Of Drunk Hyungs and Pirates
Of Drunk Hyungs and Pirates
It is hard to get a bit of alone time when you are an idol with a full schedule and an average of four hours’ sleep everyday. So, when Hyukjae gets a whole week semi free – that is to say a week consisting of afternoon schedules only – he considers it a miracle and takes full advantage.
The first three days, he sleeps in until eleven, blissfully ignoring the loud grumbles of Sungmin at dawn, who has not managed to bag himself the same luxury. But soon after, the appeal of sleeping twelve hours a day wanes and he finds himself craving another luxury that has long been eluding him thanks to his tight schedule: a bit of alone-Hyukjae-time.
He begins staying back at the agency at night after work ends when everyone has left, and takes to haunting the practice rooms. Once, Donghae demands to know why the heck he feels the need to “over-dance” and Jungsu hyung corners him and asks him if everything is OK. He reassures them both that everything is fine. He just wants to be alone.
Jungsu, of course, gives him his space (with a concerned smile) after that. Donghae, on the other hand, atypically pokes around a bit more, prodding him with nosy questions and literally prodding him in the side until he falls to the floor, laughing, and hastily tells his best friend that he just misses dancing alone to his own beat and he likes it when the headquarters are empty at night and would Donghae please just stop with the poking and tickling already?!
And that is how he finds himself dancing his heart out in the practice rooms after midnight, music blaring from the speakers and resonating through the deserted building. He did not lie to Donghae; this is honestly what he wants, at least for these last few days of partial freedom. As much as Hyukjae loves working with the members and choreographing their routines, he has missed this: putting some music on and just dancing. To move with the rhythm without having to concentrate and worry about his next move. Purely going with flow.
He stays back and dances without a worry for the next three nights, stopping only when it feels like his limbs are going to fall out (and once, when Sungmin calls at three in the morning and barks at him to come home and does he know how much of a fright he gave his hyung when he saw that Hyukkie is missing?) Hyukjae doesn’t regret the late nights. He can get enough sleep in the mornings and he treasures his time alone.
Nothing changes on the night before the last day of freedom. He puts on the most upbeat music he can find and drowns himself in the cadence until the door is suddenly thrown open and the last person he expects stumbles in.
Hyukjae stops dead, shocked. ‘Hyung?’
Bleary eyes stare at him a little dazedly through the fringe of dyed brown hair. His mouth forms around the word, ‘Hyukjae ...?’
‘Heechul hyung, what are you doing here?’
The pounding music is so loud that Hyukjae cannot hear himself speak. He hurries to the stereo near the door and has barely turned it off when a pair of arms unexpectedly wrap around his torso. A lean body presses against him from behind.
Hyukjae freezes at once.
‘Hyukkie ah,’ the voice, slightly croaky, sounds right in his ear. ‘You’re still here...?’
A certain reek washes over his nose and suddenly it all makes sense.
‘How much have you had to drink, hyung?’ he asks dryly, relaxing without conscious thought.
‘How much do you think? Heechul murmurs into his hair with a rather slurred laugh.
Considering the clingy hugging, the long fingers his pinned arms and the rather zealous nuzzling that has begun at the nape of his neck, it is obvious that his hyung has had quite a lot to drink.
Hyukjae restrains himself from voicing it aloud, though, and instead asks, discreetly trying to free himself, ‘Why are you here at this time, Heechul hyung?’
Heechul tightens his arms around him and buries his face deeper into Hyukjae’s neck. ‘Might ask ya the same thing, Hyukkie.’
There is a moment of silence and then Hyukjae sighs, resigned. ‘I was dancing,’ he mumbles and gently, but firmly peels the elder’s arms off him. Until you interrupted. He cannot deny that he feels a little resentful towards his hyung for bursting in on him, especially on this last night of alone-Hyukjae-time. Time is precious and already he is wasting so much of it.
‘Mm, I saw you,’ grunts Heechul, finally allowing his dongsaeng to go free. Without the support, he stumbles a little and Hyukjae quickly grabs his arm to steady him. The elder takes the chance to lean on him again and Hyukjae finds himself with an armful of drunken Kim Heechul.
Sighing, Heechul lets his head fall forward so that their foreheads are touching. He closes his eyes briefly.
‘You dance pretty, Hyukjae.’
Hyukjae does not think “pretty” is the correct adjective to describe his dance – or any male oriented dances for that matter – but warmth courses through him at the unexpected words and he lowers his eyes, suddenly feeling a little shy. He does not get complimented by Heechul a whole lot, drunk or sober.
‘Thanks, hyu –’
‘I wish I could dance like you.’
Hyukjae freezes again, this time shaken by the sheer passion Heechul put in that one sentence. Leaning against him, his face is now uncomfortably close to Hyukjae’s. The latter can smell the soju on the other’s breath and he finds himself shrinking under the force of the piercing gaze Heechul is subjecting him to. His dark eyes are intense and unreadable and a whole lot more lucid than they had been a minute ago.
They stay like that for a few seconds, Heechul gazing and Hyukjae steadily growing more and more flustered until finally, the elder lets go and backs away, loudly groaning,
‘Aish, I have such a headache! Mmmf, I think I took a freaking leap and bypassed drunk and went straight to hangover or somethin’.’
Avoiding the other’s eyes, Hyukjae rubs at his arms and is mildly discomfited to discover gooseflesh. ‘Why were you drinking at the agency at this time of night?’ he mumbles for lack of anything better to stay.
Even while drunk, Heechul has not lost his fluency when it comes to sarcasm. ‘Did your brain cells actually dance their way out through your ears or something? Of course I wasn’t drinking here, you idiot. Hongki is leaving for Japan with F.T Island tomorrow. I was treating him to a drink at the bar round the corner.’ Heechul yawns, stretches and promptly loses his balance, ending up on his on the floor.
‘But then, I remembered I’d left my – yawn – my wallet in our dressing room; Hongki almost killed me when he had to foot the bill,’ continues Heechul, his words still a little garbled. Looking entirely unembarrassed about his ungraceful fall, he lies back on the wooden floor and looks blearily up at Hyukjae. ‘Then when I get back, I hear music in the dead of night and find you flailing about the place like a thrashing octopus. Or anchovy, rather,’ he adds with a lopsided, insolent grin.
Hyukjae is tempted to point out that only minutes ago Heechul had been praising his dance, but decides against it. Instead, he sits on his haunches beside his K.O-ed hyung and tells him gently to get up.
‘Don’t fall asleep here, hyung. You should go back.’
‘You’re one to talk,’ Heechul retorts and yanks on his arm. With a surprised yelp, Hyukjae ends up on the floor, his side pressed tightly against Heechul.
‘Stay here with me for a while,’ the elder tells him and yawns again.
Hyukjae wiggles around a bit, but Heechul has caught a strong hold of his arm and refuses to release him. It is a little weird, lying together with Heechul on the practice floor, but not entirely unpleasant or awkward. Hyukjae finally gives in and makes himself more comfortable, and Heechul shifts a little and pulls him closer, guiding his head to lie on his shoulder.
Yep, definitely drunk.
They lie without talking for a while, the silence broken only by the sound of their breathing. Hyukjae tries to ignore the stench of alcohol emanating from his hyung and keeps an eye on the clock, counting the seconds and trying to repress his impatience to dance again. Why did Heechul have to walk in on him, drunk, tonight of all nights?
‘Whassamatter, Hyukkie?’
Hyukjae is a little surprised at the question. ‘Nothing.’
‘You’re restless.’
The younger man twists his head to stare up into the other’s face. Heechul is looking down at him impassively, and again, his eyes seem clearer than before.
‘I’m not,’ Hyukjae mumbles, breaking eye contact as he realises that Heechul has caught him staring at the clock. He does not know, but for some reason, the way Heechul is looking at him makes him feel uncomfortable, as if he has done something wrong.
There is a heavy pause. Hyukjae can still feel the other’s eyes on him, like a physical sensation.
‘D’ya dislike it?’
Not for the first time that night, the younger is caught off guard again.
‘Dislike ... what?’
Heechul’s gaze is heavier now and Hyukjae uneasily wonders if he’s been glared at. He still doesn’t dare raise his eyes.
‘This. Us. Me, being here. With you.’
The allegation is so startling and unfounded that Hyukjae jerks up to a sitting position and looks quickly at Heechul, wildly shaking his head.
‘What, no! No, hyung, of course not! Why would I dislike being with you?’ he babbles, stumbling over the words in his rush to get that notion out of Heechul’s head. ‘Why do you even think that?’
Heechul is still lying lazily on the floor, looking expressionlessly at him. ‘You were awfully eager to get me outta here. And you’re disappointed I came.’
‘That’s not tru –!’
‘I mightn’t be able to walk straight, but I ain’t drunk outta my mind, Hyukjae. I can see you, yanno.’
Hyukjae doesn’t know how to reply. Heechul has seen right through him, and yet, he hasn’t. Not really.
When he fails to reply, Heechul pulls himself up with a groan, muttering, ‘Whatever. I was leaving anyway.’
Desperate to save the situation, Hyukjae catches hold of his sleeve. ‘Wait, hyung –’
Heechul shakes him off and stumbles to his feet. ‘I’ll leave ya alone.’
‘Heenim,’ says Hyukjae pleadingly, rising. He takes hold of Heechul’s shoulders, trying to stop him from leaving. ‘It’s not like that at all! Please, really. I like being with you, honestly I do. It’s just that, tonight, just ... just ...’
‘Just what?’ Heechul looks sceptically at him.
‘Just ... it’s the last night I’ll be able to stay up and dance like this. I have full schedules starting the day after tomorrow again. I won’t have time for myself again so soon.’
Heechul gives him a look that plainly screams what the freaking hell are you talking about?
‘I ... I just wanted to dance. By myself, with no one around. That’s all ...’ Hyukjae’s voice trails off and he looks down, embarrassed. He just does not know how to explain it to Heechul, but for some reason, he wants him to understand.
It is apparent from the look on Heechul’s face that he does not understand; not entirely, at least. Nevertheless, he makes a shooing gesture at Hyukjae and says, ‘Well, go dance then. What’s stopping ya?’
The thought of dancing so freely in front of Heechul makes his cheeks fairly burn. This is different from their usual song choreography. This is Hyukjae doing something he loves as a hobby, as a way of relieving stress and calming his nerves, as a way of spending time with himself. This is private and personal. He doesn’t want to do this in front of an audience; especially if that audience is Kim Heechul, around whom he has always been a little bit intimidated, a little bit thrilled ... a little bit shy.
Heechul seems to understand his silence much more than his previous weak explanations.
‘See ya, Hyukkie,’ he says finally, not coldly and actually gives his cheek a pat before making to leave. He has taken no more than three steps before he sways, stumbles and almost falls face first onto the wooden floor. Only Hyukjae’s quick hand at his elbow keeps him on his feet.
As he helps his hyung to steady himself, Hyukjae things that Heechul must be the only one in the world who can drink so much that he can’t walk straight, yet be incredibly coherent at the same time.
‘I’m fine,’ grunts Heechul, trying to pull himself free, but Hyukjae wraps an arm around his shoulder, a little uncertainly at first, and supports his weight.
‘I’ll drive you home, hyung. You can’t drive by yourself like this.’
‘Don’t have to. I’ll just take the bus or somethin’.’
‘You’ll be hard pressed to find one at this time of night.’
Irritated, Heechul looks up, an argument ready on his lips, but his dongsaeng shoots him a firm look and tightens his arm around the other. ‘I’ll take you home, hyung,’ he tells him resolutely.
‘Aish, fine!’ snaps Heechul, grimacing. ‘Just shut up already, will ya? So freakin’ pigheaded. Hell, I have a headache ...’
All the same, he wraps an arm around Hyukjae’s slim waist and leans into him, accepting his support. Hyukjae can’t help but smile, revealing his gums.
~***~
Five minutes later, they are in Hyukjae’s car, on their way to the dorms. They don’t talk much, except for that one instant when Hyukjae reminds Heechul to put on his seat belt. With a grudging grunt, Heechul obliges and fumbles with the belt, taking an extra two minutes to coordinate his clumsy hands to fasten it securely. Silence reigns in the car again until, several minutes later, Heechul suddenly asks Hyukjae to open the passenger door window because he’s not feeling good. Ten minutes after that, a frantic Heechul waves at Hyukjae to stop the car. Alarmed, the younger immediately pulls over and Heechul leaps out.
‘Hyung!’ Hyukjae quickly gets out and runs around to the other side. He has parked the car a small distance from a children’s playground and he spies Heechul inside, holding onto a bar of a jungle gym, bent over.
‘Hyung,’ repeats Hyukjae worriedly, jogging up to Heechul. The older man is trembling slightly and the hand that is not holding onto the jungle gym is gripping his knee tightly. He is taking deep, shuddering breaths and Hyukjae places a hand on his shaking back tentatively. ‘Are you OK?’
‘You ... idiot,’ gasps Heechul between heaves. ‘Do I effin look ... like anything that comes close ... to OK ... to you?’
After so many years, Hyukjae has learnt not to mind Heechul’s insulting sarcasm at situations like these. Taking hold of his shoulders, he gently guides his hyung to a nearby swing.
‘Here, sit down for a moment.’
‘I feel like I’mma throw up,’ groans Heechul, gripping the chains of the swing tightly as he gingerly lowers himself to sit. ‘Aish, I’m so gonna ...’ He pauses to take a shaky breath again, ‘... kill Hongki for this.’
Hyukjae hovers over the other man while he curses his friend under his breath, wondering what to do and how to help. When Heechul bends over, shuddering again with the force of repressing his nausea, the younger suggests hesitantly,
‘Why don’t you just puke and get it over with? You’ll feel better afterwards.’
‘Are you insane?’ Heechul demands, wrinkling his nose. ‘I hate throwing up; it’s frickin’ disgusting!’ He takes another deep breath, pressing his lips tight together.
Knowing Heechul, there is no way to change his mind. Hyukjae ponders on the dilemma and, a few moments later, lights up, getting an idea.
‘Wait here,’ he says and hurries to his car. He spends several seconds poking around in the glove compartment until he finds what he’s seeking, fishes his water bottle, which has fallen, out from under the passenger seat and runs back to the swings.
‘Here,’ he says breathlessly, holding out the items. ‘Drink some water and chew on some of these.’
Heechul squints at his outstretched hands. ‘Swe ... sweets?’
‘Mint,’ the younger man corrects, taking the next swing. ‘They help to get over nausea. For me, at least,’ he hastens to add, foreseeing the tantrum that is sure to ensue if the mints fail his hyung. ‘I don’t know if they’ll work for you, obviously, but still ... better than nothing, right?’
Heechul looks reluctant to accept the mints, but then his face goes green and he hastily snatches them from Hyukjae’s hands.
They sit silently on the swings for the next quarter of an hour, Hyukjae prodding the sandy ground with the toes of his shoes as he hesitantly observes the effects of the mints on the man next to him. Heechul’s head is bowed and he chews rapidly, eyes fixed on the water bottle in his hands. After a while, though, his posture begins to relax and he raises his head, appearing calmer and more awake. He pops the last of the mints in his mouth and takes a deep breath, a hint of a smile on his face.
‘Well, whaddaya know,’ he drawls at length. ‘These things actually work.’
Hyukjae flashes him his customary gummy smile, happy and relieved. ‘I’m glad.’
Heechul glances at him, a strange look in his eyes, and back down at his hands. He waves one of them a little limply in the air and mumbles, looking at nowhere, ‘Ahh ... I finished them all, Hyukkie...’
‘It’s OK, hyung,’ Hyukjae says, smiling, acknowledging what he knows to be Heechul’s apology and gratitude mixed in one.
Heechul shoots him a quick glance again and looks around. His eyes light up when he spots a small cinema on the other side of the road. ‘Hey look! They’re showing that movie! The one with the swords and the ocean and piratey stuff. Aish, what’s it called ...?’
‘The latest Pirates of the Caribbean?’ supplies his dongsaeng helpfully, lips twitching.
‘Yeah!’ Heechul cries enthusiastically. ‘Wanna see the y mermaids with me?’
Hyukjae shakes his head in amusement. ‘It’s so late, hyung. And I’ve already seen it with Junsu.’
‘So? Why should that stop you from seeing y mermaids with me?’
Way to miss the point. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, the younger man enunciates, ‘It’s past two in the morning, hyung. They’ve stopped for the night.’
‘So, see the y mermaids with me some other night.’
There is just no way out of this and, obviously, Heechul is still not entirely back to normal yet. Hyukjae shakes his head again, not knowing whether to laugh or scream.
‘OK, OK, Heenim. I’ll go the movies with you sometime. If you remember to take me,’ he adds under his breath, thinking about Heechul’s current state of mind.
His acquiescence seems to placate Heechul. With a satisfied hmm, he begins to swing and Hyukjae keeps a keen eye on him, in case he loses balance and manages to land backwards on his head or something.
‘But yanno what really ?’ Heechul says all of a sudden. He points out his leg in a rather girly pose and kicks up some sand with his sneakered toes as he came swinging down. ‘The main girl ain’t in this movie. The pretty one. That really .’
Unable to repress a grin, Hyukjae opens his mouth to ask if Heechul has a celebrity crush on that actress when the older one continues, ‘I was looking forward to more. More of her with Captain Jack.’
Hyukjae’s brains seem to have slammed on the brakes. He takes a double take. ‘Wh – what? Don’t you mean her and ... Will?’
Heechul gives him a piercing look. ‘No. I mean her and Cap’n Jack Sparrow.’
They stare at each other for a while, one meaningful (or as meaningful as possible while not quite sober), and the other still struggling to stomach what he has heard. Finally, Hyukjae is able to speak.
‘But, but ... isn’t it supposed to be Will and Elizabeth? They’re in love.’
Heechul gives a long suffering sigh. ‘Yes, Hyukkie, they’re the happily-ever-after couple. The OTP. Destiny. Whatever ya wanna call it. But the really interesting couples are the unusual pairs.’
‘Unusual pairs ...’ repeats Hyukjae uncertainly, trying and failing to understand.
‘Yup.’ Heechul kicks up more sand, this time to his right so that they spray over his dongsaeng’s shoes. ‘It’s interesting. And hot. They got more ... more ... erm, that science thing.’
It takes a few seconds for Hyukjae’s mind to compute. ‘Scien – oh, you mean chemistry?’
‘Yes, that,’ says Heechul emphatically, throwing his head back as the swing went up. Hyukjae tenses, ready to catch whatever part of him reachable should he fall.
Heechul throws him another look when Hyukjae doesn’t reply. ‘Oh c’mon, Hyukkie. Surely you felt something when you were watching the third movie?’
‘Second,’ he corrects automatically.
‘Same difference.’
What does that even mean? Hyukjae wonders before returning to the problem at hand. He hasn’t really thought about it, but yeah, it had been fun, watching the girl’s reactions to the weird pirate in the second segment of the saga. Kind of ... interesting, maybe. A little alluring, even. It had made him laugh when he watched it with his friends.
‘So?’ Heechul gives the side of his leg a wobbly kick, prompting him to answer.
‘I ... I guess it was something,’ Hyukjae says thoughtfully at length, slightly frowning. ‘But I liked it more when she was with Will.’
‘That’s not the point, idiot,’ Heechul sounds exasperated. ‘Yeah, the – the OTP or the – the main couple will always be there at the top. But there’ll always be a lotta people who find the other couples hotter.’
‘Right,’ mutters Hyukjae dubiously, wondering just how he has ended up discussing pirates and couples with his drunk of a hyung at half past two in the morning.
‘There’re probably those who even like the JackWill couple!’
Hyukjae could have choked on thin air. He blinks rapidly, trying to get his brain cells moving. Captain Jack and Will?? Why, Hyukjae has never even considered that before!
‘OK, hyung, I get it,’ he says hastily, deciding it will be best if they drop the topic now. Jack and Will. Seriously, did someone put something in the soju Heechul has been drinking tonight?
Heechul, however, is only gathering more steam. Waving an arm in the air, he continues brashly, ‘Take our fandom for example. You have the KyuMin and the EunHae and the YeWook and – and KangTeuk and, and ... eh, which one am I missing?’
‘Hyung,’ begins Hyukjae, a little annoyed now though he masks it. ‘You can stop now, I underst –’
‘HANCHUL! Of course, the HanChul. Heck.’ He hits himself over the head a couple of times, mumbling something that sounds like pabo-pabo.
‘Heechul hyung.’ The younger man reaches over to stop him, but Heechul grabs his hand and looks seriously at him, digging his heels into the ground to stop the swing.
‘So, we got all that and Kibummie and Siwonnie that somehow manage to get a piece of everything –’ Heechul ignores his dongsaeng’s shocked choke – ‘but there are loads of our fans who prefer unusual pairs among us.’
‘Really?’ Hyukjae tries to ease his wrist out of Heechul’s grip, only to have the other tighten his hold.
‘Yes, really,’ Heechul sounds so serious that the younger wonders if he’s being pranked. ‘Maybe not the majority, but many find it hot.’
‘And you’re one of them, hyung?’ asks Hyukjae dryly, without thinking. The moment the words escape his mouth, he realises that is not the best thing to have said.
The sudden smirk that slowly steals across Heechul’s face at his question is seductive and predatory. Not exactly a good combination with the “drunk” aspect. Hyukjae feels a shiver run down his back.
‘Tell me, Hyukkie,’ Heechul says, his grin growing positively diabolical. ‘Why d’ya think I run around on stage, providing such a variety of fanservice, instead of sticking only to Hannie, hmm?’
Hyukjae can feel his cheeks burning. He knows exactly what his hyung is referring to and it doesn’t help when his mind immediately leaps onto the memory of what happened in Bangkok during their third Asia tour.
‘You’re blushing, Hyukkie.’ Heechul’s smirk has turned dangerous and Hyukjae abruptly realises what is going to happen next. It’s too late now. Heechul lungs at him, yanking him off the swing somehow and they end up on the sandy ground, Hyukjae pinned underneath.
Even now, Heechul kisses the same way he did during the Bangkok concert: aggressive and passionate, without holding back. It is intrusive, exhilarating, arousing and kind of gross at the same time, and when Heechul pulls away several seconds later, his lips in a disturbingly self-satisfied manner, Hyukjae is left with no breath, a taste of Soju and mint on his tongue and a feeling of having been thoroughly mouth-.
Heechul grins down at him and Hyukjae fixes his eyes at some point about his hyung’s collarbones, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. His entire face is burning and it dawns on him that he has just been kissed by a drunk Kim Heechul in the dead of night ... in a children’s playground. This has just got to be against some sort of law or other.
‘Well, Hyukkie?’ drawls Heechul brazenly. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t find that hot?’
The younger really has no idea how he is supposed to respond. He is also painfully aware that he is still probably red in the face.
‘You’re weird, Heechul hyung.’
There is a moment of silence and then Heechul bursts into laughter.
‘Seriously, Hyukjae, is that the best you can say? And why are ya avoiding my eyes? Am I that good?’
Typical Heenim. With an effort, Hyukjae looks his hyung in the eyes and promptly blushes again. For lack of anything better to say, he mumbles falteringly, ‘That ... that’s the second one, hyung. That you stole from me.’
‘Stole? Oh, so you’re saying I stole that kiss from you in Bangkok?’
‘It wasn’t planned,’ says Hyukjae defensively. ‘You never asked me the way you did Sungmin hyung or Siwon!’ He pauses and the blush deepens. ‘I always wondered why you did it...’
Heechul looks torn between laughing in his face and incredulous. ‘You were flashing a freaking banner-thing at me that had the words Kiss Me Lee Hyukjae in bold, capital letters! You don’t think I’d pass up such a golden fanservice opportunity, do ya?’
A strangled laugh escapes Hyukjae. That does make sense, he has to admit.
‘But, a’right, have it your way. I stole two kisses from you,’ Heechul rolls his eyes. ‘But two ... that’s a pitiful number...’
Hyukjae’s eyes widen at the fresh smirk that curves Heechul’s mouth. Before he can react, Heechul lays another sloppy smacker on his lips, though the kiss is shorter this time around. He winks as he pulls back.
‘Third time’s the charm, eh, Hyukkie?’
With a guttural laugh, Heechul rolls off him, much to his dongsaeng’s relief. Hyukjae doesn’t think his face can bear any more blushing tonight.
‘So,’ Heechul grunts as he stumbles to his feet, now a little steadier than he was earlier that night, ‘you understand what I mean now?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Hyukjae mumbles as he rises and slaps the sand off his clothes. His face is still hot. ‘I think I do.’
‘Good.’ The elder lands a playful smack on his rear. ‘Now take hyung home already.’
Hyukjae laughs, now a little more at ease. ‘Sure.’
It’s half past three when they finally pull up outside their apartment building. Hyukjae insists on accompanying his hyung all the way to the twelfth floor as Heechul is still not completely steady on his feet yet. Heechul grumbles but accepts all the same.
When the older man finally gets the apartment door open, he waves Hyukjae back towards the elevator, but not before giving him a rare one armed hug and thanking him, with a cheeky smile, for “such a lovely date”. Hyukjae snorts, tells him to get to bed and walks away. Right before the elevator doors close, he glimpses Heechul poking his head out again and hears him call, ‘Sorry for interrupting your dancing, Hyukkie!’
Hyukjae is a little surprised. He has totally forgotten what he was doing before he got landed with Heechul tonight. He smiles, though, as he travels down to the eleventh floor. True, he did get pulled away from his dance, but he no longer minds.
The night was spent quite well, Hyukjae thinks with a gummy smile as he makes his way to his own dorm.
~***~
A week later, the door to the eleventh floor dormitory bangs open and Heechul comes striding into the apartment.
‘Hyung!’ greets Donghae cheerfully, looking up from the tear-jerker drama he’s been watching.
Heechul returns the greeting and looks around, searching. He stops when his eyes land on Hyukjae and Sungmin seated at the kitchen table, sharing a snack between them. They stare back questioningly.
‘Yah, Hyukkie, you free tonight? Right now?’
Hyukjae swallows his mouthful and nods, surprised. ‘Yes.’
‘Good, let’s go.’ Heechul twines his arm around his and drags him enthusiastically towards the door. ‘You promised me y mermaid time!’
Behind them, Hyukjae hears Sungmin choke and Donghae fall off the sofa.
‘Y MERMAID TIME?!’ yelps the latter in disbelief, over the sound of Sungmin coughing.
Hyukjae can’t help it. He begins to laugh as Heechul, grinning, shoves his coat into his hand and leads him outside. Maybe he’ll explain it to Donghae later. Right now, he’s too eager to discover what this evening has in store.
END
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