Monday morning again and Heechul was at school early. He wanted to catch Kangin before rumors spread. Heechul didn’t really care if he talked to the girls, but he valued Kangin’s friendship.

Sending a few texts, Heechul met up with Kangin.

“What’s so important?” Kangin asked. The last he’d seen of Heechul was withdrawn and uncommunicative, but now he looked brighter, if a little worried.

“I’ve got to tell you something you’re probably not going to like.”

Kangin nodded and followed as Heechul led him into the school to their first class. They sat in their usual place at the back and Heechul started in hushed tones.

“So, I have this friend. I’ve had this friend since I was in primary school. I just happened to stop talking to him before high school started. But we’ve decided we want to be friends again.”

Kangin just watched Heechul. “And you think I care?”

Heechul smirked. “I know you’ll care, because you know who this guy is.”

Kangin frowned, with the look of an overlarge ogre with a small brain putting a puzzle together. “I do?”

“You do. He goes by the nickname, Leeteuk.”

Realization hit like a punch from Holyfield and Kangin groaned. “You mean the loner freak?”

Heechul made a displeased face but nodded. “And so this is where you make a choice. You keep hanging out with me, knowing I’m going to be hanging out with him more, or we part here and you can keep the girls.”

Kangin laughed. “I mean, girls are great, but I like you better.” Kangin struggled with how to answer, not really wanting anyone but him and Heechul to be part of their group. “I’m sticking it out,” he managed slowly as if it were a painful thing to say. “Friends for life, Heechul.”

“Good man,” Heechul said, patting his shoulder. “I don’t expect you to make friends right away, but you should give Leeteuk a chance, he’s a good guy.”

Kangin shrugged. “I’ll be nice since he’s your friend, but I wouldn’t expect me to be friends with him.” He laughed softly.

Heechul broke away from Kangin at first break and went to the computer room where he knew Leeteuk would be. Sora was also there with Donghae, he could hear their voices so he waited outside the room, eavesdropping.

“I saw him this morning with Kangin, but I don’t think he saw me,” Sora said.

“I didn’t see him at all. But I don’t know why you’re worried about it. If he doesn’t say hi to us now, we’ll know he’s a-“

Heechul cut Donghae off with a knock on the doorframe of the computer lab. “Hey guys.”

Donghae stared and Sora laughed as she looked wide-eyed at Heechul.

“I told you,” Sora said, shoving Donghae’s shoulder gently. “Hi Heechul.”

Heechul smiled and walked into the room, dropping his bag by Leeteuk’s chair, pulling one up to sit backwards in it, facing everyone. “What the heck do you guys do in here every day anyway?” Heechul asked with a grin.

Leeteuk looked away from his computer screen at Heechul. “I study, get an early start on homework. These two talk at me.”

Donghae smirked. “We give him a social life. Even if he pretends to ignore us, he isn’t. And he’s in love with Sora.”

“Yah!” Leeteuk and Sora both yelled.

Sora slapped Donghae’s arm. “I am not into you nerds. I have higher aspirations.” She flipped her hair and snubbed her nose at them.

Heechul was laughing as he leaned toward Leeteuk. “Is this normal?”

“This?” Leeteuk asked, pointing between Donghae and Sora. “Very. I think they’re the ones with things for each other.”

“Don’t talk about us like we’re not here, Teukie.” Sora glared at him.

Leeteuk shrugged. “Don’t pretend you’re not in love,” he teased.

They played together for the rest of the break. Heechul felt like he could really relax and be himself with these new friends. He didn’t have to keep his stuffy, aristocratic stance that he’d tried on since he first started high school. Most of all, Heechul didn’t have to keep pretending to be his father as a boy.

What Heechul also noticed, as he got to his classes before lunch, was that Sohee and Jessica both weren’t at school. Jessica had been out sick last week he knew, but should a cold really last five days? Maybe she’d gotten the flu and passed it on to Sohee? Heechul shrugged it off in favor of actually paying attention in class for once.

The moment of truth for Kangin and Heechul’s friendship came during lunch. Kangin met him outside of his class and walked with him outside to the tree where Leeteuk’s friends congregated for lunch.

Donghae tensed up as soon as he saw Kangin and Heechul waved him down, nudging Kangin with his shoulder. “Don’t worry guys. Kangin’s okay.” Kangin shrugged his bag off his shoulders and sat down near their group, Heechul finding a spot beside him.

“That’s good,” Sora said, trying to break the tension between her guy friends. “More friends are nice. Do you like to dance Kangin?”

Kangin glanced at Heechul before answering. “Why do you care?” It wasn’t the right kind of answer because Heechul kicked his foot. “I mean, yeah. Dancing isn’t bad. But I do sports more. I like martial arts.”

Leeteuk gave Heechul an exasperated look but Heechul shrugged it off with a sheepish smile. He knew Kangin would be abrasive at first, but he’d warm up, they just needed to give him a chance.

“So, anyway.” Eunhyuk interrupted the blank stares. “The dance coming up on the 14^th, Donghae and I are working on something. We can pretty much dance to anything, but if you guys want to join in, we’ll have to pick a song and see if we can get the DJ to play it.” Eunhyuk hadn’t deliberately left Heechul and Kangin out of the conversation; he was just continuing what they’d been talking about before they showed up.

Sora nodded to Eunhyuk. “I think picking one song would be good.” She looked at Kangin and Heechul who were now eating quietly, obviously aware that they weren’t a part of this group yet. “Are you guys planning on going to this dance?”

Heechul looked up from his food at her. “There’s a dance?”

Leeteuk and Donghae laughed. “Glad we’re not the only ones that didn’t notice,” Donghae smirked.

“Yes,” Sora said, sighing with slight annoyance in her voice. “On the 14^th there’s a dance. None of us are getting dates, so we decided we’d all go together as a group.”

Donghae rolled his eyes. “Speak for yourself, dateless.”

“Oh, you have one?” Sora asked.

Shaking his head, Donghae pretended to pout, “But it doesn’t mean I couldn’t get one. I could get any girl in this school.”

“You’re confusing yourself with Heechul, now there’s a guy that could get any girl.” Sora grinned at Heechul.

Heechul laughed and shook his head. “I may be able to get anyone, but I don’t really want anyone. I’m happy by myself.”

“We didn’t ask for your life story,” Donghae teased and Heechul flipped him off.

“Kangin’s actually the one who gets all the girls. He’s like a teddy bear, all the girls love him.” Heechul teased his friend, getting a glare in return to which he laughed.

“I can see it,” Sora said. “He’s big and strong, able to be protective.”

“And I think that’s enough for now,” Donghae interrupted, laughing.

They passed the rest of lunch making fun of each other and trying to ease Kangin and Heechul into their group. For that Heechul was thankful. Leeteuk still had a sense of compassion within him and coupled with Sora's need to make everyone comfortable, Heechul knew they could win Kangin over.

Heechul stuck close to Leeteuk on their way to their last two classes. He was happy to have his old comforts back. Friendship and familiarity that could only exist because of years spent together. Leeteuk was practically his brother since Heechul could guess his facial reactions and comments.

Leeteuk smiled at him as their shoulders grazed and Heechul grinned. He felt that first love rush through his body and it made him so happy. Heechul really felt his age again, instead of the years he'd forced onto himself, pretending as he had the past year. Heechul was starting to understand the adage, you don't know what you have 'till it's gone. These feelings could keep him coming back to Leeteuk forever.