Chapter 12 The Birthday boy

Weeks passed and throughout the time Donghae came over whenever he had the time (which seemed to be more often than not. Hyukjae thought that the younger would prefer spending his time with his friends or a girlfriend). Sometimes when he got home the brunet would be sitting in his living room. Some of the times he would be studying- reminding the kindergarten teacher that Donghae in fact was to become a doctor- but most of the times he would be watching a movie or a show.

One evening when Hyukjae got back to his apartment after meeting up with a bunch of his closes friends he found the younger bundled under the blanket, crying. In a panic he ran to where the other male was sitting, not caring about the fact that he still wore his shoes and jacket inside.

“Donghae, what´s the problem? Hae?! Are you hurting or has something happened? Do you want to talk about it or something?” He pulled the brunet into his arms, the latter´s hair all the while. Hyukjae was so worried about what had happened to the younger.

Donghae sniffled and rubbed his face in the crook of the black-haired man´s neck. His breathing was erratic, and the tears made big wet stains on the elder´s jacket.

After taking a few deep breaths the brunet had managed to calm down a bit and leaned back so the two could look at each other. “I´m fine, nothing happened to me. But the dad died. How could he just go and die like that?! He was a firefight and all. It´s not fair. Now the children don’t have a father to support them.” He sniffled a little and rubbed his eyes that had turned red from the tears.

Hyukjae looked over to the television where he saw a re-run episode playing of Pinocchio. One of his friends had seen the drama when it had been released and remember that the main guy lost his father early in the story. But the sorrow in the other man´s voice seemed much deeper that just being upset about a made-up plot.

Not knowing if they where close enough by now for the older to ask anything more, he decided to wait with those questions for another time.

Instead he dried the other´s tears away from his cheeks and smiled softly to the brunet. Donghae seemed to appreciate the gesture and smiled back, a small twinkle shining in the dark brown eyes.

“Thank you for worrying about me Hyukkie. Can you stay here until the episode is over? I don’t want to sit here alone anymore. I brought over food for us to eat. My mom insisted that I should take food with me after I visited her this weekend. And you know moms. When they have decided something that´s the way it will go.”

“Of course, I´ll stay if you want me to. It is after all my house we are in. Just let me take off my shoes and jacket, okay?!”

The shorter man nodded and released his grip on the raven-head, telling him to hurry up with taking his outwear off. Jokingly threatening Hyukjae that he could count down from ten, and he needed to be back before the time ran out.

Laughing at the silly man, he ran into the hallway and hastily took everything off. Hoping the action would bring a smile to the younger´s lips. Not wanting to see the sad expression of the other man ever again.

He got back to the couch within five minutes and sat in his designated seat. As soon as he placed his but on the cushion the seat next to him moved and in a heartbeat, someone was right up against his side. Carefully he turned his head to have a look at the cause of the movement and was welcomed by the sight of Donghae leaning on the elder´s arm. The latter placed his head on Hyukjae´s shoulder and let out a breath he had held in.

Worried that the other would change his mind if he would say or do anything Hyukjae ended up placing his hand on the younger´s knee and squeezed it as a sign that he wasn’t alone anymore. In response the brunet moved closer to him and intertwined their fingers.

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After going out with Mi Kyung on the failed bowling date, it had been calm on the whole blind dating front from his friends. But after meeting up with them, all of them seemed to have remembered their deal. And they were even more into it than before- if that was even possible.

His friends texted him about different people they knew that he should go out with, all from co-workers to random people they met at parties or other social gatherings. One of his friends had suggested that he should go out with some cute guy that worked at a café close to her workplace.

By now it was the middle of June and summer had begun for real. Hyukjae had known Donghae for a little over a month and spend at least three days every week with the younger. Most times they spend the evening and night together in the elder´s apartment, having dinner and after, often watching movies or dramas (trying to stay away from really sad and depressing ones as much as possible). They munched sweets and different kinds of snacks.

If the two happened to have a day off at the same time they did something outside. Went to parks, shopping down town, one rainy day they visited the aquarium- much to Donghae´s utter joy.

“Hyung why don’t you just trust me with this?! He is surely the one for you.”

Hyukjae looked at the younger guy across from him at the café. Choi Minho was a junior of his from their high school days. For some reason the two males hit it off and the older dragged his junior into his group of friends. All the other people of Hyukjae´s gang took a liking towards the new boy, and since then he was stuck with them. Not that the youngest minded.

But like the majority of their friend group, Minho thought the teacher needed a bit of loving in his life. And had therefore joined in on the rest of the assembly making it his mission to find someone for the senior to love (and get loved by in return).

Hyukjae didn’t share that feeling.

This all led them to the current situation. The junior had asked his sunbae to go out for coffee on a Tuesday afternoon. And being the weak human being he was when it came to his friends, he of course agreed to the invitation. So, the two high school friends met up at a local café for a coffee (more of a sweet vanilla and strawberry milkshake in Hyukjae´s case).

Fifteen minutes into their hang out the younger man had brought up the ever so pressing topic of the raven-head´s ´lack of a´ dating life.

“I don’t want to go out with anyone. Last time Hyoyeon set me up with a girl and it ended in a disaster. I don’t want to experience that again. It´s not you Min, it´s all of you guys.”

Minho ran a hand through his light brown hair and scrunched up his nose. Not liking that the other man disregarded his offer of helping him. Since all of their friends agreed that the kindergarten teacher needed to find ´the one´ who was Hyukjae to deny Minho´s help.

“Yeah, we all heard about her hand becoming purple from noona. That´s why I´ve found you a guy this time. He´s a bit short but has a nice sense of fashion and has a pretty good-looking face. Maybe not the most well trained there is, he likes to eat food. And so do you, perfect right?” The younger looked at his hyung and raised an eyebrow.

They sat in silence for a while. When Hyukjae couldn’t stand the stare he got from the man across the table he let out a heavy sigh. “Where have you even found this guy. It doesn’t seem like you have really thought all that much about it to me.”

“Well…. He lives in the same apartment building as me. He asked me out and I didn’t really want to so, I though of you and asked him if he was interested. Which he for some reason was. I call that a win-win situation.” The light brunet smiled at the other with a goofy yet handsome smile.

Hyukjae sat in his seat just staring at the younger guy. Minho was apparently trying to set him up with the younger´s neighbor. Because he himself didn’t want to date him. And therefore, the black-haired man became a good option for this whole situation. He had got too be kidding.

“Are you kidding me Minho?! Why would I agree to go on a blind date with a man that asked you out in the first place, but you just happened to be uninterested in him yourself. Does it even make any sense…?” The man was starting to feel frustrated about what was going on. He wasn’t that desperate about finding anyone. He wasn’t desperate at all. In fact, the man in question wasn’t even tying to find anyone, it was everyone else around him who had the mission for some reason.

“Please hyung. I think he´ll really like you. I told him some things about you and some funny stories from our school days. He seemed genuinely interested in meeting you. And you´ll like him as well. I promise that he´s not a weirdo! Just do it for me. I even made him promise to pay fore everything during the date.” The latter looked pleadingly at the senior and pouted slightly, for the sake of looking cute and endearing to make the older fold.

And fold he did. He really needed to work on his ability to say no to all the younger people around him. He was a kindergarten teacher for s sake. He made his earning by denying those (a lot) younger than his things. Or at least trying to say no to the students- it didn’t always go all that great.

Before they left the coffee shop Minho thanked the older once again for agreeing to go on the blind date the younger set up for him. And promised him to text Hyukjae all the details later that night about the date- where and when it was gonna take place.

They said goodbye to each other and Hyukjae