Heechul is tired and exhausted and he’s just so effing sick of people.

Like, people are legitimately the worst. I don’t know why, but they just are.

So by the time he gets back to the dorms after a stupidly long day full of annoying interviewers, dance coaches, and even some particularly irritating band mates, Heechul is sooooo done.

He pushes his way out of the car first – he’d made sure he was last in so he could be first out – and storms his way into the elevator, stabbing at the floor button savagely. He smiles grimly as he presses the door close button before any of his band mates can get in the lift with him. The look of shock and betrayal on Eunhyuk and Donghae’s faces as they watch the doors close in their face almost makes him laugh.

He stomps into the dorms and kicks his shoes off in the entryway, not caring where they end up, and then stomps into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He throws himself onto his bed, shoves his head into his pillow and lets out a bloodcurdling scream.

He screeches with all of his pent up frustration and anger, getting it all out of his system. Then, he lets the pillow go and falls limply into his mattress, his limbs askew.

Heechul lies there panting for a few minutes, just letting it all out. He’s pleasantly drifting, not quite completely awake, but not really going to sleep either, when a knock comes at his door.

He groans out loud, not caring who hears.

“Whaaaaaaaat,” he practically moans, flailing his limbs dejectedly, “What do you want from me.”

“Heechul?” Leeteuk’s half-amused, half-concerned voice sounds loud and clear through the doorway.

“Go away,” Heechul yells back, “There’s nobody here.”

“Heechul, I know you’re in there.”

“Heechul isn’t here. Please leave a message after the beep. BEEEEEP!”

“Heechul,” Leeteuk tries again, “You’re being unreasonable again. Remember how we had that talk about being reasonable and nice and not traumatising the younger members?”

“No,” Heechul replies stubbornly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I do recall you telling me that you promise you’d try not to make Eunhyuk cry again. Do you know where Eunhyuk is right now?” Leeteuk pauses for a second, but Heechul refuses to answer him. “He’s crying, Heechul. And do you know why he’s crying? Because you closed the elevator door in his face and then you quote unquote ‘smiled like you were going to eat his soul.’ I left him clinging to Donghae and Siwon and crying. That doesn’t sound like trying not to make him cry.”

“Stupid monkey should’ve thought about that before he ate my egg and stole my shirt and didn’t give me earphones,” Heechul sulks. He can hear Leeteuk’s snort through the door.

“Didn’t he buy you earphones already?”

“He says he did but I don’t even believe him. He keeps making up some excuse like he left them in his room or whatever. Yeah right. He’s a traitor and a cry-baby and I hate him and I hate everybody,” Heechul punctuates his sentence with another squirming flail. He knows he’s acting like a baby but he’s really too tired and too done to be even dealing with this a little bit right now. Leeteuk sighs.

“I’m coming in,” he says, and Heechul throws himself over, sitting bolt upright and getting to his feet.

“DON’T YOU DA-,” he’s cut off by Leeteuk opening the door and striding in before Heechul can stop him. Heechul glares at him, let’s out his most dramatic groan, and then flops backwards onto the bed, his breath leaving him in a whoosh. “I hate you the most,” he informs Leeteuk, voice devoid of emotion.

“I know you do,” Leeteuk says patiently, crossing the room and climbing up on Heechul’s bed next to him. Heechul refuses to acknowledge his presence, staring resolutely at the ceiling.

“Leave me alone,” Heechul sulks, “I’m sick of people today. I just want to be alone forever. I’m going to retire tomorrow and go to some remote hilltop, and build a nice home inside cave, and it’ll just be me, Heebum and Baengshin, and maybe some mountain goats, and I’ll never have to deal with people ever again.”

Leeteuk snorts at him again.

“I don’t think you’d cope in a cave,” he informs Heechul sensibly, settling himself on the bed and then patting his thighs. Heechul pouts, but drags himself towards Leeteuk, curling up with his head in Leeteuk’s lap. “There’s no internet or people to tell you how pretty you are in a cave.”

“I’m the prettiest man alive,” Heechul mumbles into Leeteuk’s thigh, almost purring when Leeteuk starts petting his hair, “Even mountain goats could tell that. They’d probably evolve to be able to talk just so that they could tell me how pretty I am.”

“I’m not sure that’s how evolution works,” Leeteuk chuckles, not ceasing his , “But if it helps, you are the prettiest man I know. Prettier than most girls too.”

“Even the ones with plastic surgery?” Heechul asks, his voice small. He stifles a yawn. Leeteuk nods.

“Even the ones who have had plastic surgery. You’re even prettier than they will ever be because it’s all natural.”

“I really am pretty,” Heechul agrees, curling himself up more and completely unable to stop the next yawn.

“And very tired,” Leeteuk tells him, running a hand across Heechul’s cheek softly, “How about you have a bit of a sleep, and I’ll wake you up in an hour for dinner, hmm?”

Heechul nods and mumbles something; even he has no idea what he’s saying at this point. All he knows is that he’s tired, and Leeteuk’s hands are soothing, and his voice is nice and soft, and all Heechul wants to do is close his eyes and go to sleep.

So he does, falling asleep while Leeteuk his hair and pulls out his iPhone with his other hand to occupy himself while he looks after his most stubborn and wilful dongsaeng.