5: A SHORT RECESS

Donghae looked like the living dead as he walked toward the front of the store to help work on the window display with Kyuhyun.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Kyuhyun asked while he extended his hand out to help Donghae climb up the tall display. He picked up Donghae’s glasses from the floor where the older boy nearly stepped on them.

“I didn’t get much sleep. I was excited about something.”

Donghae slipped the glasses back on to find Kyuhyun giving him a look that clearly meant that whatever he had just said had made no sense.

Nevertheless, it was the truth. Even after he got into bed, Donghae wasn't able to fall asleep for hours. It was almost five in the morning when he finally did.

After the conversation with Eunhyuk, a million thoughts and scenarios had played in his head for the next few hours. At one point, he got out of the bed to get a drink and forgot it in the hallway because he was thinking about what Eunhyuk would want to discuss.

He’d been lethargic and moody all morning. It had been annoying for Kyuhyun to deal with.

“What the hell are you excited about? I know it’s not about being at work.”

Donghae laughed with his eyes closed, revealing just how little sleep he had gotten the night before. The action nearly caused him to fall back into one of the mannequins if not for Kyuhyun catching him.

“Donghae! Are you okay? You seem off?”

“Oh, you care?” Donghae teased as he opened his eyes.

Kyuhyun flipped him off with a sneer.

“I’m fine. I’m just anxious. I’m meeting with someone later today.”

“Meeting with someone?” Kyuhyun skeptically asked. He turned from the mannequin he was dressing to question Donghae.

“Yah, don’t look at me like that,” Donghae admonished. “Is it so hard to believe?”

“Dude, I like you so I’m going to be straight with you—” Kyuhyun started, but was interrupted by Donghae, who rolled his eyes.

“What smart comment do you have to say to me now?”

Kyuhyun chuckled as he looked down at Donghae fitting shoes on the mannequin’s plastic feet.

“You’re kind of an and sort of an antisocial recluse. So, yeah. It’s hard for me to believe that you’re meeting with someone after work.”

“Yah!” Donghae shouted as he stood up in frustration to scold the younger employee.

“What the hell are you talking about? Antisocial? Recluse?”

Kyuhyun backed up into the corner of the display to avoid Donghae poking him in his chest; his coworker was particularly strong for a guy who spent most of his time at home.

“That’s the only part that bothered you? Not the part?”

Donghae dismissed Kyuhyun’s question with a wave of his hand and shoved his fallen glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not antisocial. I hang out with you all the time. What kind of assessment is that? Recluse? I’m obviously not since I’m here and not burrowed in some bunker.”

Kyuhyun stared down wide-eyed at Donghae. At this moment, Donghae lamented their height difference because he couldn't stare right into the younger boy’s eyes to intimidate him. There was only so much he could do from his standpoint without resorting to shoving him out of the display window.

“Do we really hang out? I mean, yeah we get food together while we’re at work and that’s about it. I actually hang out outside of work with Ryeowook and even Junghoon sometimes joins.”

Donghae his teeth at the news. He believed that he had a better relationship with Kyuhyun than he thought. Hell, he believed that he was a least closer to his junior than his manager was to him.

“Still. That’s doesn’t mean I’m antisocial. It just means, I prefer my own company. I’m awesome to hang out with.”

Kyuhyun laughed as he playfully shoved Donghae’s shoulder.

“You’re an .”

“Like you’re one to talk. I’m surprised your mouth doesn’t smell like ,” Donghae countered much to the pleasure of Kyuhyun, who laughed until he couldn't stand anymore.

“I’m going to remember that one to use on other people,” Kyuhyun declared through breathless chuckles. He clutched his stomach in pain as he continued to laugh.

“Oh man, that was good. I need to write that down.”

Donghae just shook his head at the younger employee and began to get back to dressing the mannequins in the latest trendy things that Donghae couldn't stand to even hold.

“So, you’re actually meeting with someone then?” Kyuhyun asked after a few minutes of working silently.

Donghae handed Kyuhyun some caps to place on each of the mannequin’s heads before he stepped out of the display window.

“Yeah, I’m actually meeting someone in a few hours.”

“Who?” Kyuhyun asked as he followed Donghae out of the window and toward the register.

“A guy from school.”

Kyuhyun smirked as he leaned forward on the belt buckle display, much to Donghae’s annoyance because it meant that he'd have to wipe his fingerprints off the glass.

“Ah, I understand. It’s a guy that wants you to do his homework.”

Donghae lashed out at Kyuhyun with his right hand, smacking the boy right at his temple. The younger boy shouted in pain as he clutched the spot where he was hit.

“Dammit, Donghae. It was a joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t funny.”

Kyuhyun scoffed as Donghae grabbed the window cleaner and began to spray the solution on the display case. It caused Kyuhyun to have to stand up.

“But seriously. Why are you meeting with someone?”

Donghae contemplated on how to answer Kyuhyun as he wiped down at the greasy marks where Kyuhyun’s hands were, making sure to clean thoroughly. The last thing he needed before leaving was for his manager to yell at him while he was in this state. He might just fully lash out at the man and use it as an excuse to punch him in the face.

He wondered if he should disclose that he caught Eunhyuk attempting to steal a shirt and is basically blackmailing him. He decided to reveal some part of the story without revealing the truth behind the pairing.

“I don’t know why we’re meeting. He just asked me to meet up today.”

“Who though? Besides the people in this store, do you actually know other people? And please don’t say you’re mom or brother.”

“My boyfriend is coming,” Donghae bitterly replied, tired of hearing his junior insult him.

Kyuhyun looked like he was convulsing when he shouted out in surprise.

"What!"

Donghae made like he was going to punch Kyuhyun after he apologized to the customers in the store that the younger employee had managed to startle.

"Thanks,” Donghae sarcastically replied. Kyuhyun was too busy laughing to hear him.

“Boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

The skepticism and disbelief were palpable in Kyuhyun’s words and Donghae had to calm himself from jumping over the counter and kicking the boy. As a reflex, he shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Why is that hard to believe?”

“Oh, come on! Really?” Kyuhyun asked with a ‘who are kidding’ look on his face.

“I’m serious,” Donghae defended. “He’s coming at 3. We were talking last night and he asked me to hang out after work.”

It wasn't a lie, Donghae reasoned, but it wasn't the exact truth either.

The less Kyuhyun knew about the situation, the better. Donghae would never live it down if Kyuhyun found out about the arrangement.

He didn't even want to imagine the possibility of that situation. He already hated the way Kyuhyun already undermined him.

“Don’t get me wrong, Donghae. You’re pretty good looking even though your hair is always a straggly mess, you wear those humongous glasses and your clothes look like they can fit a separate person in them, but you don’t come off as the type to have a boyfriend.”

Donghae sighed in defeat because he knew Kyuhyun would have some smart response to anything he wanted to say. He rather not have to deal with that before Eunhyuk arrived.

He immediately began to walk toward the jeans display a customer had left in shambles in hopes that Kyuhyun would drop the whole conversation and just let him be until he left.

However, Kyuhyun followed and even began to help him fold the strewn about denim.

“Seriously, though? There’s really a guy coming?” the junior asked and Donghae huffed in frustration.

“Yes there is and if you don’t drop this conversation, you’re going to regret it.”

“Oh really?” Kyuhyun teased.

“Yes really.”

“And what exactly do you think you can do to me?”

Donghae smirked at his colleague and smugly crossed his arms over his chest. It was a confident stance for the shorter man.

“Don’t test me, Cho Kyuhyun or else that guy you’ve been making googly eyes at the café will know just how young you really are.”

“He knows I’m still in high school,” Kyuhyun wavered. It made Donghae smile more.

“Yeah, he knows that, but he doesn’t know that the age difference between you two crosses a legal line. You know the statutory one.”

“I’m about to turn 17—he’s only 20. It’s not that big of a deal. Besides, we’re only flirting for now,” Kyuhyun angrily argued much to Donghae’s amusement.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, Kyu.”

Donghae whistled as he walked away from the jeans display leaving behind an infuriated Kyuhyun. He couldn't help but feel smug about it.

He was usually the one in Kyuhyun’s position.

Donghae spent the next several hours dealing with customers, avoiding Kyuhyun and routinely checking his phone to check the time and to see if Eunhyuk had texted.

It was a fruitless routine because nothing seemed to make the time go faster; no matter how many times Donghae tried to pretend he was not worried about it.

Time seemed to be going slower on this morning than he ever thought possible.

It was not until around 2:45 when Kyuhyun finally managed to catch Donghae in the back of the store.

“Hey, do you think I should call security?”

“Why?”

“There’s a guy who’s been walking back and forth in front of the door for the last couple of minutes,” Kyuhyun explained as he pointed to the hooded figure walking in front.

Donghae decided to walk toward the door to scare the person away, but when the person turned their head toward the store, he spotted the pouty lips that kept him awake at night.

“You don’t need to call security on him. That’s Eunhyuk.”

“You know him?” Kyuhyun asked as he walked up behind Donghae.

“He’s my bo—” Donghae began to answer, but cut himself off, but not before Kyuhyun managed to catch on to what he was going to say.

“That’s your boyfriend!” Kyuhyun shouted excitedly as he smacked Donghae’s shoulder.

Donghae griped in grievance.

“Why are you making him wait outside?”

“I didn’t know he was out there.”

“If that’s the case—”

Kyuhyun didn't finish what he was about to say before he jetted off toward the front door to let Eunhyuk in out of the cold. Donghae was right on his trail, shouting for him to stop, but Kyuhyun paid no mind to him as he stepped out into the chilly, January weather.

From his spot inside the store, Donghae hid behind the nearest display to watch the scene unfold.

He wasn't able to hear much except for a few words including “come in,” but by the scowl on Eunhyuk’s face, it was clear that Kyuhyun had used the word "boyfriend" while outside.

“Oh, Donghae!” Kyuhyun enthusiastically and rather smugly sung once he followed Eunhyuk inside.

From his hiding spot, Donghae rolled his eyes and then got up. He appeared to be pretending to arrange a rack of sweatshirts.

“Didn’t I already do that rack, Hae?” Kyuhyun asked. The smirk on his face was one that Donghae wanted to wipe right off, preferably using a roundhouse kick to do so.

“No, you didn’t,” Donghae insisted meanwhile avoiding Eunhyuk’s unmistakable glare towards him.

“Oh, I guess not,” Kyuhyun lied. “Well, I found your boyfriend outside.”

The way the junior emphasized “boyfriend” made Donghae’s skin crawl. He grimaced in return.

“Thank you, Kyuhyun. I’m sure it was cold outside.”

Donghae turned toward Eunhyuk and the boy’s expression was enough to make Donghae want the world to open up and swallow him whole.

“I thought we weren’t going to say anything for a while,” Eunhyuk spoke through his teeth as he pulled his hood down.

Kyuhyun stood between the two schoolmates with his arms crossed and the smirk still permanently splayed across his face.

“Oh, you were keeping it a secret.”

“Kyu! Just get back to work,” Donghae reprimanded.

Kyuhyun smiled as he looked between the two older boys. He began to walk toward the cash register, much to Donghae’s joy but turned around just before he reached the counter.

“You could do better, Donghae.”

“Excuse me?” Eunhyuk exasperatedly asked.

Donghae hung his head; he knew it had been too good to be true.

“Kyuhyun, just get back to work. Seriously.”

“I’m just saying.”

Kyuhyun motioned between Donghae and Eunhyuk, which the latter was furiously staring at him.

“No offense, but Donghae is pretty good looking. Yeah, he needs to be cleaned up in areas, but under all of the mess, is a pretty handsome guy. You on the other hand—”

“Who is this pest?” Eunhyuk asked Donghae, cutting Kyuhyun off.

“He’s my friend. Feel free to ignore him.”

Kyuhyun interrupted their conversation with raucous laughter.

“Wow, you two are awkward.”

“Look moron. We’ve just started dating—we’ll get to that more comfortable point eventually,” Eunhyuk argued. It was clear that it was mostly because Kyuhyun insulted him earlier.

“Oh, maybe you two are more alike than I thought. Both s.”

“Kyuhyun! Enough already. Just go work on some other part of the store while I go clock out,” Donghae reprimanded in a huff as he shoved the other employee.

“Alright, I’m going.”

“I swear if I find out you were saying some while I’m in the back, I will make you regret it.”

“Don’t worry about it, man. I’m off to Narnia now.”

“Insolent child.”

“Antisocial .”

Donghae and Eunhyuk both watched as Kyuhyun walked over to the shoe section on the far left of the store.

“I’m sorry about, Kyu. He’s a crotchety fifty-year-old trapped in a 16 years old body.”

Eunhyuk on his bottom lip as he nodded his head in acceptance of Donghae’s apology.

“I’ll wait for you here, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Donghae whispered. He had shuffled his feet before he turned around toward the staff room.

When he neared the entrance to the room, he took a quick glance in Kyuhyun’s direction to see if he was watching. Donghae was assured that Kyuhyun wouldn't try anything since he was busy helping a customer.

He quickly slipped into the staff room and closed the door behind him. He propped himself against it and let out the most welcomed sigh of his life.

The whole situation with Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk had been short, but nerve-wracking. It made him wonder if he would be able to deal with that kind of situation multiple times on Monday.

Donghae breathed heavily as he adjusted his glasses and stamped his time sheet.

He quickly jammed his arms into his coat and jogged out of the staff room because he hadn't wanted to give Kyuhyun any sort of chance to talk again.

He found Eunhyuk facing the front entrance.

“I’m ready,” he announced himself when he walked next to Eunhyuk.

The other boy glared at him and greeted him with a scowl, which Donghae was more than sure that Eunhyuk thought made him look intimidating. However, it just made his lips look even more enticing to Donghae.

“You’re coworker is a jackass.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Whatever,” Eunhyuk brushed him off. “Let’s just get out of here. We’ve got places to go and a lot to talk about.”

Donghae nodded his head as he followed Eunhyuk out of the store.

He immediately yelped because it was colder outside than he remembered.

“Did you wait outside for long?” he asked, remembering that Kyuhyun spotted Eunhyuk outside of the store.

“About 15 minutes. Why? Do you actually care?”

“Contrary to what you may think, I actually like you. I know this situation isn’t one you like, but I’m enjoying it so far.”

“You’re almost as bad as that coworker of yours.”

“Almost? So, I’m not as bad? That’s nice to hear.”

“Whatever,” Eunhyuk replied while tightening his coat and flipping his hood up. “Let’s just get going before my nuts freeze off.”

“Where exactly are we going?”

“The hair salon.”

“Hair salon?”

“Yes. We can talk more about it when we get there.”