Heechul woke up to Leeteuk pulling away from him in the morning. His first instinct had been to pull him back into his arms, but he let him go and leaned up on his elbow, blinking against the light in the room.

“Morning,” Leeteuk whispered, rubbing blush off his cheeks. He hadn’t wanted to move away from Heechul, but he’d woken up with an embarrassing tent.

“Hey,” Heechul said groggily, rubbing his face and then through his hair. He decided he didn’t want to be awake and lay back down, covering his head with the blankets.

Leeteuk flexed his muscles and got the blood running to different areas of his body before getting up for the toilet. His mom was already awake, he could tell because of the smells of breakfast from the kitchen. His dad was probably still asleep, since he couldn’t hear any coughing. Coming back to his room he found Heechul exactly as he’d left him and chuckled.

“Stay under there, I’m changing.” Leeteuk warned before switching his pajamas for some jeans and a white shirt. Leeteuk ruffled his hands through his hair, straightening it down from how it had been when he’d woken up. “Mom’s got breakfast,” he told Heechul before leaving the room. The grumbling in his stomach was becoming too loud to ignore.

Heechul followed him into the kitchen a little later, dressed in his school uniform, minus the jacket. His hair was combed back and just as gorgeous as if he’d had time at home to fix it. Leeteuk smiled at him and he sat close as Park eomma put a plate of food down for him.

“Can I just live here?” Heechul asked, still a little groggy.

Leeteuk and his mom laughed at him. They ate talking about normal things between bites. Plans for the day and whether Heechul needed a ride. Heechul called his dad as soon as he finished eating to check if he could come home and then settled with Park eomma a ride there.

Donghae had texted to request Leeteuk for some time with him and Sora to work on their dance. And Heechul agreed to come if he could or text if he couldn’t.

Just as soon as it had started, their alone time together was over. Heechul sighed in the backseat of the car as Park eomma dropped Leeteuk off by Donghae’s house. “See ya,” he offered as goodbye with a smile before switching to the front seat. Leeteuk’s mom kept him busy with stories of how Inyoung was coming home on their drive to his house. She got him laughing and Heechul thanked her again for letting him stay and all the food.

He didn’t really want to face the cold indifference of his own home as he got out of the car and started up the walkway. It was a fancy place compared to Leeteuk’s warm and cozy home. The architecture wasn’t exactly inviting, but that’s how Heechul’s dad liked it. If he could, he would probably stop Heechul from having any friends.

Heechul announced himself as he came inside. He dropped his things in his room and came back downstairs, looking for his appa. Finding him on the couch in the front room working on his laptop, Heechul plopped next to him and rested his feet on the coffee table. His dad lifted a foot to gently push his son’s feet off the table and Heechul chuckled.

“I’ve got to talk to you about something.” His dad said.

“You usually need to after meetings.” Heechul smiled.

“Things aren’t going well. I’m needed more and more at the base and driving to and from isn’t really an option anymore.”

Heechul nodded. “Okay. So you’re going away for a while?” Usually when his dad was needed on a nightly basis, he’d just take a bunk there and stay for as long as he was needed.

His dad shook his head. “No. We’re moving onto the base.”

Heechul panicked inside but kept his face as calm as possible. “I can’t do that.” He whispered.

“Look, it’s getting to the point where it’s not safe and my first priority is you. You’re coming with me and it’s final.”

“Appa, I get it, you love me. You promised to take care of me for eomma, but I can’t go. I have to stay and protect what matters to me too.” Heechul pleaded.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want you making too many close friends. We can’t save everyone Heechul. We’re going to try our damndest, but we can’t stay here anymore.”

“But you’ve always taught me to be the better person. I’ve always done what’s right and stood by my friends. If this is really happening, I can’t leave them. I refuse.” Heechul was letting his panic into his voice. “Isn’t it better to stand and fight than run away?”

“I know it’s hard. It will be hard for me too. But we can’t stay and we’re not talking about it anymore. Get up to your room and start packing. I want a report every half hour.”

Heechul yelled in anger and stood up, heading for his room. It would be useless talking to his father about it anymore. Heechul would just find a way out; he’d run out and back where he belonged, with friends. With Leeteuk.

He texted Leeteuk to let him know he wouldn’t be out today. He couldn’t bring himself to tell him he was leaving, he wouldn’t do that again. Heechul kicked his wall as he thought about it. He had no idea when he’d see Leeteuk again and he knew his friend would take it hard, would assume the worst. Heechul just had to keep texting him, had to let him know that he shouldn’t worry.

Pushing tears off his cheeks, Heechul set to packing, anger boiling him so hot his hands shook.