Chapter 2: (Donghae's POV)
And he still wasn't up yet.
…
Without a second thought, I was back under the water, my arms flailing crazily under the dark, dirty water, searching for anything living they might be able to find.
I'd never been one to open my eyes under the water, in fact I really disliked it, but right now I didn't matter. I needed to find my Hyuk before it was too late. Yea, I said he was my Hyuk…I was really a little too worried at the moment to care about that.
My eyes slid open, the grime from the murky water immediately stinging my eyes. I barely noticed, of course, I was too busy trying to see something, anything that might be him.
I started to run out of air slowly, thanks again to my little lungs, and felt selfish as I brought my heard back up to the surface to quickly grab a lungful of air. Why selfish? Because I had access to oxygen while Hyuk was stuck under there.
I tried staying as strong as I could while searching and groping around the waters. I felt fish and slimy sand, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I started to get dizzy again from the loss of air, but I couldn't give up now, he was just going to be under there longer and longer if I risked going up for air.
Just when I thought I myself was going to run our of air, I felt something huge and soft, and all my energy immediately came back. My eyes adjusted to his face and I swam the two us up to the surface as fast as I could which was, at the time, very fast. I couldn't let anything happen to him. No way.
As fast I could, I brought him to the ground, the sweet, dry ground, away from the water and laid him on his back as I stopped for point three seconds to pant and catch my breath.
I looked at his calm, pale face and I felt something…tears? Yes, of course there were tears! I couldn't bear to see this, and it was all I could do not to start screaming right then and there.
I wracked my brain for memory of CPR and mouth-to-mouth. It had been years since my last class. I vaguely remembered: about 32 compressions to the lungs for every 3 or 4 breaths through the mouth. I began immediately after the memory invaded my brain. 32 pumps to his lungs, 4 breaths (I may have given him 5), and repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat.
I tried to see anything about him that would show life. I couldn't be sure if he was breathing, but I wasn't going to hold his mouth and nose to find out! I thanked God when I discovered his pulse. It was slow, but it was there.
I clumsily cupped his face one more time in my hands before blowing one big gulp into his mouth. He twitched, then sat up and started coughing like crazy. He coughed up a couple good gulps of the gross green lake water before turning towards me, looking weak.
"…what happened?" he asked hoarsely.
I smiled - I couldn't help it. "You won," I said, before wrapping him in a hug. My weird awkward feelings from earlier were gone, and replaced by this, a love for my best friend. Just as a best friend! Nothing more, of course!
I heard him laugh a scratchy laugh before I felt his arms on me, pulling me even tighter. Suddenly, my heartbeat began increasing again. What the hell! The thick thumping of my heart was getting so bad I was worried he might notice so I quickly pulled back and risked looking him in the eyes.
"How do you feel?" I asked, praying that my hand wasn't shaking as I felt his forehead. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
He smirked. "Please. I'm invincible, I don't need a hospital," he said sarcastically before running his fingers through my hair playfully. I froze again, surprised by this sudden contact. This time I'm positive he noticed.
His hand left my hair and rested gently on my shoulder, making my breath hitched even more. His hand…it was just sitting there. Now I knew…he wasn't going to move it or say anything until I look at him.
I gave in and looked in his eyes, and found him staring back into mine. He didn't smile, or frown. His eyes just stared back into mine, making me feel…not really uncomfortable, just…different. Weird.
"Hae…" he began soflty, squeezing my shoulder slightly. "What's going on?"
I looked away from his eyes again, unable to hold them any longer. I shrugged. "Nothing," I answered, yet I knew he was unconvinced. I knew him, and I knew he wasn't going to stop until he got the truth out of me. And of course the little bastard always knew when I was lying.
"Hae," he finally said sternly, his hand turning my chin so that I had no choice but to look at him. "Come on. Just tell me. Whatever it is, I'll help you."
I held back my scoff. Yea, like he could help with this. There was nothing he could do about these feelings I was developing. Yes, I finally admitted it to myself. I had feelings for Eunhyuk that were of more then just a best friend. There was no other explanation for these sudden urged and emotions! I loved him…but I couldn't tell him that!
"It's nothing…" I finally said. "I've just been feeling a little sick lately. That's all, I'm okay." I tried to muster a smile, but I knew he could see right through me. He sighed, and his expression was calm, but his eyes said he was worried. I didn't want him to waste his time worrying about me.
"Hey, I'm okay!" I tried again, shoving his shoulder jokingly. "It's you we should be worrying about! You kind of just drowned." He laughed, but I knew it was forced.
Before I knew it, I was being wrapped in another hug, trapped in his long, loving embrace. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, but I do know I was surprised.
"Yea well I would've drowned if you hadn't saved me," he said into my shoulder. I shivered, feeling his warm breath on my neck. I must have like the hug, because I felt myself squeezing him tighter, pulling his body closer to mine, our bare chests touching ever so slightly.
He seemed surprised by the sudden contact, because I felt his lungs freeze and heard his breathing hitch. He pulled his head back slightly and met my eyes one more time, our noses practically touching, our breaths mingling together in the warm air.
He saw something. My eyes. They gave it away. He could always read my eyes. I knew he could tell just by looking at them, my feelings were practically written on my forehead.
But just by looking into those eyes of his I finally realized. I've loved him this whole time, it hadn't just started today. Ever since the beginning, I've been in love with him, I was just too slow to realize it, and now he saw it, too.
"Hyuk…" I started, readying myself to apologize. That was until his plump pink lips were pressing themselves onto my thinner ones. Now there was something I wasn't expecting. I was caught so off guard that I really didn't do anything but sit there and feel his lips on me, his chest brushing mine once more.
I felt him sharply pull back, and he gave a questioning look. I could tell he felt hurt by my immobility and no response. He looked like he was about to apologize, but before he could open his mouth, my lips were back on his, finally realizing what he had done and what it had meant.
Then I realized why I had never seen my love for him until then. It was because I knew that he didn't feel the same way and there was no chance, so I pushed my feelings away. But now, now that I knew that somehow fate had let him have the same feelings for me, our love had shown itself and we had embraced our hearts desires.
When I kissed back, I felt him smiling into our morphed lips. I knew he must've been feelings the same thing I was - joy and utter relief. I couldn't help but smile myself, feeling like the whole world finally made sense now.
(A/N: So yea I know it wasn't that good, I just wanted to get their relationship established before I got to the actual story. More to come soon! Next chapter will be better! Review please, and don't hold back on the negativity!)