Romance in Aisle 5
Title: Romance in aisle 5
Pairing: Donghae/Hyukjae
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, fluff, Supermaket!au
Summary: Romance always appears in the strangest of places. And Hyukjae certainly doesn’t expect it when the cashier rings up his basket of suggestive purchases.
Written with tees2mai
Hyukjae frowned and called again a few times before putting his phone again and asking the store manager if Donghae was in. Once realizing Donghae wasn't at work, Hyukjae drove back to the building he had seen Donghae go into and park before waiting outside of it, waiting outside so he couldn't be seen immediately.
It wasn’t long before the same young man who resembled Donghae stepped out of the building again, chatting with all the big names in the financial industry. And when the car pulled up, he began to get into it, politely saying goodbye to everyone.
Hyukjae stepped out before the man had a chance to leave and disguised his voice as he used a formal tone to catch the man's attention. Coming to stand with the other men just as Donghae turned around, Hyukjae called out for him, "Donghae-sshi?" He called out in a respecting tone like everyone else had, face blank.
“Yes?” Donghae turned around, a polite smile on his face as he faced Hyukjae. Then, minutes later, his eyes widened in shock. “Hyukjae?”
The corners of Hyukjae's lips turned down as his lips pressed into thin lines, he looked at Donghae and then at the car and then at the entourage around him. He opened his mouth to say something but just shook his head and began walking away, shoulders dropping as he was attacked by different emotions.
“Shit.” Donghae cursed under his breathe, and apologizing to the rest of the heads, ran after Hyukjae. “Wait! Hyukjae!”
Hyukjae ignored him, wiping the corner of his eyes from straying tears as he fumbled with his pockets for his cars keys as he stepped next to the driver’s side door.
Catching up, Donghae grabbed Hyukjae’s arm, panting. “Hey. Please. Wait. I can explain.”
Hyukjae sighed as he felt the hand on his arm and wiped his eyes more. He didn't say anything, waiting for Donghae to continue.
“Look. I’m sorry I lied to you.” Donghae sighed, a sad look on his face. “I’m not… really a supermarket cashier. That’s just… an escape. I’m the son of the boss of the company you work for.”
Hyukjae tried to blink back more tears as he tried opening his door. "What else have you lied about?"
“A lot of things… but I didn’t exactly lie. I just… didn’t tell you the whole truth.” Donghae bit his lip. “I know that’s not an excuse. But please, Hyukjae. I love you - that’s not a lie. I swear.”
"H-how am I supposed to believe that?" Hyukjae's breathing hitched as he finally let himself cry. "You could be doing all this for your own amusement! I feel like such a fool right now." He finally got his car unlocked and tried to get out of Donghae's hand to open the door.
“No! Hyuk!” Donghae pleaded, holding fast to Hyukjae’s hand. “Please. I’m sorry I lied, but I do love you.
Trying to pull Hyukjae closer, Donghae explained. “I was so tired of people coming after me just because I had money. Remember one of the higher ups you talked about when I first met you? That was just one of many who were coming after me for my money. I tried so many things, giving myself a bad reputation as a player, rejecting as many invitations as I could without affecting the company business. Nothing worked. Finally, I got the supermarket job. It was so… nice there. No one was pandering after me, trying to lick my boots. They were even ordering me around. I just… as much as I could. I wanted to pretend that I was just a normal guy, struggling for money to make ends meet…”
“And then I met you.” Donghae smiled. “You’re the only person I’ve met who didn’t care that I was the son of a rich man. You didn’t care that I was only a supermarket cashier. You loved me for me.”
"And yet you lied to me... you didn't think you could trust me enough to tell me who you really were? How long were you going to hide this from me?" Hyukjae asked, looking at him with his red eyes. "I... I..." He struggled with what he felt the most and sighed before shaking his head. "Do you really love me?" He asked, voice small, looking vulnerable and ready to break.
“Would I be so scared to tell you, if I didn’t love you?” Donghae asked, his voice equally as small and soft. “I didn’t know how’d you react. How’d you behave, if you found out. So many times, too many times. It turned out to be false - that in the end, they were all after my money.”
“I just…” Donghae bit his lips, hands falling to the side. “I just didn’t want it to end.”
"I don't want your money." Hyukjae told him, "It hurts to think you still think I might be after your money." Hyukjae looked away. "I really love you, but this is a huge lie and I don't know where to begin to forgive you..." He sighed.
There was a sad, profound look on Donghae’s face. And his eyes suddenly looked too old for his age. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll just…” He shaded his eyes then, looking defeated. “I’ll leave you to decide… and wait for your answer.”
"So you won’t even try to show me you really, honestly love me? You'll just use this as a cowardly way to end this?" Hyukjae looked at him seriously. "You have to make me want to forgive you, not just walk away and let this dishonesty from you make me want to never speak to you again." He told Donghae, not wasting time and telling him what he wanted.
“But I’m a coward. And a liar.” Donghae half-smiled. “I’m a rich, spoilt son of the boss of the company you work in. How could you want to love me?”
"Because the Donghae you showed me wasn't a spoilt boy and he certainly wasn't a coward... I thought you showed me the real Donghae.... but if that isn't the case..." Hyukjae opened his car door and began sitting in his seat. "Then I guess you really did shatter my heart."
“Hyukjae.” Donghae hesitated for a moment, before reaching down and pulling Hyukjae up again, pressing a desperate kiss onto Hyukjae’s lips.
Hyukjae let himself be kissed for a moment before finally responding and wrapping his arms around Donghae, pulling him closer.
Donghae slipped his tongue into Hyukjae’s mouth, the action filled with desperate hope. And when they finally had to break apart. Panting hard, he stared at Hyukjae with no small amount of fear.
“Hyukjae. I’m sorry I lied to you. But I did show you the real me. You’re the only one who knows the real me… and I don’t want to lose you.” He cupped Hyukjae’s cheek with one hand. “Please. Will you forgive me?”
"..I have conditions..." Hyukjae looked at him seriously. "I won’t let you be forgiven just like that." He wiped his eyes again. "The first is that you can't ever lie to me again- about anything!" He stared right into Donghae’s eyes.
“Even if I farted and it was really smelly and you asked?” Donghae half teased, but there was a seriousness to his eyes as well - and in them, a promise never to lie to Hyukjae again.
Hyukjae hit Donghae's shoulder at the tease before leaning in and resting against that shoulder. "I guess this explains a lot, including why you always came to my apartment but never let me see yours..."
“Yeah… Although I still like your apartment better.” Donghae pressed his nose against Hyukjae’s hair, breathing in. “Mine’s always so empty and cold. Yours smells like home.”
"Can I see it now?" Hyukjae asked, not yet moving his face away from Donghae's shoulder. "I want to see your real life..."
“Yes, although I can’t figure out why.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae’s head. “My life with you is a lot more exciting.”
"Because now its apparent to me there is a whole part of you I don't know about and I don't like that." He finally lifted his head. "So take me there."
“Very well.” Donghae agreed, pecking Hyukjae on the cheek. “My car or your car?”
"Can you drive?" Hyukjae looked at him, pointing at his keys. "I'm in no mood to drive right now..."
“Sure.” Donghae nodded, getting into the driver’s seat. “I can. I just don’t get to drive very often.”
"Alright..." Hyukjae nodded, getting into the passengers seat and buckling in, ready to see Donghae's place.
They got to Donghae’s place minutes later - minutes, even though Donghae’s place on the other end of the city.
Hyukjae was gripping onto the handles in the car, eyes wide as they car finally stopped and he practically fell out of his seat when he opened the door and stared at Donghae. "Oh my god..." He wheezed, not even paying attention to his surroundings yet.
Donghae blinked at Hyukjae. “What’s the matter? You okay?”
"Oh my god, you drive like a maniac!" Hyukjae said, gaping at him. "How many times have you driven? Do you have your license?"
“I do?” Donghae blinked. “But I’ve always driven like this… and yes I have my license. Like I said I don’t drive much because my dad always insists that the Lamborghini and Porsche are too showy but won’t let me drive the other car so-”
Hyukjae blinked at his words before bursting into laughter and walking over to hug him, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Think maybe your dad lied to you because you drive like you're on fire?" He teased lightly.
“Heh?” Donghae blinked, but leaned into Hyukjae’s arms, smiling bemused. “Okay? Whatever you say, Hyukjae.”
Hyukjae smiled and pulled away and let out a whistle at the neighbourhood they were standing in. "Where is your apartment?" He asked, holding Donghae's hand.
“Here.” Donghae led Hyukjae to the most opulent apartment block in the area waving at the resplendently dressed doorman as he did.
Hyukjae bit the insides of his cheeks to keep his jaw from dropping and looked around the building, taking in all the exclusive and expensive details about the place. "What floor do you live on?"
“Penthouse.” Donghae answered simply, then frowned at the look on Hyukjae’s face. “Hey. Don’t get so impressed. It’s just a place that my dad bought for me. I’d much rather stay with you in your apartment.”
"I... I'm just trying to picture you in this place... and now I'm thinking about the nights you've slept on my cartoon bedsheets..." He smiled gently at Donghae, squeezing his hand. "I'm glad you prefer my sheets to this hotel like place..." He led Donghae to the elevator, cautiously pressing the button for the penthouse, kind of excited to see how Donghae lived.
“Hotel-like is right.” Donghae squeezed Hyukjae’s hand, pulling Hyukjae forward as the elevator opened straight into his penthouse apartment. Looking around a little pensively, he sighed. “Well… here it is.”
Hyukjae smiled at Donghae and let go of his hands, walking around as he explored every inch of the penthouse, taking in all the details that seemed like the Donghae he knew and all the unfamiliar ones. He tried to calculate how much the stuff in the penthouse cost, but decided it would only give him a panic attack and stopped. He finally came to a stop in the bedroom and sat on the bed, smiling up at Donghae. "Interesting..."
“Only interesting?” Donghae smiled a little at the sight of Hyukjae sitting on his bed against the satin sheets. He looked gorgeous against the wine red backdrop his sheets made.
"I mean... I don't know what else to say." He shrugged. "This.... this really doesn't seem like you at all. I mean, not everything of it..." He patted the space next to him, waiting for Donghae to sit down. "You don't look comfortable in your own house."
And Donghae did sit, resting his head on Hyukjae’s shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not. It’s really just a place to sleep for me.”
"No one to warm your bed for you?" Hyukjae asked in a manner while trying to see if Donghae had bought a lot of girls or boys home before. He hugged Donghae and rocked him in his arms.
“If you’re sneakily asking about bed companions, yes, I have had many. Another way I dealt with stress.” Donghae said self-depreciatingly. “None of them meant anything much. They weren’t ‘bed-warmers’ in that sense. But I haven’t had anyone in my bed since I met you.”
"Good..." Hyukjae nodded, leaning on Donghae. He suddenly smiled. "I have a present for you."
“What sort of present?” Donghae blinked, looking up in surprise.
Hyukjae smiled and got up. "Wait here... its in the car. I got it for our monthsary." Hyukjae said shyly, thinking about his gift as he grabbed his car keys. "I'll be right back!"
“Wait.” Donghae pulled Hyukjae back for a bit, placing a gold card in his hand. “You’ll need this to come back up.”
"Oh..." Hyukjae held the card, looking at it. "Fancy." He teased playfully before turning around and heading down to his car. He pulled out a gift bag and headed back up to Donghae's apartment.
Donghae had just gotten out a bottle of champagne and two glasses when Hyukjae came back in. He popped the bottle, pouring some out and calling to Hyukjae to come into the kitchen.
Hyukjae held onto the bag and found his way into the kitchen, smiling at Donghae as he sat up on the counter next to Donghae. "Okay!" Hyukjae smiled, cheeks slightly pink from being shy about giving Donghae a gift for the first time. "Its not much... but you always, even before you showed me this place said how much you like sleeping over at mine... annnd even though you never showed me your place I kind of thought for the days you didn't come over... Oh um, this might be embarrassing and it's okay if you don't like it... okay, just take the bag before I throw it away!" Hyukjae thrust the bag forward, hiding his face behind his other hand. The bag contained new bedsheets with the same cartoon as the ones Hyukjae had spread out the first night Donghae had slept over.
“Wow…” A slow grin crept over Donghae’s face as he admired the sheets. “This is so awesome! I’m going to put them on now.”
And running excitedly to his bedroom, Donghae began to do just that.
Hyukjae smiled as he slipped off the counter and slowly followed Donghae into his bedroom, walking to the other side of the bed and pulling the sheets on. He tucked the sheet into the sides, happy it fit. "Yay... It fits! I got the larger size because I didn't know how big your bed was... and now I see it's huge."
“And very lonely.” Donghae chuckled, flopping onto the bed and opening his arms wide. “Come here you.”
Crawling onto the bed, Hyukjae laid down on one of Donghae's arms, snuggling into his side. "More space to roll around on though."
“Oh yes.” Donghae grinned, then in an expert manoeuvre, flipped the both of them so that Donghae was pinning Hyukjae down. “Plenty of space for a good roll in the sheets.”
Pecking Donghae chastely, Hyukjae laughed and shook his head. "Not tonight. It's your punishment for the shock you gave me today. Plus I have to go into work early and can't be slacking." He told Donghae, hands running up his chest.
“Your words and your actions don’t match up, Hyuk.” Donghae shuddered a little from the touch, catching Hyukjae’s lips again for a deeper kiss.
Hyukjae indulged in the kiss for a bit before pushing Donghae's body up and moving his hands. "Alright, fine, I won’t touch you either."
Donghae mock sniffled. “Fine. Be that way.” Before he laughed and pushed himself off the bed. “Champagne? I still haven’t figured out to make up for missing our date today. Truth was I couldn’t get out of that stupid meeting. Important shareholders and all, and my dad’s in Japan at the moment.”
Hyukjae sat up and nodded slowly. "Sure, champagne sounds nice." He hugged his knees to his chest. "Yeah, I heard he was gone." He rested his chin on his knees thinking about the events of the day, he was quiet as he thought about things.
Donghae walked back to the room, handing Hyukjae a glass. “He’s pretty busy now. Things aren’t looking good in the Japanese economy… we might have to sell that branch.” Donghae sighed despondently, clinking Hyukjae’s glass before realizing the contemplative look on Hyukjae’s face. “What you thinking about?”
Hyukjae swirled the champagne in his glass and smiled a little thinking about the time he'd offered Donghae cheap champagne in his roommates animal coffee mugs after realizing he didn't have any other clean glasses or cups. He looked up at Donghae slowly. "Your dad wouldn't be too happy to know you're dating a low ranked employee... that too a guy. It's fine though, I figured we'd have to be more secretive..."
“My dad doesn’t approve a lot of things I do, but he can’t really complain.” Donghae shrugged. “I’m still supporting the company and being a good son. I bring up profits and except for my… rather black character, I have good relationships to the other shareholders. We don’t have to be secretive. But if we do have to, I’d only do it because I think it’d protect you.”
Hyukjae patted the space next to him on the bed. "It'll take me a while to get used to the fact you're not actually just the hot cashier in my super market. I mean... I don't think I'd ever had guessed it in a million years had I not seen you step out of that car." Hyukjae told him, holding up his glass. "What are we toasting too?
“I slipped up a few times actually. But I’ve did my research before going undercover.” Donghae paused, then smiled. “Cheers to bad pick-up lines concerning grocery items.”
"Cheers." Hyukjae nodded, clinking their glasses together before taking a sip. He smiled. "This is nice." He leaned against Donghae. "Are you going to continue working at the super market?"
“Probably.” Donghae played with the ends of Hyukjae’s hair. “Even if you do know who I really am, it’s still an escape for me, from stress. And… I’ve got plenty other friends who only know my cashier persona. And I’d like to keep it that way.”
"I won’t tell them." Hyukjae smiled, "Wow, now when someone mentions the boss’ son being in the building, I'll definitely be more interested in going to have a look- unless you have a brother..." Hyukjae titled his head at him. "... I'm back to square one with how much I know about you..."
Donghae chuckled. “No. No brother that I know of. Then again, there is a high possibility that my dad might be keeping mistresses somewhere…”
“There’s not much to know about my company image though.” Donghae sighed, poking Hyukjae’s cheek. “I just go around and do what I have to do. And uh… pretend to flirt around with all the girls, smack some guys butts, lick some guys boots… Honestly, the rich me is more fake than my cashier persona.”
Hyukjae frowned at the thought of Donghae walking around flirting with girls. "Hmmm..." He listened to him, "At least I'm lucky enough to know the real you." He poked Donghae's chest, over his heart before taking his free hand to intertwine their fingers. He took sip of his champagne.
“Yes.” Donghae pulled their hands up, kissing the tip of Hyukjae’s fingers. “You probably wouldn’t like the rich son me. I’m a cad.” And he winked suggestively at Hyukjae, grinning.
"Hmmm." Hyukjae kissed the grin on his face. "No, I don't think I'll like rich son Donghae, so if he's flirting with girls in front of me, I will spread rumors in the office that you're a eunuch." He said, teasing him.
“Yah.” Donghae nipped at Hyukjae’s nose. “If you do that, I’ll make sure your office life will become very uncomfortable. I’ll spread rumors that you’ve become my sex slave.”
"Which would still only harm your image because then not only will you be gay, but cruel." He nodded, "Harming naive Hyukjae like that." He smiled at Donghae. He looked at the time and turned to Donghae. "I should go home and sleep..." He said.
Donghae laughed. “Ah yes, but we would both then fall together. Because there’s no way you wouldn’t enjoy a forbidden tryst in the office with me, yes?” Donghae chuckled, before turning serious. “Can’t you stay here? I’m under an oath to be honest, and I was honest about it being truly lonely here.”
Hyukjae looked at Donghae and smiled softly at him. "I'd love to... but then I'd need to borrow something for the night and you'll have to make sure I get up early to go home and change before I get to work." He told Donghae. "I don't want to get hired for being late and in pajamas..."
“Don’t worry about clothes. I’m rich, and since you know, let’s abuse it a little.” Donghae reassured, “I’ll just make a few calls, and you’ll have your work clothes tomorrow. As for borrowing something for the night, what’s mine is yours. Go ahead and use what you need.”
Hyukjae blinked at that, looking a little uncomfortable before nodding. "Oh, alright... but just for tonight." He told Donghae, "No other time are you going to abuse it unnecessarily." He said, standing up and looking around. "Where is your closet?" He stretched his arms. "I'm getting sleepy already."
“Just around the corner. Don’t get freaked out, but it’s a walk-in closet. And the day of our first date, my dad burned all my regular clothes, so now, that portion is pretty tiny and well hidden.” Donghae ushered Hyukjae to an unseeming-looking door. Unseeming because when he opened it, it opened up into a mini mall.
Hyukjae raised and eyebrow at him and beat him to opening the door. "I'm sure I won’t frea- Oh my god." Hyukjae blinked as the door pushed open to reveal the biggest closet he had ever seen in his life. He stared at the abundance of clothes in front of him and was almost too scared to step inside. Taking a cautious step in, Hyukjae looked around at all the designer clothes neatly in their places in the room of a closet. "Oh wow..."
“I thought you said you wouldn’t freak?” Donghae let out a rueful laugh, ruffling Hyukjae’s hair. “Well, go ahead and try on anything you like.”
Hyukjae looked back at Donghae. "Um... maybe I should just sleep in my boxers?" He wondered, not wanting to ruin any of the clothes.
“I’d very much like that.” Donghae admitted wrapping his arms around Hyukjae’s waist. “But if you’re only saying that because you don’t want to spoil the clothes, then I’m going to force you to be my dress-up dolly and parade you around while taking pictures. Go ahead and try anything you like. Honestly, I have too many clothes. Spoil them all you like.”
Laughing a little at his words, Hyukjae put his hands over Donghae's and made him walk with him as he looked around at the clothes, inspecting a few that caught his eyes before finally reaching the end of the closet. "I wouldn't even know where to begin.... I could- I can probably fit all the things I own a hundred times over in this closet!" He smiled, before his eyes caught a shirt he had seen Donghae wear before, on one of his date. "Oh, you know, I thought you looked amazing in this shirt..." He said, running his hands over it. Hyukjae then finally picked out one of Donghae's boxers and grinned at him. "I don't know about you... but this is what I'll be sleeping in from now on..."
Donghae laughed. “And you picked my favourite pair. You have good taste.” He began to nibble at Hyukjae’s ear, playing with the lobe. “I’m getting all hot just thinking about you in my underwear.”
"Wait till you see me in them." Hyukjae teased, playfully pushing Donghae off him. "Take your nightsuit and go outside to change, I'll be right out."
“Alright.” Donghae chuckled, waving as he left. His ‘night suit’ as Hyukjae called it, was already outside and laid out for him.
Hyukjae waited until Donghae was out of sight before stripping out of his clothes and neatly folding them. He kept them in one of Donghae's shelves and then slipped into the boxers, heading out to the room, forgetting his clothes inside. He quickly took a look in the mirror, messing up his hair slightly to make it look sexy and then he stepped out, looking to see if Donghae was ready for bed.
Donghae was already lounging on the bed sipping on his champagne. The dark blue satin robe he was wearing fell that little bit open, revealing hints of chest, thigh… enough to spark you imagination but leaving enough for things to be filled in.
Hyukjae smiled at him, walking over to him as he got on the bed and sat in Donghae's lap, legs on either side of him. He pulled Donghae's glass forward and took a sip from it. "You know... now that I know your little secret..." He ran his fingers down Donghae's chest. "You should make me aware of your presence in the office, then we could sneak away for a little fun..."
“Mmm… a little office hanky panky?” Donghae quirked an eyebrow, enjoying the view Hyukjae gave him. “I’ll see what I can do. I’m always swamped when I’m in the office since I take so much time out of it to see you.”
Hyukjae bit his lips at that. "Well now stop getting swamped, I don't want to be trouble for you..." Hyukjae pouted slightly. He shifted slightly in his lap and tilted his head at Donghae. "Are you naked under this robe?"
“I’ll try. It’d probably be a race to see how fast we could do it though.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae softly, before grinning at the question. “Why don’t you find out?”
Hyukjae laughed. "No, I mean it... Don't over work like crazy. Especially with your hours at the supermarket." He rubbed his thumbs tenderly under Donghae's eyes. "See, I can see you're not sleeping enough." He frowned, worrying. Raising an eyebrow at Donghae, he got up on his knees and lifted the robe from off Donghae's crotch to take a peak.
“Don’t worry. I’m used to sleeplessness.” Donghae sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Although, Hyukjae was right. He was getting less sleep than usual recently. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. “Mmm… I think someone’s happy to see you.”
"Donghae!" Hyukjae laughed at the sight that greeted him. He dropped down the robe and shook his head firmly at Donghae. "Not tonight. It's your punishment for deceiving me." He said firmly, "Tonight you're getting eight hours of sleep." Hyukjae was really worried about Donghae and wanted him to rest and get a full night’s sleep in front of him so he wouldn't worry about Donghae all day tomorrow.
Donghae pouted, but obediently lay down. “Alright. As long as I get to cuddle you.”
"I wasn't going to let you get away." Hyukjae smiled, snuggling into Donghae's side, holding him close. "I'm glad I found out everything... I don't want our relationship to get hindered anything like that. My dad kept a lot of secrets which lead to my parents divorce..."
“Oh..?” Donghae asked quietly, looking down at Hyukjae, waiting for him to continue.”
"He'd never let my mom in and cheated and lied about everything... It didn't work out with me living with him because I realized he had a second family. My mom and sister don't know which is why my sister can still live near him. It would break my mother’s heart. Especially because his others kids are around my age."
Hyukjae sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
Donghae listened with a sad heart, leaning down and kissing Hyukjae on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”
Hyukjae smiled softly at him. "It's okay..." He pressed his face into the crook of Donghae's neck. "He doesn't know I know either, so there wasn't any awful confrontation, but I'm just glad my mom lives in the further edges of the city because he does visit a lot and bring his other family along and shows up alone to our place when he has to visit us."
“I understand why you were so angry when you found out I was keeping secrets from you.” Donghae sighed, stroking Hyukjae’s hair. “I’m sorry. I won’t keep secrets from you again. I promise.”
"Don't make promises lightly Donghae." Hyukjae pulled his face back too look at him. "You don't have to promise things, but try your best, okay?" He pecked Donghae.
“Alright.” Donghae smiled, rubbing his thumb across Hyukjae’s cheek. “I promise I will try my best.”
Hyukjae smiled back and pecked him. "Thanks you." He closed his eyes. "Now sleep!"
“Yes, honey.” Donghae teased, pulling Hyukjae into his arms and aligning the both of them onto the bed. “Good night.”
Hyukjae grinned despite himself and hugged Donghae close. "Night, love you." He whispered into Donghae's ear.
~*~
“Hello, I’d like to see a Mr. Lee Hyukjae, please?”
And that’s when the entire office paused, staring at the man who had just innocuously come in, as if he wasn’t the second most important man in the whole company asking for a seemingly non-essential employee.
"Uh... the fifth cubical down this row, sir..." An employee finally answered, pointing the way.
Hyukjae was in his cubical, nibbling on his bottom lip as he read through some files on his table, frown lines on his forehead.
Donghae arrived at Hyukjae’s cubical without the man realizing he was there. Watching him for a while, he admired the look of concentration of his love’s face. Then, hiding a smile, he affected a mildly irritated tone. “Mr. Lee Hyukjae?”
Hyukjae hadn't noticed Donghae at all and almost jumped at the voice, "Y-yes sir?" He looked up surprised, before gaping at Donghae. "Ha-" He almost called Donghae by his nickname before stopping himself, looking around with wide eyes before pulling out a normal facial expression.
Noticing that almost all the eyes in office were on him and Hyukjae, Donghae resisted the urge to laugh. Putting on a stern face, Donghae gestured at Hyukjae to follow him. “I need to see you in my office for some… important matters.”
Hyukjae sighed just slightly, he had been getting into trouble all day so now everyone probably thought he was getting fired. "Yes sir..." He bowed his head politely before getting up to follow Donghae.
Donghae could feel the eyes following them as they walked to the lift. Carefully, he gestured for Hyukjae to enter the lift, and when he passed, inconspicuously groped him.
Hyukjae's eyed widened slightly as he looked at the floor and quickly walked into the elevator as the doors opened, relaxing slightly when he saw no one else was in it.
Donghae smirked slightly at Hyukjae’s relief, getting in after Hyukjae. But when the doors closed, he whispered to Hyukjae, hand still groping Hyukjae’s ass. “Act normal. There’s still the security feeds.”
Hyukjae frowned at Donghae's hand and subtly grabbed it, pushing it away. "Then stop or the guards will spread rumors that you grab ass in the elevator... and you better not be firing me." He quickly added.
“As if there aren’t already rumors about that.” Donghae grinned, but didn’t go after Hyukjae’s ass again. The elevator door opened to the top floor after a while, and Donghae gestured for Hyukjae to step out, not commenting on Hyukjae’s statement about being fired.
Hyukjae frowned slightly when Donghae didn't make a comment on him being fired or not and got worried as he stepped out and waited to be led to Donghae's office.
Donghae’s office was one of the five big offices in Donghae’s place. And his was the most secluded one - having purposely picked it out when his father had asked. Gesturing Hyukjae in, he motioned for Hyukjae to have a seat.
Hyukjae got into the office, barely looking around as he sat down in the chair. He waited for Donghae to say something, fearing the worst- like being fired by his secret boyfriend. He was mentally preparing himself to not burst into tears.
Donghae wanted to carry on with the façade, but his boyfriend looked so worried, he couldn’t bear to any more. Bursting out into laughter, he shook his head. “Geez... you look like the world’s going to end. Of course I’m not firing you.”
"Donghae!" Hyukjae whined, throwing the first thing that came into his hand at Donghae. "You really freaked me out, I was trying not to cry..." He pouted before finally relaxing.
Donghae ducked, then winced when his diamond paperweight hit the ground - luckily he had carpet, not wood, or it’d have sunk a golf-ball sized hole into it. Shaking his head, he snorted. “How could you be worried about that? I’d never fire you. You should be more concerned about me promoting you. Can I do that by the way? You’re doing way too much for such little pay.”
"I don't think anyone thinks I deserve any kind of promotion... I've just been getting yelled at all fucking day." He pouted more at Donghae, standing up to open his arms. "I deserve a big hug and some animal crackers and a kiss." He said childishly.
“Probably because you’re overworked and too nice. You do know your boss has been dumping things on you because you’re easily bullied into doing things?” Donghae commented, but opened his arms for Hyukjae.
Hyukjae hugged him tightly, rubbing his nose against Donghae's neck. "Asshole." He murmured. "I don't always know how to say no to them, I can't afford to lose my job right now. I owe two months worth of rent to my roommate."
“I’d pay for you, but I don’t know if you want that.” Donghae murmured, soothing Hyukjae’s back. “Do you want me to help you with anything?”
"No, you're not allowed." Hyukjae sighed, kissing his neck. "Yeah, get me a shift at the super market?" He said seriously. "I'm waiting to hear from a few other places..."
“You’re not allowed to leave this company.” Donghae said seriously. “If it really comes to that, I’ll hire you as my personal secretary.”
"No one said anything about leaving, oh my god." Hyukjae shook his head. "I'm waiting to hear from places I can work when I'm not here. This job really doesn't pay well at all. I'm working out a schedule where I can pick up a job or two..."
“It’s not like the supermarket pays well either.” Donghae ruffled Hyukjae’s hair. “Can’t I really pull a few strings to get you promoted?”
"No. I can't take advantage of our relationship... if I'm not getting promoted on my own accord I must not be doing a good enough job." He made a face. "I just really need to get more money flowing in because at this rate I'll be on the streets... Or back in my mother’s home."
“You could always stay with me.” Donghae offered. “If that’d take the financial strain off. And in return you could... I don’t know. Make me homemade meals for me to take to work?”
Hyukjae laughed. "If you're going to ask me to move in with you, ask me properly." He teased, "Besides don't you not like your apartment?"
“I’d only like it if you were in it.” Donghae poked Hyukjae’s cheek before pulling back. “Alright then, Lee Hyukjae. Would you like to move in with me?”
Hyukjae hesitated. "...would you have asked if I wasn't in need of it?"
“Maybe not so soon, but yes. I would have.” Donghae answered honestly. “A couple more weeks maybe. I didn’t want to go too fast, in case you freaked.”
"You'd want to live with me?" Hyukjae asked, smiling softly, eyes brightening up at that.
“Course I do, silly.” Donghae shook his head. “Why are you always surprised when I say things like this?”
"Because.... Because I never thought I'd have time for these things or.... that someone would want to be with me so much." He told Donghae, shrugging.
“Then you don’t know your own worth.” Donghae ran a hand through Hyukjae’s hair before smiling. “Maybe I’ll need to show you... how much you’re worth.” And he pressed his lips gently onto Hyukjae’s, moaning softly.
Hyukjae wrapped his arms around Donghae's neck and kissed him back, smiling into the kiss as he did. "It'll be a long process." He said in between kisses.
“Well, I’ll be here for a long time.” Donghae grinned, hand sneaking underneath Hyukjae’s shirt. “Although it shouldn’t hurt to start now.”
Hyukjae laughed, putting his forehead against Donghae's. "Everyone will be wondering where I am..."
“Let them wonder.” Donghae whispered, stroking Hyukjae’s skin. “It’ll be good for office moral - more excitement in their lives.”
Hyukjae smiled and kissed Donghae's lips, nibbling at his bottom lip. "And when I go limping back to them?"
“I’ll report a broken chair.” Donghae smiled, pushing Hyukjae down across his desk.
Hyukjae smiled and he laid down. "You'll have to break the chair then…"
“Oh… we’ll get there.” Donghae promised as he pushed Hyukjae’s shirt up, lapping across the expanse of Hyukjae’s skin.
Hyukjae shivered and put his hands on Donghae's shoulders. "Better..." He moaned.
“Better?” Donghae’s eyebrow rose before he nipped at Hyukjae’s left nipple.
"You better..." He explained himself, unbuttoning his shirt for Donghae.
“Ah…” Donghae breathed around the mark he left, smiling. “Of course… I will…” And he pulled Hyukjae’s shirt off, sliding across his torso and pressing lips against the other’s.
Hyukjae kissed back, pulling him over himself more and wrapping a leg around his.
Donghae moaned into the kiss, hands taking a break to loosen his own pants.
Hyukjae undid his own pants. "Do you have lube or something?"
“I came prepared today.” Donghae confessed, pulling open on of the desk drawers and taking out the lube. “Strawberry flavoured. Your favourite.”
Hyukjae laughed before they both dived in and indulged in some steamy office sex. Hyukjae didn't let him go until two rounds later when he found himself, spread on Donghae's table, panting, and unable to move. "...next time if we're using a desk, I'll bend over it instead..." He smiled, eyes closing.
“You sure? My desk is big enough…” Donghae murmured, just as winded, and lowering himself down by Hyukjae’s side for some cuddling.
"It's uncomfortable as hell and my neck is stiff now." He flicked Donghae's head. "Hand me my clothes..."
“They’re kind of all over the floor.” Donghae commented, looking around. “And… we still have to break the chair.”
"Good luck breaking it... I'm exhausted... and now I have to go to work, so be my cute boyfriend annnnddd help me back in my clothes." Hyukjae smiled.
“As if I don’t have to get back to work too.” Donghae stuck his tongue out, but pushed himself up, dropping to the ground and picking the clothes off the floor, dropping them down onto Hyukjae.
Hyukjae slowly got up and stretched himself before getting back into his clothes. "Thanks... and well, you don't have anyone angry at you today..."
“Well, yes. That’s true.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae one last time. “If anyone asked, I was asked to interview an employee on work conditions for an annual review.”
"And in the process a chair broke." He nodded and pecked Donghae again. "I'll come over with dinner, okay?" He said, getting off the table and walking as properly as he could to the door.
“Yes. If anyone doubts that, just remind them of how many people I’ve supposedly fucked over the chair.” Donghae said straight-faced, referring to the rumors about him. “I’ll prepare dinner this time. Something nice for once?”
"Okay, okay...." Hyukjae smiled and nodded. "I'll text you, love you!" He sent a flying kiss towards him before walking out to the door and to his cubical.
Donghae waved goodbye, then stared at his chair. “Mmm… how shall I deal with you?”
Later on, human resources got a report for a new office chair for one of the offices on the 50th floor, while the person who disposed of the chair began to tell everyone he knew how he didn’t believe that it had broken when someone sat on it - more like chewed out by a monster with extremely sharp fangs.
And all the while, Hyukjae had been getting yelled at his boss for an incompetent report he had not done and finally after a few hours of piled on stress, burst into tears in front of everyone before taking leave from work.
~*~
Pairing: Donghae/Hyukjae
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, fluff, Supermaket!au
Summary: Romance always appears in the strangest of places. And Hyukjae certainly doesn’t expect it when the cashier rings up his basket of suggestive purchases.
Written with tees2mai
Hyukjae frowned and called again a few times before putting his phone again and asking the store manager if Donghae was in. Once realizing Donghae wasn't at work, Hyukjae drove back to the building he had seen Donghae go into and park before waiting outside of it, waiting outside so he couldn't be seen immediately.
It wasn’t long before the same young man who resembled Donghae stepped out of the building again, chatting with all the big names in the financial industry. And when the car pulled up, he began to get into it, politely saying goodbye to everyone.
Hyukjae stepped out before the man had a chance to leave and disguised his voice as he used a formal tone to catch the man's attention. Coming to stand with the other men just as Donghae turned around, Hyukjae called out for him, "Donghae-sshi?" He called out in a respecting tone like everyone else had, face blank.
“Yes?” Donghae turned around, a polite smile on his face as he faced Hyukjae. Then, minutes later, his eyes widened in shock. “Hyukjae?”
The corners of Hyukjae's lips turned down as his lips pressed into thin lines, he looked at Donghae and then at the car and then at the entourage around him. He opened his mouth to say something but just shook his head and began walking away, shoulders dropping as he was attacked by different emotions.
“Shit.” Donghae cursed under his breathe, and apologizing to the rest of the heads, ran after Hyukjae. “Wait! Hyukjae!”
Hyukjae ignored him, wiping the corner of his eyes from straying tears as he fumbled with his pockets for his cars keys as he stepped next to the driver’s side door.
Catching up, Donghae grabbed Hyukjae’s arm, panting. “Hey. Please. Wait. I can explain.”
Hyukjae sighed as he felt the hand on his arm and wiped his eyes more. He didn't say anything, waiting for Donghae to continue.
“Look. I’m sorry I lied to you.” Donghae sighed, a sad look on his face. “I’m not… really a supermarket cashier. That’s just… an escape. I’m the son of the boss of the company you work for.”
Hyukjae tried to blink back more tears as he tried opening his door. "What else have you lied about?"
“A lot of things… but I didn’t exactly lie. I just… didn’t tell you the whole truth.” Donghae bit his lip. “I know that’s not an excuse. But please, Hyukjae. I love you - that’s not a lie. I swear.”
"H-how am I supposed to believe that?" Hyukjae's breathing hitched as he finally let himself cry. "You could be doing all this for your own amusement! I feel like such a fool right now." He finally got his car unlocked and tried to get out of Donghae's hand to open the door.
“No! Hyuk!” Donghae pleaded, holding fast to Hyukjae’s hand. “Please. I’m sorry I lied, but I do love you.
Trying to pull Hyukjae closer, Donghae explained. “I was so tired of people coming after me just because I had money. Remember one of the higher ups you talked about when I first met you? That was just one of many who were coming after me for my money. I tried so many things, giving myself a bad reputation as a player, rejecting as many invitations as I could without affecting the company business. Nothing worked. Finally, I got the supermarket job. It was so… nice there. No one was pandering after me, trying to lick my boots. They were even ordering me around. I just… as much as I could. I wanted to pretend that I was just a normal guy, struggling for money to make ends meet…”
“And then I met you.” Donghae smiled. “You’re the only person I’ve met who didn’t care that I was the son of a rich man. You didn’t care that I was only a supermarket cashier. You loved me for me.”
"And yet you lied to me... you didn't think you could trust me enough to tell me who you really were? How long were you going to hide this from me?" Hyukjae asked, looking at him with his red eyes. "I... I..." He struggled with what he felt the most and sighed before shaking his head. "Do you really love me?" He asked, voice small, looking vulnerable and ready to break.
“Would I be so scared to tell you, if I didn’t love you?” Donghae asked, his voice equally as small and soft. “I didn’t know how’d you react. How’d you behave, if you found out. So many times, too many times. It turned out to be false - that in the end, they were all after my money.”
“I just…” Donghae bit his lips, hands falling to the side. “I just didn’t want it to end.”
"I don't want your money." Hyukjae told him, "It hurts to think you still think I might be after your money." Hyukjae looked away. "I really love you, but this is a huge lie and I don't know where to begin to forgive you..." He sighed.
There was a sad, profound look on Donghae’s face. And his eyes suddenly looked too old for his age. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll just…” He shaded his eyes then, looking defeated. “I’ll leave you to decide… and wait for your answer.”
"So you won’t even try to show me you really, honestly love me? You'll just use this as a cowardly way to end this?" Hyukjae looked at him seriously. "You have to make me want to forgive you, not just walk away and let this dishonesty from you make me want to never speak to you again." He told Donghae, not wasting time and telling him what he wanted.
“But I’m a coward. And a liar.” Donghae half-smiled. “I’m a rich, spoilt son of the boss of the company you work in. How could you want to love me?”
"Because the Donghae you showed me wasn't a spoilt boy and he certainly wasn't a coward... I thought you showed me the real Donghae.... but if that isn't the case..." Hyukjae opened his car door and began sitting in his seat. "Then I guess you really did shatter my heart."
“Hyukjae.” Donghae hesitated for a moment, before reaching down and pulling Hyukjae up again, pressing a desperate kiss onto Hyukjae’s lips.
Hyukjae let himself be kissed for a moment before finally responding and wrapping his arms around Donghae, pulling him closer.
Donghae slipped his tongue into Hyukjae’s mouth, the action filled with desperate hope. And when they finally had to break apart. Panting hard, he stared at Hyukjae with no small amount of fear.
“Hyukjae. I’m sorry I lied to you. But I did show you the real me. You’re the only one who knows the real me… and I don’t want to lose you.” He cupped Hyukjae’s cheek with one hand. “Please. Will you forgive me?”
"..I have conditions..." Hyukjae looked at him seriously. "I won’t let you be forgiven just like that." He wiped his eyes again. "The first is that you can't ever lie to me again- about anything!" He stared right into Donghae’s eyes.
“Even if I farted and it was really smelly and you asked?” Donghae half teased, but there was a seriousness to his eyes as well - and in them, a promise never to lie to Hyukjae again.
Hyukjae hit Donghae's shoulder at the tease before leaning in and resting against that shoulder. "I guess this explains a lot, including why you always came to my apartment but never let me see yours..."
“Yeah… Although I still like your apartment better.” Donghae pressed his nose against Hyukjae’s hair, breathing in. “Mine’s always so empty and cold. Yours smells like home.”
"Can I see it now?" Hyukjae asked, not yet moving his face away from Donghae's shoulder. "I want to see your real life..."
“Yes, although I can’t figure out why.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae’s head. “My life with you is a lot more exciting.”
"Because now its apparent to me there is a whole part of you I don't know about and I don't like that." He finally lifted his head. "So take me there."
“Very well.” Donghae agreed, pecking Hyukjae on the cheek. “My car or your car?”
"Can you drive?" Hyukjae looked at him, pointing at his keys. "I'm in no mood to drive right now..."
“Sure.” Donghae nodded, getting into the driver’s seat. “I can. I just don’t get to drive very often.”
"Alright..." Hyukjae nodded, getting into the passengers seat and buckling in, ready to see Donghae's place.
They got to Donghae’s place minutes later - minutes, even though Donghae’s place on the other end of the city.
Hyukjae was gripping onto the handles in the car, eyes wide as they car finally stopped and he practically fell out of his seat when he opened the door and stared at Donghae. "Oh my god..." He wheezed, not even paying attention to his surroundings yet.
Donghae blinked at Hyukjae. “What’s the matter? You okay?”
"Oh my god, you drive like a maniac!" Hyukjae said, gaping at him. "How many times have you driven? Do you have your license?"
“I do?” Donghae blinked. “But I’ve always driven like this… and yes I have my license. Like I said I don’t drive much because my dad always insists that the Lamborghini and Porsche are too showy but won’t let me drive the other car so-”
Hyukjae blinked at his words before bursting into laughter and walking over to hug him, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Think maybe your dad lied to you because you drive like you're on fire?" He teased lightly.
“Heh?” Donghae blinked, but leaned into Hyukjae’s arms, smiling bemused. “Okay? Whatever you say, Hyukjae.”
Hyukjae smiled and pulled away and let out a whistle at the neighbourhood they were standing in. "Where is your apartment?" He asked, holding Donghae's hand.
“Here.” Donghae led Hyukjae to the most opulent apartment block in the area waving at the resplendently dressed doorman as he did.
Hyukjae bit the insides of his cheeks to keep his jaw from dropping and looked around the building, taking in all the exclusive and expensive details about the place. "What floor do you live on?"
“Penthouse.” Donghae answered simply, then frowned at the look on Hyukjae’s face. “Hey. Don’t get so impressed. It’s just a place that my dad bought for me. I’d much rather stay with you in your apartment.”
"I... I'm just trying to picture you in this place... and now I'm thinking about the nights you've slept on my cartoon bedsheets..." He smiled gently at Donghae, squeezing his hand. "I'm glad you prefer my sheets to this hotel like place..." He led Donghae to the elevator, cautiously pressing the button for the penthouse, kind of excited to see how Donghae lived.
“Hotel-like is right.” Donghae squeezed Hyukjae’s hand, pulling Hyukjae forward as the elevator opened straight into his penthouse apartment. Looking around a little pensively, he sighed. “Well… here it is.”
Hyukjae smiled at Donghae and let go of his hands, walking around as he explored every inch of the penthouse, taking in all the details that seemed like the Donghae he knew and all the unfamiliar ones. He tried to calculate how much the stuff in the penthouse cost, but decided it would only give him a panic attack and stopped. He finally came to a stop in the bedroom and sat on the bed, smiling up at Donghae. "Interesting..."
“Only interesting?” Donghae smiled a little at the sight of Hyukjae sitting on his bed against the satin sheets. He looked gorgeous against the wine red backdrop his sheets made.
"I mean... I don't know what else to say." He shrugged. "This.... this really doesn't seem like you at all. I mean, not everything of it..." He patted the space next to him, waiting for Donghae to sit down. "You don't look comfortable in your own house."
And Donghae did sit, resting his head on Hyukjae’s shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not. It’s really just a place to sleep for me.”
"No one to warm your bed for you?" Hyukjae asked in a manner while trying to see if Donghae had bought a lot of girls or boys home before. He hugged Donghae and rocked him in his arms.
“If you’re sneakily asking about bed companions, yes, I have had many. Another way I dealt with stress.” Donghae said self-depreciatingly. “None of them meant anything much. They weren’t ‘bed-warmers’ in that sense. But I haven’t had anyone in my bed since I met you.”
"Good..." Hyukjae nodded, leaning on Donghae. He suddenly smiled. "I have a present for you."
“What sort of present?” Donghae blinked, looking up in surprise.
Hyukjae smiled and got up. "Wait here... its in the car. I got it for our monthsary." Hyukjae said shyly, thinking about his gift as he grabbed his car keys. "I'll be right back!"
“Wait.” Donghae pulled Hyukjae back for a bit, placing a gold card in his hand. “You’ll need this to come back up.”
"Oh..." Hyukjae held the card, looking at it. "Fancy." He teased playfully before turning around and heading down to his car. He pulled out a gift bag and headed back up to Donghae's apartment.
Donghae had just gotten out a bottle of champagne and two glasses when Hyukjae came back in. He popped the bottle, pouring some out and calling to Hyukjae to come into the kitchen.
Hyukjae held onto the bag and found his way into the kitchen, smiling at Donghae as he sat up on the counter next to Donghae. "Okay!" Hyukjae smiled, cheeks slightly pink from being shy about giving Donghae a gift for the first time. "Its not much... but you always, even before you showed me this place said how much you like sleeping over at mine... annnd even though you never showed me your place I kind of thought for the days you didn't come over... Oh um, this might be embarrassing and it's okay if you don't like it... okay, just take the bag before I throw it away!" Hyukjae thrust the bag forward, hiding his face behind his other hand. The bag contained new bedsheets with the same cartoon as the ones Hyukjae had spread out the first night Donghae had slept over.
“Wow…” A slow grin crept over Donghae’s face as he admired the sheets. “This is so awesome! I’m going to put them on now.”
And running excitedly to his bedroom, Donghae began to do just that.
Hyukjae smiled as he slipped off the counter and slowly followed Donghae into his bedroom, walking to the other side of the bed and pulling the sheets on. He tucked the sheet into the sides, happy it fit. "Yay... It fits! I got the larger size because I didn't know how big your bed was... and now I see it's huge."
“And very lonely.” Donghae chuckled, flopping onto the bed and opening his arms wide. “Come here you.”
Crawling onto the bed, Hyukjae laid down on one of Donghae's arms, snuggling into his side. "More space to roll around on though."
“Oh yes.” Donghae grinned, then in an expert manoeuvre, flipped the both of them so that Donghae was pinning Hyukjae down. “Plenty of space for a good roll in the sheets.”
Pecking Donghae chastely, Hyukjae laughed and shook his head. "Not tonight. It's your punishment for the shock you gave me today. Plus I have to go into work early and can't be slacking." He told Donghae, hands running up his chest.
“Your words and your actions don’t match up, Hyuk.” Donghae shuddered a little from the touch, catching Hyukjae’s lips again for a deeper kiss.
Hyukjae indulged in the kiss for a bit before pushing Donghae's body up and moving his hands. "Alright, fine, I won’t touch you either."
Donghae mock sniffled. “Fine. Be that way.” Before he laughed and pushed himself off the bed. “Champagne? I still haven’t figured out to make up for missing our date today. Truth was I couldn’t get out of that stupid meeting. Important shareholders and all, and my dad’s in Japan at the moment.”
Hyukjae sat up and nodded slowly. "Sure, champagne sounds nice." He hugged his knees to his chest. "Yeah, I heard he was gone." He rested his chin on his knees thinking about the events of the day, he was quiet as he thought about things.
Donghae walked back to the room, handing Hyukjae a glass. “He’s pretty busy now. Things aren’t looking good in the Japanese economy… we might have to sell that branch.” Donghae sighed despondently, clinking Hyukjae’s glass before realizing the contemplative look on Hyukjae’s face. “What you thinking about?”
Hyukjae swirled the champagne in his glass and smiled a little thinking about the time he'd offered Donghae cheap champagne in his roommates animal coffee mugs after realizing he didn't have any other clean glasses or cups. He looked up at Donghae slowly. "Your dad wouldn't be too happy to know you're dating a low ranked employee... that too a guy. It's fine though, I figured we'd have to be more secretive..."
“My dad doesn’t approve a lot of things I do, but he can’t really complain.” Donghae shrugged. “I’m still supporting the company and being a good son. I bring up profits and except for my… rather black character, I have good relationships to the other shareholders. We don’t have to be secretive. But if we do have to, I’d only do it because I think it’d protect you.”
Hyukjae patted the space next to him on the bed. "It'll take me a while to get used to the fact you're not actually just the hot cashier in my super market. I mean... I don't think I'd ever had guessed it in a million years had I not seen you step out of that car." Hyukjae told him, holding up his glass. "What are we toasting too?
“I slipped up a few times actually. But I’ve did my research before going undercover.” Donghae paused, then smiled. “Cheers to bad pick-up lines concerning grocery items.”
"Cheers." Hyukjae nodded, clinking their glasses together before taking a sip. He smiled. "This is nice." He leaned against Donghae. "Are you going to continue working at the super market?"
“Probably.” Donghae played with the ends of Hyukjae’s hair. “Even if you do know who I really am, it’s still an escape for me, from stress. And… I’ve got plenty other friends who only know my cashier persona. And I’d like to keep it that way.”
"I won’t tell them." Hyukjae smiled, "Wow, now when someone mentions the boss’ son being in the building, I'll definitely be more interested in going to have a look- unless you have a brother..." Hyukjae titled his head at him. "... I'm back to square one with how much I know about you..."
Donghae chuckled. “No. No brother that I know of. Then again, there is a high possibility that my dad might be keeping mistresses somewhere…”
“There’s not much to know about my company image though.” Donghae sighed, poking Hyukjae’s cheek. “I just go around and do what I have to do. And uh… pretend to flirt around with all the girls, smack some guys butts, lick some guys boots… Honestly, the rich me is more fake than my cashier persona.”
Hyukjae frowned at the thought of Donghae walking around flirting with girls. "Hmmm..." He listened to him, "At least I'm lucky enough to know the real you." He poked Donghae's chest, over his heart before taking his free hand to intertwine their fingers. He took sip of his champagne.
“Yes.” Donghae pulled their hands up, kissing the tip of Hyukjae’s fingers. “You probably wouldn’t like the rich son me. I’m a cad.” And he winked suggestively at Hyukjae, grinning.
"Hmmm." Hyukjae kissed the grin on his face. "No, I don't think I'll like rich son Donghae, so if he's flirting with girls in front of me, I will spread rumors in the office that you're a eunuch." He said, teasing him.
“Yah.” Donghae nipped at Hyukjae’s nose. “If you do that, I’ll make sure your office life will become very uncomfortable. I’ll spread rumors that you’ve become my sex slave.”
"Which would still only harm your image because then not only will you be gay, but cruel." He nodded, "Harming naive Hyukjae like that." He smiled at Donghae. He looked at the time and turned to Donghae. "I should go home and sleep..." He said.
Donghae laughed. “Ah yes, but we would both then fall together. Because there’s no way you wouldn’t enjoy a forbidden tryst in the office with me, yes?” Donghae chuckled, before turning serious. “Can’t you stay here? I’m under an oath to be honest, and I was honest about it being truly lonely here.”
Hyukjae looked at Donghae and smiled softly at him. "I'd love to... but then I'd need to borrow something for the night and you'll have to make sure I get up early to go home and change before I get to work." He told Donghae. "I don't want to get hired for being late and in pajamas..."
“Don’t worry about clothes. I’m rich, and since you know, let’s abuse it a little.” Donghae reassured, “I’ll just make a few calls, and you’ll have your work clothes tomorrow. As for borrowing something for the night, what’s mine is yours. Go ahead and use what you need.”
Hyukjae blinked at that, looking a little uncomfortable before nodding. "Oh, alright... but just for tonight." He told Donghae, "No other time are you going to abuse it unnecessarily." He said, standing up and looking around. "Where is your closet?" He stretched his arms. "I'm getting sleepy already."
“Just around the corner. Don’t get freaked out, but it’s a walk-in closet. And the day of our first date, my dad burned all my regular clothes, so now, that portion is pretty tiny and well hidden.” Donghae ushered Hyukjae to an unseeming-looking door. Unseeming because when he opened it, it opened up into a mini mall.
Hyukjae raised and eyebrow at him and beat him to opening the door. "I'm sure I won’t frea- Oh my god." Hyukjae blinked as the door pushed open to reveal the biggest closet he had ever seen in his life. He stared at the abundance of clothes in front of him and was almost too scared to step inside. Taking a cautious step in, Hyukjae looked around at all the designer clothes neatly in their places in the room of a closet. "Oh wow..."
“I thought you said you wouldn’t freak?” Donghae let out a rueful laugh, ruffling Hyukjae’s hair. “Well, go ahead and try on anything you like.”
Hyukjae looked back at Donghae. "Um... maybe I should just sleep in my boxers?" He wondered, not wanting to ruin any of the clothes.
“I’d very much like that.” Donghae admitted wrapping his arms around Hyukjae’s waist. “But if you’re only saying that because you don’t want to spoil the clothes, then I’m going to force you to be my dress-up dolly and parade you around while taking pictures. Go ahead and try anything you like. Honestly, I have too many clothes. Spoil them all you like.”
Laughing a little at his words, Hyukjae put his hands over Donghae's and made him walk with him as he looked around at the clothes, inspecting a few that caught his eyes before finally reaching the end of the closet. "I wouldn't even know where to begin.... I could- I can probably fit all the things I own a hundred times over in this closet!" He smiled, before his eyes caught a shirt he had seen Donghae wear before, on one of his date. "Oh, you know, I thought you looked amazing in this shirt..." He said, running his hands over it. Hyukjae then finally picked out one of Donghae's boxers and grinned at him. "I don't know about you... but this is what I'll be sleeping in from now on..."
Donghae laughed. “And you picked my favourite pair. You have good taste.” He began to nibble at Hyukjae’s ear, playing with the lobe. “I’m getting all hot just thinking about you in my underwear.”
"Wait till you see me in them." Hyukjae teased, playfully pushing Donghae off him. "Take your nightsuit and go outside to change, I'll be right out."
“Alright.” Donghae chuckled, waving as he left. His ‘night suit’ as Hyukjae called it, was already outside and laid out for him.
Hyukjae waited until Donghae was out of sight before stripping out of his clothes and neatly folding them. He kept them in one of Donghae's shelves and then slipped into the boxers, heading out to the room, forgetting his clothes inside. He quickly took a look in the mirror, messing up his hair slightly to make it look sexy and then he stepped out, looking to see if Donghae was ready for bed.
Donghae was already lounging on the bed sipping on his champagne. The dark blue satin robe he was wearing fell that little bit open, revealing hints of chest, thigh… enough to spark you imagination but leaving enough for things to be filled in.
Hyukjae smiled at him, walking over to him as he got on the bed and sat in Donghae's lap, legs on either side of him. He pulled Donghae's glass forward and took a sip from it. "You know... now that I know your little secret..." He ran his fingers down Donghae's chest. "You should make me aware of your presence in the office, then we could sneak away for a little fun..."
“Mmm… a little office hanky panky?” Donghae quirked an eyebrow, enjoying the view Hyukjae gave him. “I’ll see what I can do. I’m always swamped when I’m in the office since I take so much time out of it to see you.”
Hyukjae bit his lips at that. "Well now stop getting swamped, I don't want to be trouble for you..." Hyukjae pouted slightly. He shifted slightly in his lap and tilted his head at Donghae. "Are you naked under this robe?"
“I’ll try. It’d probably be a race to see how fast we could do it though.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae softly, before grinning at the question. “Why don’t you find out?”
Hyukjae laughed. "No, I mean it... Don't over work like crazy. Especially with your hours at the supermarket." He rubbed his thumbs tenderly under Donghae's eyes. "See, I can see you're not sleeping enough." He frowned, worrying. Raising an eyebrow at Donghae, he got up on his knees and lifted the robe from off Donghae's crotch to take a peak.
“Don’t worry. I’m used to sleeplessness.” Donghae sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Although, Hyukjae was right. He was getting less sleep than usual recently. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. “Mmm… I think someone’s happy to see you.”
"Donghae!" Hyukjae laughed at the sight that greeted him. He dropped down the robe and shook his head firmly at Donghae. "Not tonight. It's your punishment for deceiving me." He said firmly, "Tonight you're getting eight hours of sleep." Hyukjae was really worried about Donghae and wanted him to rest and get a full night’s sleep in front of him so he wouldn't worry about Donghae all day tomorrow.
Donghae pouted, but obediently lay down. “Alright. As long as I get to cuddle you.”
"I wasn't going to let you get away." Hyukjae smiled, snuggling into Donghae's side, holding him close. "I'm glad I found out everything... I don't want our relationship to get hindered anything like that. My dad kept a lot of secrets which lead to my parents divorce..."
“Oh..?” Donghae asked quietly, looking down at Hyukjae, waiting for him to continue.”
"He'd never let my mom in and cheated and lied about everything... It didn't work out with me living with him because I realized he had a second family. My mom and sister don't know which is why my sister can still live near him. It would break my mother’s heart. Especially because his others kids are around my age."
Hyukjae sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
Donghae listened with a sad heart, leaning down and kissing Hyukjae on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”
Hyukjae smiled softly at him. "It's okay..." He pressed his face into the crook of Donghae's neck. "He doesn't know I know either, so there wasn't any awful confrontation, but I'm just glad my mom lives in the further edges of the city because he does visit a lot and bring his other family along and shows up alone to our place when he has to visit us."
“I understand why you were so angry when you found out I was keeping secrets from you.” Donghae sighed, stroking Hyukjae’s hair. “I’m sorry. I won’t keep secrets from you again. I promise.”
"Don't make promises lightly Donghae." Hyukjae pulled his face back too look at him. "You don't have to promise things, but try your best, okay?" He pecked Donghae.
“Alright.” Donghae smiled, rubbing his thumb across Hyukjae’s cheek. “I promise I will try my best.”
Hyukjae smiled back and pecked him. "Thanks you." He closed his eyes. "Now sleep!"
“Yes, honey.” Donghae teased, pulling Hyukjae into his arms and aligning the both of them onto the bed. “Good night.”
Hyukjae grinned despite himself and hugged Donghae close. "Night, love you." He whispered into Donghae's ear.
~*~
“Hello, I’d like to see a Mr. Lee Hyukjae, please?”
And that’s when the entire office paused, staring at the man who had just innocuously come in, as if he wasn’t the second most important man in the whole company asking for a seemingly non-essential employee.
"Uh... the fifth cubical down this row, sir..." An employee finally answered, pointing the way.
Hyukjae was in his cubical, nibbling on his bottom lip as he read through some files on his table, frown lines on his forehead.
Donghae arrived at Hyukjae’s cubical without the man realizing he was there. Watching him for a while, he admired the look of concentration of his love’s face. Then, hiding a smile, he affected a mildly irritated tone. “Mr. Lee Hyukjae?”
Hyukjae hadn't noticed Donghae at all and almost jumped at the voice, "Y-yes sir?" He looked up surprised, before gaping at Donghae. "Ha-" He almost called Donghae by his nickname before stopping himself, looking around with wide eyes before pulling out a normal facial expression.
Noticing that almost all the eyes in office were on him and Hyukjae, Donghae resisted the urge to laugh. Putting on a stern face, Donghae gestured at Hyukjae to follow him. “I need to see you in my office for some… important matters.”
Hyukjae sighed just slightly, he had been getting into trouble all day so now everyone probably thought he was getting fired. "Yes sir..." He bowed his head politely before getting up to follow Donghae.
Donghae could feel the eyes following them as they walked to the lift. Carefully, he gestured for Hyukjae to enter the lift, and when he passed, inconspicuously groped him.
Hyukjae's eyed widened slightly as he looked at the floor and quickly walked into the elevator as the doors opened, relaxing slightly when he saw no one else was in it.
Donghae smirked slightly at Hyukjae’s relief, getting in after Hyukjae. But when the doors closed, he whispered to Hyukjae, hand still groping Hyukjae’s ass. “Act normal. There’s still the security feeds.”
Hyukjae frowned at Donghae's hand and subtly grabbed it, pushing it away. "Then stop or the guards will spread rumors that you grab ass in the elevator... and you better not be firing me." He quickly added.
“As if there aren’t already rumors about that.” Donghae grinned, but didn’t go after Hyukjae’s ass again. The elevator door opened to the top floor after a while, and Donghae gestured for Hyukjae to step out, not commenting on Hyukjae’s statement about being fired.
Hyukjae frowned slightly when Donghae didn't make a comment on him being fired or not and got worried as he stepped out and waited to be led to Donghae's office.
Donghae’s office was one of the five big offices in Donghae’s place. And his was the most secluded one - having purposely picked it out when his father had asked. Gesturing Hyukjae in, he motioned for Hyukjae to have a seat.
Hyukjae got into the office, barely looking around as he sat down in the chair. He waited for Donghae to say something, fearing the worst- like being fired by his secret boyfriend. He was mentally preparing himself to not burst into tears.
Donghae wanted to carry on with the façade, but his boyfriend looked so worried, he couldn’t bear to any more. Bursting out into laughter, he shook his head. “Geez... you look like the world’s going to end. Of course I’m not firing you.”
"Donghae!" Hyukjae whined, throwing the first thing that came into his hand at Donghae. "You really freaked me out, I was trying not to cry..." He pouted before finally relaxing.
Donghae ducked, then winced when his diamond paperweight hit the ground - luckily he had carpet, not wood, or it’d have sunk a golf-ball sized hole into it. Shaking his head, he snorted. “How could you be worried about that? I’d never fire you. You should be more concerned about me promoting you. Can I do that by the way? You’re doing way too much for such little pay.”
"I don't think anyone thinks I deserve any kind of promotion... I've just been getting yelled at all fucking day." He pouted more at Donghae, standing up to open his arms. "I deserve a big hug and some animal crackers and a kiss." He said childishly.
“Probably because you’re overworked and too nice. You do know your boss has been dumping things on you because you’re easily bullied into doing things?” Donghae commented, but opened his arms for Hyukjae.
Hyukjae hugged him tightly, rubbing his nose against Donghae's neck. "Asshole." He murmured. "I don't always know how to say no to them, I can't afford to lose my job right now. I owe two months worth of rent to my roommate."
“I’d pay for you, but I don’t know if you want that.” Donghae murmured, soothing Hyukjae’s back. “Do you want me to help you with anything?”
"No, you're not allowed." Hyukjae sighed, kissing his neck. "Yeah, get me a shift at the super market?" He said seriously. "I'm waiting to hear from a few other places..."
“You’re not allowed to leave this company.” Donghae said seriously. “If it really comes to that, I’ll hire you as my personal secretary.”
"No one said anything about leaving, oh my god." Hyukjae shook his head. "I'm waiting to hear from places I can work when I'm not here. This job really doesn't pay well at all. I'm working out a schedule where I can pick up a job or two..."
“It’s not like the supermarket pays well either.” Donghae ruffled Hyukjae’s hair. “Can’t I really pull a few strings to get you promoted?”
"No. I can't take advantage of our relationship... if I'm not getting promoted on my own accord I must not be doing a good enough job." He made a face. "I just really need to get more money flowing in because at this rate I'll be on the streets... Or back in my mother’s home."
“You could always stay with me.” Donghae offered. “If that’d take the financial strain off. And in return you could... I don’t know. Make me homemade meals for me to take to work?”
Hyukjae laughed. "If you're going to ask me to move in with you, ask me properly." He teased, "Besides don't you not like your apartment?"
“I’d only like it if you were in it.” Donghae poked Hyukjae’s cheek before pulling back. “Alright then, Lee Hyukjae. Would you like to move in with me?”
Hyukjae hesitated. "...would you have asked if I wasn't in need of it?"
“Maybe not so soon, but yes. I would have.” Donghae answered honestly. “A couple more weeks maybe. I didn’t want to go too fast, in case you freaked.”
"You'd want to live with me?" Hyukjae asked, smiling softly, eyes brightening up at that.
“Course I do, silly.” Donghae shook his head. “Why are you always surprised when I say things like this?”
"Because.... Because I never thought I'd have time for these things or.... that someone would want to be with me so much." He told Donghae, shrugging.
“Then you don’t know your own worth.” Donghae ran a hand through Hyukjae’s hair before smiling. “Maybe I’ll need to show you... how much you’re worth.” And he pressed his lips gently onto Hyukjae’s, moaning softly.
Hyukjae wrapped his arms around Donghae's neck and kissed him back, smiling into the kiss as he did. "It'll be a long process." He said in between kisses.
“Well, I’ll be here for a long time.” Donghae grinned, hand sneaking underneath Hyukjae’s shirt. “Although it shouldn’t hurt to start now.”
Hyukjae laughed, putting his forehead against Donghae's. "Everyone will be wondering where I am..."
“Let them wonder.” Donghae whispered, stroking Hyukjae’s skin. “It’ll be good for office moral - more excitement in their lives.”
Hyukjae smiled and kissed Donghae's lips, nibbling at his bottom lip. "And when I go limping back to them?"
“I’ll report a broken chair.” Donghae smiled, pushing Hyukjae down across his desk.
Hyukjae smiled and he laid down. "You'll have to break the chair then…"
“Oh… we’ll get there.” Donghae promised as he pushed Hyukjae’s shirt up, lapping across the expanse of Hyukjae’s skin.
Hyukjae shivered and put his hands on Donghae's shoulders. "Better..." He moaned.
“Better?” Donghae’s eyebrow rose before he nipped at Hyukjae’s left nipple.
"You better..." He explained himself, unbuttoning his shirt for Donghae.
“Ah…” Donghae breathed around the mark he left, smiling. “Of course… I will…” And he pulled Hyukjae’s shirt off, sliding across his torso and pressing lips against the other’s.
Hyukjae kissed back, pulling him over himself more and wrapping a leg around his.
Donghae moaned into the kiss, hands taking a break to loosen his own pants.
Hyukjae undid his own pants. "Do you have lube or something?"
“I came prepared today.” Donghae confessed, pulling open on of the desk drawers and taking out the lube. “Strawberry flavoured. Your favourite.”
Hyukjae laughed before they both dived in and indulged in some steamy office sex. Hyukjae didn't let him go until two rounds later when he found himself, spread on Donghae's table, panting, and unable to move. "...next time if we're using a desk, I'll bend over it instead..." He smiled, eyes closing.
“You sure? My desk is big enough…” Donghae murmured, just as winded, and lowering himself down by Hyukjae’s side for some cuddling.
"It's uncomfortable as hell and my neck is stiff now." He flicked Donghae's head. "Hand me my clothes..."
“They’re kind of all over the floor.” Donghae commented, looking around. “And… we still have to break the chair.”
"Good luck breaking it... I'm exhausted... and now I have to go to work, so be my cute boyfriend annnnddd help me back in my clothes." Hyukjae smiled.
“As if I don’t have to get back to work too.” Donghae stuck his tongue out, but pushed himself up, dropping to the ground and picking the clothes off the floor, dropping them down onto Hyukjae.
Hyukjae slowly got up and stretched himself before getting back into his clothes. "Thanks... and well, you don't have anyone angry at you today..."
“Well, yes. That’s true.” Donghae kissed Hyukjae one last time. “If anyone asked, I was asked to interview an employee on work conditions for an annual review.”
"And in the process a chair broke." He nodded and pecked Donghae again. "I'll come over with dinner, okay?" He said, getting off the table and walking as properly as he could to the door.
“Yes. If anyone doubts that, just remind them of how many people I’ve supposedly fucked over the chair.” Donghae said straight-faced, referring to the rumors about him. “I’ll prepare dinner this time. Something nice for once?”
"Okay, okay...." Hyukjae smiled and nodded. "I'll text you, love you!" He sent a flying kiss towards him before walking out to the door and to his cubical.
Donghae waved goodbye, then stared at his chair. “Mmm… how shall I deal with you?”
Later on, human resources got a report for a new office chair for one of the offices on the 50th floor, while the person who disposed of the chair began to tell everyone he knew how he didn’t believe that it had broken when someone sat on it - more like chewed out by a monster with extremely sharp fangs.
And all the while, Hyukjae had been getting yelled at his boss for an incompetent report he had not done and finally after a few hours of piled on stress, burst into tears in front of everyone before taking leave from work.
~*~