Illegal Palpitations (Chapter 4)
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
~*~
Hyukjae walked into work with a heavy heart the next morning. He sat down on his desk, hair pushed back with a headband he hadn't bothered taking out of his hair before coming to work. If Hyukjae wasn't particular about his image at work, he would have shown up in sweats as well. Sunglasses still on his eyes, he slowly sipped his morning coffee while staring blankly at his desk, wishing the day would have not started at all.
Kyuhyun came in not long after, spotting Hyukjae and his rumpled appearance. Sighing, he guessed that Donghae didn’t show up last night. ’That’s one point down for you Donghae-sshi.’ He thought to himself.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Kyuhyun went over, attempting to liven the mood a little.
Hyukjae kept his sunglasses firmly on. His eyes were still red from crying last night, worried sick about Donghae. He glanced up at Kyuhyun and nodded slightly. "What case are we working on today?" He asked, ready to bury himself under piles and piles of desk work.
“Lucky for you, something simple.” Kyuhyun ruffled Hyukjae’s hair. “I’d advise you to go back and rest, but I don’t think you’d get any so… Just let me take on anything that has to do with human interaction okay?”
"I think this is the first time ever that you'd be better than me at it." Hyukjae nodded, taking the file, flipping through it.
“Well, generally, snapping alligators aren’t the most sociable creatures.” Kyuhyun attempted a joke, before starting when the office alarm went off. “What the hell?”
Hyukjae jolted up at the alarm, standing up by habit, grabbing his gun from his drawer. "What’s happening?" He looked around at the other officers on the floor.
“I’m not too sure? Something about a wounded guy running into the police HQ with members of the Lee syndicate hot behind his heels. We’re under attack.” The officer told Hyukjae before moving off.
Alarmed, Kyuhyun turned to look at Hyukjae. The Lee syndicate, that was the family that Donghae was working for.
Hyukjae jumped into action as soon as he heard the name. He didn't waste a second thinking, working purely on instinct as he ran out of their floor, down the stairs and towards the lobby. Was it their mole? Had he been caught? Was this why Donghae had been so busy? He ran out of the stairs and right into the main entrance.
Kyuhyun had followed right after, breathing hard as he paused in the lobby, trying to take stock of what was happening. Everything was in a mess, bullets being exchanged as people tried to take down the people shooting from the outside.
Then he caught the sight of medics, his eyes following to where they were hovering over, and saw a familiar figure lying on the ground.
His blood stopped cold, knowing what this meant. “Oh… damn.”
Hyukjae fired exactly one round at the men barging right into the station when his eyes caught the body the medics had been fussing over, putting it on the stretcher to rush him towards the back. He almost dropped his gun in shock. His worst fears coming true right in front of his eyes. Hyukjae only kept his gun up to keep people out of his way as he ran to where Donghae was. He almost compromised himself, almost gave into the urge to hold onto Donghae. But he knew Donghae would have just frowned at him for this.
He took a shaky breath, turning to the front, faking covering the medics as they ran back, keeping his eyes on the mafia intruders as well as the stretcher.
Donghae didn’t know why, but he felt himself stir. The medics had given him something for the pain and to knock him unconscious, and he wasn’t that hard up to resist, wanting to escape the pounding pain that assaulted his body. But something made him open his eyes, peering through the pain-filled haze, his whole world feeling brighter and sharper than it should.
And then he saw Hyukjae and he smiled. Ah. So that was it. Trying to lift up a hand, all Donghae got was the twitch of a finger, dull pain shooting up from where his hand had been fractured. Unable to do anymore, Donghae could only whisper the first words that came to his mind. “Hyuk… sorry…”
And with that went all of Hyukjae's concentration. He put his gun away as he turned to Donghae once they were far away enough. He held onto the side of the stretcher, grabbing his hand, holding it tightly. Ignoring all looks from his co-workers and a few superiors, Hyukjae leaned in and kissed him softy. "Hold on, you'll be okay... Please, just please hold on you stupid, stupid man!" Hyukjae cried, hands shaking.
Donghae let out a soft sigh at the feel of Hyukjae’s lips. All these days he’d been dreaming… was he dreaming now? It didn’t matter really… He was too tired. Far too tired. But Hyukjae was crying and he couldn’t let that continue. So he gathered a smile, using all his strength to lift a hand, clumsily brushing away a lock of Hyukjae’s hair. “Silly.” He whispered. “I already said I won’t die so easily.”
"That’s a promise." Hyukjae told him strictly as Donghae was hauled towards an ambulance. He turned as he left stares on his back. Everyone looked at him with questions in their eyes but no one dared to speak yet. And Hyukjae didn't give them the chance. Once Donghae was settled in, he shot his superiors a look that said there was no way in hell he'd stay back before getting in as well. Donghae was there, he was holding his hand and watching him breathe. Everything had to be okay. It just had too.
~*~
Kyuhyun had driven to the hospital as soon as he could, ignoring the orders given to hand in damage reports immediately. He found Hyukjae pacing around near the entrance of the emergency room. Evidently, Donghae wasn’t out yet.
“Hey.” Kyuhyun went up putting a hand on Hyukjae’s elbow. “What’s the situation?”
"Critical." Hyukjae swallowed, eyes red, looking like a total mess. He didn't care though, his eyes were glued to the doors, just waiting for Donghae or anyone with any news about him. "Surgery will take hours they said.”
Kyuhyun had expected it, even from where he had stood, Donghae’s condition had looked really bad. But before he could say anything, a doctor came up to them where they stood. “Are you the friends of Lee Donghae?”
Hyukjae walked forward immediately, not hesitant to correct the doctor of his role in Donghae's fleeting life. "Boyfriend." He informed him, staring at the doctor, feeling like he was about to collapse.
“Oh. Alright.” The doctor’s expression didn’t change, nodding. “Well, the good news is that your boyfriend’s out of danger. He’ll live.”
"What's the bad news?" Hyukjae asked, throat closing up as he tears of relief began to flow down his eyes. He wiped them up as fast as he could.
“The bad news is that he sustained a lot of damage. In addition to the 3 bullets he took, he has 5 broken ribs, a fractured wrist, twisted ankle, internal bleeding and the most troubling is the head trauma wound to the base of his skull. We don’t know when he’ll regain consciousness, if he’ll ever. And if he does, there is a possibility that he might never regain full motor functions and cognitive activity.” The doctor paused, swallowing. “I’m sorry.”
Hyukjae was shaking as the doctor spoke. "W-where....W...where is he?" He asked, barely able to stand. He reached out for the wall for support. Hyukjae needed to see Donghae.
Kyuhyun put a supporting hand on Hyukjae’s arm, biting his lips. Of all the news…
“He’s being brought to his room. You aren’t supposed to see him yet but…” The doctor trailed off. “I think I’ll make an exception. And I personally believe that having his boyfriend by his side would help.”
Hyukjae nodded, thanking the doctor softly as he went back to his duty. He stayed against the wall for a few more minutes until he was finally told by the nurses he could go see Donghae. He glanced back at Kyuhyun, letting him know he was fine as he slowly walked towards Donghae's room.
His breathing was uneven and his eyes hurt from how much he had cried. Hyukjae got to his room, eyes landing on Donghae only to feel his heart break all over again. He walked to his bedside, gently putting his fingers on the other's face, leaning down slightly. "You promised." He whispered, wishing he could hold him in his arms.
But Donghae didn’t wake, and the only sound was the continued beeping of the heart monitor.
And by his side was exactly where Hyukjae could be found from that point, waiting and watching over him.
~*~
“It’s been a week, Hyuk.” Kyuhyun sighed as he walked into the room, finding Hyukjae exactly where he was. Putting down the clothes that he’d picked up from Hyukjae’s apartment. “You need to go home Hyuk, and take a rest. You’re going to run yourself ragged like this.”
"I can't." Hyukjae spoke softly, delicately pushing Donghae's hair out of his face. Some of the bandages had come off. Bruises had formed and Donghae was still badly injured but he was healing and it was giving Hyukjae hope.
“Hyuk, you have to. I’ve been pushing it off as much as I can, but the superiors want to question you. You can’t meet them like this. It’d be a disaster. Even I know that.” Kyuhyun sighed, putting a hand onto Hyukjae’s shoulder.
"I already sent in my badge and gun. I know I'm suspended." Hyukjae looked at him finally. "I can't leave him alone."
Kyuhyun let out a sound of frustration. “I’ll stay here with him in your stead. Look Hyuk, you need to go. They want to find out the full story behind the whole incident and you need to go them and tell them all you know. This is for Donghae as well. He’s still in danger you know, the Lee syndicate are still out looking for him, and without knowing what they’re protecting, the HQ isn’t going to help hide Donghae for much longer.”
Hyukjae nodded. He hadn't been thinking about that at all. He needed to get his act together for Donghae. He needed to make sure would be able to wake up to a safe environment for him. "I'll go." Hyukjae finally decided. He reached out and grabbed the magazine he had been reading, handing it to Kyuhyun. "You have to read the gossip sections to him. I can't have him waking up pouting because he missed Angelina Jolie adopting another baby or something." Hyukjae told him, picking up the clothes Kyuhyun had brought him.
He finally went to step into the shower, cleaning himself up to look presentable.
~*~
“How did the meeting go?” Kyuhyun paused from reading out the gossip magazine, looking up when Hyukjae came in.
Hyukjae sighed, rubbing his face after taking a seat on the bed. He reached out for the magazine. "They’re being bastards. They want to see Donghae as soon as he wakes up."
Kyuhyun blinked, then nodded. “To see what information Donghae can give them on his boss.”
Hyukjae turned to look over at his sleeping boyfriend, pushing his hair out of his face, sighing at how long it had gotten. It was clear Hyukjae was holding back tears. "He's of no use if he doesn't." Hyukjae whispered, dropping his hand, looking away.
“…So you don’t think he’ll give any information when he wakes up? Is that what you’re saying?” Kyuhyun frowned. “Did you tell that to our superiors?”
Hyukjae nodded, looking like a defeated man. "Kyuhyun.... I think... after this case has been resolved.... I'm going to quit." He sighed deeply.
“Quit?” Kyuhyun looked surprised. “But why?”
"He's my number one priority. I need to focus on him." Hyukjae looked over at Donghae fondly.
But Kyuhyun wasn’t so easily put off topic. “I know you may think that… but what are you going to do? If Donghae remains like this, then you’re going to need money to pa0079 for hospital bills. And even if this case is resolved, unless the Lee syndicate is totally crushed, Donghae’s life will always be in danger. The chances of that happening is extremely slim at best. I think that the best way to protect him then would be to remain in the force, then you’d have leverage to get the best protection for him you can.”
"I can get another job. Move to the country side.... Donghae always wanted to live in a house. Backyard and all. I'm exhausted Kyuhyun... I spent almost a decade falling asleep with the thoughts of one day being free of all these restrictions. And now look... Everything I lived for is right here, laying on this bed." Hyukjae's shoulders dropped as he looked away. "My strength is asleep."
Kyuhyun understood, but Hyukjae was being naïve. And he told the other man so. “I know it’s tiring, but if you do that, the most likely result is that I’ll read of two guys being found dead in their home in the newspaper.” Pausing he put his hand on Hyukjae’s shoulder, “besides, if Donghae really doesn’t tell our superiors what they want when he wakes up, they’re going to put him into prison. Or worse.”
Hyukjae shoved his hand away, finally glaring at the other. "No you understand Kyuhyun. You don't. You've never known how fucking hard my life is so just shut up!" He snapped. "There's no fucking point in anything! Look at him!" Hyukjae stood up to his full height, pointing at Donghae. "He can't talk to anyone like this!" His voice became louder as he spoke.
Kyuhyun had squared his jaw, about to reply, when a soft moan attracted his attention, eyes snapping to the bed, he watched in stunned amazement when Donghae’s fingers twitched, his head shifting a little as his eyes slowly fluttered open, unfocused.
Hyukjae would have missed the moan in his rage but Kyuhyun's reactions made him pause and turn to the bed. His eyes widened and he moved closer to Donghae's side immediately, grabbing his hand. "Call the doctor!" He told Kyuhyun, a rush of emotions flooding him as he squeezed Donghae's hand. "Donghae?! Donghae?" Hyukjae's voice was soft yet desperate.
Kyuhyun did as he was told, running out. He didn’t see Donghae’s eyes trying to focus on Hyukjae, blinking slowly, as if trying to process what he was seeing.
“H-hyuk…?” He whispered softly, his voice rusty with the lack of use. He blinked again, trying to swallow, and coughing when he couldn’t.
"I'm right here!" Hyukjae whispered to him, grabbing a cup of water. He moved to Donghae, trying to help him move his head up. "Drink some water... your throat is dry." He told him, pressing the cup to his lips.
Donghae swallowed the water, sighing as the cooling liquid slid down his parched throat. Blinking blurrily at Hyukjae, he asked, his voice a little stronger now. “Where… am I? What… happened?”
Hyukjae put the cup down, barely getting it on the table before he broke down into tears, climbing on the bed as he hugged Donghae, trying to be careful of all the wires and tubes attached to him. "You were shot, oh god... you've been in a coma for a week." Hyukjae sobbed into his chest, body shaking at how happy he was that Donghae was awake. "I thought you were going to die. So much blood... fuck, don't do this to me again."
“Shot?” Donghae repeated blurrily, everything slowly coming back to him. “Oh… I was… the boss caught me. He managed to bribe or threaten information out of the people helping me cover up and… then…”
He trailed off, wincing, not wanting to remember anymore. Instead, he lifted up his hand slowly, putting it around Hyukjae’s neck and leaning down to kiss Hyukjae’s forehead. “I’m sorry I made you worried.”
"Shut up." Hyukjae whispered, lifting his head up. "I love you, I love you so much." He kissed him softly just as the doctors walked in. Hyukjae sighed as he pulled himself away from Donghae, but holding his hand tightly. He let the nurses and doctor fuss over Donghae and check his condition.
Kyuhyun came up from behind the doctors, panting, leaning against the door, a smile on his face as he saw the linked hands between Donghae and Hyukjae.
Donghae kept his eyes on Hyukjae the whole time, except when one doctor shined a light into his eyes to check his vision.
“Well… looks like he’s okay for now. But we’d like to run more tests and monitor his condition for a while more.” One of the doctors reported once they were done.
Hyukjae nodded, tearing his eyes away from Donghae for a moment. "When can I take him home?" He asked the doctor before shooting Kyuhyun a thankful smile.
“When we’re satisfied that he’s entirely healthy. But probably in a week if there are no complications.” The doctor smiled, turning to Donghae. “I’m glad you’re awake. We were worried for a bit there.”
Donghae chuckled at that, squeezing Hyukjae’s hand. “You needn’t have had to. Hyukjae was here, so I definitely would have woken up. Just took me a bit longer this time. Getting tortured and then shot does tire the body out quite a bit.”
Hyukjae looked at Donghae as if he would have punched him had he not just woken up. "Thank you doctor." Hyukjae smiled at the doctor, turning back to Donghae. He cupped the other’s cheek. "We're moving into our place completely in a week’s time."
“Hmmm? Okay?” Donghae blinked a Hyukjae leaning into the touch.
Kyuhyun sighed. Moving to their secret apartment. He did suppose that was the safest place at the moment, but he was still worried - Donghae would be safest in a police safehouse with police protection.
But he didn’t want to ruin the moment, choosing instead to keep quiet.
Hyukjae pressed their foreheads together, tucking him in a little more before pulling away. "Just rest... you need to heal." He told him before turning to Kyuhyun, mouthing quietly at the other.
"We'll talk about all this later."
Kyuhyun wasn’t very pleased, but he nodded, turning to move out of the room.
“Hyukjae?” Donghae murmured, after he was tucked in, trying to get Hyukjae’s attention.
Hyukjae turned back to him immediately, "Yes, Hae?" He asked, moving his hair out of his face.
“You look tired… you should go home and rest.” Donghae reached up, stroking Hyukjae’s cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
"I'm not leaving you." Hyukjae shook his head stubbornly.
“Hyuk…” There was slight warning tone in Donghae’s voice. “Go home. I think you’re going to collapse from exhaustion if you don’t… and I want you to be fully energetic when I get out of the hospital. We have a lot of… catching up to do.”
"We're not having sex for a month." Hyukjae glared at him, kissing him. He sighed. "I'm scared of leaving you." Hyukjae whispered against lips.
Donghae pouted. “Aww…”
He sighed against lips, kissing back softly. “Alright… but you have to sleep. If you look like shit when I wake up, you have to go back, alright?”
"Okay." Hyukjae nodded. "I'll take a nap." He agreed. He'd do anything to stay by Donghae's side. "Tomorrow... tomorrow we have to talk about things." Hyukjae sighed, not wanting Donghae to get worked up yet.
“Mmm… alright.” Donghae nodded, closing his eyes. He was still pretty weak, and it was a matter of moments before he was asleep again.
Hyukjae nodded, watching him sleep before turning to Kyuhyun- only to notice he was gone. He turned back to Donghae, slipping in besides him, holding him as he slept, watching him to his heart’s content.
~*~
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
~*~
Hyukjae walked into work with a heavy heart the next morning. He sat down on his desk, hair pushed back with a headband he hadn't bothered taking out of his hair before coming to work. If Hyukjae wasn't particular about his image at work, he would have shown up in sweats as well. Sunglasses still on his eyes, he slowly sipped his morning coffee while staring blankly at his desk, wishing the day would have not started at all.
Kyuhyun came in not long after, spotting Hyukjae and his rumpled appearance. Sighing, he guessed that Donghae didn’t show up last night. ’That’s one point down for you Donghae-sshi.’ He thought to himself.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Kyuhyun went over, attempting to liven the mood a little.
Hyukjae kept his sunglasses firmly on. His eyes were still red from crying last night, worried sick about Donghae. He glanced up at Kyuhyun and nodded slightly. "What case are we working on today?" He asked, ready to bury himself under piles and piles of desk work.
“Lucky for you, something simple.” Kyuhyun ruffled Hyukjae’s hair. “I’d advise you to go back and rest, but I don’t think you’d get any so… Just let me take on anything that has to do with human interaction okay?”
"I think this is the first time ever that you'd be better than me at it." Hyukjae nodded, taking the file, flipping through it.
“Well, generally, snapping alligators aren’t the most sociable creatures.” Kyuhyun attempted a joke, before starting when the office alarm went off. “What the hell?”
Hyukjae jolted up at the alarm, standing up by habit, grabbing his gun from his drawer. "What’s happening?" He looked around at the other officers on the floor.
“I’m not too sure? Something about a wounded guy running into the police HQ with members of the Lee syndicate hot behind his heels. We’re under attack.” The officer told Hyukjae before moving off.
Alarmed, Kyuhyun turned to look at Hyukjae. The Lee syndicate, that was the family that Donghae was working for.
Hyukjae jumped into action as soon as he heard the name. He didn't waste a second thinking, working purely on instinct as he ran out of their floor, down the stairs and towards the lobby. Was it their mole? Had he been caught? Was this why Donghae had been so busy? He ran out of the stairs and right into the main entrance.
Kyuhyun had followed right after, breathing hard as he paused in the lobby, trying to take stock of what was happening. Everything was in a mess, bullets being exchanged as people tried to take down the people shooting from the outside.
Then he caught the sight of medics, his eyes following to where they were hovering over, and saw a familiar figure lying on the ground.
His blood stopped cold, knowing what this meant. “Oh… damn.”
Hyukjae fired exactly one round at the men barging right into the station when his eyes caught the body the medics had been fussing over, putting it on the stretcher to rush him towards the back. He almost dropped his gun in shock. His worst fears coming true right in front of his eyes. Hyukjae only kept his gun up to keep people out of his way as he ran to where Donghae was. He almost compromised himself, almost gave into the urge to hold onto Donghae. But he knew Donghae would have just frowned at him for this.
He took a shaky breath, turning to the front, faking covering the medics as they ran back, keeping his eyes on the mafia intruders as well as the stretcher.
Donghae didn’t know why, but he felt himself stir. The medics had given him something for the pain and to knock him unconscious, and he wasn’t that hard up to resist, wanting to escape the pounding pain that assaulted his body. But something made him open his eyes, peering through the pain-filled haze, his whole world feeling brighter and sharper than it should.
And then he saw Hyukjae and he smiled. Ah. So that was it. Trying to lift up a hand, all Donghae got was the twitch of a finger, dull pain shooting up from where his hand had been fractured. Unable to do anymore, Donghae could only whisper the first words that came to his mind. “Hyuk… sorry…”
And with that went all of Hyukjae's concentration. He put his gun away as he turned to Donghae once they were far away enough. He held onto the side of the stretcher, grabbing his hand, holding it tightly. Ignoring all looks from his co-workers and a few superiors, Hyukjae leaned in and kissed him softy. "Hold on, you'll be okay... Please, just please hold on you stupid, stupid man!" Hyukjae cried, hands shaking.
Donghae let out a soft sigh at the feel of Hyukjae’s lips. All these days he’d been dreaming… was he dreaming now? It didn’t matter really… He was too tired. Far too tired. But Hyukjae was crying and he couldn’t let that continue. So he gathered a smile, using all his strength to lift a hand, clumsily brushing away a lock of Hyukjae’s hair. “Silly.” He whispered. “I already said I won’t die so easily.”
"That’s a promise." Hyukjae told him strictly as Donghae was hauled towards an ambulance. He turned as he left stares on his back. Everyone looked at him with questions in their eyes but no one dared to speak yet. And Hyukjae didn't give them the chance. Once Donghae was settled in, he shot his superiors a look that said there was no way in hell he'd stay back before getting in as well. Donghae was there, he was holding his hand and watching him breathe. Everything had to be okay. It just had too.
~*~
Kyuhyun had driven to the hospital as soon as he could, ignoring the orders given to hand in damage reports immediately. He found Hyukjae pacing around near the entrance of the emergency room. Evidently, Donghae wasn’t out yet.
“Hey.” Kyuhyun went up putting a hand on Hyukjae’s elbow. “What’s the situation?”
"Critical." Hyukjae swallowed, eyes red, looking like a total mess. He didn't care though, his eyes were glued to the doors, just waiting for Donghae or anyone with any news about him. "Surgery will take hours they said.”
Kyuhyun had expected it, even from where he had stood, Donghae’s condition had looked really bad. But before he could say anything, a doctor came up to them where they stood. “Are you the friends of Lee Donghae?”
Hyukjae walked forward immediately, not hesitant to correct the doctor of his role in Donghae's fleeting life. "Boyfriend." He informed him, staring at the doctor, feeling like he was about to collapse.
“Oh. Alright.” The doctor’s expression didn’t change, nodding. “Well, the good news is that your boyfriend’s out of danger. He’ll live.”
"What's the bad news?" Hyukjae asked, throat closing up as he tears of relief began to flow down his eyes. He wiped them up as fast as he could.
“The bad news is that he sustained a lot of damage. In addition to the 3 bullets he took, he has 5 broken ribs, a fractured wrist, twisted ankle, internal bleeding and the most troubling is the head trauma wound to the base of his skull. We don’t know when he’ll regain consciousness, if he’ll ever. And if he does, there is a possibility that he might never regain full motor functions and cognitive activity.” The doctor paused, swallowing. “I’m sorry.”
Hyukjae was shaking as the doctor spoke. "W-where....W...where is he?" He asked, barely able to stand. He reached out for the wall for support. Hyukjae needed to see Donghae.
Kyuhyun put a supporting hand on Hyukjae’s arm, biting his lips. Of all the news…
“He’s being brought to his room. You aren’t supposed to see him yet but…” The doctor trailed off. “I think I’ll make an exception. And I personally believe that having his boyfriend by his side would help.”
Hyukjae nodded, thanking the doctor softly as he went back to his duty. He stayed against the wall for a few more minutes until he was finally told by the nurses he could go see Donghae. He glanced back at Kyuhyun, letting him know he was fine as he slowly walked towards Donghae's room.
His breathing was uneven and his eyes hurt from how much he had cried. Hyukjae got to his room, eyes landing on Donghae only to feel his heart break all over again. He walked to his bedside, gently putting his fingers on the other's face, leaning down slightly. "You promised." He whispered, wishing he could hold him in his arms.
But Donghae didn’t wake, and the only sound was the continued beeping of the heart monitor.
And by his side was exactly where Hyukjae could be found from that point, waiting and watching over him.
~*~
“It’s been a week, Hyuk.” Kyuhyun sighed as he walked into the room, finding Hyukjae exactly where he was. Putting down the clothes that he’d picked up from Hyukjae’s apartment. “You need to go home Hyuk, and take a rest. You’re going to run yourself ragged like this.”
"I can't." Hyukjae spoke softly, delicately pushing Donghae's hair out of his face. Some of the bandages had come off. Bruises had formed and Donghae was still badly injured but he was healing and it was giving Hyukjae hope.
“Hyuk, you have to. I’ve been pushing it off as much as I can, but the superiors want to question you. You can’t meet them like this. It’d be a disaster. Even I know that.” Kyuhyun sighed, putting a hand onto Hyukjae’s shoulder.
"I already sent in my badge and gun. I know I'm suspended." Hyukjae looked at him finally. "I can't leave him alone."
Kyuhyun let out a sound of frustration. “I’ll stay here with him in your stead. Look Hyuk, you need to go. They want to find out the full story behind the whole incident and you need to go them and tell them all you know. This is for Donghae as well. He’s still in danger you know, the Lee syndicate are still out looking for him, and without knowing what they’re protecting, the HQ isn’t going to help hide Donghae for much longer.”
Hyukjae nodded. He hadn't been thinking about that at all. He needed to get his act together for Donghae. He needed to make sure would be able to wake up to a safe environment for him. "I'll go." Hyukjae finally decided. He reached out and grabbed the magazine he had been reading, handing it to Kyuhyun. "You have to read the gossip sections to him. I can't have him waking up pouting because he missed Angelina Jolie adopting another baby or something." Hyukjae told him, picking up the clothes Kyuhyun had brought him.
He finally went to step into the shower, cleaning himself up to look presentable.
~*~
“How did the meeting go?” Kyuhyun paused from reading out the gossip magazine, looking up when Hyukjae came in.
Hyukjae sighed, rubbing his face after taking a seat on the bed. He reached out for the magazine. "They’re being bastards. They want to see Donghae as soon as he wakes up."
Kyuhyun blinked, then nodded. “To see what information Donghae can give them on his boss.”
Hyukjae turned to look over at his sleeping boyfriend, pushing his hair out of his face, sighing at how long it had gotten. It was clear Hyukjae was holding back tears. "He's of no use if he doesn't." Hyukjae whispered, dropping his hand, looking away.
“…So you don’t think he’ll give any information when he wakes up? Is that what you’re saying?” Kyuhyun frowned. “Did you tell that to our superiors?”
Hyukjae nodded, looking like a defeated man. "Kyuhyun.... I think... after this case has been resolved.... I'm going to quit." He sighed deeply.
“Quit?” Kyuhyun looked surprised. “But why?”
"He's my number one priority. I need to focus on him." Hyukjae looked over at Donghae fondly.
But Kyuhyun wasn’t so easily put off topic. “I know you may think that… but what are you going to do? If Donghae remains like this, then you’re going to need money to pa0079 for hospital bills. And even if this case is resolved, unless the Lee syndicate is totally crushed, Donghae’s life will always be in danger. The chances of that happening is extremely slim at best. I think that the best way to protect him then would be to remain in the force, then you’d have leverage to get the best protection for him you can.”
"I can get another job. Move to the country side.... Donghae always wanted to live in a house. Backyard and all. I'm exhausted Kyuhyun... I spent almost a decade falling asleep with the thoughts of one day being free of all these restrictions. And now look... Everything I lived for is right here, laying on this bed." Hyukjae's shoulders dropped as he looked away. "My strength is asleep."
Kyuhyun understood, but Hyukjae was being naïve. And he told the other man so. “I know it’s tiring, but if you do that, the most likely result is that I’ll read of two guys being found dead in their home in the newspaper.” Pausing he put his hand on Hyukjae’s shoulder, “besides, if Donghae really doesn’t tell our superiors what they want when he wakes up, they’re going to put him into prison. Or worse.”
Hyukjae shoved his hand away, finally glaring at the other. "No you understand Kyuhyun. You don't. You've never known how fucking hard my life is so just shut up!" He snapped. "There's no fucking point in anything! Look at him!" Hyukjae stood up to his full height, pointing at Donghae. "He can't talk to anyone like this!" His voice became louder as he spoke.
Kyuhyun had squared his jaw, about to reply, when a soft moan attracted his attention, eyes snapping to the bed, he watched in stunned amazement when Donghae’s fingers twitched, his head shifting a little as his eyes slowly fluttered open, unfocused.
Hyukjae would have missed the moan in his rage but Kyuhyun's reactions made him pause and turn to the bed. His eyes widened and he moved closer to Donghae's side immediately, grabbing his hand. "Call the doctor!" He told Kyuhyun, a rush of emotions flooding him as he squeezed Donghae's hand. "Donghae?! Donghae?" Hyukjae's voice was soft yet desperate.
Kyuhyun did as he was told, running out. He didn’t see Donghae’s eyes trying to focus on Hyukjae, blinking slowly, as if trying to process what he was seeing.
“H-hyuk…?” He whispered softly, his voice rusty with the lack of use. He blinked again, trying to swallow, and coughing when he couldn’t.
"I'm right here!" Hyukjae whispered to him, grabbing a cup of water. He moved to Donghae, trying to help him move his head up. "Drink some water... your throat is dry." He told him, pressing the cup to his lips.
Donghae swallowed the water, sighing as the cooling liquid slid down his parched throat. Blinking blurrily at Hyukjae, he asked, his voice a little stronger now. “Where… am I? What… happened?”
Hyukjae put the cup down, barely getting it on the table before he broke down into tears, climbing on the bed as he hugged Donghae, trying to be careful of all the wires and tubes attached to him. "You were shot, oh god... you've been in a coma for a week." Hyukjae sobbed into his chest, body shaking at how happy he was that Donghae was awake. "I thought you were going to die. So much blood... fuck, don't do this to me again."
“Shot?” Donghae repeated blurrily, everything slowly coming back to him. “Oh… I was… the boss caught me. He managed to bribe or threaten information out of the people helping me cover up and… then…”
He trailed off, wincing, not wanting to remember anymore. Instead, he lifted up his hand slowly, putting it around Hyukjae’s neck and leaning down to kiss Hyukjae’s forehead. “I’m sorry I made you worried.”
"Shut up." Hyukjae whispered, lifting his head up. "I love you, I love you so much." He kissed him softly just as the doctors walked in. Hyukjae sighed as he pulled himself away from Donghae, but holding his hand tightly. He let the nurses and doctor fuss over Donghae and check his condition.
Kyuhyun came up from behind the doctors, panting, leaning against the door, a smile on his face as he saw the linked hands between Donghae and Hyukjae.
Donghae kept his eyes on Hyukjae the whole time, except when one doctor shined a light into his eyes to check his vision.
“Well… looks like he’s okay for now. But we’d like to run more tests and monitor his condition for a while more.” One of the doctors reported once they were done.
Hyukjae nodded, tearing his eyes away from Donghae for a moment. "When can I take him home?" He asked the doctor before shooting Kyuhyun a thankful smile.
“When we’re satisfied that he’s entirely healthy. But probably in a week if there are no complications.” The doctor smiled, turning to Donghae. “I’m glad you’re awake. We were worried for a bit there.”
Donghae chuckled at that, squeezing Hyukjae’s hand. “You needn’t have had to. Hyukjae was here, so I definitely would have woken up. Just took me a bit longer this time. Getting tortured and then shot does tire the body out quite a bit.”
Hyukjae looked at Donghae as if he would have punched him had he not just woken up. "Thank you doctor." Hyukjae smiled at the doctor, turning back to Donghae. He cupped the other’s cheek. "We're moving into our place completely in a week’s time."
“Hmmm? Okay?” Donghae blinked a Hyukjae leaning into the touch.
Kyuhyun sighed. Moving to their secret apartment. He did suppose that was the safest place at the moment, but he was still worried - Donghae would be safest in a police safehouse with police protection.
But he didn’t want to ruin the moment, choosing instead to keep quiet.
Hyukjae pressed their foreheads together, tucking him in a little more before pulling away. "Just rest... you need to heal." He told him before turning to Kyuhyun, mouthing quietly at the other.
"We'll talk about all this later."
Kyuhyun wasn’t very pleased, but he nodded, turning to move out of the room.
“Hyukjae?” Donghae murmured, after he was tucked in, trying to get Hyukjae’s attention.
Hyukjae turned back to him immediately, "Yes, Hae?" He asked, moving his hair out of his face.
“You look tired… you should go home and rest.” Donghae reached up, stroking Hyukjae’s cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
"I'm not leaving you." Hyukjae shook his head stubbornly.
“Hyuk…” There was slight warning tone in Donghae’s voice. “Go home. I think you’re going to collapse from exhaustion if you don’t… and I want you to be fully energetic when I get out of the hospital. We have a lot of… catching up to do.”
"We're not having sex for a month." Hyukjae glared at him, kissing him. He sighed. "I'm scared of leaving you." Hyukjae whispered against lips.
Donghae pouted. “Aww…”
He sighed against lips, kissing back softly. “Alright… but you have to sleep. If you look like shit when I wake up, you have to go back, alright?”
"Okay." Hyukjae nodded. "I'll take a nap." He agreed. He'd do anything to stay by Donghae's side. "Tomorrow... tomorrow we have to talk about things." Hyukjae sighed, not wanting Donghae to get worked up yet.
“Mmm… alright.” Donghae nodded, closing his eyes. He was still pretty weak, and it was a matter of moments before he was asleep again.
Hyukjae nodded, watching him sleep before turning to Kyuhyun- only to notice he was gone. He turned back to Donghae, slipping in besides him, holding him as he slept, watching him to his heart’s content.
~*~