Title: Talking through a wall (Knock, knock)

 

Author: [Anonymous]

Prompt #40

“We live in adjacent apartments and our bedrooms are on opposite sides of a very thin wall and one night I heard you crying and talked to you through the wall” AU

Not to include in the final work: N/A

Prompt given by: Anonymous

 

Word Count: 11.022

 

Rating: PG-13

 

Author’s/Notes:

 

The prompt was interesting and quite fun to work with.

Fun fact àI had already thought of something similar to the given prompt, but was struggling to write it since I had no ship on my mind.

Then *BAM* somebody had the same idea as I had and thanks to that person I could finally write about what I wanted to and now I had the perfect excuse and the perfect couple for it.

 

(Also in advance I want to apologize to the prompt giver if what I have written isn’t at all what that may have had in mind regarding the prompt.)

 

I miss Super Junior a lot and that’s why I wanted to get involved in something Suju related and that’s how I decided to write something about this amazing ship (Eunhae).

This is for my sister who is the most vivid and crazy shipper I know. She loves them and somehow got me to like them too and respect these two artists, alone and together.

 

About fanfiction: You will find in it: angst; hurt/comfort; romance; friendship; a bit of mystery (maybe not at all) and a lot of feels.

 

Please read it to the end and enjoy the fanfiction all you Eunhae shippers.

 

J That’s my only wish. J

 

Summary: Donghae a lovely, vivid young man has been feeling sad lately. A new neighbor of his (Eunhyuk), who lives just a wall away, whom he doesn’t even get to see, enters in his life. He finds a confider in him and soon they become friends, later on (maybe) even more.

 

 

It was him. Walking down the road was none other than him. The white shirt hanging loosely from his shoulders mismatching terribly the grey sweat pants he had on, and the messy blond hair. It couldn’t be anyone else besides him.

Donghae looked down in his chest the small dog who excitedly barked, wriggling on the arms to be free. As soon as he put the cute animal down, the dog ran away, toward the other young man, jumping around his legs and barking contented.

“Cream”- Hyukjae yelped surprised but not less happy to see the little pet.-“What are you doing here, buddy?”

He bent down and took Cream in his hands, caressing gently the fluffy fur. How much he had missed the cute animal, but if the dog was here that meant only one thing. Afraid of who he would find behind him, terrified that this may be only a dream or just an illusion, he his heels.

A beautiful bouquet of roses, red and white, welcomed him. Behind the flowers was a smile, brighter than the sun, warmer than a spring day and as go as the man it belonged to.

He could only shed a tear of…

~AS IT HAPPENED~

~Donghae~

He was like everyone else.

One look at him and you would see a fine young man with chestnut brown hair matching perfectly his chocolate orbs that are nothing else but a pool of whirling emotions. His soft features gave his face a boyish look of pure innocence like he has no idea what goes on outside his bubble.

Another look at that beautiful man and he wasn’t the same one anymore. He was sat in the corner of his room, his back to the wall and legs pulled to the chest, his face hidden in his knees; vulnerable and a mess.

Maybe Donghae was slightly different.

He knows what life is yet he can’t understand how to live.

There was so much going on in his head, and much more in his chest. A vortex of feelings threatening him as he once again was crying his heart out. Donghae was hurting, his chest clenching in pain as a mess of words echoed in his head.

Words are often source of agony…

A few spoken words early that day were the bullets stuck deep in him tearing his soul apart. If that wasn’t enough Hae has to deal with self-loath, he was getting tired of his weakness and yet couldn’t stop the crystalline tears falling down his puffed and red cheeks. He was crying because he didn’t want to cry.

What an irony!

Donghae’s fingers reached his hair, pulling at them; maybe he’d make the ache stop… No… It is impossible, emotional pain doesn’t fade like physical one does. It’s like a permanent mark carved deep in the most vulnerable part of his, the heart.

A choked sigh escaped his lips; he raised his head while leaning to the wall, his head hit the cold surface a bit more forcefully than he indented to.

Donghae was alone in his misery, hoping that it would be the last time feeling like this, and all these breaking down in the end would just make him stronger.

…Although he wasn’t as alone as he thought to be…

~Eunhyuk~

The young man opened the door of his new apartment and dragging his feet he barely managed to enter in. He was exhausted; his only wish was a shower and a good sleep. The shower didn’t take much of his time and soon he found himself under the covers, in his soft and warm bed. Sleep would take him over soon, in such a quiet, peaceful night.

Why he had the feeling that something was missing though?

The silence was deafening… just for a second. There it was the missing part of his usual evenings. Eunhyuk heard the soft bump against the wall, followed by other sounds that were eclipsed by the whimpers and the heartbreaking crying.

Eunhyuk sighed; this was his fifth night in the new apartment and the third time he heard that neighbor of his crying. It was saddening, nonetheless quite annoying. He couldn’t stand this anymore. Eunhyuk made his hand in a ball and reached for the wall, knocking on it a couple of times. Not a response, the crying seemed to intensify. His patience wearing thin, growling in irritation he stood on his knees facing the wall and knocking on it harder and harder…

 

*Knock, knock, knock*

*Knock, knock, knock*

Donghae’s head snapped up, he heard the knocks coming from somewhere. The boy looked around trying to identify the source of the banging noises. It seemed to come from the wall behind his bed. He crawled toward the bed and obviously the knocking sounds become even stronger. Hae sat on it, standing on his knees, facing the wall.

There were no more knocks though.

To make sure it wasn’t just a figment of his imagination he put his ear to the wall and…a loud knock startled him. Donghae pulled away immediately.

“Is anyone…”- He didn’t know what to say- “…hello…are you the..re?” – Donghae’s voice cracked. He couldn’t believe how hoarse he sounded and how much his throat hurt.

“Are you feeling okay?”- A voice came from the other side. It was soft and compassionate.

Donghae’s chest thundered, he felt the tears threatening to fall again and the words got caught in his throat. It was inevitable, whenever someone asked his obvious emotional state he felt exposed and vulnerable, it made him small, and for more it reminded him what was trying to avoid and he’d feel the crying overpower him.

“So stupid of me. Certainly you aren’t feeling good.”

That same voice spoke and Donghae’s tears fell down, making new trails on his cheeks.

“You don’t have to talk to me but if you are there and listening can you at least knock. I won’t feel stupid for talking to a wall.”

…

For a couple of minutes there was only silence, not a single sound, not a single breath was heard. Both young men doubted for a second the existence of the other, until…

*Knock*

Donghae softly knocked on the wall just once; he did want to hear that voice again, to feel another human’s presence, to know that he wasn’t alone.

“So you are there! Thank god. For a moment I doubted my sanity or even worse…a ghost. I thought that maybe this place was haunted. In that room may be a ghost …”

“A WHAT?! A…A GH…O…”- Hae’s eyes went wide in fear as he panicked- “…in my room?!”

“No, no”- Eunhyk voiced fast-“I mean I thought you were the ghost. Not that you are one. Right?! Listen, I just…oh…whatever…never mind”

“I get scared of those”- Donghae spoke in a tiny voice, almost inaudible- “I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t mention that word again.”

“If it keeps you from crying I am sorry but I will mention it over and over again. Better scared then depressed.”

“I am not depressed!”

Hae said slightly heatedly, his brows furrowing and even though Eunhyuk couldn’t see it, the man in the other side of the wall could have sensed the shift in the other’s mood.

“What do you call it then your crying every damn night?! Since I moved in I haven’t slept peacefully.”

Eunhyk folded his arms over his chest, a pointed look to the wall as though he could see right through it.

“Oh! I am really sorry about that. I never realized that someone had moved in. I thought I was all alone. I didn’t mean to cause you troubles. I apologize.”

It was a sincere apology and Eunhyuk knew that. Now he felt really bad of having been so insensitive. You can’t even compare the feelings of not being able to sleep because of someone’s crying (pathetic) while the other can’t even sleep because something is tormenting him enough to cry a river of tears.

“I call it weakness.”- Donghae spoke out of the blue, bringing Eunhyuk back to the living world.

Hae was responding to Eunhyuk’s long forgotten question in a pained voice that sent a wave of shivering pity down his body. He had no idea what to say now. How do you deal with such a confession?! With a broken man, you know little about, without causing more damage?!

Being honest seemed a right maneuver.

“Listen…”- Eunhyuk stopped his talking, realizing that he couldn’t call the other by his name-“…Can I call you by your name?”

“Lee Donghae”- It was the short, simple answer and unelaborated permission.

“Listen to me Donaghe. Once I heard something and even though I may have not understood it back than it still stuck with me, so now I want to share it with you. My father said to my mother once a couple of wise words:

“Tears are precious. They are tiny jewels containing our deepest emotions. Save your tears for special days. Cry only if your heart it’s drowning in sorrow or in happiness. If you won’t be careful with your tears than one day you won’t have any to shed. Do you want to know why that is destructive? It means to be drained of every beautiful emotion too. You won’t be able of feeling anything, like a rainbow without colors, a body without soul…”

“So Donghae tell me, do you want that?!”

“Yes”- The young man responded. His voice was curt, yet tinted with insecurity and a bit of disdain that it seemed to be directed toward his own self.

“No you don’t. You are lying to me and yourself too. I don’t know what you are going through. I know that whatever it is you’d prefer to not feel anything rather than feel pain. It’s okay. You are just a bit emotionally unstable and may not realize that the cost would be a shell void of emotions and you can’t be soulless.”

“It’s tiring me.” – Voiced Hae again- “I hate to be so prone to destruction. Just one word and I have erupted in a waterfall of tears. I want to be tough. I want to be cold and emotionless, that way I won’t be messed around, that way I won’t hurt.”

The real reason came out in the end.

Donghae moved away from the wall, lying down in his bed, his head fell on the soft pillow. It was cold so the smart thing to slid under the blanket.

“I prefer you to be human. What makes you a wonderful being are those emotions, so don’t give up on them.”

Those were the last words Eunhyuk spoke. Hae didn’t say anything in return. A different kind of silence fell. It was comfortable. He was there even though he wasn’t. Donghae felt warmer too. Maybe all he needed was a shoulder to (not) cry to.

Donghae listened to some sort of rhythm, being played on the wall. Soft knocks following a certain pattern. His mind was slowly drifting, his eyelids felt heavy, but the rhythm was there. It accompanied him to a dreamless sleep.

On the other hand, Eunhyuk lost his sleep. He just drummed his fingers on the wall, in an unknown beat, his mind a total mess, thinking and hoping to be able of doing something. He had to do something for his neighbor, right?

~5 Days later~

~Eunhyuk~

rehearsals were exhausting and he was so glad to have received a couple of days off. His holidays included resting in his bed as much as possible, with a good song in the background. When there was no song but a total silence, he would not so unintentionally try to spy on his neighbor. Eunhyuk would listen carefully for any kind of sound.

However the other side of the wall was unresponsive. He’d even thought that Donghae may have moved out or he was never home. He knew it was the contrary though. Donghae hasn’t left his room since their talk. He’d listen to some typical noises, soft bumps, bare feet slapping on the floor and plates or glasses clicking.

“At least he is eating.”- Eunhyuk whispered to himself in a need to sooth his worries.

He had tried to talk to him by knocking a couple of times but took no response, so he didn’t try anymore. Days have passed from the last knock so maybe trying once more wouldn’t hurt.

Eunhyuk knocked lazily, the outcome predictable. He gave up once again, yet he hadn’t removed his hand from the wall. Absentmindedly Eunhyuk kept hitting the wall, as the knocks slowly turned to a familiar beat.

It came as a surprise when he heard it echoing back. No, it wasn’t an echo; it was the same beat but drummed by his neighbor on the other side of the wall.

“Well...well”- voiced Eunhyuk in a playful tone-“Look who is alive. Glad to hear from you, after such a long ignoring.”

“I wanted some alone time.” –Hae explained in a guilty voice that made Eunhyuk chuckle.-“As rarely it happens.”

“Is your alone time over now? No more hiding in your room for days, while thinking over life.”

“I guess.”

“Ya, Donghae, it surprises me that a man with your energy had managed to stay in, moping around. How did you manage that?”

“I don’t know. Whatever was going with me, it’s over now”

“Glad to hear that. Hyper Hae is back.”

“TRUE!” – Donghae shouted and it was an euphoric one. Something happened because Eunhyuk heard a bump and another bang, things falling; maybe Hae was the one on the ground.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, I only fell of the bed. Oh well, I believe it’s time for the sun to come out and shower me in its warm and shiny rays, even if it would be for a short time. Time is just a concept anyway.”

“Except noisy you become poetic too. Lucky me!” – Joked Eunhyuk –“Please tell me you don’t recite poems during night in a loud voice.”

A fit of laugh erupted from the other side of wall, it was hearty and melodic. It did strange things to Eunhyuk’s chest, a sudden warmness blooming in his heart (or soul) and spreading as waves of energy through his entire body.

“Your laugh is nice and contagious.”- Said Eunhyuk after a while.

Donghae’s lips pulled into a sweet smile, being content that at least he could make someone else taste a bit of joy. Although, now that he thought about it, something didn’t seem right.

“I didn’t hear you laughing”- Hae voiced with the naivety of a kid. Really he didn’t hear the other crack a laugh, or two.

“You can’t see me smiling now, can you?”- Responded Eunhyuk, his toothy grin showing how self pleased the blond was.

“Fair enough”

“You should smile too, hyper Hae. I am sure you look good with a smile on.”

~Donghae~

Donghae fell on the bed, his hands to his flushed cheeks, feeling the heat beneath his palms. His eyes were shining brightly. Somehow the words of his new neighbor (maybe he shouldn’t call new anymore) had an effect on him.

The silence that had suddenly fallen wasn’t that enjoyable this time. Hae needed more.

*Knock*

Donghae pulled his hand from the wall, hoping to have gained the attention of the other man, whose name he didn’t know yet. He slightly frowned at that realization.

“Mr. Stranger”- Hae called.

“Call me Eunhyk”

“Who named you Eunhyuk? Odd name but I like it.”

“That pleases me” – Eunhyk said half joking, half serious.

“Anyway Eunhyuk, I am sorry to inform you that I am an acting student. So your theory of me reciting during night it’s a little bit true and it does happen quite often. What can I say?! I am prone to drama even in real life. Too emotion…al!”

Emotional…Emotional….

There was that gloomy feeling once again. The glimmer in his eye slowly was fading away. He put his arms around his body, engulfing himself in a hug. Once again he was falling in the darkness he couldn’t truly escape, no matter how hard he tried.

“Then you will be a fantastic actor...”

“Thanks”

“…and an amazing person. Trust me. I know.”

Donghae just smiled, he didn’t mean to, but apparently his lips twitched and a genuine smile bloomed in his face.

Once again he listened to the beat being performed on the other side of the wall. He was so damn concentrated in it, his fingers following mindlessly the rhythm. It had such a calming effect and Hae had no idea why. Does everything need a reason, an explanation? Even if it does, not this time…

…

As the talk cease, Eunhyuk was left wondering what happened to make Donghae have a 180 degree mood change. It didn’t matter, as long as his new neighbor, no, better said his new friend was feeling better, was hyper and full of joy, maybe even close to happy…

…

~Same evening~

Later that night Donghae was left wondering. He had gone out to meet his friends. Obviously since he had decided to quit his social withdrawing, at same time craving for the company of lovely and funny (better say crazy) people as his group of friends was.

It was a surprise to come home and find in the doormat a rose; a beautiful crimson red flower. Hae took it between his fingers, approached it to his face, breathed in the sweet fragrance of the rose. Indeed the day had been a good one.

~Days later~

 

Donghae was back to his normal life; attending his classes, coffee with friends, and other monotonous things that he always did. The only thing giving a different shade to his days was the new found friendship with his neighbor and their small talks almost every evening.

…

That evening Donghae had been writing a script that was needed for his short movie, a school project, when Eunhyuk knocked on the wall. After speaking about all kind of nonsense, jumping from a topic to another until they found themselves debating with each other.

“Why should I?” – Asked Donghae, as what Eunhyuk had asked from him was just unimaginable.

“I am older than you”- Eunhyuk stated the obvious.

“No you are not.”

“Yes, 7 month older than you.”- He was in the verge of shouting, getting red from a cute anger.

“Not old enough to be called hyung.” – Hae form of speaking was pure nonchalance.

“Ya, Lee Donghae”- Eunhyuk shouted and punched the wall.-“CALL ME HYUNG”

“No”

“WHY NOT?”

“We are born in the same year and that makes us friends. Don’t you want to be my friend? Friend’s is better they are closer. ”

That blow Eunhyuk away. Donghae once again managed to awestruck him, such a genuine thinking.

“Yes. We are friends…”

“…no hyung from now on.”- Finished the other’s sentence, a smiley Hae, his eyes perfect crescents.

Eumhyuk didn’t want to but a silly toothy smile brightened his face. It felt like the sun had escaped from the sky and found place to his chest.

…

They nocturnal talks become a part of their everyday life. However the busy weeks came, school, a bunch of projects, a new job for Hae and more rehearsals for Eunhyuk.

All these made it difficult to have their small moments. Just like this time. It was really late when Donghae came back home. A small gathering with his friends for academic purposes (yeah right) had kept him busy.

He entered in and the first thing he did was to put another red rose in the vase, near his bed. He was feeling drowsy, so at the slight contact of his head with the pillow Hae just fell asleep.

‘No talking through the wall with Eunhyuk’ – This was his only and last thought before being lost in his dream world.

…

~Next morning~

~Donghae~

It wasn’t until he heard that noise, equivalent to a hummer rapidly hitting his head that Hae opened his eyes. Being a light sleeper, he woke up, slowly his brain started working and he recognized that sound.

“Morning to you too”- Donghae said in a yawn, his limbs stretching all over the bed. In a swift jump he stood in his feet, on top of his bed, knocking softly to the wall.

“You are finally up”- Eunhyuk showed no signs of sleep in his voice.

“Thanks to you”

“Don’t you have class this morning?”

“I won’t be going”- Hae replied in a small voice, his eyes staring the clock on the wall-“Apparently I overslept and obviously missed the morning class.”

“That’s what you get for partying all night”

“I wasn’t partying; I was working on a project.”

In fact Dongahe and his group of friend had been (sort of) working (or trying to) at Siwon’s house. They had a project to do, a short movie, but as it often happen, they had spend most of the time playing around than doing real work.

“Define working”- Joked Eunhyuk although his tone seemed a bit in the reproaching side.

“We watched a movie”- Donghae spoke as though caught red handed-“You can’t blame us though, Siwon has a real cinema in his house, and after that played a soccer match.”

“Quiet a friend you have there”- If it sounded jealous Hae didn’t perceive that, nor Eunhyuk would admit it if asked.-“Did you at least win the match?”- The blond asked after the silence started to become longer than intended.

“YES”- Donghae shouted still excited as he jumped up and down his bed.-“I had in my team the best player ever who happens to be my best friend. Thanks to him we won.”

*FLASHBACK*

“Donghae, pass the ball”

Hae did as he was told, giving a perfect cross that his friend turned it into a goal. Donghae feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins, just ran through the field and fell in the expectant open arms of the other. He was in such a fury that knocked the other down, both fell on the field, Hae on top of the star player.

“You are such a hurricane” – His friend said in a laugh, hugging Hae and pulling him even closer, not minding that they were lying in the grass.

Hae used his hands to steady himself, and keeping a distance from the sweaty body of the other, a huge grin in his face.

“You should have become a professional footballer.”

“I know.”- His smug grin raised the temperature of Hae’s body, deepening the red in his cheeks-“Only if you’d be my assist man though.”

Donghae’s arms got tired so he opted to just rest on top of his friend’s body, hiding his face on the crook of the others neck. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’d fall asleep right there, and it wouldn’t be a first either. Blame his friend for being a perfect pillow smelling amazing even after such a sweaty game.

*END OF FLASHBACK

“Ya, Donghae. Are you there?”

“Sorry. I got lost for a moment. What did you ask?”

“Did you at least finish the project?”

“No”- Hae spoke in a small voice as though he was embarrassed of the upcoming words.-“I fell asleep, next thing I was in my bed, you knocking on the wall.”

Eunhyuk erupted in a fit of laughs, and Hae could only feel the heat spreading through his cheeks, as a small shy smile made way in his face. The reason? It’s the vibrant and lively laugh of his neighbor.

“Wait! How did you even come home?”-Eunhyuk said out of nowhere, but his question was indeed a good one.

Hae slightly shrugged and immediately remembered that his neighbor couldn’t see him from the other side of wall.

“I was brought in by my friend. I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Well, he always does that. He is always taking care of me; always by my side. He is my best friend you know?”

“That’s what best friends are right? Having each other’s back, taking good care of each other.”

“I guess.”

Donghae’s voice changed once again, now it was softer, smaller and held a tint of blue.

“What’s wrong, Hae?”- Asked Eunhyuk preoccupied.

“Do I deserve him though? He has always been there for me while I am not sure if have been there for him.”

“Is that why