Illegal Palpitations (Chapter 3)
Title: Illegal Palpitations
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama
Pairing: Donghae/Hyukjae
Warning: Hints of smut
Summary: It sucks when you’re boyfriend is on the other side of the law, but the rewards for hanging on and believing in that love are much more than Donghae and Hyukjae can ever imagine.
Role-play with tees2mai: She plays Hyukjae and I play Donghae
~*~
txt: Call me.
~*~
Hyukjae rarely asked Donghae to call because of the trouble it took. Donghae would have to make sure he was a secure line, calling from a secure place where no one could hear. He would have to go back to the apartment, which was the safest place to be, and honestly, Donghae tried to restrict his movement there as much as possible - the more he visited, the less safe it became.
If Hyukjae asked him to call, then something important must have happened.
Putting the phone to his ear, Donghae waited for Hyukjae to answer.
When Hyukjae finally got the call from Donghae, he moved himself away from the police building, going to a spot where there were less people and more privacy. "Hey." Hyukjae spoke softly when he picked up the call.
"Kyuhyun found out about us and the apartment." He quickly told him not wasting time.
“Kyuhyun? Your partner?” That got his attention. “How? Are we in trouble?”
"Yeah him... No... No we're not. He's not going to tell anyone." Hyukjae sighed. "When I wouldn't pick up any of his calls he started looking for me and tracked me down to the apartment. He was going to come see me but you showed up and he saw you and began putting things together. He thought I was doing some sort of undercover and I should have let him believe that but I stupidly told him otherwise... I'm sorry."
But Donghae was shaking his head, even though Hyukjae couldn’t see. “No. No need to apologize. This affects you more than me. Honestly, telling him the truth is better for me because, if the rumor got out that a cop was going undercover and getting information through me...” Donghae trailed off. They both knew what would happen. “But you should have protected yourself first. I can handle my end. It’s no problem.”
"I don't know what happened, I just almost told him too much." Hyukjae rubbed his forehead. "Are you okay?"
“Yeah. Things were a little bit tense right after the botched kidnapping, but they’ve calmed down now.” Donghae smiled, trying to reassure Hyukjae. “My visits to the apartment might be a bit restricted now though. Boss is keeping a closer eye on me for now. He’s being very apologetic about it though, so I know he still trusts me.”
"Don’t get caught." Hyukjae whispered, slowly walking towards a cafe for lunch. "Did you eat yet? I wish I could have gotten to cook for you last time." Hyukjae spoke, glad the other wasn't in too much trouble and was okay.
“Not yet. I’ll go after this.” Donghae lied. The fact was that he actually wasn’t planning to eat lunch. The call would take up all his lunch time and he couldn’t miss the meeting that he would need to go after. “You can cook for me the next time. I expect something good~”
"Liar." Hyukjae accused right away. He knew Donghae well, Donghae could fool all of the underground and the rest of the world but not Hyukjae. "There should be ramen in the apartment. At least eat that."
Donghae sighed. “Fine. Fine. Slave driver.” He muttered, but there was a smile on his face. “Well, I’ll need to go then. Keep safe alright?”
"If you skip meals you'll be the one that will have to keep safe from me." Hyukjae shot back, smiling as well. "Love you." Hyukjae whispered quickly.
“Love you too.” Donghae replied back, his heart warm. He ended the call then, always mindful of the time each call took, for the more time they spent on the phone, the more they could be tracked, but not for the first time, he wished he didn’t need to go through so much trouble just to call Hyukjae.
Hyukjae smiled for a moment, putting the phone away. He took a few minutes to enjoy the sound of Donghae's voice ringing through his ears before his face was blank again, as he headed back into the office. He knew they'd have to be more cautious from now on. He'd have to visit the apartment soon and make sure there was nothing personal left behind.
~*~
Donghae sighed as he lay Hyukjae gently back on his back, curling up beside his boyfriend, twining a distracted finger into Hyukjae’s hair. He eyed it, trying to distract his mind with mundane thoughts. Hyukjae’s hair was really soft. Had it always been that soft?
Hyukjae pulled Donghae closer, hugging him tightly. This had been a rare opportunity for them to finally meet and Hyukjae had pretty much dropped everything to come over the second he had found out Donghae was finally free to meet. He kissed his forehead gently. "Where’s your mind?" He asked his obviously distracted boyfriend.
Blinking, Donghae realized he’d been distracted again. Putting a grin onto his face, he kissed Hyukjae deeply before pulling away and answering. “In the gutter.” He leered jokingly, biting ticklishly at Hyukjae’s jaw.
Hyukjae laughed, poking him away without really wanting him to move away. "Yeah right Donghae... If your mind was getting near the gutter you would have jumped me by now." He teased him. Hyukjae ran his fingers through his hair.
“We just went one round.” Donghae rolled his eyes. “I’m sex-crazed, but not that sex-crazed. At least give me a moment.”
Pecking him, Hyukjae pulled away to sit up, grabbing a few tissues to clean them up. "I'll make you dinner... you're staying the night, right?" He smiled.
“Hmmm?” Donghae looked as if he hadn’t really heard. “Oh. Yeah. I’m staying... I think.”
Hyukjae pressed their foreheads together for a moment. "Okay, just relax here." Hyukjae smiled, picking up Donghae's boxers of the ground and pulling them on. He slowly walked towards the kitchen, wondering if everything was okay with Donghae as he began to cook for him.
Donghae smiled when Hyukjae left, but the moment his boyfriend was out of sight, that smile fell, replaced instead by worry and apprehension. Biting his lip, he buried his head in the pillow, letting out a loud sigh.
He would never tell Hyukjae this, for fear of worrying him, but he’d been sensing some bad vibes from his boss lately. The boss seemed more distant from him, and things just seemed a little more... tense. Maybe it was just his nerves getting on him but he didn’t know. And that was getting him all jumpy.
And as if his thoughts had hailed invitation, his phone rang then.
Hyukjae smiled as he finally set up the table. They couldn't go on many dates, they probably hadn't been on one in years but that wouldn't stop Hyukjae from creating a date like atmosphere for them. Lighting up the candles on the table, he set out dinner and checked over everything a few times.
"Donghae!" He called out, smiling.
Donghae came out then, an apologetic look in his eyes. He grew even more uncomfortable looking at the nice dinner Hyukjae made. “Hyuk... I’m sorry. Boss just called... I have to go...”
Hyukjae sighed a little but didn't let his expression change. He walked over and kissed him. "It's okay... Go before you get in trouble." He cupped his face. "Call me when you can and stop stressing."
Donghae sighed into the kiss, before smiling softly. “Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Hyukjae nodded at him, sending him off. He waited for Donghae to leave before finally dropping his shoulders in disappointment. Extinguishing the candles, Hyukjae shoved everything off the table in frustration before calling it a night. Some nights were harder than others.
~*~
Donghae didn’t get back that night. In fact it was a few days before he responded to Hyukjae’s calls again. And it was the same for the next few of their meetings. Donghae would be distracted throughout, and more than once he got called back to work.
Hyukjae hung up as soon as his short conversation with Donghae was over, putting the phone back into his jacket pocket. He rubbed his face from sleep before heading back to where he had asked Kyuhyun to wait for him near a crime scene they had been investigating. While Donghae was away Hyukjae could only bury himself further into work so that he wouldn't worry even more.
Kyuhyun had been waiting patiently for Hyukjae to come back. When the other drew near, he gestured towards the crime scene, before saying in a soft, but conversational tone. “Did you know you were being followed?”
"....I realized a block ago." Hyukjae murmured, looking at Kyuhyun's notes as if catching up on what he had missed. It was one of the reasons why his conversation with Donghae had been cryptic and far from what he had really wanted to say to the other. "Do you mind if I stay at your place tonight? Just to throw them off for a bit?"
“Yeah. Sure. Slumber parties are always fun.” Kyuhyun murmured before ordering some of the forensic crew out of a room. “Is your friend in trouble?”
Hyukjae gave a quick nod as other officers came to speak to him. He gave orders quickly, signing off on the evidence before turning back to Kyuhyun. "I don't think things are going well right now." He said truthfully, Donghae would never say it himself though.
“...If that’s the case, you should be mentally prepared.” Kyuhyun murmured, peering at the bloodstains on the ground. “It’s grim, but at any time, it might be the last time you see him alive.”
"You are the sunshine in my life." Hyukjae told him, voice even. He knew what Kyuhyun meant and could not be mad at the other. But as much as his job reminded him the realities of his and Donghae's lives, Hyukjae chose not to believe it in his mind. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he didn't have Donghae.
“Someone must be the optimist.” Kyuhyun joked back, before he became serious. “Anyway, you’re buying the beer right?”
"Aish. You mooch." Hyukjae nodded. "Alright, let’s go sign out and get you drunk."
“Me? You’re the lightweight.” Kyuhyun threw back, throwing his pen at Hyukjae. “It’s probably going to end up with you singing drunken love songs into the remote control and me taping the entire hilarious scene.”
"Yah." Hyukjae caught the pen, walking back to his car with him. "I'm your superior!" He reminded him, pocketing the pen. "And I'll have to remind you that you got up to sing first."
“Show me the evidence of that then.” Kyuhyun chuckled, getting into the car. “Alright! Onwards!”
"I'm not mean enough to record you." Hyukjae grumbled, getting into the car as well to drive them back.
~*~
“Hyuk? Wakey-wakey. You still have work today you know.”
Hyukjae groaned, hiding his face in his blankets, too hung over for the poking so early in the morning.
“Aw, come on, Hyuk. I took all that trouble to find you. At least open your eyes and give me a smile, huh?”
Hyukjae pouted now, finally realizing what was going on. He covered his face more, blindly reaching out for Donghae. "Kyuhyun will wake up soon." He grumbled.
“Hmm?” Donghae pulled Hyukjae into his arms chuckling. “Too late.”
“HOLY MOTHER OF- WHO IS THAT GUY HYUK? WHY THE HELL IS HE IN MY LIVING ROO-Owowowow... my head...”
Donghae looked on in amusement as Kyuhyun clutched his head, the effects of his hangover finally overpowering his astonishment. “I think he likes me.” He commented to Hyukjae.
"Oh yes, you've charmed him completely." Hyukjae would have rolled his eyes if was willing to open them, frowning at Kyuhyun's voice. "Oh my god, shut up." He hissed at him, burying his face into Donghae's chest. "You better not have come empty handed." He whispered, kissing Donghae's chest.
“A good nutritious Korean breakfast and my special hangover remedy are waiting for you in the kitchen... if you’re up to it.” Donghae told him, looking at Kyuhyun. “You can have some too, partner of Hyukjae’s.”
Hyukjae finally opened his eyes, giving Donghae the smile had been waiting for. "Oh yeah... um... Kyuhyun... Donghae." He introduced them, holding his head as he sat up. Hyukjae felt around for his sunglasses and pulled them on to shield himself from the sunlight and got up slowly, grabbing Donghae to that they could go eat.
Kyuhyun too had relaxed at the greeting. Sighing and sinking to the floor. “I’ll join you later. I’m not up to withstanding gut-wrenching lovey-doveyness along with a hangover.”
Donghae had to laugh at that, holding Hyukjae up and leading him to the kitchen, sitting him down and starting to feed him. “When I found out you were going over to your partner’s place at night, I guessed that some soju would probably be involved... but I didn’t expect the floor to be covered in bottles.”
"His fault." Hyukjae immediately blamed Kyuhyun, keeping close to Donghae. Kyuhyun's words from the day before had not been washed away by the soju. "Thanks." Hyukjae kissed him suddenly between bites before going back to eating, trying to ignore his headache the best he could.
Startled a little by the kiss, Donghae touched his lips, blinking at Hyukjae. “What was that?” He asked, bemused.
"Sunshine and rainbows." Hyukjae pointed at Kyuhyun. "Decided to tell me you might just die at any moment." Hyukjae shot his partner a glare. "It's not an easy thing to get out of my imagination."
Donghae fell silent at that. Despite the joking way it was said, there was something very real about it. Pulling Hyukjae into a hug, Donghae breathed out. “Don’t worry. I won’t die so easily.”
Hyukjae hugged him back tightly. "You better not." He warned him, nuzzling him a little, not caring if Kyuhyun was to walk by soon.
“Okay... saccharine overload.” Kyuhyun’s voice broke the moment and there was the scraping of the chair as Kyuhyun plonked into it. “Ugh... I don’t think I can even hold a pair of chopsticks...”
Hyukjae pulled away from the hug but still leaned on Donghae. "Are you trying to get one of us to feed you?" He narrowed his eyes at Kyuhyun, eating by himself now.
Highly amused by Hyukjae’s partner, Donghae decided to tease Hyukjae a little. “I don’t mind feeding you, Kyuhyun-sshi. What would you like to eat first?”
“...Trying to get me killed?” Kyuhyun knew that if he accepted Hyukjae would murder him.
Hyukjae rolled his eyes at them, biting Donghae's cheek. "He likes that." Hyukjae pointed at a dish, deciding to make Kyuhyun more uncomfortable.
“Alright.” Donghae winked at Hyukjae, and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, holding it out to Kyuhyun, an entirely charming smile on his face. “Here, Kyuhyun. Open up?”
“......” Kyuhyun sweated, pulling back. “No, thank you.”
"Take the bite Kyuhyun." Hyukjae looked over at his partner.
“Hmm... I think he needs more help, Hyukjae.” Donghae grinned. “I’ll feed him mouth-to-mouth.”
And Kyuhyun watched, his eyes wide and Donghae put the piece of food into his mouth, leaning closer and closer to Kyuhyun...
“IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!”
Donghae watched as Kyuhyun fled from the kitchen, screaming bloody murder. “Well... it was nice meeting him.”
Hyukjae laughed softly as Kyuhyun ran for it, grabbing Donghae by the collar and pulling him in for that mouth to mouth feeding instead. "Mine." He whispered against his lips, still smiling.
Pushing the piece of food into Hyukjae’s mouth, Donghae grinned. “Yes. And you, are mine.” He whispered back, hands going around Hyukjae’s waist and trying to pull him even closer.
"How did you find time off?" Hyukjae happily cuddled up to him, hang over fading slowly as he ate the rest of the breakfast Donghae had brought him.
“I pulled more than a dozen favours.” Donghae sighed, pausing from nuzzling into Hyukjae’s hair. “I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to see you.”
"It's never been this long unless you've been out of the country." Hyukjae touched his face briefly. "I'm glad you came but you have to be more careful. Someone's been tailing me."
“I saw. I sent him on a wild goose case earlier.” Donghae leaned into the touch before returning the favour. “You need to be careful too. I’m worried that if I’m found out, they might send someone after you so as to make sure that there aren’t any loose ends.”
"I already cleaned out our apartment." Hyukjae told him. "Opened a new account from which all the bills are paid. I've covered my tracks mostly... Now that Kyuhyun knows it's a little easier."
“Mmm… good thinking.” Donghae praised him, giving him a sweet peck as reward. “Tell me the address later.”
Hyukjae smiled at him. "I will... What about you? Covering your tracks?"
“As usual.” Donghae paused. “Let’s not talk about this. I want to enjoy this time with you.”
Looking at the doorway, Donghae grinned. “Do you think your partner would mind if we… christen his kitchen a little?”
Hyukjae laughed, straddling him. "I think he's not going to be disturbing us any time soon." He kissed down his neck.
“Good. Because I don’t think we’ll be done any time soon.” And then Donghae leaned Hyukjae over the table and proved his words.
~*~
Hyukjae continuously tapped the end of his pen against his desk, eyes on the folder in front of him. His mind was clearly not in the same room. He had been staring at the same piece of paper for over an hour now. Lucky for him it was a slow day in the headquarters so there was not much need for him. Not that he would be any help anyway. Biting the inside of his cheek, he flipped the pages in front of him back and forth only to come back to the same page again.
Where was Donghae? He thought to himself, still tapping away. The other had not called. He had not sent him a message in any form nor had he visited him. They had a rule about these things. Come hell or high water, they kept in touch somehow or the other. It was supposed to be a constant reminder to sooth their longing hearts. To remind each other they were okay.
He furrowed his eyebrows, subtly checking to make sure his phone was not switched off. Why hadn't Donghae contacted him? His stalker had stopped following him as well and Hyukjae assumed Donghae had gained his boss' trust again. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a feeling had tugged at his heart. A feeling that had been haunting him for a few days now. It was beginning to drive him absolutely insane. He needed some sign from Donghae.
Kyuhyun looked up around him before inching closer to Hyukjae. “You look like your puppy died. Ease up, you’re attracting attention.”
Hyukjae snapped out of it, looking at him and nodding. "Sorry... I can't concentrate right now." He sighed, looking down at the document in his hands and realizing he had finished it two days ago. He quietly picked up another folder.
“Well, you’re going to have to try.” Kyuhyun sighed, patting Hyukjae’s back. “You should relax. I’m sure your friend’s fine.”
"I'm scared." Hyukjae's voice dropped to his lowest, looking at his partner and friend as he finally admitted. "I feel uneasy."
Kyuhyun bit his lip. He knew that Hyukjae had all right to feel uneasy. Donghae hadn’t called in a few days, which could mean he was either busy because the boss had started to heap work on him again now that he was in the clear, or it could mean the opposite. And even if he didn’t know Donghae that well, he knew Hyukjae would be devastated if something really happened. But still, he needed to calm his friend down. “Hey, hey. I understand. But I’m sure he’s fine. You’re just worried. It’s natural. I bet when you go back to your apartment tonight, he’ll actually be there with a huge surprise, and you’ll jump him and punish him for making you wait so long.”
Hyukjae managed a smile at that. He reached over and squeezed Kyuhyun's hand in a quiet thank you, turning back to his work as he quietly imagined that. Holding onto such thoughts to get him through the day. It began to ease him a little.
But Donghae didn’t appear at the apartment that night. There was no surprise, not even the inkling that Donghae had ever been there at all.
~*~
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama
Pairing: Donghae/Hyukjae
Warning: Hints of smut
Summary: It sucks when you’re boyfriend is on the other side of the law, but the rewards for hanging on and believing in that love are much more than Donghae and Hyukjae can ever imagine.
Role-play with tees2mai: She plays Hyukjae and I play Donghae
~*~
txt: Call me.
~*~
Hyukjae rarely asked Donghae to call because of the trouble it took. Donghae would have to make sure he was a secure line, calling from a secure place where no one could hear. He would have to go back to the apartment, which was the safest place to be, and honestly, Donghae tried to restrict his movement there as much as possible - the more he visited, the less safe it became.
If Hyukjae asked him to call, then something important must have happened.
Putting the phone to his ear, Donghae waited for Hyukjae to answer.
When Hyukjae finally got the call from Donghae, he moved himself away from the police building, going to a spot where there were less people and more privacy. "Hey." Hyukjae spoke softly when he picked up the call.
"Kyuhyun found out about us and the apartment." He quickly told him not wasting time.
“Kyuhyun? Your partner?” That got his attention. “How? Are we in trouble?”
"Yeah him... No... No we're not. He's not going to tell anyone." Hyukjae sighed. "When I wouldn't pick up any of his calls he started looking for me and tracked me down to the apartment. He was going to come see me but you showed up and he saw you and began putting things together. He thought I was doing some sort of undercover and I should have let him believe that but I stupidly told him otherwise... I'm sorry."
But Donghae was shaking his head, even though Hyukjae couldn’t see. “No. No need to apologize. This affects you more than me. Honestly, telling him the truth is better for me because, if the rumor got out that a cop was going undercover and getting information through me...” Donghae trailed off. They both knew what would happen. “But you should have protected yourself first. I can handle my end. It’s no problem.”
"I don't know what happened, I just almost told him too much." Hyukjae rubbed his forehead. "Are you okay?"
“Yeah. Things were a little bit tense right after the botched kidnapping, but they’ve calmed down now.” Donghae smiled, trying to reassure Hyukjae. “My visits to the apartment might be a bit restricted now though. Boss is keeping a closer eye on me for now. He’s being very apologetic about it though, so I know he still trusts me.”
"Don’t get caught." Hyukjae whispered, slowly walking towards a cafe for lunch. "Did you eat yet? I wish I could have gotten to cook for you last time." Hyukjae spoke, glad the other wasn't in too much trouble and was okay.
“Not yet. I’ll go after this.” Donghae lied. The fact was that he actually wasn’t planning to eat lunch. The call would take up all his lunch time and he couldn’t miss the meeting that he would need to go after. “You can cook for me the next time. I expect something good~”
"Liar." Hyukjae accused right away. He knew Donghae well, Donghae could fool all of the underground and the rest of the world but not Hyukjae. "There should be ramen in the apartment. At least eat that."
Donghae sighed. “Fine. Fine. Slave driver.” He muttered, but there was a smile on his face. “Well, I’ll need to go then. Keep safe alright?”
"If you skip meals you'll be the one that will have to keep safe from me." Hyukjae shot back, smiling as well. "Love you." Hyukjae whispered quickly.
“Love you too.” Donghae replied back, his heart warm. He ended the call then, always mindful of the time each call took, for the more time they spent on the phone, the more they could be tracked, but not for the first time, he wished he didn’t need to go through so much trouble just to call Hyukjae.
Hyukjae smiled for a moment, putting the phone away. He took a few minutes to enjoy the sound of Donghae's voice ringing through his ears before his face was blank again, as he headed back into the office. He knew they'd have to be more cautious from now on. He'd have to visit the apartment soon and make sure there was nothing personal left behind.
~*~
Donghae sighed as he lay Hyukjae gently back on his back, curling up beside his boyfriend, twining a distracted finger into Hyukjae’s hair. He eyed it, trying to distract his mind with mundane thoughts. Hyukjae’s hair was really soft. Had it always been that soft?
Hyukjae pulled Donghae closer, hugging him tightly. This had been a rare opportunity for them to finally meet and Hyukjae had pretty much dropped everything to come over the second he had found out Donghae was finally free to meet. He kissed his forehead gently. "Where’s your mind?" He asked his obviously distracted boyfriend.
Blinking, Donghae realized he’d been distracted again. Putting a grin onto his face, he kissed Hyukjae deeply before pulling away and answering. “In the gutter.” He leered jokingly, biting ticklishly at Hyukjae’s jaw.
Hyukjae laughed, poking him away without really wanting him to move away. "Yeah right Donghae... If your mind was getting near the gutter you would have jumped me by now." He teased him. Hyukjae ran his fingers through his hair.
“We just went one round.” Donghae rolled his eyes. “I’m sex-crazed, but not that sex-crazed. At least give me a moment.”
Pecking him, Hyukjae pulled away to sit up, grabbing a few tissues to clean them up. "I'll make you dinner... you're staying the night, right?" He smiled.
“Hmmm?” Donghae looked as if he hadn’t really heard. “Oh. Yeah. I’m staying... I think.”
Hyukjae pressed their foreheads together for a moment. "Okay, just relax here." Hyukjae smiled, picking up Donghae's boxers of the ground and pulling them on. He slowly walked towards the kitchen, wondering if everything was okay with Donghae as he began to cook for him.
Donghae smiled when Hyukjae left, but the moment his boyfriend was out of sight, that smile fell, replaced instead by worry and apprehension. Biting his lip, he buried his head in the pillow, letting out a loud sigh.
He would never tell Hyukjae this, for fear of worrying him, but he’d been sensing some bad vibes from his boss lately. The boss seemed more distant from him, and things just seemed a little more... tense. Maybe it was just his nerves getting on him but he didn’t know. And that was getting him all jumpy.
And as if his thoughts had hailed invitation, his phone rang then.
Hyukjae smiled as he finally set up the table. They couldn't go on many dates, they probably hadn't been on one in years but that wouldn't stop Hyukjae from creating a date like atmosphere for them. Lighting up the candles on the table, he set out dinner and checked over everything a few times.
"Donghae!" He called out, smiling.
Donghae came out then, an apologetic look in his eyes. He grew even more uncomfortable looking at the nice dinner Hyukjae made. “Hyuk... I’m sorry. Boss just called... I have to go...”
Hyukjae sighed a little but didn't let his expression change. He walked over and kissed him. "It's okay... Go before you get in trouble." He cupped his face. "Call me when you can and stop stressing."
Donghae sighed into the kiss, before smiling softly. “Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Hyukjae nodded at him, sending him off. He waited for Donghae to leave before finally dropping his shoulders in disappointment. Extinguishing the candles, Hyukjae shoved everything off the table in frustration before calling it a night. Some nights were harder than others.
~*~
Donghae didn’t get back that night. In fact it was a few days before he responded to Hyukjae’s calls again. And it was the same for the next few of their meetings. Donghae would be distracted throughout, and more than once he got called back to work.
Hyukjae hung up as soon as his short conversation with Donghae was over, putting the phone back into his jacket pocket. He rubbed his face from sleep before heading back to where he had asked Kyuhyun to wait for him near a crime scene they had been investigating. While Donghae was away Hyukjae could only bury himself further into work so that he wouldn't worry even more.
Kyuhyun had been waiting patiently for Hyukjae to come back. When the other drew near, he gestured towards the crime scene, before saying in a soft, but conversational tone. “Did you know you were being followed?”
"....I realized a block ago." Hyukjae murmured, looking at Kyuhyun's notes as if catching up on what he had missed. It was one of the reasons why his conversation with Donghae had been cryptic and far from what he had really wanted to say to the other. "Do you mind if I stay at your place tonight? Just to throw them off for a bit?"
“Yeah. Sure. Slumber parties are always fun.” Kyuhyun murmured before ordering some of the forensic crew out of a room. “Is your friend in trouble?”
Hyukjae gave a quick nod as other officers came to speak to him. He gave orders quickly, signing off on the evidence before turning back to Kyuhyun. "I don't think things are going well right now." He said truthfully, Donghae would never say it himself though.
“...If that’s the case, you should be mentally prepared.” Kyuhyun murmured, peering at the bloodstains on the ground. “It’s grim, but at any time, it might be the last time you see him alive.”
"You are the sunshine in my life." Hyukjae told him, voice even. He knew what Kyuhyun meant and could not be mad at the other. But as much as his job reminded him the realities of his and Donghae's lives, Hyukjae chose not to believe it in his mind. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he didn't have Donghae.
“Someone must be the optimist.” Kyuhyun joked back, before he became serious. “Anyway, you’re buying the beer right?”
"Aish. You mooch." Hyukjae nodded. "Alright, let’s go sign out and get you drunk."
“Me? You’re the lightweight.” Kyuhyun threw back, throwing his pen at Hyukjae. “It’s probably going to end up with you singing drunken love songs into the remote control and me taping the entire hilarious scene.”
"Yah." Hyukjae caught the pen, walking back to his car with him. "I'm your superior!" He reminded him, pocketing the pen. "And I'll have to remind you that you got up to sing first."
“Show me the evidence of that then.” Kyuhyun chuckled, getting into the car. “Alright! Onwards!”
"I'm not mean enough to record you." Hyukjae grumbled, getting into the car as well to drive them back.
~*~
“Hyuk? Wakey-wakey. You still have work today you know.”
Hyukjae groaned, hiding his face in his blankets, too hung over for the poking so early in the morning.
“Aw, come on, Hyuk. I took all that trouble to find you. At least open your eyes and give me a smile, huh?”
Hyukjae pouted now, finally realizing what was going on. He covered his face more, blindly reaching out for Donghae. "Kyuhyun will wake up soon." He grumbled.
“Hmm?” Donghae pulled Hyukjae into his arms chuckling. “Too late.”
“HOLY MOTHER OF- WHO IS THAT GUY HYUK? WHY THE HELL IS HE IN MY LIVING ROO-Owowowow... my head...”
Donghae looked on in amusement as Kyuhyun clutched his head, the effects of his hangover finally overpowering his astonishment. “I think he likes me.” He commented to Hyukjae.
"Oh yes, you've charmed him completely." Hyukjae would have rolled his eyes if was willing to open them, frowning at Kyuhyun's voice. "Oh my god, shut up." He hissed at him, burying his face into Donghae's chest. "You better not have come empty handed." He whispered, kissing Donghae's chest.
“A good nutritious Korean breakfast and my special hangover remedy are waiting for you in the kitchen... if you’re up to it.” Donghae told him, looking at Kyuhyun. “You can have some too, partner of Hyukjae’s.”
Hyukjae finally opened his eyes, giving Donghae the smile had been waiting for. "Oh yeah... um... Kyuhyun... Donghae." He introduced them, holding his head as he sat up. Hyukjae felt around for his sunglasses and pulled them on to shield himself from the sunlight and got up slowly, grabbing Donghae to that they could go eat.
Kyuhyun too had relaxed at the greeting. Sighing and sinking to the floor. “I’ll join you later. I’m not up to withstanding gut-wrenching lovey-doveyness along with a hangover.”
Donghae had to laugh at that, holding Hyukjae up and leading him to the kitchen, sitting him down and starting to feed him. “When I found out you were going over to your partner’s place at night, I guessed that some soju would probably be involved... but I didn’t expect the floor to be covered in bottles.”
"His fault." Hyukjae immediately blamed Kyuhyun, keeping close to Donghae. Kyuhyun's words from the day before had not been washed away by the soju. "Thanks." Hyukjae kissed him suddenly between bites before going back to eating, trying to ignore his headache the best he could.
Startled a little by the kiss, Donghae touched his lips, blinking at Hyukjae. “What was that?” He asked, bemused.
"Sunshine and rainbows." Hyukjae pointed at Kyuhyun. "Decided to tell me you might just die at any moment." Hyukjae shot his partner a glare. "It's not an easy thing to get out of my imagination."
Donghae fell silent at that. Despite the joking way it was said, there was something very real about it. Pulling Hyukjae into a hug, Donghae breathed out. “Don’t worry. I won’t die so easily.”
Hyukjae hugged him back tightly. "You better not." He warned him, nuzzling him a little, not caring if Kyuhyun was to walk by soon.
“Okay... saccharine overload.” Kyuhyun’s voice broke the moment and there was the scraping of the chair as Kyuhyun plonked into it. “Ugh... I don’t think I can even hold a pair of chopsticks...”
Hyukjae pulled away from the hug but still leaned on Donghae. "Are you trying to get one of us to feed you?" He narrowed his eyes at Kyuhyun, eating by himself now.
Highly amused by Hyukjae’s partner, Donghae decided to tease Hyukjae a little. “I don’t mind feeding you, Kyuhyun-sshi. What would you like to eat first?”
“...Trying to get me killed?” Kyuhyun knew that if he accepted Hyukjae would murder him.
Hyukjae rolled his eyes at them, biting Donghae's cheek. "He likes that." Hyukjae pointed at a dish, deciding to make Kyuhyun more uncomfortable.
“Alright.” Donghae winked at Hyukjae, and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, holding it out to Kyuhyun, an entirely charming smile on his face. “Here, Kyuhyun. Open up?”
“......” Kyuhyun sweated, pulling back. “No, thank you.”
"Take the bite Kyuhyun." Hyukjae looked over at his partner.
“Hmm... I think he needs more help, Hyukjae.” Donghae grinned. “I’ll feed him mouth-to-mouth.”
And Kyuhyun watched, his eyes wide and Donghae put the piece of food into his mouth, leaning closer and closer to Kyuhyun...
“IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!”
Donghae watched as Kyuhyun fled from the kitchen, screaming bloody murder. “Well... it was nice meeting him.”
Hyukjae laughed softly as Kyuhyun ran for it, grabbing Donghae by the collar and pulling him in for that mouth to mouth feeding instead. "Mine." He whispered against his lips, still smiling.
Pushing the piece of food into Hyukjae’s mouth, Donghae grinned. “Yes. And you, are mine.” He whispered back, hands going around Hyukjae’s waist and trying to pull him even closer.
"How did you find time off?" Hyukjae happily cuddled up to him, hang over fading slowly as he ate the rest of the breakfast Donghae had brought him.
“I pulled more than a dozen favours.” Donghae sighed, pausing from nuzzling into Hyukjae’s hair. “I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to see you.”
"It's never been this long unless you've been out of the country." Hyukjae touched his face briefly. "I'm glad you came but you have to be more careful. Someone's been tailing me."
“I saw. I sent him on a wild goose case earlier.” Donghae leaned into the touch before returning the favour. “You need to be careful too. I’m worried that if I’m found out, they might send someone after you so as to make sure that there aren’t any loose ends.”
"I already cleaned out our apartment." Hyukjae told him. "Opened a new account from which all the bills are paid. I've covered my tracks mostly... Now that Kyuhyun knows it's a little easier."
“Mmm… good thinking.” Donghae praised him, giving him a sweet peck as reward. “Tell me the address later.”
Hyukjae smiled at him. "I will... What about you? Covering your tracks?"
“As usual.” Donghae paused. “Let’s not talk about this. I want to enjoy this time with you.”
Looking at the doorway, Donghae grinned. “Do you think your partner would mind if we… christen his kitchen a little?”
Hyukjae laughed, straddling him. "I think he's not going to be disturbing us any time soon." He kissed down his neck.
“Good. Because I don’t think we’ll be done any time soon.” And then Donghae leaned Hyukjae over the table and proved his words.
~*~
Hyukjae continuously tapped the end of his pen against his desk, eyes on the folder in front of him. His mind was clearly not in the same room. He had been staring at the same piece of paper for over an hour now. Lucky for him it was a slow day in the headquarters so there was not much need for him. Not that he would be any help anyway. Biting the inside of his cheek, he flipped the pages in front of him back and forth only to come back to the same page again.
Where was Donghae? He thought to himself, still tapping away. The other had not called. He had not sent him a message in any form nor had he visited him. They had a rule about these things. Come hell or high water, they kept in touch somehow or the other. It was supposed to be a constant reminder to sooth their longing hearts. To remind each other they were okay.
He furrowed his eyebrows, subtly checking to make sure his phone was not switched off. Why hadn't Donghae contacted him? His stalker had stopped following him as well and Hyukjae assumed Donghae had gained his boss' trust again. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a feeling had tugged at his heart. A feeling that had been haunting him for a few days now. It was beginning to drive him absolutely insane. He needed some sign from Donghae.
Kyuhyun looked up around him before inching closer to Hyukjae. “You look like your puppy died. Ease up, you’re attracting attention.”
Hyukjae snapped out of it, looking at him and nodding. "Sorry... I can't concentrate right now." He sighed, looking down at the document in his hands and realizing he had finished it two days ago. He quietly picked up another folder.
“Well, you’re going to have to try.” Kyuhyun sighed, patting Hyukjae’s back. “You should relax. I’m sure your friend’s fine.”
"I'm scared." Hyukjae's voice dropped to his lowest, looking at his partner and friend as he finally admitted. "I feel uneasy."
Kyuhyun bit his lip. He knew that Hyukjae had all right to feel uneasy. Donghae hadn’t called in a few days, which could mean he was either busy because the boss had started to heap work on him again now that he was in the clear, or it could mean the opposite. And even if he didn’t know Donghae that well, he knew Hyukjae would be devastated if something really happened. But still, he needed to calm his friend down. “Hey, hey. I understand. But I’m sure he’s fine. You’re just worried. It’s natural. I bet when you go back to your apartment tonight, he’ll actually be there with a huge surprise, and you’ll jump him and punish him for making you wait so long.”
Hyukjae managed a smile at that. He reached over and squeezed Kyuhyun's hand in a quiet thank you, turning back to his work as he quietly imagined that. Holding onto such thoughts to get him through the day. It began to ease him a little.
But Donghae didn’t appear at the apartment that night. There was no surprise, not even the inkling that Donghae had ever been there at all.
~*~