They walked awkwardly next to each other, not at the same pace, which made the situation more awkward. Kyuhyun walked slower than Donghae and since he was holding the umbrella, the older one’s shoulder got wet from time to time. The Maknae apologized in compromise, but Donghae as gentle as he was, only smiled and said it was ok.

The way to the National Museum of Arts was approximately 2 blocks long, the rain was falling strongly upon the umbrella, creating a natural orchestra of sounds. They arrived second to the entrance of the enormous building with baroque details around the front door. Kyuhyun admired the gigantic door that at least was 4 meters tall. Someone cleared his throat and it brought the boy to react with a light jolt, which Donghae thought was totally cute.

-“We are not under the rain anymore” he said taking the umbrella from the younger male’s hands and closing it. Kyuhyun let him do it but continued walking without looking at him.

The older boy handed it and quickly walked back to his side, to Kyuhyun’s displeasure. He arched his eyebrow “Do we have to walk in pairs or”

He insinuated the other to get away but Donghae smiled once again and responded calmly “Nope”

-“then…” this time his insinuations were obvious.

-“I want to walk here” his face was adorable, he admitted.

-“Donghae-hyung, I’m not-”

-“Call me Donghae”

-“-in the mood for…” his mind had understood Donghae’s permission late.

He hesitated to restart his sentence “Donghae, I’m not in the mood for a companion right now,” he felt bad to return his hyung’s kindness with rudeness.

-“Are you not feeling well?” he asked, although he expected the other to lie.

-“No, I-” he stopped and turned to look at him, who was still walking by his side, “Actually, yes. I don’t feel well at all”

-“Why didn’t you tell anybody? They would’ve let you stay at home”

-“Nah.” he stopped to admire a piece of contemporary art. Donghae stopped too, but Kyuhyun ignored it. Donghae took a glance at his face and saw that the surroundings of his eyes were red. His hand moved on its own and reached the younger’s face, touching slightly with the back of his hand.

-“Are you sure y-” the younger lifted an arm that hit his hand and then backed one step. He immediately apologized for the action in words and bows.

-“I’m f-fine, it’s just I’m tired, that’s all” he said while touching his own cheeks, as if assuring his Hyung he was neither warm nor sick.

Donghae stayed silent, watching him, and finally smiled for the third time. “Ok”

But something seemed off, he knew something was off. A sudden and loud laughter caught his attention, a voice he would recognize anywhere, his friend’s Hyukjae. When he turned around to tell his maknae he would go check on Eunhyuk, he wasn’t there anymore. Had he shunned him?

He angrily walked away where his friend was. “Hey” he announced himself.

-“Hey look at this” he answered while his eyes analyzed a sculpture that seemed a body upside down, really scrawny disordered extremities and a pair of big doe-eyes.

-“It’s the Maknae!” Kangin yelled already showing his big smile, causing the others to burst out laughing.

-“Yah! It’s not funny” Donghae didn’t even smile at the comment. “HyukJae!” he slapped the rapper on the chest, as he eyed him one of those looks he’s famous for, “Ouch, that hurts!” he complained, being totally ignored.

-“It’s just a joke, for ’s sake” Kangin dragged in the sentence remains of laughter.

-“He’d be hurt if he had heard you”

-“But he’s not here” he was still and smooth.

-“But what if he were” Donghae fought back.

-“Do you like him or what the ” he snapped, to which Donghae only stared mouth agape. Eunhyuk had to say something to defend his friend “You know Donghae’s emotional and after all he has a better relationship with the Maknae, right?” he gave a glare to his speechless friend, whose lips only parted again, without emitting a sound.

When the other males had stopped the tussle, Donghae asked to their backs, daring. “And what if I did?”

Kangin turned his head around astonished while Eunhyuk stared blankly at him. “Are you freaking serious?” he couldn’t help but answering with another question.

-“well, what if I did?” he tilted his head slowly; waiting for a proper explanation to his question from his friends, since he himself didn’t know the answer to it.

-“No ing way” Kangin sat in the stairs if the museum, more amazed than before. Hyukkie was still unable to speak, and Donghae lowered his head, assuring them both this was no joke.

-“Donghae,” finally the rapper organized his idea. “I get you are kind and have this protecting.. personality to those who you think that need it but…” He paused so Donghae would say something and took his silence as permission to continue “I think you are confused”

Donghae was hesitant of his own feelings, but there was a special aura of the younger male that attracted him, that made him want to protect him as Eunhyuk said, but also mean something special to him.

-“Yeah, I meant, I like him as a Maknae, Pabo” he started laughing “I got you two” and pointed them, a wide smile growing between his cheeks before continuing to observe the museum’s pieces of art.

-“You , are you sure this is a joke?” Kangin wasn’t fully sure yet.

-“Of course” he laughed as loud as he could and walked away of them.

-“Ahh” he let out a huge sigh and laughed, after all “Stupid fish, he got us”

-“yeah” HyukJae laughed too, watching as the silhouette of his friend shrunk, and wondering if it really was a joke.

Donghae had banished the smile on his handsome face as he drew away and instead he placed an anguished gesture on it.

                                                              ****

The paintings were actually interesting after all, they were from realistic to unrecognizable and from historical to emotional. There were many of them that actually got you inside the painting, so you could feel what he felt when he painted it. This got Kyuhyun really interested in them, thing he would never normally feel, unless it’s about new videogames or music. He had seen those paintings already twice. There was one in particular that he liked. It was named Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth. She was lying in a bed of plains, or wheat fields, far from the farm but looking forward to it; somehow, Christina seemed unable to reach it, like if she was being tied by something not necessarily physical. She would never ever reach her home, her comfort and her happiness. He studied the painting for almost half an hour, lost in his mind. Maybe he was some kind of Christina in another world, longing for something that would never reach, because it’s wrong.

He had decided this was his favorite painting, it reflected his feelings somehow.

-“What does this painting has that you can’t separate your eyes from it?”

He was so involved with his thoughts that never heard the steps approaching him from behind. He stumbled but the other man grabbed his arm in reflex.

-“Watch out Maknae, we don’t want you to impound yourself to pay this painting”

-“a-ah” he stuttered “Sorry Heechul-hyung” it was the only thing he could say.

-“You didn’t answer me” he insisted on his previous and ignored question. Silence filled the room, until he had a proper answer; Heechul waited patiently, as he had begun to understand the personality of his Maknae.

-“It does convey the feeling” he breathed in low voice, “I really like it” , for Heechul, that justification could only mean he related to that painting.

-“And what’s that feeling you speak of?” he curiously asked, trying to enter his mind for a moment; later he regretted having sounded so obvious.

-“Don’t you get it?” he asked, confused while his eyes encountered the ones of his hyung.

For the first time Heechul thought that big, brown orbs had in his very soul. They were the most beautiful he had seen, and he couldn’t even think of what he had just asked him. “what?” he snapped sarcastically, to cover up for his strange distraction.

-“I mean, do you not feel anything when you see this?”

His eyes landed on the painting and he felt immediate angst. “Well, she does seem distressed”

-“That is it” he smiled and again brought his eyes to the art, making the older feel sad to lose the sight of his eyes, and not knowing why.

-“Hey!” an echoing call boomed through the walls. Mother Duck was calling his ducklings. He hadn’t realized how many hours he had been viewing those paintings, it seems many. Kyuhyun moved first and Heechul found himself following the younger.

He’s still keeping a lot of secrets,

Heechul was deliberating stuff from behind, just as he watched the boy walk calmly to the front door of the building.

Sorry Maknae, I can’t let you.

Something in the pale face of the younger one asked for love. A glow in his eyes begged for understanding; something on his persona yelled for somebody to acknowledge him, and care. Not even knowing why, he had decided he would force his way into the other’s heart, if he let him. As contradictory as that appeared.

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New chapter here! and working on the next one n.n I think I'm unconsciously bringing some Kyuchul to my fic... ah.. what to do...

I hope you had a beautiful holiday! and wish you the best this year! 1st update of 2015! I feel refreshed, I hope you like this chapter. I'm working on upload faster than before so, yes!

Your comments are always always welcomed :) see you really soon

I have a surprise for you all, very soon.