chapter 1

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No One Should Know About This

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Leeteuk was barely awake when their manager muttered endless babbles about their entire schedules for today. His eyes battered in fatigue as he caught the sight of the manager’s lips opened and closed, forming words that did not reach his ears. He was tired and obviously lacking a proper sleep.

‘Never thought that Eunhyuk could snore that loud.’ His thought rang weakly inside his head, reminiscing the memories of his poor ears that had been assaulted by the chorus of someone’s snores through the night.

It was not Leeteuk’s fault that Donghae wanted to room with him, and he did not reject the boy. Donghae is a sweetie and he was known for his good habit of sleeping – perfect match for his over sensitive ears. Leeteuk would be easily woken up even with the slightest movement or sound. But he never thought that Eunhyuk would constantly tag along to his room. Their loud bickering was already bad as it is, but seeing them sleeping together was worse that his eyes needed holy water to cleanse them.

“Are you still with me, Leeteuk-ssi?” The sudden voice made him jumped – not literally, but almost. Leeteuk’s head snapped up in instant and noticed how the manager did not look pleased.

“Y-yes, yes of course! It was about the schedule, right? Of course I heard you.” Sending out a nervous laugh, Leeteuk tried to smile. The manager did not seem convinced, though. His deep crease on his forehead deepened, and Leeteuk immediately felt bad. Their manager surely had it worse than him in terms of sleep. He was being so disrespectful.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I was kinda lost focus there–“

“Then, repeat.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Repeat what I’ve just said earlier. I’ve wasted almost half an hour talking about your schedules and I want to know how much you understand those.” His speech was calm, but the undeniable tone of accusing was there between those carefully chosen words.

‘Here we go,’ Leeteuk thought as he felt himself fallen. ‘Nothing’s worse than an angry manager.’

“Well?” The manager urged again, hands folded gently on his chest, waiting for the leader’s answer.

“Uh… the schedule, we need to wake up, for now?” Leeteuk glanced at the still closed-eyes of the members, sprawling their legs around the living room floor and couch. Kyuhyun, Sungmin, and Shindong decided that last night was the so-called movie night marathon, and there they were, falling asleep beneath a mess of popcorn and chips after watching three movies or so. He saw how Sungmin’s eyes got a bit puffy, though. What kind of movies were they spending the night for?

“Yes, that obviously correct – I didn’t think I said that, though.”

“Oh… okay, must be my imagination.” His eyes pranced around the room again to help him think, but stopped abruptly when he caught the sight of a barely closed DVD case. ‘Hachiko?’ He thought, ‘of all movies, why Hachiko?’ Leeteuk’s shoulders shook slightly to hold his laughter down his throat, especially when a certain maknae of the three decided to get up and rubbed his eyes, trying to ease the sting and the swollen around his reddened eyes.

‘Kyuhyun was crying after watching Hachiko!’ Leeteuk chirped happily in his mind. After how much talks and brags about his manliness and constant teases Leeteuk got when the younger caught him drowning in tears after he watched that movie. Leeteuk was so going to tease the younger about this.

The manager nudged him on the side and Leeteuk snapped back. “Sorry, hyung – alright, after that we need to… make up? Uhh, there will be a fan meeting after this and… yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously. He seriously did not remember anything.

Kyuhyun saw how their manager kept throwing death glares to Leeteuk, and he grew curious. He waited until Leeteuk’s eyes glancing around and finally focused on his. Kyuhyun swore he could hear Leeteuk’s plead of ‘Help me, oh dear Lord, Kyuhyun you have to help me!’ ringing inside his mind. He enjoyed the leader’s tortured look for a minute more before getting up, swaying his legs to their side.

“We will have a fan meeting at 11, and there are still about 200 copies of albums more that hadn’t been signed so we all need to finished them before 9. Today we have a detour to the salon because the usual stylist-noona is sick and thus couldn’t come here. After the fan meeting, we will have a performance on Inkigayo, but before that you would dump us all to practice room because last performance was a mess on the dancing part – yes, it was me, do not judge, it wasn’t entirely my fault that my limbs are not coordinated. Then a photo shoot for a magazine and lastly, Leeteuk hyung and Eunhyuk hyung will do Sukira like always, Shindong hyung’s going for MC again and the rest of us will go home.” Kyuhyun said those words without pausing and Leeteuk’s mouth gaped in awe. Heck, how did he manage to listen and remembered all their manager’s talks earlier when he was supposed to be asleep?

“The details were written in papers right, hyung? Will go through them later.” The younger said again, shrugging his shoulders and stepping away to search for food.

A mystery. Kyuhyun’s identity of being a normal human would be forever mystery to Leeteuk’s mind.

“Thanks, big boy,” Leeteuk muttered as Kyuhyun slumped into his lap, hands circled around his waist with his head resting comfortably on the crook of Leeteuk’s neck. They were sitting on the couch, looking fresh and good after showers. Kyuhyun still seemed drowsy, though.

“That cost you ice cream– “

“Anything you want.” He patted Kyuhyun’s head, ruffling the dark brown curls gently, loving how they tangled around his fingers.

“I’m not finished.” The younger cut in before continued with a smirk growing from his lips. Leeteuk could feel it stretched on his neck. “That was for two weeks, everyday, and it was not just an ice cream, but the ice cream.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I, the Cho Kyuhyun, never kid when it comes to ice cream.”

Of course Kyuhyun would never joke about that. That kid is practically an ice cream worshipper, and it is not just an ordinary ice cream, no. It is the large serving of mixed banana and strawberry sundae with fudge covered waffles cone pieces and an extra whipped cream and an extra chocolate wafer, finished with a cherry on top.

Oh how Kyuhyun could take those sweetness without cringing or even producing a blink, Leeteuk would never know – he did not want to find out, anyway.

“Maybe we could lower the time period a bit–“ Leeteuk said between his gritted teeth. ‘My wallet! My poor wallet!’

Kyuhyun gave out a mocking snort. “I should have gotten more, considered how much I saved your back there, Leeteuk.”

 “That’s Leeteuk-hyung for you. Can’t you be a little sweeter and nicer just like every maknae in this world does?”

“Alright, Leeteuk-hyung, buy me ice cream please.” That, and Leeteuk died after Kyuhyun did a bbuing-bbuing for the last part.

“Your back’s acting up again?”

“Yeah, sort of,” Leeteuk winced at Kyuhyun’s single touch to his back. It was burning for some reason. He did not remember since when did it start, but his back was being a problem lately. It hurt, like there was something struggling beneath the skin, wanting to come out.

“You sure it wasn’t because you’re aging, hyung? Cause all old men have problems with their back.” Kyuhyun dodged a flick to his nose and chuckled happily as he rubbed the leader’s back again, feeling a strange lump began to form underneath the shirt, but he decided to ignore it.

The trip to the fan meeting hall was taking too long, and Leeteuk started to feel very uncomfortable with the heat spreading from his back. He shifted his body stiffly on the seat, trying to focus on anything else beside the pain. The soft touch from Kyuhyun somehow helped to ease him. He leaned to the caress, letting his head resting on the younger’s shoulder.

“Sleep, hyung, the traffic won’t go normal until hours, I bet.”

“Then we would all be late, silly. Let’s not hope that.” Leeteuk shifted his head, searching for the best place on the younger’s shoulder. He sighed contently when he found it, arm reaching to circle Kyuhyun’s when his eyes finally closed.   

Kyuhyun smiled at their entwining hands. “I’ll wake you up, then.”

 “There’s so much to comment on that I can’t decide where to start.” Donghae suddenly popped out from the front seat, eyeing the pair with mischievous glint. He chuckled at their suspiciously affectionate position.

“You can start by shutting up your mouth.” The younger retorted in whispered voice, trying to relax his tense body as Leeteuk began to move in discomfort.

“Touché. No need to be defensive, Kyuhyun, we knew already.”

“Wha-what did you know?”

“Something about you and our lovely leader here.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “We aren’t dating!” He shouted loud enough for everyone in the van to hear, but immediately calmed down again when he noticed the head on his shoulder shifted and left. He pulled Leeteuk down again to him, mumbling a soft sorry and his hair slowly.

“Ooh, but I never said that you guys are dating – I’m talking about the ice cream threat.”

The younger’s eyebrows raised in realization. Who knows a certain fish can outrun a trickster. “Damn you.”

“Language, maknae.” Donghae smiled sweetly and he slumped back to his seat, whispering something to Eunhyuk beside him who then kept glancing to Kyuhyun’s side and laughing in respond.

Filled with anxiety, Kyuhyun took a wary glance at the man who was still sleeping peacefully beside him. He caught the small smile on the latter’s lips and found himself grinning in return, wondering what kind of dream the older was seeing. After making sure that Siwon who sat across him was not paying attention to their side, he leaned closer to Leeteuk and planted a soft, lingering kiss on top of his head.

‘No one should know about this.’ He thought lamely.  

The voice of their manager roared inside the van and Kyuhyun sighed. He reluctantly shook Leeteuk’s shoulders.

“Wake up, hyung,” he looked outside to the grand venue before the window, “the fan meeting’s here.”