super junior: in another world, I think I'd miss you if we never met (1/?)
a/n: Hi guys. No updates from me for almost six months, I know, but I've been going through a pretty annoying case of writer's block. ): But yes - I was digging through my old unfinished fics, just to see how many things I'd started without wrapping up, when I found the Super Junior fic I wrote for last year's NaNoWriMo challenge. It's definitely not done - and I make no promises right now about finishing it - but there's enough of it written that I feel like I shouldn't just leave it sitting on my computer. So yes, here it is! I'm splitting it up into different sections for editting purposes. this is unbetaed except for by myself.
in another world, I think I'd miss you if we never met (1/?)
super junior m: zhou mi, kyumi
pg, 2914 words in chapter 1
one day, zhou mi wakes up in a world where he was never part of super junior m.
Even if I now saw you
Only once,
I would long for you
Through worlds,
Worlds.
- Izumi Shikibu
Zhou Mi leaned against the locked bathroom door and looked down at his hands. They were shaking slightly despite all efforts to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he folded his hands behind his back, pressing his weight onto them in an attempt to stop the trembling.
It didn’t work.
Shooting forward suddenly, he turned on the sink, grasping at the handles with too much force as the water sprayed out. The splash of cool water was welcome relief against his face, but did little to calm his nerves.
Looking up at his reflection in the mirror, Zhou Mi noted the too-pale face. If he went out now, there was no way he could fool anyone into thinking he was fine.
Why did it have to turn out like this?
Zhou Mi had always known that he preferred men to women - he’d come to terms with that fact a long time ago. He’d kept his mouth tightly zipped on the matter though, even with the other members, letting himself be pulled into their talk of future girlfriends and getting married one day. After all, Zhou Mi knew most of them were heavily religious even if only Siwon made it obvious - and as much as he wished he could be certain they would accept him, the truth was that he didn’t know what their reaction would be. And that wasn’t even taking into account his career. After all, who’d ever heard of a gay boyband member?
Oh, they put on quite the act before the fans - but everyone knew that it was an act, fangirls included. This was Asia: fanservice was accepted. Being gay was not. Zhou Mi had come to terms with all this and the fact that he would never be able to pursue an open relationship with anyone. He’d never considered it a great loss anyway, considering how busy idols were. If nothing else, Zhou Mi was stubborn, and he was determined to keep that part of his life out of everything.
And it had worked - for a time, at least.
He’d dismissed any lingering thoughts he might have had towards Kyuhyun at first. After all, it was easily explainable by their living situation - everyone saw everyone else practically twenty-four seven, it was inevitable that people got close. Kyuhyun especially, had filled the role of best-friend, always around to make snappy comments, and Zhou Mi had disregarded the way Kyuhyun’s laughter had always made him feel a little too warm, a little too happy. That was how best friends were supposed to make you feel, right?
Until tonight.
There had been nothing out of the blue, really. Indeed, the only unusual part was the fact that it had been a rare evening without any schedules. All it had taken was Kyuhyun’s half-lidded gaze over dinner, the curve of his lips as he slung an arm over Zhou Mi’s shoulder and reached out for the soy sauce bottle with his other hand; the slow sensation of heat pooling low in his stomach for the realization to hit.
Desire was hardly something that could be explained away by friendship. The conclusion was plain and obvious.
He was gay. And he wanted Kyuhyun.
Zhou Mi had quickly made his excuses, pushing his chair back with a jarring scrape before he’d headed in the direction of the washroom, trying but probably failing to walk at a normal pace.
And here he was now. Three minutes later, the initial panic not entirely going away.
There was a knock against the door, two staccatos that had Zhou Mi jumping up and nearly banging his head against the mirror.
“Zhou Mi? Are you okay?” Kyuhyun’s voice filtered through the wood, and Zhou Mi heard the door knob jiggling as the younger man tested the lock. “Why did you lock the door? Zhou Mi?”
“I’m fine,” Zhou Mi managed weakly, trying to sound semi-normal - and then added a “I think our lunch didn’t agree with me or something” upon realizing that he wasn’t going to get away with just that. “Don’t worry about it - go back to dinner. I’ll be out in a bit.”
There was long pause, and Zhou Mi prayed that Kyuhyun would let it go. With seven boys living in the same place, they’d agreed from the beginning to never lock the bathroom doors - it was inevitable that someone would need to use the washroom while someone else was in the shower. In hindsight, Zhou Mi should have realized that just by using the lock, he would be raising alarm bells. But then again, if Kyuhyun had walked in just now, all he would have to do is take one look at Zhou Mi’s face to know that something was wrong. Zhou Mi couldn’t deal with anyone right now.
“Alright,” came the reply, finally. “But come out soon, okay? I’ll ask Ryeowook to make something for you.”
“Thanks,” Zhou Mi replied, swallowing a sigh of relief as he heard fading footsteps.
God, what was he going to do? He’d been so certain he could keep everything under wraps - but he hadn’t taken into account falling in love with a bandmate, someone he had to interact with twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week. He could imagine Kyuhyun’s reaction already if the younger man ever found out - the disgust he would aim Zhou Mi’s way.
And Zhou Mi couldn’t blame him. God, never mind Zhou Mi’s career - Super Junior M would be shattered if the media ever got wind of this. He could singlehandedly ruin everything he and the rest of the members had worked for in China, and he had no doubt the criticism wouldn’t just end at the subgroup - it would spread to Super Junior too.
Zhou Mi thought of Han Geng - who'd been so proud to be able to lead a subgroup in his beloved home country - and Henry - just at the start of his career and always looking up to Zhou Mi - and felt sick to his stomach.
There were no other options. Zhou Mi had to forget about this - this lunancy his brain had managed to hatch up - or, failing that, never let a single person suspect what was going on inside his head.
It was easier said than done, he knew, considering how much time he ended up spending with Kyuhyun during Super Junior M’s active periods. Zhou Mi was no actor, but he had to do this. There was no way around it.
Maybe he could make up a reason, he thought. Pretend he was in love with some girl that he couldn’t date because of his career. It would attract their attention, true, but it would also let Zhou Mi spend any free time he had moping in bed so that he could get away from the other members. The less interaction, the better chance he had.
Mind made up, he turned on the tap again, this time using warm water and a towel to dry his face afterwards. Flushing the toilet once, and checking the mirror once more - he still looked paler than normal, but he could probably explain that away with his earlier upset-stomach excuse - he unlocked the door and walked back down the hall into the living room.
His resolve nearly wavered again as he came face to face with Kyuhyun, the younger man having apparently been on the way to check on him again, but gave himself a mental kick just in time to force out a strained smile.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to worry anyone,” Zhou Mi said, his half-hearted laugh sounding a little off even to his own ears. Kyuhyun gave him an odd look, while Han Geng tilted his head in question. Zhou Mi turned his eyes to Ryeowook instead, avoiding both their gazes. “To be honest, I’m not feeling too well - I think I’m going to turn in early.”
“Do you want me to bring up soup or something later?” Ryeowook asked, looking worried. “You’re barely halfway through your food.”
“No, I’m fine,” Zhou Mi replied a little too quickly, and backtracked upon seeing more raised eyebrows. If he was screwing up this badly already, how was he going to keep this up? “It’s okay, really - I just need sleep, I think. I’ll be good as new tomorrow.”
Giving one last smile, he turned back down the hall, breaking into a run when he was out of sight and carefully closing the door of the room he and Donghae shared so that it didn’t slam. Throwing himself face-first onto his bed, Zhou Mi sighed.
He had to be more careful, and not pull away too fast. Not if he didn’t want everyone suspicious. His behavior tonight had attracted attention already, he knew - Zhou Mi was usually the type to pretend he wasn’t sick even when he was. To do the opposite would be out of character, he’d known, but Zhou Mi was weak; he needed some time to himself, if only just for tonight. Tomorrow, he could start over.
Burying his face into his pillow and pulling the covers over his head, Zhou Mi kicked off his slippers and tried to disappear into the blankets. He didn’t bother changing out of his clothing.
When Donghae came in a few hours later, Zhou Mi was still wide awake, mentally drained and yet mind too busy to actually fall asleep. He stayed still though, facing the wall as he waited for Donghae to climb into bed. It wasn’t until he heard the steady rise and fall of the other’s breath that he let himself relax again.
Needless to say, he didn’t get a lot of sleep that night.
A few weeks passed without any notable incidents. All things considered, Zhou Mi thought his initial not-thought-out-at-all plan went fairly decently. Putting his whole unrequited-love scheme into action had caused a few raised eyebrows at first, but it wasn’t hard being convincing when it was all true - just not directed at a girl, like Zhou Mi led everyone to believe.
He still felt the slightest twinges of guilt, knowing that he was deceiving them on purpose, but anything was better than the truth being found out - and his course of action had the added bonus of giving Zhou Mi free reign to mope. It didn’t change the fact that at the end of day, he was kind of miserable, but Zhou Mi wasn’t sure how well he would’ve managed pretending to be completely fine.
He was sure that everything was helped along by their crazily hectic schedule, and the fact that by the end of the day, everyone was usually too tired to seriously talk to him. Han Geng had wearily told him that he would always be around if Zhou Mi ever wanted to talk, while a surprisingly perceptive Donghae had shot him concerned looks - it made sense that it was Donghae, Zhou Mi supposed; they did share a room after all - but otherwise, the members more or less let him be, choosing to take the give-him-time route.
Overall, he was grateful for everyone's non-interference. Zhou Mi knew that he wasn't that great of an actor, and knowing him, the whole story would have fallen apart under questioning.
The non-interference lasted just long enough for Zhou Mi to feel like things would be okay. Which meant that when Kyuhyun ambushed him during one of their pre-interview breaks one day and demanded to know what was going on, Zhou Mi had no idea how to answer.
Any claims of having no idea what Kyuhyun was talking about just had the younger man rolling his eyes. “You’ve been avoiding me for the last two weeks, and I want to know why.” Seeing Zhou Mi open his mouth, he continued. “I’m not stupid, hyung. You can tell me if I’ve done something to piss you off.”
Clearly, he’d been less subtle than he’d hoped in his mission.
He was spared from answering, however, by Donghae running into the room and telling them that the interview would starting in five minutes. Zhou Mi quickly agreed that they should get moving, avoiding Kyuhyun's gaze the whole time and internally praising Donghae's spectacular sense of timing.
As far as interview went, things were fairly standard. The questions were slightly different, having come from fans all over the country and gathered by the tv station earlier, but they were ones that could be answered with standard responses. In hindsight, Zhou Mi realized that they’d lulled him into a false sense of security. It took him completely by surprise when the MC turned to them, a glint in her eyes. “A popular question we received earlier was: if you were a girl and could marry any other member of the group, who would you choose? This is for you, Kyuhyun.”
“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun replied immediately without pausing to consider, and no one needed a translator for this one. Zhou Mi’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze jumping to Kyuhyun immediately despite his efforts not to, but the younger man was looking out into the crowds and laughing as the fans started collectively screaming.
The MC made the obvious comment. “Our Kyuhyun seems very certain. Tell us, Kyuhyun - why did you choose Zhou Mi?”
Zhou Mi held his breath without realizing it, not knowing what to expect - or even why he was feeling anxious, considering the response would likely be a standard practiced answer. To his surprise though, Kyuhyun didn’t even hesitate. “Because he smiles a lot,” the younger man said, as if that was all the explanation needed - and the screaming got even louder, if possible, when his answer was understood.
The MC smiled again, the kind of smile they’d all gotten used to over the years, before moving on to asks Henry about his taste in North American music. Zhou Mi barely heard his response. His gaze stayed on Kyuhyun for the rest of the interview, and he didn’t know whether to be glad or disappointed that the younger man didn’t look at him even once during that time.
As soon as they got back to the dorms, Zhou Mi escaped to his bedroom, claiming to have caught the stomach flu. He thought he’d gotten away with his excuse, considering there hadn’t been too many suspicious looks aimed his way (concerned, yes, but not suspicious), except there was a knock on his door fifteen minutes later.
“Zhou Mi?” Han Geng’s voice filtered through the thick wood. “I’m coming in, okay?”
The door clicked open before Zhou Mi could reply, and before he knew it, there were approaching footsteps and a weight settling onto the side of his bed.
“Just so you know. I don’t believe a word of that girl-you-can’t-date story.”
That was pretty much the last thing Zhou Mi had been expecting. “What?” he asked, pulling the covers off his face in a flash. “How did you know that was a story?”
“Your reaction, for one.” Han Geng gave a small laugh at his aghast expression. “Come on, I’m not blind, Zhou Mi. It’s been months since Super Junior M’s been back, and we’ve been so busy that I know you’ve haven’t had a chance to meet anyone new. You haven’t even seen any of your female friends and I’m pretty sure you haven’t fallen in love with a fangirl.”
Zhou Mi moved to pull the covers back over his head, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on,” Han Geng continued.
“It’s nothing,” Zhou Mi said instinctively, and then knowing that that wasn’t going to be enough, gave a weak smile. “Just a bit of a headache, I’ll be fine.”
“You used that excuse already last week,” Han Geng said without even pausing.
Zhou Mi opted to stay silent, having nothing intelligent to say to that.
Hearing no response, Han Geng sighed.“Alright. Just get some rest, alright?” He stood up to leave. “I’ll get Kyuhyun to bring in some food later.”
“Wait!” Zhou Mi jumped up, knowing the instant he was on his feet and saw the curious glint in Han Geng’s eyes that he really shouldn’t have done that. “I mean. It’s alright, you don’t need to bother Kyuhyun. I’m really not hungry.”
His stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly.
“Of course not,” Han Geng said dryly. And then he sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, never mind. I’ll bring the food in later, alright?”
Zhou Mi nodded in agreement this time - after all, there was no reason to refuse as long as it wasn’t Kyuhyun - and realized immediately from the glint in the other man’s eyes that Han Geng must have figured out his reasoning too. “Wait,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “I- I just don’t want to bother Kyuhyun, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry, I get it,” Han Geng said, looking almost amused. “Get some rest, okay?”
Zhou Mi nodded, still not entirely reassured that he hadn’t somehow given everything away just now but not knowing what he could do about it.
-- next.
in another world, I think I'd miss you if we never met (1/?)
super junior m: zhou mi, kyumi
pg, 2914 words in chapter 1
one day, zhou mi wakes up in a world where he was never part of super junior m.
Even if I now saw you
Only once,
I would long for you
Through worlds,
Worlds.
- Izumi Shikibu
Zhou Mi leaned against the locked bathroom door and looked down at his hands. They were shaking slightly despite all efforts to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he folded his hands behind his back, pressing his weight onto them in an attempt to stop the trembling.
It didn’t work.
Shooting forward suddenly, he turned on the sink, grasping at the handles with too much force as the water sprayed out. The splash of cool water was welcome relief against his face, but did little to calm his nerves.
Looking up at his reflection in the mirror, Zhou Mi noted the too-pale face. If he went out now, there was no way he could fool anyone into thinking he was fine.
Why did it have to turn out like this?
Zhou Mi had always known that he preferred men to women - he’d come to terms with that fact a long time ago. He’d kept his mouth tightly zipped on the matter though, even with the other members, letting himself be pulled into their talk of future girlfriends and getting married one day. After all, Zhou Mi knew most of them were heavily religious even if only Siwon made it obvious - and as much as he wished he could be certain they would accept him, the truth was that he didn’t know what their reaction would be. And that wasn’t even taking into account his career. After all, who’d ever heard of a gay boyband member?
Oh, they put on quite the act before the fans - but everyone knew that it was an act, fangirls included. This was Asia: fanservice was accepted. Being gay was not. Zhou Mi had come to terms with all this and the fact that he would never be able to pursue an open relationship with anyone. He’d never considered it a great loss anyway, considering how busy idols were. If nothing else, Zhou Mi was stubborn, and he was determined to keep that part of his life out of everything.
And it had worked - for a time, at least.
He’d dismissed any lingering thoughts he might have had towards Kyuhyun at first. After all, it was easily explainable by their living situation - everyone saw everyone else practically twenty-four seven, it was inevitable that people got close. Kyuhyun especially, had filled the role of best-friend, always around to make snappy comments, and Zhou Mi had disregarded the way Kyuhyun’s laughter had always made him feel a little too warm, a little too happy. That was how best friends were supposed to make you feel, right?
Until tonight.
There had been nothing out of the blue, really. Indeed, the only unusual part was the fact that it had been a rare evening without any schedules. All it had taken was Kyuhyun’s half-lidded gaze over dinner, the curve of his lips as he slung an arm over Zhou Mi’s shoulder and reached out for the soy sauce bottle with his other hand; the slow sensation of heat pooling low in his stomach for the realization to hit.
Desire was hardly something that could be explained away by friendship. The conclusion was plain and obvious.
He was gay. And he wanted Kyuhyun.
Zhou Mi had quickly made his excuses, pushing his chair back with a jarring scrape before he’d headed in the direction of the washroom, trying but probably failing to walk at a normal pace.
And here he was now. Three minutes later, the initial panic not entirely going away.
There was a knock against the door, two staccatos that had Zhou Mi jumping up and nearly banging his head against the mirror.
“Zhou Mi? Are you okay?” Kyuhyun’s voice filtered through the wood, and Zhou Mi heard the door knob jiggling as the younger man tested the lock. “Why did you lock the door? Zhou Mi?”
“I’m fine,” Zhou Mi managed weakly, trying to sound semi-normal - and then added a “I think our lunch didn’t agree with me or something” upon realizing that he wasn’t going to get away with just that. “Don’t worry about it - go back to dinner. I’ll be out in a bit.”
There was long pause, and Zhou Mi prayed that Kyuhyun would let it go. With seven boys living in the same place, they’d agreed from the beginning to never lock the bathroom doors - it was inevitable that someone would need to use the washroom while someone else was in the shower. In hindsight, Zhou Mi should have realized that just by using the lock, he would be raising alarm bells. But then again, if Kyuhyun had walked in just now, all he would have to do is take one look at Zhou Mi’s face to know that something was wrong. Zhou Mi couldn’t deal with anyone right now.
“Alright,” came the reply, finally. “But come out soon, okay? I’ll ask Ryeowook to make something for you.”
“Thanks,” Zhou Mi replied, swallowing a sigh of relief as he heard fading footsteps.
God, what was he going to do? He’d been so certain he could keep everything under wraps - but he hadn’t taken into account falling in love with a bandmate, someone he had to interact with twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week. He could imagine Kyuhyun’s reaction already if the younger man ever found out - the disgust he would aim Zhou Mi’s way.
And Zhou Mi couldn’t blame him. God, never mind Zhou Mi’s career - Super Junior M would be shattered if the media ever got wind of this. He could singlehandedly ruin everything he and the rest of the members had worked for in China, and he had no doubt the criticism wouldn’t just end at the subgroup - it would spread to Super Junior too.
Zhou Mi thought of Han Geng - who'd been so proud to be able to lead a subgroup in his beloved home country - and Henry - just at the start of his career and always looking up to Zhou Mi - and felt sick to his stomach.
There were no other options. Zhou Mi had to forget about this - this lunancy his brain had managed to hatch up - or, failing that, never let a single person suspect what was going on inside his head.
It was easier said than done, he knew, considering how much time he ended up spending with Kyuhyun during Super Junior M’s active periods. Zhou Mi was no actor, but he had to do this. There was no way around it.
Maybe he could make up a reason, he thought. Pretend he was in love with some girl that he couldn’t date because of his career. It would attract their attention, true, but it would also let Zhou Mi spend any free time he had moping in bed so that he could get away from the other members. The less interaction, the better chance he had.
Mind made up, he turned on the tap again, this time using warm water and a towel to dry his face afterwards. Flushing the toilet once, and checking the mirror once more - he still looked paler than normal, but he could probably explain that away with his earlier upset-stomach excuse - he unlocked the door and walked back down the hall into the living room.
His resolve nearly wavered again as he came face to face with Kyuhyun, the younger man having apparently been on the way to check on him again, but gave himself a mental kick just in time to force out a strained smile.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to worry anyone,” Zhou Mi said, his half-hearted laugh sounding a little off even to his own ears. Kyuhyun gave him an odd look, while Han Geng tilted his head in question. Zhou Mi turned his eyes to Ryeowook instead, avoiding both their gazes. “To be honest, I’m not feeling too well - I think I’m going to turn in early.”
“Do you want me to bring up soup or something later?” Ryeowook asked, looking worried. “You’re barely halfway through your food.”
“No, I’m fine,” Zhou Mi replied a little too quickly, and backtracked upon seeing more raised eyebrows. If he was screwing up this badly already, how was he going to keep this up? “It’s okay, really - I just need sleep, I think. I’ll be good as new tomorrow.”
Giving one last smile, he turned back down the hall, breaking into a run when he was out of sight and carefully closing the door of the room he and Donghae shared so that it didn’t slam. Throwing himself face-first onto his bed, Zhou Mi sighed.
He had to be more careful, and not pull away too fast. Not if he didn’t want everyone suspicious. His behavior tonight had attracted attention already, he knew - Zhou Mi was usually the type to pretend he wasn’t sick even when he was. To do the opposite would be out of character, he’d known, but Zhou Mi was weak; he needed some time to himself, if only just for tonight. Tomorrow, he could start over.
Burying his face into his pillow and pulling the covers over his head, Zhou Mi kicked off his slippers and tried to disappear into the blankets. He didn’t bother changing out of his clothing.
When Donghae came in a few hours later, Zhou Mi was still wide awake, mentally drained and yet mind too busy to actually fall asleep. He stayed still though, facing the wall as he waited for Donghae to climb into bed. It wasn’t until he heard the steady rise and fall of the other’s breath that he let himself relax again.
Needless to say, he didn’t get a lot of sleep that night.
A few weeks passed without any notable incidents. All things considered, Zhou Mi thought his initial not-thought-out-at-all plan went fairly decently. Putting his whole unrequited-love scheme into action had caused a few raised eyebrows at first, but it wasn’t hard being convincing when it was all true - just not directed at a girl, like Zhou Mi led everyone to believe.
He still felt the slightest twinges of guilt, knowing that he was deceiving them on purpose, but anything was better than the truth being found out - and his course of action had the added bonus of giving Zhou Mi free reign to mope. It didn’t change the fact that at the end of day, he was kind of miserable, but Zhou Mi wasn’t sure how well he would’ve managed pretending to be completely fine.
He was sure that everything was helped along by their crazily hectic schedule, and the fact that by the end of the day, everyone was usually too tired to seriously talk to him. Han Geng had wearily told him that he would always be around if Zhou Mi ever wanted to talk, while a surprisingly perceptive Donghae had shot him concerned looks - it made sense that it was Donghae, Zhou Mi supposed; they did share a room after all - but otherwise, the members more or less let him be, choosing to take the give-him-time route.
Overall, he was grateful for everyone's non-interference. Zhou Mi knew that he wasn't that great of an actor, and knowing him, the whole story would have fallen apart under questioning.
The non-interference lasted just long enough for Zhou Mi to feel like things would be okay. Which meant that when Kyuhyun ambushed him during one of their pre-interview breaks one day and demanded to know what was going on, Zhou Mi had no idea how to answer.
Any claims of having no idea what Kyuhyun was talking about just had the younger man rolling his eyes. “You’ve been avoiding me for the last two weeks, and I want to know why.” Seeing Zhou Mi open his mouth, he continued. “I’m not stupid, hyung. You can tell me if I’ve done something to piss you off.”
Clearly, he’d been less subtle than he’d hoped in his mission.
He was spared from answering, however, by Donghae running into the room and telling them that the interview would starting in five minutes. Zhou Mi quickly agreed that they should get moving, avoiding Kyuhyun's gaze the whole time and internally praising Donghae's spectacular sense of timing.
As far as interview went, things were fairly standard. The questions were slightly different, having come from fans all over the country and gathered by the tv station earlier, but they were ones that could be answered with standard responses. In hindsight, Zhou Mi realized that they’d lulled him into a false sense of security. It took him completely by surprise when the MC turned to them, a glint in her eyes. “A popular question we received earlier was: if you were a girl and could marry any other member of the group, who would you choose? This is for you, Kyuhyun.”
“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun replied immediately without pausing to consider, and no one needed a translator for this one. Zhou Mi’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze jumping to Kyuhyun immediately despite his efforts not to, but the younger man was looking out into the crowds and laughing as the fans started collectively screaming.
The MC made the obvious comment. “Our Kyuhyun seems very certain. Tell us, Kyuhyun - why did you choose Zhou Mi?”
Zhou Mi held his breath without realizing it, not knowing what to expect - or even why he was feeling anxious, considering the response would likely be a standard practiced answer. To his surprise though, Kyuhyun didn’t even hesitate. “Because he smiles a lot,” the younger man said, as if that was all the explanation needed - and the screaming got even louder, if possible, when his answer was understood.
The MC smiled again, the kind of smile they’d all gotten used to over the years, before moving on to asks Henry about his taste in North American music. Zhou Mi barely heard his response. His gaze stayed on Kyuhyun for the rest of the interview, and he didn’t know whether to be glad or disappointed that the younger man didn’t look at him even once during that time.
As soon as they got back to the dorms, Zhou Mi escaped to his bedroom, claiming to have caught the stomach flu. He thought he’d gotten away with his excuse, considering there hadn’t been too many suspicious looks aimed his way (concerned, yes, but not suspicious), except there was a knock on his door fifteen minutes later.
“Zhou Mi?” Han Geng’s voice filtered through the thick wood. “I’m coming in, okay?”
The door clicked open before Zhou Mi could reply, and before he knew it, there were approaching footsteps and a weight settling onto the side of his bed.
“Just so you know. I don’t believe a word of that girl-you-can’t-date story.”
That was pretty much the last thing Zhou Mi had been expecting. “What?” he asked, pulling the covers off his face in a flash. “How did you know that was a story?”
“Your reaction, for one.” Han Geng gave a small laugh at his aghast expression. “Come on, I’m not blind, Zhou Mi. It’s been months since Super Junior M’s been back, and we’ve been so busy that I know you’ve haven’t had a chance to meet anyone new. You haven’t even seen any of your female friends and I’m pretty sure you haven’t fallen in love with a fangirl.”
Zhou Mi moved to pull the covers back over his head, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on,” Han Geng continued.
“It’s nothing,” Zhou Mi said instinctively, and then knowing that that wasn’t going to be enough, gave a weak smile. “Just a bit of a headache, I’ll be fine.”
“You used that excuse already last week,” Han Geng said without even pausing.
Zhou Mi opted to stay silent, having nothing intelligent to say to that.
Hearing no response, Han Geng sighed.“Alright. Just get some rest, alright?” He stood up to leave. “I’ll get Kyuhyun to bring in some food later.”
“Wait!” Zhou Mi jumped up, knowing the instant he was on his feet and saw the curious glint in Han Geng’s eyes that he really shouldn’t have done that. “I mean. It’s alright, you don’t need to bother Kyuhyun. I’m really not hungry.”
His stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly.
“Of course not,” Han Geng said dryly. And then he sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, never mind. I’ll bring the food in later, alright?”
Zhou Mi nodded in agreement this time - after all, there was no reason to refuse as long as it wasn’t Kyuhyun - and realized immediately from the glint in the other man’s eyes that Han Geng must have figured out his reasoning too. “Wait,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “I- I just don’t want to bother Kyuhyun, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry, I get it,” Han Geng said, looking almost amused. “Get some rest, okay?”
Zhou Mi nodded, still not entirely reassured that he hadn’t somehow given everything away just now but not knowing what he could do about it.
-- next.