Talking to Leeteuk on his birthday had only succeeded in filling Heechul with more longing and loneliness. The only difference was now he knew Leeteuk felt the same way without him.

The fourth of July crept slowly onto the Sharehouse and Heechul couldn’t make himself relax at home. He still spent the mornings out with his surfboard and most evenings he holed up in his room with his cat and his phone, waiting for Leeteuk to text him. He was sitting on his bed just like this on the afternoon of the third when the doorbell rang.

Heechul couldn’t remember expecting company. Simon went to pick Donghae up from the airport. And obedient Heechul was waiting for his brother’s surprise. The only person he waited for longer than he’d wait for Donghae, was Leeteuk. No one answered the damn door, so Heechul made his way out of his room to the front door. He opened it up and his jaw nearly dropped. Standing in front of him was the most beautiful girl, his girl, Gain.

“Hi Heechul,” Gain said, teary-eyed with happiness at seeing Heechul after all this time.

“Gain?” Heechul asked in disbelief despite the proof staring at him.

“It’s me.” Gain nodded happily. She was wearing a flower patterned sundress and her hair had grown past her shoulders where she’d curled the ends.

“Surprise!” Donghae interrupted, shoving past Gain with his bags.

“This was your surprise?” Heechul asked. He moved as Simon came in after Donghae, carrying Gain’s bags.

“We’ve been planning it for a while,” Gain said. She couldn’t contain herself any longer and held her arms out, moving in for a Heechul hug.

Heechul squeezed his arms around her lower back and hid his face against her neck. “I missed you,” he mumbled and refused to let her out of the hug.

Gain smiled and closed her eyes as she pressed her cheek onto Heechul’s chest. He kissed the side of her head and rocked them gently from foot to foot. “Heenim,” she said happily. “I love you.”

“I love you too. You should have told me you were coming home, baby girl.”

“But that would have ruined the surprise,” Gain grinned and pulled back to look in his eyes. “Is it just me, or are you stronger?” She laughed softly and felt over his arms, and chest. “And you’re not milky skinned anymore.” She pouted.

Heechul laughed softly and closed his eyes as her hands ended up on his cheeks. “I’ve been surfing.” He opened his eyes and held her hands on his cheeks. “You look good. Paris treated you well.”

“I didn’t get much of Paris. I got the inside of my office or home, helping speech patients.” Gain laughed softly and pet through Heechul’s hair. She could tell a great many things about how he’d been feeling over the past few months without Leeteuk, just by looking into his eyes, feeling the coarseness of his hair and the roughness of the skin on his face. Satisfied that he needed her to take care of him, Gain kissed his cheek and sighed happily. “Where are all the new kids?”

“They’ll be home a little later,” Simon said, his eyes softening when Gain smiled at him. He didn’t understand why he was so jealous over Gain’s closeness with Heechul. It wasn’t anything new. The two of them would have made a great couple, if there hadn’t been a Jokwon at the time or a Leeteuk. “Amber took Key to lunch.”

Gain nodded and twirled a half circle in her dress, sighing happily. “It’s good to be home.” She stood in the foyer with Heechul still staring at her and Simon adding his own longing stare.

Donghae couldn’t help but laugh from where he was standing near Simon. “I can see why you two love her so much. But she might want to sit down some time?”

Heechul cleared his head and his throat. “Come on, you guys hungry?”

Gain laughed at Heechul and nodded, following behind him. Her eyes stayed on Simon as she left, giving him a cute smile.

“You are hopeless,” Donghae said softly, nudging Simon’s shoulder with his own.

“Can you blame me? That girl is gorgeous.” He moved down the hall and watched her in the kitchen with Heechul.

“So you’ll be dating now right?” Donghae asked.

“I don’t know. We never really talked about it,” Simon admitted.

“But you kissed her before she left right? And she didn’t hate you for it?”

“No… But I don’t want to assume and .”

“I get it. But dude, you haven’t even glanced at another girl since she’s been gone, right? She’d be stupid to ignore you.”

“Don’t call her stupid, man,” Simon glared suddenly at Donghae.

“I didn’t,” Donghae chuckled. “But I’ll call you stupid if you don’t ask her out before someone else does.”

“Yeah,” Simon said softly. He left Donghae’s side for the kitchen, joining in Heechul and Gain’s conversation.

Key and Amber came home to an unexpected and large welcome from a kitchen full of happy family. Heechul was at the head of the table and Gain sat to his left, Donghae to his right and Simon beside Gain. Amber sat down to her new best friend Donghae and Key slid into the chair at the foot of the table.

It was good different, for Key to see Heechul smiling, or to see Heechul at all really. The whole summer he’d felt like the man was avoiding home. He knew from Simon that Heechul was seriously missing his boyfriend, but Key couldn’t understand what was so great about the guy you could miss him so much you’d be depressed about it. Key had found many boyfriends and none of which made him over the moon for them. Maybe Leeteuk was Heechul’s ‘the one?’

Amber brightened up to Donghae. He was perfect for her slight case of ADHD. Not a lot of talk and plenty of play. Simon looked completely star struck by Gain; it was cute to see him focused almost solely on one girl as he joked and laughed with Heechul. Key sighed as he felt comfortable at home, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt that way in this house. He’d have to thank Gain and her brightness, later.

Dinner happened and wound down, leaving Heechul and Gain cleaning up the kitchen. The others, trying not to aggravate Key’s casted arm, decided on a console gaming tournament. Heechul washed dishes and handed them off to Gain for drying and putting away.

“Tell me about Yunho?” She asked, drying a plate.

Heechul’s arms were elbow deep in soapy water as he smirked. “Simon’s told you all about him I guess?”

“Bits and pieces, but you know me, I like dirt from the source.”

“He’s gorgeous, Gain. Crazy gorgeous. His eyes are bright and discerning. He’s tall and almost classically handsome. Then he takes off his shirt and the surfer body comes out.” Heechul shook his head, his smirk still edging his lips.

“So physically amazing,” Gain said with a nod. “What about personality?”

“Personality to match. There are a few things that worry me about him though. He’s got a little arrogance, where he’ll tell you what you’re going to do when you’re with him. But then he’ll turn completely soft on you when he thinks he’s offended you. I guess for me I was most attracted to him forcing me to do new things. Sometimes I get really reluctant, even if it’s something I’m dying to try, like surfing. So I have to thank his demanding side, but at the same time it scares me off.” Heechul sighed and scrubbed extra hard at a pot.

“Sounds like he’s trying to be more of a friend than an abusive ex though, hm?” Gain smiled. “Do I get to meet him?”

“Well, I invited him to come out tomorrow, but he was getting too possessive and I reminded him I’m not his, he called the fourth ‘tentative,’ and I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Yikes. I guess that’s for the best then,” Gain chuckled. “And how’s my other favorite oppa?”

“Teukie?” Heechul brightened up, smiling at her as she nodded. “He’s lonely, like me. But making so much progress with songwriting. He’s networking like crazy and selling songs. He’s a year older now too.” He chuckled.

“You’re so cute,” Gain grinned. “You brightened right up like he was in the room with us.”

Heechul laughed. “I’m obviously in love and it might get embarrassing, you could change the topic of conversation?”

Gain chuckled and shook her head. “No thanks. I just kind of have to chuckle at Simon being so worried over you and Yunho. You’re obviously Leeteuk’s. You two should get married.” She laughed softly.

“Yah! No, we’re just dating. Marriage is too much.”

“Oh, my god, Heechul. Are you scared of marriage?”

Heechul’s face brightened with blush. “No,” he denied, seriously considering the pot he was scrubbing suddenly.

“Oh babe, you are!” Gain laughed and slid her arms around his waist. “That’s so adorable. You don’t have to be scared of it.”

“Yaaah,” Heechul whined. “Stop talking about it.”

Gain laughed harder and let him go. “You want to see the gorgeous thing that was following me around in France?” Heechul nodded and Gain pulled out her phone, through pictures. “So the hospital I was working near was also near a university. There are a bunch of exchange students, right? Look at this guy.”

Heechul took the towel off his shoulder and dried his hands before taking her phone. “Oh my god.”

“Right? How the hell was I supposed to tell Simon about that?” Gain whispered and laughed softly. “He would have flown over and kicked his .”

“Probably. You shouldn’t even keep his images on your phone.” Heechul teased.

“Oh, no. I plan to keep these images to use as bait if Simon doesn’t ask me out while I’m home.”

“You’re incredibly evil.” Heechul chuckled. “Tell me about this guy?” He handed her phone back.

“His name’s Siwon.. Also, what is it with me and similarly named guys?” She sighed. “Anyway, he’s super smart, studying to become an anesthesiologist. And incredibly romantic. You can’t even guess how hard it was for me to keep turning him down when he’d ask me out. I didn’t even have the fallback of having a boyfriend like you do. I ended up going on a group date with some of my work friends and some of his fellow students. I think he was trying really, really hard to get my attention, because he took his shirt off and I almost couldn’t control myself. I think he works out as a hobby or something, because damn.”

Heechul laughed. “I’m so glad I’m not alone, being tempted by pretty boys.”

“He does have a fatal flaw though.” Gain pouted. “He’s Christian and not very forgiving when it comes to boy’s love.”

“Ouch. He sunk his own ship there,” Heechul laughed. “Because you’re everyone’s favorite hag.”

“I am not a hag!” Gain laughed, slapping Heechul’s shoulder before taking the last plate to dry and put away.

“Then you’re a nag?” Heechul laughed, covering his head and groin as she pretended to attack him with the plate.

“I don’t know why I even come home,” she laughed, placing the plate safely in the cupboard.

“Because you love me.” Heechul smiled and pulled her into a hug. He lifted her off her feet and carried her like a bride into the front room. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Simon! This is mine now,” Heechul teased as he found an empty chair and sat with Gain on his lap.

“This? I’m an object to you, Heechul? I’m so disappointed. I wanted to get married to you.”

Heechul laughed and squished her close.

Simon shook his head, smirking. “You can have her. She’s too annoying for me.”

“I’ll take her,” Key chimed in, grinned at Heechul hugging her. “She seems really fun and she’s so pretty.”

“Could we pamper each other every day?” Gain grinned, looking over at Key as she cuddled Heechul.

“You know it. Facials, hairstyles, fashion. We’d be gorgeous every day.”

“What if she’s mine instead?” Amber joked as she guided her character to beating the crap out of Simon’s in game. “We’d pick her a car and I’d fix it up so she’d look y in it.”

“Why are you ganging up on me?” Simon laughed as he hit her character harder.

“Or I’ll take her,” Donghae chuckled. “She can join the mile high club.”

There was a chorus of boos and catcalls from the whole room as Simon punched Donghae’s thigh gently. “ off,” Simon laughed.

Donghae punched Simon’s shoulder in turn and chuckled. “Seriously though Gain. This guy is in so much love with you, you’ve got to date him.”

“Will you shut it?” Simon nearly yelled. “Dammit.”

Donghae and Heechul laughed as Simon got out of his seat and stormed out the back door. Gain shook her head. “You guys pushed him too far now. I’d better go clean up.” She smiled and climbed off of Heechul, leaving the Sharehouse to follow Simon.

He’d made it pretty far down to the beach before Gain caught up to him. “Hey, why are you running?”

Simon slowed down and sighed as he looked at her. “I don’t want them giving me anymore.”

“You shouldn’t run, you should tell them off.” Gain smiled. “Did you lose all your fight?”

“It’s not exactly like I can fight them about it.” Simon sighed.

“Why?” Gain shrugged and slid her hand into Simon’s as they walked.

“Because.. It’s true.” Simon swallowed, picked up his nerve and stopped their walking, taking both of Gain’s hands. “I love you. I guess it took you going before I realized what I had. I missed you more than I’ve ever missed anyone in my life. And I would like it if you’d be my girl.”

Gain looked Simon in the eye as he spoke. She smiled warmly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’d like very much to be your girl, Simon.”

“Yeah?” Simon asked, grinning. “That had to be the hardest thing I’ve planned to say since a failed job interview.”

Laughing, Gain nodded and hugged Simon tightly. “I fell in love with you too. And I want to see how this plays out between us.”

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known, Gain.”

“Stop it, you’ll make me cry.”

Simon smiled and squeezed her against his chest. “I want you with me.”

Gain nodded and leaned back to search Simon’s face. “I want you with me too. I wanted you with me the whole time I was away.”

“You could have said and I would have gone. You know that right?”

Smiling, she nodded and leaned to kiss him softly.

Simon kissed back, letting a relieved sigh into it.