Leeteuk groaned as he threw his blanket from his body. His clock was glowing. 3.47am. Great. It had been a desperate attempt, to try and sleep before the big day, but he had tried. To no avail.

No one would be awake. The alarms were set for 5, so that they could bid him farewell. It was a sweet gesture, the members sacrificing their free time to see him go. Although he would do exactly the same. Except for any member who went in the next two years...he wouldn't be here to say goodbye to them.

Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and grabbed a hoodie from his wardrobe. There was no point in staying in his room, waiting for time to go by. If he was going to be awake, he may as well go out and do something. Watch a drama. Eat some ramen. Just enjoy the simplicity that his life could sometimes encompass. Sighing, Leeteuk walked over to the door and fumbled with the handle, finally prying it open. I hope that was quiet. He stepped into the hallway - it was colder than normal, Winter was slowly creeping up on Seoul. He threw his hoodie over his head in an attempt to stop the goose bumps. Shame they were already there.

Walking the the kitchen, the decision was made: coffee. If I'm going to be awake, I might as well be fully awake. The fridge light was blinding, but after a quick shock he found the milk, wedged between it's strawberry counterpart and a bottle of beer. Grabbing it and shutting the door, he walked over to the coffee machine.

"Coffee won't do the trick." A voice spoke from behind him. Leeteuk smiled. Only one man had that tone, the ability to seem arrogant but still sound vulnerable.

"Heechul, did I wake you?" He smiled, turning around. The other man was leaning against the counter, holding a cup of coffee in his hands.

"No, I couldn't sleep. There's a pot made if you want some. I can't finish it all anyway." Heechul smiled back, before turning to go sit on the sofa. Leeteuk grabbed a cup and poured some of the coffee. Then the milk. Then the sugar. Three. Even after years of drinking it, it was too strong without three. Sip. Just right. Leeteuk put the milk back in it's place then went to join Heechul on the couch.

The two sat in silence for a minute, drinking their coffee, waking up entirely. Leeteuk looked at Heechul. He was worried, creases in his forehead clearly showing. He wouldn't look him in the eye. Heechul was never one for intimate moments with anyone, especially after all the drama from years before.

"I finally got a chance to listen to the whole album," he finally broke the silence, turning to face Leeteuk.

"Mm?"

"Yeah. I'd listened to it here and there, and they did constantly play Spy at work, but I just listened to it, start to finish." He smiled slightly, looking down at his coffee. "It's really good."

"I'm glad you liked it." Leeteuk nudged Heechul on the shoulder, laughing. The 6th album was a touchy subject with him. It was the first album he wasn't a part of, and every member could tell it hurt. When they would practice singing before recording, Heechul would leave the room. He would just smile and nod when asked for his opinion, never fully committing an answer. Leeteuk had eventually told the other members to stop mentioning y, Free & Single around Heechul. He had a tough exterior, but all the members knew he was still subject to pain and sadness. He was human.

"That one song, Daydream. It's beautiful, really. Your voice-"

"Yah! You can barely hear my voice!" Leeteuk laughed, putting his coffee on the floor. Heechul, eyes still glued to his cup, smiled.

"In general, anyway. It's really soothing." Finally their eyes met again. Leeteuk blushed. No one ever complimented his singing. He wasn't a strong singer, or a strong dancer. He was a leader. But now...

"I wonder how they'll cope without me." Leeteuk brought his knee up to his chin, holding his legs. "I know I'm not a lead singer, my vocals missing from the tracks won't do much, but that's why I worry. They'll cope fine as idols. And I won't even be around. They'll learn how to live without me and I won't be needed."

Heechul slapped him around the head.

"Jungsu! You fool, they'll always need you!" The older looked at Heechul, his eyes wide and..."that's pathetic."

"See! You don't even need me anymore! You've coped fine without me, and they'll be the same!"

"You're ridiculous. One day you're worried they're too co-dependent on you, now you're worried they will become too independent. Now that is almost as pathetic as those eyes." Heechul smiled, sipping on his coffee. Leeteuk followed suit, letting his legs dangle off the couch again.

Heechul fumbled around his pockets, grabbing his phone and opening it up. Leeteuk strained to see what he was doing, but met a small push on the arm. He continued to sip his coffee, turning to face the window. All the stars were out, the visible ones anyway. The city looked so deserted at this time of night, from so high up. Really gives you perspective, how little we are compared to everything.

"Look at this," Heechul his phone in Leeteuk's face, a little green bubble on the screen. It was a message from Donghae, sent a few days earlier. He couldn't see what it was in reply to, or what Heechul's response was, but that wasn't needed.

Yes and no. Hyung, he's really worried. We're all worried. Life without Teukie-hyung...it just seems unreal. Who's going to wake us up and comfort us? Don't say you, I know you're too busy in your own land of the Heechul's! I know we need to be there for him, but who's there for us? Not me, but us? I'm fine, but Siwon seems so distant, and even Kyuhyun seems a bit down. Hyuk's been really stressed, I worry for him. Blah. This really .

"They're scared." Heechul took the phone back once Leeteuk's eyes became tear filled. "But I don't want you to worry about them. Or about yourself. They're never going to stop needing you, but that's fine. They'll cope, but they won't change." Leeteuk grabbed a pillow and buried his head in his, trying to hold back the sobs. He was really leaving. This was all real. And it was only a couple more hours before he walked out that door for the next two years.

Heechul placed his hand on Leeteuk's back, rubbing circles on his hoodie. He smiled to himself. It was a bit like deja vu. Using his other hand, he pulled Leeteuk's face up, bringing it to face his own.

"You know, this time last September, I was the one crying on the couch." Leeteuk laughed through his tears.

"You were a mess."

"Yah!"

"You were!" Leeteuk grinned, remembering how he had to comfort Heechul before his enlistment. Heechul had been crying on the couch all night, avoiding his room. Leeteuk heard him and intervened. The poor boy was completely awake from the coffee he had been drinking, but still exhausted. And emotionally drained. His eyes were bright red, his hands shaking. "I had to tell you that everything would be okay, like a therapist!"

"And everything has been okay."

Leeteuk's grin faded. Heechul was right.

"Look, I know it's different. I know I'm still here, still seeing you all, but I'm fine. The training wasn't that bad, and that's the worst of it. I'm not a dancer, an athlete, anything, but I still survived. It's a bit nice, being away from Kyuhyun's tricks and Ryeowook's complaints. It's not that bad. But what's important is that it's all okay." Heechul grabbed Leeteuk's hand and held it tight, looking straight into his eyes. Leeteuk swallowed, taking in his words. It would be okay. It would. He'd be away from the craziness of life, have time to think. No more crazy fans, no more complaints or criticisms. It was like a working vacation.

And even if they couldn't be with him physically, each member would be with him every step of the way.

"Jungsu, you're strong enough for this. I know you are."

Leeteuk smiled, genuinely, happily, and leaned in to hug Heechul. He held him tight, his tears still flowing. No comment about the mess he was making came. No comment about his sappy attitude or crocodile tears came. Just pure, understanding silence.

"You said they'll cope. How about you?" Leeteuk didn't let him go. He knew this wasn't a question Heechul would want to answer face to face. Honestly was difficult with him. It had been, saying things out loud. His actions did speak much louder than words, they screamed above anything else he could portray.

Heechul tightened his grip.

"I'll miss you. You'll be back, but I'll miss you, Park Jungsu."

"I'll miss you too Heenim. But I'll be back. And everything will be okay."