection every morning and kiss the corner of that mouth as he rolled over to get out of bed.

It hadn't been so perfect in the beginning, awkward glances and shy smiles leading to a fumbling of cold fingers on soft, warm stomachs; kisses where noses bumped and teeth clashed. All from Donghae giving Hyukjae a scarf to keep the cold out on that first meeting. A scarf that Hyukjae still kept, perhaps it was a silly sentiment, the scarf was fraying and the material had developed that shininess to it that old things do, but since when did a few loose threads and material that had seen better days mean that memories should be thrown away?


Donghae was lying on the roof of the building. Downstairs, rehearsals had been taking place for over eight hours, they were all tired but all knew there was a lot of work to be done.
Donghae's eyes were closed, Hyukjae could see his dark lids moving with his eyes, lips twitching with the bitter breeze that blew, ruffling the dancer's freshly dyed hair that seemed to be non-colour specific. 
“You must be cold,” Hyukjae said to Donghae who was wearing just the clothes he had wore in the practise room, an oversized t-shirt that exposed the golden skin of his shoulder and the expanse of his collar bone and baggy grey track pants. 
His dark eyes opened and he smiled up at his boyfriend and shrugged.

“Is that how it is?” Hyukjae asked, “you'll battle the cold so that you can slack off?”
He sat down beside Donghae who remained lying, “something like that,” he replied.
The pair let a comfortable silence saturate them, Donghae gazing contentedly at the starry sky while Hyukjae smiled serenely on at Donghae.

“Did you know, the stars that we see burnt out hundreds of years ago?” Donghae asked Hyukjae, “there's a time delay between the Earth and the sun, that's the biggest star. I think it's about eight minutes but stars are light years away from us.”
“Isn't that the guy from Toy Story?” Hyukjae asked and Donghae frowned.
“Maybe,” he said, “maybe they're galaxies away then... I'm not sure. But, I know that maybe, there's someone on another planet right now, looking at the same stars we are but only, it isn't right now for them, it could be the future or it could be the past because time isn't relevant.”
Hyukjae's smile grew, he could sense another alien talk coming on.
“And maybe creatures aren't relevant. Because Choco loves you, right?”
Hyukjae nodded.
“And... And I love you. And that love's the same no matter what creature we are. So if the aliens are sitting together like this, looking at the stars then them being aliens doesn't matter. And it doesn't matter what time they see the stars, what matters is that they love each other. It doesn't matter what you are or when you're doing something because love has been the same for millions of years and it will remain the same for millions to come.”
Hyukjae smirked and lay down too, head resting on Donghae's shoulder, he was sure that amongst all that babble, had been something coherent and perhaps even profound. 

“I wish I had a space ship,” Donghae said thoughtfully, breaking another silence.
“What for?!” Hyukjae spluttered.
“If I had a space ship, I'd fly though hyperspace with you, baby. I'd show you the stars, I'd find the brightest one and tell you that my love for you will burn as bright and as long as the star itself will.”
“You're so cheesy.”
Donghae pouted, “you're so unromantic,” he retorted.
Hyukjae kissed the corner of Donghae's mouth like he always did and sat up, “it's too cold,” he remarked and he unwound the scarf Donghae had given him all that time ago from around his neck and let it fall over Donghae's, “keep warm. If you don't freeze your off, maybe one day you really can take me to moon.”