Heechul woke with the worst headache of his life.  Groaning and rolling over, he suddenly became aware of the blanket over his shoulders.  Eyes opening in suspicion, he sat up and realized he was lying on top of a strange bed.  He shuffled uncomfortably and deduced that he was still wearing his jeans and shirt from the night before.  That was probably a good thing.  He lifted his hand toward his face and pressed gingerly against the pain along his jaw.  Flinching, he waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting and looked around the room.  There wasn’t much to go off of.  There was a cabinet along the far wall and a big rocking chair with a blanket folded over the arm in the corner of the room.  There was also a bureau with a mirror over it.  Looking to his left he spotted a small bedside table with a lamp and, more surprisingly, a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. 

                Accepting this gift, Heechul popped two of the Tylenol with a gulp of water and closed his eyes for a moment as his stomach protested.  “Shut up,” he protested right back, getting up.  As he stood he spotted his shoes lying neatly at the foot of the bed.  Wondering what kind of strange situation he’d ended up in this time, and surprised that he had apparently not had such a wild night despite waking up who knows where, he moved cat-like toward the door.  Cautiously swinging the door open, he was surprised to be faced with a long corridor and headed down it toward a light source and the smell of cooking. 

                As he silently peered around the corner, he saw a man with red-blonde hair working in a small kitchen which was mostly overtaken by an optimistically large table.  He observed curiously as the man moved through the kitchen, turning his attention from the boiling water on the stove to the ding of a toaster.  The stranger had a beautiful face but he smiled too easily, (and to himself none the less) Heechul observed, marring the angelic perfection.  Deciding that this reedy stranger was not a threat, Heechul decided to announce his presence. 

                “Well, I have never been more disappointed that I woke up fully clothed.” 

                Leeteuk spun around in surprise but immediately recovered as he spotted the man in the little living room that separated the kitchen from the foyer and the front door.  “Good morning,” he greeted, brushing off the comment.  “How are you feeling?” 

                “Ravenous,” Heechul responded with a twinkle in his eye.

                “Uh huh,” Leeteuk said, unimpressed.  “Are you feeling up for some toast?” 

                “Please tell me that we at least passionately made out,” Heechul countered giving the stranger a once over with his dark eyes.

                “Ehem,” came a deep voice from behind him. 

                Heechul spun around and came face to face with Kangin.  “Well ,” Heechul sighed, disappointed. 

                Brushing by the smaller man, Kangin headed toward the kitchen asking Leeteuk, “The punk isn’t bothering you, right?  Cause I could kick him out now.”

                  “No, no, it’s just his defense mechanism,” Leeteuk smartly observed as Kangin spun one of the kitchen chairs away from the table and took a seat. 

                “It is not,” Heechul protested, but he was ignored.  “And what the hell are you doing here, Kim Kangin? 

                “So you remember me now,” Kangin observed with amusement.  “And I live here.  I dragged your sorry out of a flash mob last night, by the way.  You’re welcome.” 

                Struggling to remember what in fact had happened last night, Heechul gave up and decided the best way to deal with the embarrassing situation of supposedly being rescued by his obnoxious old roommate was to provoke him at all costs. 

                “So, I see you finally found yourself a boyfriend.”

“I’m straight you jackass.  He’s my roommate.  Of course you probably can’t tell the difference you fairy f--”

“—Shush, honey,” Leeteuk interrupted with a highly amused grin, not helping the matter as he put a plate of toast down in front of his roommate.  Kangin was a good guy, but he had a bad temper.  Leeteuk hoped that a bit of humor might diffuse the situation.   

Apparently Heechul didn’t know the meaning of the word defuse and pestered, “I knew you were gay from the first day I saw you,” continuing mischievously. “You couldn’t take your eyes off of me.”

                Face falling into a scowl, Kangin countered, “That’s because you looked like a freak.  I thought you were wearing a wig your hair was so ridiculous.”

                “Oh come on, it was because you thought I was beautiful,” Heechul teased tilting his head up in a way that showed off his best features but also caused a shoot of pain to flash through his head. 

                He winced noticeably.

                “You okay,” Leeteuk asked, trying not to sound too concerned as he had deduced that would only bother their guest. 

                Pressing his palm against his skull, Heechul answered, “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” 

                “That can still be arranged,” Kangin mumbled, earning a whack in the shoulder from Leeteuk. 

                “Leave him alone,” Leeteuk mouthed with a warning glance.

                This exchange didn’t escape Heechul and he slowly started to feel out of place.  What was he doing sitting around chatting with these people?  He glanced at the photos and papers on the fridge, the single flower in a vase on the counter top, the stack of mail next to the microwave.  Then he saw it:  the third plate sitting on the table.  He could tell this was a large apartment, but it was mostly empty, and that meant the plate was probably for him.  Feeling a strange uncomfortable feeling pulling at him, Heechul suddenly felt the need to run away.  It was not his way to intrude upon and thus sully normal, domestic life. 

                “Anyway,” he announced, recovering from his thoughts.  “I’m going to head out now since you’re already taken” he winked at Leeteuk, “And,” he made a sour face at Kangin, “never in a million years.”  He turned and started heading toward what looked like the front door, “Peace out,” he shot over his shoulder.

                “Wait,” Leeteuk protested, dodging around the table quickly and chasing after the strange man.  Kangin sighed heavily and returned the toast to his plate.

Heechul was already halfway to the door when Leeteuk called.  He spun around flamboyantly, only to mar the action with another wince. 

                “You can’t leave yet,” Leeteuk said, catching up to him and noting the wince. “You’re in no state to go staggering around the city.  At least wait a few hours, have breakfast with us.  You and Kangin can catch up.” 

                Heechul really hoped that Leeteuk was joking about that last part, but it was impossible to tell due to the fact that his face always seemed to have a slightly eager expression. 

                “Tempting,” Heechul purred, learning from past mistakes and only lightly flipping the hair away from his face, “but I have things to see, people to do.”

                He started to turn to leave again and by this time, Kangin had stood and come to join them, standing ominously over Leetuek’s shoulder, his arms crossed.  This was enough to give Heechul pause:  not only because he was intimidating, but also because he had bothered to walk over to say something.

                “He’s right,” Kangin, surprisingly, agreed with Leeteuk in a low voice.  “You can’t leave yet.”  

                Heechul raised an eyebrow in calculated curiosity but internally he couldn’t contain his shock.  Why would Kangin actually wanted him to stick around? 

                Kangin looked down with a bored expression, and pointed out, “You aren’t wearing shoes.” 

                Heechul looked down in surprise and wiggled his toes.  He was only wearing socks.  “Ah, you would be correct.”

                “Now you have to stay,” Leeteuk mock sighed.  He threw a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Kangin wasn’t going to protest and realized that he was actually hiding a smile. 

                Noticing Leeteuk looking at him, Kangin forced a scowl onto his face and said, “Come on before the food gets cold.  I’m not wasting breakfast just because you’re throwing a fit.”  Then he turned around and marched toward the kitchen.  Suppressing a giggle, Leeteuk looked over his shoulder at Heechul with an encouraging look and gestured for him to follow. 

                Heechul hesitated for a moment, watching the two men head comfortably toward the kitchen.  They were so…normal.  What bad karma had stuck them with him?  But finally, he couldn’t help a half smile working its way onto his face, and he slipped after them.

A/N  Chapter 2!  What do you think?  Would you like having longer chapters or a lot of smaller chapters?  Also, thank you to my first ever subscribers!!! :D  And don't feel obligated to stay with me if you figure out that this isn't the story you wanted.  I completely understand.  XD  <3   But YAY!  Love ya'll!  :)  Subscribe if you like, comment if you have opinions or concerns or ...thoughts.  XD  <3