Nectarine Sunset 7/14
Title: Nectarine Sunset
Pairing: Eunhae
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, Fluff, Romance.
Summary: Hyukjae has never had an easy life. He has been sheltered, living the only way he knows how. A simple meeting with a cheerful young man named Donghae will change every feeling Hyukjae has ever had.
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Gigie for her birthday ♥
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Epilogue |
-
Hyukjae is flying, invisible wings carrying him across the day. He feels it, the wind on his face, gently ruffling his hair. He opens his eyes as he approaches the sun, finding nothing but blue sky and soft clouds surrounding it. The sun moves down, the clouds drifting quickly around him as the sky darkens. The white glow of the sun flashes to orange, changing the blue sky to a mixture of soft pinks surrounded by a ring of purple.
He smiles, reaching a hand forward as he continues to fly as if trying to grasp the colors of the sun setting before him. As he reaches his hand further, surely about to touch the sun, a loud clap of thunder sounds and everything goes still. There is no sound, no movement, no breeze on his face. He looks around but there are no storm clouds in sight, only a blue sky behind him and the sun in front.
Confused, Hyukjae stares at the sunset again, noticing that it has started to move. It begins its descent to the horizon and Hyukjae frowns as he feels its warmth fade. He tries to fly forward, to chase the quickly fading light, but he is too slow.
The sun sets with one last brilliant flash of color and then it is dark. Hyukjae breathes, stretching his arms in the darkness, searching for something solid, and then he realizes that his breaths make no sound. He tries to breathe louder, tries to make any noise with his body but he is frozen. He struggles with his body, trying to move but he cannot, and then he begins to scream. He feels the rumble in his throat, feels the scream stretching his lungs, but hears no noise.
He is trapped, helpless in the darkness, with no voice to scream for help. He gives up, letting himself go limp, and he feels himself falling from the sky. When he knows for certain that he will die upon impact with the ground, he feels a hand grip him by his wrist, pulling him back up.
His eyes are open but he still sees nothing. He only hears a soft tone ringing in his ear, and then a voice. The voice speaks to him, tells him something he cannot understand no matter how hard he strains to listen.
Hyukjae hears a loud snap as he jolts up in bed, eyes wide open, heart beating out of his chest, lungs taking in air as if he had been holding his breath.
“Hyukjae? Baby?” A concerned Donghae questions, palm pressed against Hyukjae's sweaty cheek.
Hyukjae turns to Donghae, finding panicked eyes, feeling equally panicked hands frantically checking Hyukjae's body for injuries. He reaches out desperately and squeezes Donghae closer, burying his face in Donghae's neck as he trembles.
“What... what's wrong?” Donghae asks, embracing Hyukjae tightly. “Just breathe, okay? Were you having a nightmare?”
Hyukjae gathers himself and begins to breathe normally as he sees that he is home, in his bed with Donghae, the clock indicating that it is nearly three in the morning. He feels himself plastered with sweat and recalls the dream, wondering why it had disturbed him so greatly.
He pulls away and tries to give Donghae a look to let him know that he's okay but the only thing his eyes convey is fear.
“Hyukjae... what did you dream about?”
After calming him self down, Hyukjae sits wedged between Donghae's legs, his back against Donghae's chest and he types out the dream on his laptop. Donghae reads over his shoulder as he rubs his arm soothingly, still comforting him after the nightmare.
“Wow...” Donghae starts after he reads the dream, “did you eat something weird before bed?” Hyukjae thinks and shakes his head. “Then... maybe you're sick? Sometimes that causes bad dreams.”
Donghae reaches his hand to feel Hyukjae's forehead and frowns. Hyukjae turns to look at him and Donghae stares back.
“You were sweating a lot and even now you're a little warm,” Donghae says.
Hyukjae thinks, remembering that he had felt a little sick before he went to bed.
“If I'm sick, maybe you should sleep downstairs...” he types.
“Not in a million years,” Donghae replies immediately and Hyukjae smiles.
Hyukjae turns his laptop off and crawls back into bed with Donghae, tangling their legs together and tucking his head under Donghae's chin. He hears Donghae breathing deeply, slowly falling into sleep, and Hyukjae recalls the voice in his dream. It had been soft and kind, a benevolent deity amidst the darkness.
Tilting his head slightly, Hyukjae looks at Donghae, smiling at his sleeping form. Donghae has been like that voice, pulling him from his dark times. But Hyukjae frowns as he remembers the voice clearly, feeling that it had been somewhat familiar. He frowns because he was certain the voice in the darkness had not belonged to Donghae.
-
It is a morning late in winter, the day after Hyukjae's strange dream, and Donghae is preparing for work as Hyukjae sits on his couch, wrapped in a blanket, staring at a television screen that he has no interest in. He has a slight fever and he's only pretending that he doesn't feel miserable as Donghae looks at him with concern.
“If you need anything, text me, okay?” Donghae says and Hyukjae nods.
The second Donghae leaves Hyukjae's side, he feels empty. The front door closes and he curls into his blanket, staring at his phone. He'll have to text his boss to let him know he's too sick to work. He pauses after typing out the message and looks around. His house is so silent without Donghae and the thought of staying inside for the entire day makes him feel even more sick. He deletes the message and stands up to get ready for work.
Hyukjae dresses warmly but his body still feels frozen as he makes his way to work.
“Hyukjae?” He hears his name being called just after he walks inside and he turns to see Kyuhyun. “You look... terrible,” Kyuhyun says.
Hyukjae nods, not having the energy to explain why he's not home in bed.
Kyuhyun frowns at him. “If you need me to take you home, just let me know,” he says before walking away.
Hyukjae sits at his desk and rubs his eyes with cold fingers. He tries to focus on his work through his constant sniffles and urges to fall asleep wrapped in his scarf. His body is screaming for him to rest but he pushes himself to stay up and work. By the end of the work day, he is numb, unsure if his body is too hot or too cold.
Kyuhyun drives him home, occasionally glancing over to see if he's still alive. “Next time you're this sick, stay home. Okay?” He says.
Hyukjae stares blankly at the passing scenery until he recognizes his home. He almost paws at the window towards his house, wanting to be inside, with Donghae.
“Doesn't look like Donghae is home yet,” Kyuhyun observes. “I'll call him and-”
Hyukjae shakes his head quickly, making his head spin. If Donghae knew that he had gone to work, he'd probably be furious.
“Fine,” Kyuhyun sighs.
Hyukjae lets Kyuhyun help him inside and upstairs to the bedroom.
“Oh, by the way,” Kyuhyun starts once Hyukjae is comfortable in bed, “Sooyoung was talking about going on a double date with you and Donghae. I think it'd make her happy, so... once you're better... maybe...?”
Kyuhyun looks unsure, as if his pride as a man is being hurt by asking the question. Hyukjae nods as a response and lets his eyes close. Kyuhyun takes it as a hint that Hyukjae is tired and leaves quietly.
Hyukjae manages to fall asleep for only a few minutes before his eyes open again to see Donghae sitting next to him, one hand on his forehead.
“You went to work, didn't you?” Donghae asks, removing his hand from Hyukjae's head.
Hyukjae frowns and nods, unable to lie about it. He vaguely sees a look of disapproval on Donghae's face before he closes his eyes again.
“I don't...” Donghae starts in a whisper, “I don't know how to take care of you. I can't... I have to call mom.”
Hyukjae hears Donghae leave and he wants to yell and make him stay but he has no voice to do so. He curls a fist in his blanket and breathes, letting himself fall into another feverish sleep.
-
Donghae is sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, watching Hyukjae sleep. He had called his mother, receiving the advice of soup and sleep. The soup had been poorly made but at least Hyukjae had something warm in his stomach before he passed out again.
He sighs, a slight tremble in his breath as he leans his head back against the wall. He feels incompetent for being unable to take care of Hyukjae on his own. He wants someone to comfort him but the only comfort he has in the world is fast asleep.
He quietly makes his way downstairs and sits in the middle of the cold living room floor, lit only by the moon. He dials a number he had dialed just hours before and waits for a response.
“Is Hyukjae okay?”
Donghae smiles weakly.
“Worrying about him before your own son, mom?” he asks playfully. “But he's fine. He's sleeping.”
Donghae hears a sigh of relief from his mother.
“That's good,” she says. “But of course I'm worried about you, too. In fact, you don't sound too happy. Are you okay?”
“I just...” Donghae starts, “I felt like I couldn't take care of him... like I wasn't making anything better. He just looked... pained. He didn't want to type anything to me, he just wanted the pain to go away but I couldn't...” he trails off, shaking his head at himself.
“Donghae...” his mother says. “Don't feel like that. You can't just make it go away, you did everything you could. The only thing that he can do is rest his body and all you can do is be there for him.”
Donghae nods even though his mother can't see him and he sighs.
“You better take care of that boy, Donghae, or I'll never forgive you,” she says. “I have to go to sleep. Keep an eye on him, okay? I love you.”
“Thanks,” Donghae says, managing a smile. “I love you too, mom.”
He hangs up his phone and creeps back upstairs, checking on Hyukjae. He watches him sleep, makes sure his breathing is normal and his fever isn't too high. He bites back a sigh and takes a blanket from the closet. He falls asleep on the couch with a heavy heart and a mind filled with disappointment for himself.
-
Hyukjae doesn't leave his bed for two days but all signs of his sickness are gone after three. He wakes up to an empty house and his first instinct is to shower. His legs are still weak from his fever but he manages to get himself showered and dressed before cleaning the entire bedroom, changing the contaminated sheets, washing multiple soup bowls, and throwing away countless tissues.
He clears up the makeshift bed on the couch with a frown, wishing he could have slept with Donghae at his side. Still feeling weak, he sits in bed again, deciding to check his email as he waits for Donghae to come home. He browses through the news, ignoring thoughts circulating at the back of his mind.
Relief washes over him as he hears the front door open and close. He fidgets a little as footsteps climb the stairs leading to the bedroom door. It opens and Hyukjae holds his breath as Donghae steps inside.
It's a weird feeling, as if he's seeing the other for the first time in days. The sickness had made him think about nothing but wanting to get well, his mind had neglected Donghae. A mutual feeling paints Donghae's facial features as he stands and hurries to embrace Donghae in a hug.
When the hug is responded to with a small push, Hyukjae is shocked at first until he remembers that he could still be contagious. That must be why Donghae is pushing him away. His theory is proven wrong when Donghae kisses him full on the lips. It's Hyukjae's turn to push the other away which earns him a groan.
“I don't care if I get sick, I haven't kissed you in three days.”
Hyukjae almost laughs as Donghae's lips reconnect with his. He's glad to feel the warmth, to have his senses back to their fullest, feeling Donghae again.
Several minutes later, they're huddled in bed together, cheeks flushed from the time spent kissing, and Hyukjae pulls his laptop between them.
“Where were you this morning?”
“I went out to get more medicine for you, actually,” Donghae sighs. “I had to do something to feel less helpless.”
“Helpless?” Hyukjae questions.
“Yeah... that's all I could feel while you were sick. I couldn't do anything for you and you looked so miserable.” Donghae frowns as he brushes his fingers over Hyukjae's cheek and examines the dark circles under his eyes.
“You did all you could.” Hyukjae smiles as he shows Donghae the message. He blames himself for his miserable state. He couldn't tell Donghae how he was feeling, all he could do was sleep, so he did.
Donghae smiles back and Hyukjae turns to type another message.
“Kyuhyun wanted to know if we could do a double date.”
“No.”
Hyukjae's eyes widen as he stares at Donghae, silently questioning the response.
“You're still sick,” Donghae says. “There will be no dating until you're perfectly well.”
Hyukjae breathes out in relief and smiles again, gladly snuggling into Donghae's chest and letting himself relax. Still weak and recovering from his sickness, he falls asleep again and this time his sleep is dreamless.
-
It's not until mid spring that Hyukjae and Donghae finally manage to prepare a double date with Kyuhyun and Sooyoung.
Hyukjae had been digging through a box in his basement during a spring cleaning spree when he found some old camping gear he had used when he was young. Upon finding a picture of a river he often visited when he was little, he knew it was a place he needed to share with his friends.
“A fishing pole?” Donghae questions as Hyukjae packs the item into the back of Kyuhyun's rented truck. “Isn't this supposed to be a date? We're going to fish on our date?”
“Hyukjae and I are,” Kyuhyun says as he packs in his own bag, “you can sit back with the women and watch the men at work.”
Sooyoung smacks Kyuhyun's arm hard enough to leave a bruise. She doesn't look offended, merely used to hitting her boyfriend every time something ignorant comes out of his mouth. Kyuhyun is like a dog to Sooyoung, being scolded for his mistakes and rewarded for his good deeds. Hyukjae thinks the training is going well as Kyuhyun seems to say less and less insulting words with each day. He had even rented a truck specifically for this adventure.
“I don't like fishing,” Donghae whines. “Can't we do something else?”
Hyukjae ignores his boyfriend, going over the checklist in his mind to make sure they aren't forgetting anything. They have tents and food and water and clothes and... Hyukjae adds an adorably flustered Donghae to that list before he checks it off.
Donghae is poking at the fishing gear, a frown stuck on his face. Hyukjae shuffles over to rest his chin on Donghae's shoulder.
“I really don't like fishing,” Donghae mumbles, crossing his arms.
Hyukjae moves in front of Donghae, typing a quick message on his phone. “Have you ever tried it?”
“Well... no,” Donghae mumbles, “but I don't like killing things.”
“You don't have to kill them, we can catch them and release them,” Hyukjae suggests.
“I'll watch,” Donghae says with a grimace and Hyukjae kisses his cheek before checking one final time to make sure they have everything.
The drive out of the city and through a patch of woods is both exciting and relaxing. Hyukjae finds himself playing games on his laptop with Donghae through most of the trip, both of them finding ways to sabotage one another with each round they play. When they're nearly there, Hyukjae stares out the window, remembering times he had come here when he was younger, just to get away.
“Finally!” Donghae says and jumps out of the truck when they're parked on the hill above the bank of the river.
“I did all of the driving so you guys have to set up the tents,” Kyuhyun says before grabbing a fishing pole and heading to the edge of the water.
Hyukjae is itching to join him so with he shoots an apologetic smile to both Sooyoung and Donghae before dashing after him with his own fishing pole.
“Thanks, Hyukjae, you're the best for helping me set up the tent we'll both be sleeping in tonight!” Donghae yells after Hyukjae's retreating figure.
Hyukjae waves back to him before settling into a spot far enough from Kyuhyun to keep their lines from getting tangled. He casts his line into a calm patch of water and sits on a rock, enjoying the sound of running water and wind brushing through trees.
There are no other campers around, Hyukjae had directed them to a remote area where it was impossible for them to be disturbed by obnoxious, unruly kids or tourists. He sits, perched on his rock, his pride swelling as he looks forward to the weekend of relaxation.
His thoughts of peace are startled and scatter at the sound of loud, bumping music blasting from behind him. He whips around to see Donghae and Sooyoung, dancing around a pile of unattached tent pieces on the ground. It seems they have failed to set anything up and have resorted to annoyance instead. And it is working.
“Hey!” Kyuhyun shouts. “You'll scare away the fish!”
“Good!” Donghae yells back before pulling Sooyoung close and practically grinding against her to the beat of the music.
Hyukjae forgets his annoyance for a moment and becomes aroused, dropping his jaw slightly as he takes in the sight. He focuses on annoyance again as Kyuhyun storms up the hill and turns the music off, locking the doors to the truck and taking the keys so that no one can touch the stereo.
Sooyoung and Donghae seem to grumble to each other although Hyukjae can't hear anything from his position. Once Kyuhyun is settled back in his previous spot, they both resume fishing peacefully.
After a minute of quiet, Hyukjae thinks he feels a tug on his line. He waits, feeling the tiny tug again and then a more harsh one, telling him something is definitely on his hook. He stands in excitement, reeling his line in quickly. Before the hook can surface above the water, Hyukjae is startled by a sudden scream and turns to see Donghae and Sooyoung, both stripped down to their underwear, running straight into the water.
The amount of time it takes for Hyukjae to process the sight of his half-naked companions diving into the water is just enough time for a fish to escape a hook. When his line is fully reeled in, Hyukjae finds nothing on his hook, not even his bait.
If he had a voice, Hyukjae imagines he would be yelling right now.
-
“I said I was sorry,” Donghae says as sadly as he can, sitting with three towels wrapped around his body as he watches Hyukjae set up their tent.
Hyukjae doesn't look at him and only continues doing the job that Donghae had failed to do. Donghae feels bad but only because being ignored by Hyukjae feels like being stabbed in the heart with a rusty knife. The part of him that felt good for saving the life of a fish had disappeared entirely after watching Hyukjae walk away from him.
“Hyukjae,” Donghae says cutely, moving a little closer to the nearly finished tent. “You're mad at me, aren't you?” Hyukjae hadn't given him a shred of acknowledgment since he'd jumped into the water in nothing but his underwear.
Not receiving a response, Donghae sighs and stays quiet, watching Hyukjae's back and waiting for the tent to be finished so he can hide in it forever.
When the tent is completed, Donghae grabs a pair of dry clothes and crawls inside to change into them. Just before he can peel his still damp boxers off, Hyukjae crawls in after him and zips the door to the tent. Before Donghae can ask what Hyukjae is doing, Hyukjae's mouth is on his and he's being kissed so desperately that he can't form a coherent thought.
“Hyukjae?” Donghae manages to question before Hyukjae is on top of him, pinning him onto their sleeping bag and kissing him again. Confused but pleased, Donghae kisses back, letting his cold hands roam down Hyukjae's warm back.
Hyukjae shivers and Donghae comes back to his senses, taking the opportunity to pull away and stare up at his obviously aroused lover.
“What is happening?” Donghae asks quickly, watching a frustrated Hyukjae struggle to pull out his phone.
“You're wet and mostly naked, what do you think is happening?”
Donghae is given the phone to read the message on it while hot lips trail their way down his cold chest.
“I thought,” Donghae starts, trying to stay coherent, “you were mad at me?”
Hyukjae snatches the phone away and simply types “sexually frustrated” before pushing the phone back into Donghae's hands and stripping Donghae's underwear away from his body.
“Well then we can just...” is the last thing Donghae says before the tent is filled with nothing but moans.
-
“You guys are disgusting and we're moving our tent away from yours,” is the first thing Hyukjae hears from Sooyoung when he and Donghae emerge from their tent nearly an hour later.
“Good,” Donghae says, his arms finding his way around Hyukjae's waist, “we'll probably need some more alone time tonight.”
“We will too,” Kyuhyun chimes in and nearly receives and elbow to his gut until Sooyoung shrugs and agrees with him.
Once their tents are out of hearing range from one another, the couples meet somewhere in the middle to make a campfire once the sun has gone down.
Hyukjae and Donghae are side by side, bundled together in a blanket and sharing a graham cracker Donghae had stolen from Kyuhyun's s'more supplies. Sooyoung makes a comment about them looking like starving children and throws a marshmallow at them.
“Don't do that, you'll attract wild animals!” Donghae practically shrieks, scrambling to pick up the marshmallow.
“Aww are you scared?” Sooyoung teases, throwing another one further away so that Donghae has to run to pick it up.
“No,” Donghae frowns, “I don't want them to eat it and get sick.”
When Donghae is sitting next to Hyukjae again, Hyukjae quickly wraps his arms around him and squeezes him closer.
“You're so adorable.” Hyukjae types out the message and shows it to Donghae. Donghae smiles and then frowns as the phone makes a noise to indicate that it's dead before its screen goes dark.
“Your phone died,” Donghae points out the obvious and they both stare at the blank screen, frowning. Hyukjae reaches into his bag for his laptop only to find that he had forgotten to charge it before they left and it's nearly dead too.
“Can I use your phone?” Hyukjae types on the laptop, making a sad, cute face at Donghae in hopes that the answer will be yes.
“Why should I let you?” Donghae asks teasingly and Hyukjae's face goes from sadly cute to just sad.
“Because-” is all Hyukjae can type before the laptop dies entirely.
Donghae is about to laugh until he turns his head at the sound of a moan and realizes that Sooyoung is on top of Kyuhyun.
“Uh...” Donghae says dumbly. “We'll just... go.”
Hyukjae is laughing to himself as Donghae drags him back to their tent. He fiddles with his dead phone as Donghae arranges their tent to make it more comfortable and sets a battery-powered lantern at the head of their sleeping bags.
“Hyukjae,” Donghae calls softly, stretching his arms out towards Hyukjae. Hyukjae smiles and crawls into their shared sleeping bag, snuggling into Donghae's arms.
“Today was really fun,” Donghae says, running his fingers through Hyukjae's hair. Hyukjae nods in agreement. “Except for when I thought you were mad at me... that... sucked.”
Hyukjae pulls away just to give Donghae a frown that he hopes is apologetic. Donghae smiles and kisses him, accepting his apology.
“I'm sorry I ruined your fishing,” Donghae apologizes in return, “you can fish as much as you want tomorrow, I'll stay far away and be as quiet as a mouse.”
Hyukjae smiles at an image in his head of Donghae with mouse ears and he shakes his head. He wants to spend tomorrow with Donghae, not a fishing pole. He frowns when he realizes he can't tell Donghae that, no matter how much he wants to.
Donghae looks at him, confused at the sudden change from a smile to a frown. “What's wrong?” He asks. Hyukjae looks around for Donghae's phone but is stopped by Donghae's arms.
“No,” Donghae says, “let me guess.” Hyukjae settles back down and waits impatiently for Donghae to guess. “Um... you like it here and you're sad that we have to leave after tomorrow.”
Hyukjae stares at Donghae before he shakes his head. Donghae is normally good at guessing what's on Hyukjae's mind. He doesn't always get it right but his sudden excitement to guess irritates Hyukjae. Hyukjae's thoughts aren't a game.
“You're... kind of hungry but don't want to eat since it's bedtime?” Donghae guesses again and Hyukjae shakes his head. Again. “Um... you...”
Hyukjae puts a hand over Donghae's mouth and shakes his head. No. No more guessing, he wants to say. Donghae tilts his head but seems to understand.
“You're tired,” Donghae says once Hyukjae's hand is removed.
Hyukjae isn't tired. Sleep isn't on his mind. But he nods and smiles a little before turning away from Donghae and settling onto his side.
“Okay,” Donghae says and kisses Hyukjae's cheek before cuddling into his back. “Good night, Hyukjae.”
As Hyukjae falls asleep, he thinks that maybe he'll want to spend more time with his fishing pole than Donghae after all.
-