(10) A Fool's Paradise - 1,555

Zhoumi thought that after everything that happened with Hankyung, he would be the “second coming”. To be all that honest, he was quite relieved that it didn’t happen. Not that he compared himself to Hankyung; the guy was practically a saint. Still, the inkling feeling never left.

It didn’t bother him; per se. Everyone treated him well when they announced Super Junior M. Although not including the fans, but the members did anyway. It might have been The Accident (capitalization necessary, because dear god) back in 2007 that paved the way to acceptance. While he was happy that they were kind enough at the beginning, it was a bit unsettling that the reason was nearly because one of the members was at Death’s Door (capitalization also necessary).

But bygones will be bygones and they’ve all moved on from it. They took care of each other better and even garnered more fans throughout the years. And despite all the hate and scandals, they were able to move past five years and nearing their ten. It was a miracle of sorts and he was happy to be part of it.

And even with all of that, he really didn’t think he would be stuck doing this in the middle of a tour.

After Kyuhyun’s solo debut, two comebacks and a concert tour around the world were planned. The first comeback was to welcome back Jungsoo from his military service, and to also serve as a good luck wish for Sungmin and Donghee who were planning on entering. Which lead to the next comeback for Super Junior M. This was their leader, so producers thought that it would be great timing to produce another CD before Sungmin takes two years off. The concert tour was to tie all of them together, so it was nonstop schedules. That meant that they were constantly in the recording booth, then to taping, then dance practice day in and day out. They barely had enough breaks in the first place and ever since the announcement, they were getting less.

Which, now that he thinks back about it, might have caused Kyuhyun’s body to break down. Most of them had good immune systems, so they got by with sleeping every now and then and energy drinks. Kyuhyun wasn’t as lucky, after having surgeries. And while he could keep up with them on better days, having to prepare and perform for the Swing release, then his solo debut, followed with the other comebacks for promotion took a toll on his body. He was practically a slave driver. Zhoumi felt like he should also blame Kyuhyun for being such a workaholic, even if he whines every now and then.

He squeezed the wet towel and replaced it for the one on Kyuhyun’s forehead. He was stuck with the grunt work for taking care of Kyuhyun, pulling out the shortest straw while the rest of the members took their time for breaks. He didn’t mind this either. It was one of the few times when he got to observe a different side of Kyuhyun. The quieter, more subdued Kyuhyun, which was rare.

His breathing slowed down to a steady beat, his chest rising high then low mechanically. His face was still tinged with pink due to the fever and he was surely breathing through his mouth. Occasionally, Kyuhyun would open his eyes and blink, stare a bit dazed and glossy. Zhoumi wondered if he was even actually seeing anything.

Earlier before being sound asleep, Kyuhyun was a difficult patient. He refused to stay in bed, insisting on getting to work, to record even with a sore throat that wouldn’t sound nice even with the wonderful acoustics of the sound booth. He wouldn’t be able to produce a melody let alone belt. Zhoumi was able to convince him with bribery, promising to get him a new game if he just stayed in bed for the next few days. It was all he needed and the next thing Zhoumi knew, Kyuhyun was down for the count, fast asleep.

He woke up after ten minutes, asking for food. Luckily, Ryeowook left some congee before leaving for their free day. After that, it was back to just wasting some time before Kyuhyun woke up again. Some of the members would call him from time to time, asking for updates about his health. It all ended the same: he’s still sleeping.

One call that was unexpected though, was Jongwoon. Well, it was more like the visitation was unexpected.

He thought that it was the members returning from their free day, expecting to open the door wide to accommodate the numerous amounts of bags of souvenirs. When Jongwoon looked back at him, eyes frantic and face had panic written all over, Zhoumi was taken aback.

“Hyung? What are you doing here?” He asked but at the same time, moving to let Jongwoon in. Shoes were haphazardly removed and Jongwoon stumbled and nearly hit almost every furniture and corner of the wall. Zhoumi followed, trying not to hit the furniture that moved when Jongwoon made his way to the room. Though he did understand why he seemed so frantic.

The door of the bedroom was open; Jongwoon was bent down on his knees as he was trying to catch his breath. The panic subsiding, but his heart was still loudly beating. Zhoumi carefully placed his hand on Jongwoon’s shoulder to help him calm down. Sometimes, it was funny how obvious they were.

Jongwoon turned to him. Zhoumi nodded then Jongwoon made his way, sitting on the chair Zhoumi occupied earlier. Slowly, he raised his hand and touched Kyuhyun’s forehead. He was careful with his touch, light as a feather and as if holding fragile porcelain. As soon as Jongwoon’s hand actually touched Kyuhyun’s skin, the contact was fleeting. Well, it wasn’t as light, but the tenderness of the caress was there. Zhoumi felt like he was invading something. Shaking his head and rolling his shoulders, he moved to the meeting area of the room, leaving them to have some time alone.

They hadn’t had that much time to spend with each other after Jongwoon went to military service. The cellphone calls and text messages, and free-day visits were limited. Since they were still in the public eye, quick glances and small smiles were all they had to go on. Zhoumi pitied them, but felt slightly jealous at the relationship. They were working it out and quite frankly, that was all that mattered.

It didn’t take Jongwoon more than an hour before he re-emerged from the bedroom. “Zhoumi,” he called, catching Zhoumi’s attention from the book he was still reading. He stood up in attention, but Jongwoon smiled. “I’ve to go now. My brother’s going to kill me if I stay any longer. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave him if I do.” He continued, a sad smile playing on his face but he seemed satisfied, even just for now. He had a hand at the back of his head, as if shy to ask for a favor. Jongwoon looked more like a teenage boy than a thirty-one year old man. Zhoumi vaguely commented from the back of his mind that Korean genetics were amazing.

“Please take care of him.” He asked Zhoumi and Zhoumi could only nod in reply. Jongwoon never asked for a lot typically, so when asked, they would do so gladly.

“Which reminds me, hyung,” Zhoumi asked as Jongwoon searched for his thrown shoes that Zhoumi forgot to fix. “Why are you in China?”

“Ah, Y Style business. Jongjin’s with me. Ryeong was supposed to keep it a secret from Kyu so that we could surprise him, since he got a solo debut. But,” Jongwoon shrugged. “He got sick and I got worried, so I kind of rushed here.”

Zhoumi nodded as Jongwoon’s hand held onto the door knob. “I’m pretty sure he’ll get well soon. I just wanted to see how he was. Now that I saw him myself, I feel relieved and I can get back to work before Jongjin abuses me again.” He said with a light laughter. Zhoumi joined him.

“Are you visiting again?”

Jongwoon seemed to think about it hard. “Kyu deserves the surprise, don’t you think?”

*

Kyuhyun blinked and looked around the room. The feeling of a comforting touch still lingering on his hair, a familiar hand it repeatedly and an echo of a smooth lullaby in his ears. The pain of his fever forgotten at the coolness of the skin. He found Zhoumi on the chair, almost finished with the book he was reading, but his brain was still stuck at the caressing and he blurted. “Jongwoon-hyung…”

Zhoumi looked up from his book, a brow raised and a questioning gaze. “Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun shook his head and remembered that they were in China. And Jongwoon was busy, whether or not they were in Korea. “Nothing. I just thought Jongwoon-hyung was here. Ah well, it was a nice dream.” He lied back down, though the fever had gone down, his body was still exhausted.

Zhoumi’s other brow raised up, now covered by his bangs. It was a good thing that he hadn’t closed the book because Kyuhyun might have noticed the smile then.

“You never know. Dreams do come true.”

A/N: Obligatory sick!fic for you... and I'm sorry this was late. ;n; 3 more to go! I'm going to miss writing these! (And suddenly got an influx of excited comments about the Haunted Mansion part. Oh dear. :));;; )

PS. Would any of you be interested in an .EPUB, .PDF and/or .MOBI? I'm thinking of compiling them all at Archive of Our Own after all 20 were finished.