It was 7pm, and Donghae and Hyukjae were returning from their long rehearsal for their upcoming Japanese concert. Although they loved that they had the concert focused on just them two, it was more tiring on them than when they were preparing for a comeback with the rest of the members. They had several stages and dance sequences to perform, along with the vocal work for the ballads they were going to perform. But in the end, the two men were beyond happy that this was happening; especially since they were doing it together.

It had been 2 years since they decided they felt more towards each other than friendly feelings. They knew they had to provide the fans with fan-service; they loved Eunhae after all. The slight touches, the giddy glances and the attempts of looking jealous when another member interacts with one of them all eventually became very real for them. Over time, Hyukjae could feel his heart swayed when he would see Donghae come to him for a hug onstage, and he couldn’t hold himself from the smile that spread on his face. Being close to the younger gave him such joy that he felt nothing could go wrong when he was with him. At the same time, Donghae had a hard time hiding how he felt around his friend. His touches made him happier than usual, and seeing the wide gummy smile on Hyukjae’s face warmed his heart because he knew how genuine it was. He had been friends with him for so long, and it was confusing for Donghae when he could feel his heart ache when Super Junior M had promotions in China when Hyukjae wasn’t in the sub-group yet. He knew he was harboring other feelings for Hyukjae, for these are the ones that flared in him when he was reunited with his best friend in Korea. The comfort and security of his hold made Donghae feel at home. It came to a point where Hyukjae couldn’t hold back his feelings anymore and told the other members how he felt towards Donghae, and their support could not have been greater. They assured him that he didn’t have to be scared, to go for it and trust his relationship with Donghae was too strong to break for any reason, which is what Hyukjae feared. What he didn’t know was that Donghae had already told the others how he felt, and they were extremely happy for their fellow members to have realized their feelings for each other.

The moment of Hyukjae’s confession was exactly how he hoped it wouldn’t go. He was nervous, his voice was shaky, and he could barely mutter the words that he wanted so desperately to tell Donghae

“I like you.”

With the small mumble of words, Hyukjae wanted to disappear. His face was burning and his heart wanted to explode with nervousness at Donghae’s reply, until Donghae lifted his head that was staring at his feet and kissed him. In that moment, nothing existed except for the two of them; they were in their own world that could not be destroyed.

Now 2 years later, their relationship had grown so much stronger, and they were the perfect secret couple that all their fans wished would become public. There had been many times they wanted to announce it, but their managers told them it was best kept hidden. Even though they couldn’t share their feelings with everyone, they were fortunate to have the support of their members, who loved to see their friends so happy together.

As Donghae laid his head on Hyukjae’s shoulder in the car taking them home, he could feel sleep creeping up on him, exhausted from practice, but he avoided giving in to the feeling as much as he could. Today was Valentine’s Day; and the two of them didn’t have a chance to celebrate together. Managers and other people helping them prepare for the concert surrounded them all day. They were both happy to go home and sit in one of their rooms and just be alone together. However, Donghae was more happy and nervous than Hyukjae. Donghae decided that today he would tell his boyfriend the words that he had been waiting for so long. Last Valentines, Hyukjae had told Donghae that he loved him. It was an unforgettable moment for Donghae, and although he cared deeply for Hyukjae with all his heart, he was scared to use the word love. If he accepted the fact that he loved Hyukjae, it would hurt him more if the older ever stopped caring for him, which was his biggest fear. He never wanted to think about things like that, but the thoughts invaded his mind anyways. After that day, he really felt Hyukjae’s love for him, and it amazed him how strong three words could be. He knew Hyukjae had been waiting for him to tell him the same words, to share the same feelings as he did. Whenever they were alone, Hyukjae would hope Donghae would choose that moment to tell him. For him, time was dragging on and he started to doubt that Donghae actually cared for him as much as he professed. His heart ached when he told him he loved him when they were alone, for he longed to hear the same words directed back at him. Donghae knew for sure now that he loved Hyukjae, no matter what his doubts told him. He loved him so much, and he couldn’t wait to tell him that night. The only thing bothering him was that the other members would most likely be at the dorm, and the two of them were too exhausted to go out that night.

“Hey Hyuk,” Donghae mumbled to the older, “Do you think everyone’s at home right now?”

“Hmm probably,” the other said, “No one mentioned anything about going out or anything. And from what I know, none of them have any schedules for tonight. I was kind of hoping we could be alone tonight, since it’s Valentines...” He trailed off. He looks down at his boyfriend with care in his eyes. “Hae, you look so tired.”

“No! I’m fine!” the younger said quickly sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “I just need a shower and I’ll be good. You need one too. You stink.” he said, crinkling his nose cutely. Hyukjae smiles at him and ruffles his hair.

“I know, I know, we’re almost home. What do you want to do after?” Donghae bit his lower lip nervously, hoping Hyukjae wouldn’t notice his eyes darting down and his cheeks tinting pink.

“Um… we could just watch a movie in your room if you want? Maybe Wook will make some food and we can eat in your room instead of with the members. I just want to be alone with you for the rest of the day,” he said, snuggling closer to Hyukjae, “Hopefully they don’t want to go out and do something with us. Those ahjusshis don’t have someone to spend Valentine’s Day with, so I don’t think they’ll realize we want to be alone.

“I don’t think they’re that clueless, Hae,” Hyukjae said with a chuckle, “They’ll probably just stay in the living room and watch TV. Of course it would be more comfortable to be alone but what can we do.” They spent the rest of the drive in silence, Donghae clinging on to his boyfriend’s arm and thinking about how the evening would play out

***

As they arrive to the door, Hyukjae turns the doorknob but it doesn’t open.

“That’s weird. Usually when the guys are here, they leave it unlocked,” he mumbled as he pulled his key out. He unlocks the door and steps in with Donghae behind him. Once they were both in, they looked around but the other members were nowhere to be seen.

“That’s weird, where could they all be? Did we have a schedule that we forgot about?!” Donghae said in a panic, quickly pulling out his phone to check his calendar.

“I’m pretty sure we don’t,” Hyukjae said as he walked to his bedroom. When he reached the