Neo

"Get up" a voiced mumbled, shaking my shoulder. I was in an uncomfortable position on the seat. The vibrations under me were gone; the car must have stopped.

"Mmm" I groaned, shying away from his touch. He poked my arm.

"Get up," he said more firmly.

"Mmmmm"

"Get up!" He growled, shaking my shoulder again. It was only half as rough as the first time

"No!" Let me sleep in this awkward position just a little longer. I'm too numb and lazy.

"Yes," he protested. "Get up,"

I turned further over onto my side and pretended to snore loudly. I heard Leo let out a soft sigh before starting the ignition again.

"Fine.."

"Thanks..." I murmured feeling sleep overcome me.

When I awoke again I was in someone's home. Not my own, of course. It took a moment for the events of the previous evening to register.

"Wuah" my eyes suddenly jumped from the furniture to the decor, to furnish, to paintings, to the piano—*gasp* he has a piano! I think I'm in love.

"Oh you're up" Leo called softly, looking up from his desk. I hadn't noticed him before. His table was cluttered with sheet music and other various lined papers.

"What's all that?" I asked curiously. I sat up shrugging off the blankets that were covering me. I tried to kneel to get a better look at some of the pages but collapsed back on the couch. I hissed in pain.

"You should keep off that for the day" Leo observed, addressing my ankle. "And these are songs...my cousin's a songwriter and your choreographer's been looking for new material"

"Is that how you ended up as a bartender...at Au Plaisir, I mean?" I asked massaging my sore ankle, my whole foot was twice it's usual size..maybe I'd done more damage than I'd thought.

"Sort of..." Leo said going back to his paper. "I just wanted a part-time job to carry over the summer and maybe go towards college in the fall"

I scratched my bed head, taking in what he'd said.

"Wait..you're..?" I struggled to get the words out..must have been the alcohol..wait I wasn't drinking! .. Then why does my head hurt? .. Shh! Focus, Hakyeon!

"I'm?" Leo looked up at me. The sun poured in through the window, casting shadows on the left side of his face, revealing his sharp nose and prominent cheekbones.

"A high-schooler?"

"Hm? No. I took the year off because I can't focus in a school setting" Leo continued to speak in the same soft tone. I leaned on my hands, the top of the couch my only support. I loved to hear him speak. I couldn't put my finger exactly on why... His voice was just...pretty.

"That's a good idea," I agreed.

"My parents didn't think so. They kicked me out," Leo deadpanned. That ... At least we were the same age. That made me feel less old.

"When's your birthday?"

"November 10"

Damn it! "That about the housing situation...how were you able to afford this place?" I asked being cautious not to sound sarcastic or critical in any way.

"Low-income housing"

"Really!?" My eyes widened as my head snapped around every corner of the room. "It's huge!" I would later find out there was a second floor... Any more and my eyes might have popped clean out of my skull.

"I have connections" he shrugged and went to the sink.

"Wuah..can you hook me up with a beach house?"

"No"

"Meanie" I scowled. Leo sighed softly and handed me a glass of water and a pill.

"Take this"

"What's this?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Just take it..the doctor gave it to me" Leo rubbed his eyes. He must have been tired, staying late at the hospital for me... I took the pill and cringed after it slipped down my throat. I hated pills.

"What else did the doctor say?" I asked downing the rest of the glass.

"You don't remember?"

"Nope. I had a pillow"

"Yeah, me" Leo glared gather some sheet music off the table.

"Now you, my friend, make a good pillow" I winked cheekily. "So what did the doc say?"

"Keep off it if as much as you can, keep it raised, ice it when it's swollen, ice for twenty-minute intervals with fifteen minutes in between, take the meds twice a day, get lots of rest" Leo repeated as if he were reading off a list. I didn't care. I would listen to him read off definitions in the dictionary and still be amused...I should have him read to me before bed.

"Yes, sir!" I saluted jokingly. Leo rolled his eyes and stuffed the loose pages in his bag. "Can I see one of your cousin's songs?"

"No" Leo answered simply.

"Aww come on, what harm can be done?" I pouted, hoping some aegyo would soften his shell. "Juseyo~~"

"No"

"You saw me dancing last night, right?"

"Before you nearly injured another audience member? Yes" ugh don't remind me.

"Yeah, well I can sing too," I said confidently. "Why don't I sing one?" I reached to the top of the couch for one of the songs. I was so close, but Leo pulled the song from my reach.

"This?" He held it up. "You're not singing this." He crumpled the page into a ball. "It's just another one of my cousin's crazy song prompts.." He tossed it into the trash.

"Goal!" I cheered, childishly. Leo shot me a glare and I shut up.

"I'd love to stay and chat but I have another job to do before the bar," Leo said picking up his bag.

"Where?"

"A coffee shop. Get some rest" Leo said before heading towards the door. "Call me if you need anything"

I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced by the sound of the roughly shut door. I pouted again when I heard myself become locked in.

"Wasn't like I was gonna try and leave!" I called to the empty front hall. "Aishh"

I sighed and looked around. I was able to sit and lay down... That was about it. I hadn't even figured out how I was going to get to the bathroom... How am I gonna live like this? .. I can't just call him whenever I need something.. Maybe I should have stayed in the hospital till I could walk.

My stomach growled..fudge... He forgot to feed me. I looked around again, hoping a solution would present itself to me. And just as though it were the big reveal, I spotted my solutions, leaning against the wall. Crutches. Bingo.

"Now to get across the room!" I wished myself luck and stretched my arm out. "Reach .. Reeeaaacchhh"

A thought bubble appeared over my head. You're an idiot Leo said. You can't reach across the room. What are you, rubber? Then the bubble burst.

"How silly of me!" I chuckled and scooted to the edge of the of the couch. "Here we go" I breathed and prepared to stand "Hana...deul...seht.." stab of pain. And I was back on the couch.

"Wait a sec.." then I realized. "Only one leg is injured. I can hop!" I steadied myself on my good leg and prepared to hop across the room. I bounced on the spot, getting a feel for it. I giggled to myself. I was like a bunny. I eyed my target again and nodded.

"Hana.." One hop. "Deal.." Two hops. "Se—" I slipped on the edge of a throw rug and fell on my face. I groaned and peeled my torso off the floor. Why can't the whole floor just be carpeted?

"C'mon Hakyeon, you can do it. You can do it" I said working up the strength to crawl. I pulled the crutches off the wall and steadied them under myself as supports until I head a grip on the wall. Success.

I crutched over to the kitchen. The pantries were almost empty, as any other places one might store carbs and junk food. Doesn't he like snack food? The fridge, however, contained a feast. I rubbed my hands together, being careful not to drop my crutch.

I pulled a container of rice out, a container of beef, a container of egg, and a container of kimchi out as well. I set the Tupperware done on the dining table and pulled out my phone, that had miraculously stayed in my pocket the whole night.

Leo, I'm stealing your foodㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ please don't be mad later, but I'm hungry XD XD XD ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I was already halfway through my meal when Leo finally got back to me.

That's fine... Don't touch my banana milk.

I pouted in real life and then typed my response.

:( I love banana milk more than your parents love you!

My phone buzzed a few moments later when I was opening the kimchi.

I'm serious, N.

I rolled my eyes...I wasn't planning on having any...well...maybe he wouldn't notice if one bottle was gone...

I won't! I won't!

I patted my stomach, feeling nice and full. I was impressed, despite the table still being fairly messy, I hadn't gotten any food on Leo's papers, and then I remembered the discarded paper ball. I looked over my shoulder and saw it just at the top of the trash. I gathered my crutches and hobbled over to the trash bin, thankful it wasn't one of those mini bins.

"Now let's see what we've gone here" I smoothed the paper out on the table and read through it once, twice. It was hardly a song prompt, it was a full single. On and On... I ran my finger over the notes for a part near the end.

"I need therapy..." I chuckled "I need therapy" that sounded catchy... It would probably sound cooler if it was autotuned to sound electronic.

I folded the already creased page and tucked it gently in my pocket. I wouldn't use it for evil and sell it off eBay or anything, no. I would just keep it for me, as a token of the first time I spent time at Leo's house. After all, he seemed finished with it; he threw it out. He'd never even miss it!

I went hungry during lunch, too scared to finish the food in the fridge and too tempted to drink Leo's precious banana milk. Luckily Leo came home with groceries that evening.

"I'm home" Leo called. I'd taken a nap on the couch to ease my growling tummy and was just waking up. I swore I saw him smile, through my sleepy eyes.

"I missed you" I murmured tiredly. I'd been out for at least a couple hours, but even with the full night of sleep beforehand it still didn't feel like enough.

"Did you?" Leo asked, seeming genuinely curious. I nodded jutting out my lower lip.

"I missed you, eomma"

"Yah!" Leo chucked a pillow at me.

"Hey! Is that how you treat your hyung??" I shouted, throwing the pillow back.

"Yeah right, if anything you're my noona" Leo grunted, beginning to sort through the grocery bags.

"Aniyo! I'm a boy" I crossed my arms over my chest. I hadn't unbound between the hospital and now; I was still flat. "I wear boys' clothes and have boy's hair"

"Your redundancy makes it hard to take you seriously" Leo deadpanned.

"I do boy things, I like guy things, do I look like a girl to you?" I snapped. I almost don't want to know the answer.

"But you dance on stage as a girl" Leo observed picking my wig up off the counter. I opened my mouth to protest but decided I should choose my words wisely.

"You're really a boy?" Leo asked.

"Yes"

"That's not what I saw last night"

"Last night...when did you... How could you..?" I looked down at myself and realized I wasn't wearing my own clothes "Oh my god I didn't notice!!"

"Just admit it," Leo said softly, pretending to check a watch on his wrist. "And stop wasting your valuable energy"

"You want me to admit it? Fine!" I cleared my throat. "I Cha Hakyeon was born in the wrong body. I'm a boy!" I said firmly as I pulled the covers back over my head. I need therapy la la la la la therapy—now get me out of here!