[SJ] Zhou Mi/everyone Prompt Fics (MiMin, MiChul, QMi)
From prompt post originally here, a repost of requested ficlets for better archiving purposes.
This half is from Prompt A: Zhou Mi/everyone.
(Honestly, you guys, I should've said no Qmi. They are impossible! I wanted to write Zhou Mi/other people! :C Nah, Qmi is still my heart's OTP, even when they are being stupid and impossible.)
*
1 :: any excuse will do
Zhou Mi/Sungmin, PG, lost in an airport
Zhou Mi can no longer count on both hands all the airports he's seen - or, strictly speaking, not seen, as it's hard to see past the throngs of screaming fans waving banners and placards. He smiles every time he sees his name, or hears it, like the lightboards are wired directly to his heart. There are more of them than there were before, even if they're rare among the cacophony for the others. There are more of them than there were before, and that's good enough for him, for now.
The lot of them, members and staff, are crowded into a VIP room not meant to seat so many, when Sungmin says, "I'm thirsty. Zhou Mi, come with me to get a drink!"
They could send a staff member, but Zhou Mi leaps upon the excuse to get a moment of breathing room. "Sure!" He's always willing to play translator for Sungmin, whose eyes shine when he says thank you, like it's really incredible that Zhou Mi is capable, or that he is willing. Kyuhyun doesn't lift his eyes from his PSP when Zhou Mi links his arm through Sungmin's and slips them out among the crowd of staffers, their heads ducked low as they keep a wary eye out for fans from behind their sunglasses.
"Coffee?" Zhou Mi asks. "Something fruity?"
"A smoothie sounds really good," says Sungmin. "It's so hot!"
Halfway to the nearest drink shop, Zhou Mi realizes they are not as discreet as they would've hoped. Fans should never be underestimated in their dedication to pursuit, but they seem content to follow at a distance with their cameras. He's always liked Taiwanese fans.
"Um," says Sungmin when he sees the three young girls loitering at the counter of the drink shop. "Maybe the next one?"
Zhou Mi is surprised, because Sungmin is usually very sweet with the fans, albeit restrained. "Okay, I think there's one around this corner-" Sungmin's arm still linked through his, they dart left with a little wave of recognition at the girls.
Sungmin huffs a laugh as they wind their way through the airport, through strangers who blink at their sunglasses and hats and at the girls trailing after them like tails on a comet. "Thanks for indulging me," he says, and then pulls Zhou Mi into another unexpected turn.
Twenty minutes later, Sungmin has his smoothie and they are well on the other side of the airport. Zhou Mi is fielding annoyed texts from the managers demanding their return.
"Okay, okay! Honestly, where did we end up, hyung? I don't even know how to get back," he says in exasperation.
Sungmin grins. "It's okay, I do."
He takes Zhou Mi's hand and walks them calmly back to the VIP room in approxmiately seven minutes. Zhou Mi purses his lips at him, because he recognizes suspicious behavior, even if it takes him a while. "Was- was this a plan?"
Sungmin squeezes his hand and beams at him. "Thanks for the date, Zhou Mi."
Zhou Mi can't help it if his heart lights up again; it seems he's just wired that way.
*
2 :: cunning
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, Harry Potter
Kyuhyun couldn't look at Zhou Mi for a week without bursting into laughter. It was more or less par for the course that Zhou Mi didn't even blink an eye.
"What a dick," Heechul said, shaking his head. It didn't sound like censure though.
Zhou Mi shrugged philosophically.
Kyuhyun just kept laughing. Occasionally he'd be able to say, "Slytherin?" in tones of utter disbelief between his guffaws.
Ignoring him cheerfully, which was also rapidly becoming par for the course, Zhou Mi usually passed his time with Heechul or the others until Kyuhyun had ceased his welcoming gales of laughter. When Kyuhyun had returned to normal, Zhou Mi also returned his attention to him.
"You, a Slytherin," said Kyuhyun. "Impossible."
Zhou Mi pouted. "You don't think I'm cunning or ambitious?"
Kyuhyun looked at him pityingly. He took Zhou Mi's hand and patted it. "Hyung, Niqiu is more cunning and ambitious than you are."
With a sigh, Zhou Mi let it go. The disbelieving mockery would pass, given time. Kyuhyun was easily distracted, after all, and he was busy with the fifth album promotions and upcoming concerts. He was also, as it turned out, anxiously awaiting his own Pottermore email, so he could be Sorted and see if his results were as ludicrous as Zhou Mi's.
The week passed and so did the laughter that greeted Zhou Mi every time Kyuhyun looked at him. Well, at least the laughter associated with Slytherin. Kyuhyun was good at finding other reasons to laugh.
No Pottermore email came for Kyuhyun.
Another week passed, and Kyuhyun started looking annoyed. He glared at his laptop, who was a rather innocent party, all things considered. "Where is it?"
The third week passed after Zhou Mi had been sorted into Slytherin. Zhou Mi came by the dorm to visit and Kyuhyun greeted him with a sulk. Zhou Mi cheerfully left him to it and went to see Heechul.
"What a spoilt child," said Heechul, and this time, there was a bit of censure in his voice.
Zhou Mi patted his knee. "Well, to be fair, his email came three weeks ago."
Heechul looked at him. "You didn't!"
He sounded inutterably gleeful.
"He really should stop using the same three passwords on everything, you know. It's not very cunning. Anyone could hack into his email..."
Heechul started laughing.
"I mean, I'll definitely let him use my account when my email eventually comes but, honestly, at this rate, he won't even get sorted into Ravenclaw."
*
3 :: holiday from reality
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, Vietnamese subs
He wakes up to the muted roar of motorcycle and mopeds on a busy street, rumbling engines and the occasional honk accompanying the morning. The streets downstairs are alive, crowded with food stalls and pedestrians, both tourists and locals, hustling to the first stop on the day's itinerary or to open their stores, stopping for breakfast along the way. Zhou Mi's already freshly scrubbed and sorting out his outfit for the day - something fashionable, of course, but practical for walking around, nothing too hot.
Kyuhyun only truly wakes up half an hour later at the restaurant cum café down the block, sipping at strong Vietnamese coffee and watching Zhou Mi aim his camera at the streets. Their rickety table is outside, in the shade of the building, but the sun is bright and strong as it climbs.
A van inches by, trapped behind three Europeans with hiking backpacks and a map, who edge out of the way. The van zooms forward, only to slow again to a crawl behind the car in front, which is carefully skirting past the street vendors and people.
Why the rush, Kyuhyun thinks lazily, sipping at his coffee. It's a beautiful morning.
"What do you want to do today?" Zhou Mi's finally put the camera down. He digs in his bag for a guide book.
"The War Remnants Museum."
Zhou Mi makes a face. "Why? That sounds so...bloody and horrific."
Kyuhyun smirks. Trust Zhou Mi to be squeamish. "It's history. It's interesting."
The look Zhou Mi turns on him is frankly disbelieving.
All right. So maybe someone he's lived with for three years knows him better than that. "There's a tank out front that looks really cool."
Zhou Mi rolls his eyes theatrically.
"Well, what do you want to do?"
Kyuhyun listens to Zhou Mi wax poetic about the cheap massage places and hair salons, about the incredible shopping deals, for approximately five minutes before losing interest. They iron out a compromise in the time it takes for Kyuhyun to finish the rest of his coffee and drop the appropriate bills on the table. When they leave, their waitress nods and smiles at them, and Kyuhyun manages an awkward Thank you in English.
They make it to the end of the block, in search for a taxi, when Zhou Mi stops short abruptly. His eyes have gone shiny and wide at the food vendor on the corner. "Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun! Look! It's banh mi! Let's get some. My guidebook says they're a must-try!"
Kyuhyun looks. As far as he can tell, they're nothing more than a sandwich - some meat and vegetables on French bread. But Zhou Mi can't be denied, beaming the way he is, and Kyuhyun is hardpressed to say no. He doesn't always love trying new foods, but this looks safe enough. And it's really rather difficult to say no to that face.
Zhou Mi grins at the woman behind the cart watching them with some amusement. He gestures at the sandwiches and raises two fingers; she nods.
The sandwiches are cheap - 10,000 dong each, which translates to about 700 won per sandwich. Kyuhyun is pleased. Vietnam is a good place to visit for Korean university students. Well, Korean university students and Chinese international exchange students who have latched onto Kyuhyun like a third arm.
They walk away eating their banh mi, which are delicious, and Kyuhyun concedes he's grown rather attached to this third arm. There's no one else he'd rather be lost in a foreign city with.
Not that they are lost. (Yet.)
*
4 :: if you'll pretend you love me
Zhou Mi/Heechul, PG, last days
September 1
"I'll miss you, Heechul," whispers Zhou Mi privately in the seclusion of Heechul's room early in the morning before reality charges in with the inescapable day. His hands are not quite gentle on Heechul's shoulders, clutching him close.
Heechul's head is bowed, the soft black fuzz curving where it hugs his skull. It's a strange, unsettling sight.
Zhou Mi bends his head to Heechul's ear. "Wo hui xiang ni. Yi ran xiang ni.¹"
Heechul doesn't look up but heaves, once, with his whole chest. Zhou Mi holds him tight.
[¹ I will miss you; I will always miss you.]
*
One day before
They do lunch, a middling affair for Kim Heechul: it's not raucous but hardly quiet and moody. It's not everyone he loves, but it's got some of the more important figures. Zhou Mi fidgets under the curious gazes of Heechul's parents; they're friendly but it's impossible to guess what they're thinking behind their carefully cultivated smiles. So he talks to Jungmo, mostly, and Heechul when their eyes meet. There's a look in those eyes that makes Zhou Mi's heart clench.
Under the table, Heechul puts a hand on Zhou Mi's knee.
"I'll be fine, honestly. I'm not the delicate princess you raised anymore, mother." Heechul rolls his eyes. His father laughs.
"Given up on your Prince Charming at last, then?"
*
Two days before
Heechul kisses him, hard and urgent, like he's desperate for the taste of Zhou Mi's mouth, or for the small sound that Zhou Mi makes involuntarily, or the way Zhou Mi more or less just bends under his will, pliant and everything Heechull wants him to be.
Heechul's eyes are squeezed shut as he slides a hand over Zhou Mi's cheek, cupping it with surprising gentleness.
"Heechul," Zhou Mi pants. "Heechul."
His voice is hoarse, nearly unrecognizable. The accent lingers in his ears, always foreign, even after all these years, as Heechul kisses him again.
*
Three days before
"Only three days," Heechul muses, on his back in his bed. Zhou Mi sits on the floor, fending off Heebum, who is apparently entranced by the rustling of paper and has found a new hobby in swatting his paw at Zhou Mi's magazine.
"Yah, Heechul, would you get your cat away from me?" Zhou Mi snatches his magazine away and gives Heebum an evil look. The cat doesn't seem fazed.
It takes a moment for Zhou Mi to look up and realize Heechul is staring at him.
It's a strange moment, stretching uncomfortably. Zhou Mi fights to urge to hunch his shoulders.
"Will you miss me?" Heechul is suddenly upright, eyes intense.
"Of course! Well, maybe not your horrible cat, but-"
The look sharpens, painfully, and that's when it slides home for him. Why this moment is strange - strange because it is familiar. His words trail off.
He takes a breath.
"Ni xiang wo ma?²"
Heechul flinches back. "Yah! Speak Korean! You're in Korea, you're basically a Korean-"
He looks uncharacteristically vulnerable suddenly, wide-eyed as he abruptly shuts himself up. Caught. Unexpectedly.
Zhou Mi doesn't know what to say. The only thing that comes to mind is I'm sorry, but who is he to apologize? It's not his fault. He had no part in it, in the thing of which they do not speak, the thing and the name that is tumbling in his throat and piling up now, threatening to choke him.
But then Heechul says, "Please."
Zhou Mi stares at him. Heechul swallows, a convulsive bob of his throat.
"Three days."
[² Will you miss me?]
*
September 1
Heechul pulls away and doesn't look at him as he leaves the room.
Bye, hyung, thinks Zhou Mi. This farewell is his own.
*
5 :: the opposite of fairy tales
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, angstyangstyangstyangsty
He thought about what it would've been like, if he'd said yes. If he hadn't said anything, but had let Zhou Mi take his hand instead of drawing away.
It was easy to picture in his head: they had practically been there already, a close friendship he had never expected and a warm presence so willingly at his side. All it would've taken was a yes instead of a no, leaning forward instead of leaning back, a brush of lips rather than a kiss of air.
It could've been easy, the easiest thing Kyuhyun had ever done.
Then it would've gotten hard, though, inevitably. How would he have ever explained to his parents? How could he do that to the other members? He imagined the accusatory stares; worse, the disgusted ones. The lengthening silences would haunt his dreams, damning. Could he ever face his church again? It wasn't like they could ever be married. What a waste it would be, to throw away his career, his future -- his world as he knew it.
It would be ugly; the fans would be hateful. His mother would never be able to hold up her head again. When he looked Zhou Mi's smile, so wide and so bright, he saw in his mind the sheen of tears in his mother's eyes if he said yes.
So he said no.
He was a good Christian boy raised by a loving family he owed so much to, so he said no. He wouldn't jeopardize the group. He wouldn't betray the fans. He wouldn't sacrifice himself, and that was okay, wasn't it?
In the grand scheme of things, Zhou Mi was only one person. The good of the whole versus the good of one, after all, made his choice only sensible.
Zhou Mi went solo in Taiwan the year Kyuhyun enlisted in the army. Before he left, they had dinner, and Zhou Mi smiled at him with a hundred thousand words and wishes locked behind his eyes. Kyuhyun knew he wouldn't voice them. That was the thing with someone who loved you so well: they wouldn't ask the impossible from you.
Zhou Mi never said, "Will you?"
He said, "I understand."
He said, "I'll miss you, Kyuhyun."
His lips were gentle on Kyuhyun's cheek when they said goodbye.
Kyuhyun said no, but it had always been to his own question. He wondered if he'd spend the rest of his life telling himself it had been the right answer.
*
6 :: it's never you (i could forget)
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, jealousy
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature. Zhou Mi likes happy things, likes happy people, and likes more of both. He'd like to feel loved and appreciated, but how can it be a bad thing if other people are getting appreciated too? More of a good thing is no cause for jealousy.
Kyuhyun is a private person. Kyuhyun is a complex person, with a lot of philosophies he keeps in his head, different ones for himself than the ones he has for other people. Kyuhyun is funny, smart, and sarcastic. He's a little mean but only on the surface; underneath, he's all heart and genuine feeling. Like a marshmallow, honestly.
Zhou Mi loves it when Kyuhyun laughs, little quiet snickers to himself he tries to stifle away from the mic or huge guffaws that wrack his entire body. Whatever way Kyuhyun is laughing, Zhou Mi loves it, because it means Kyuhyun is happy.
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature. He is always happy when Kyuhyun is happy.
When Kyuhyun laughs with Siwon, or Donghae, his eyes crinkle up. There are years of history there, years of fond affection. When Kyuhyun laughs with Eunhyuk, teases him or cracks up over his clever deadpan lines, there is admiration there. They tease Eunhyuk for his face, say it's balanced out by his great personality. He has a great personality, Zhou Mi agrees.
Kyuhyun goes on shows and talks about his first love, his belief in fate, his first kiss. He goes on shows and talks about how Siwon loves him best, how everyone dotes on him because he's their magnae. He talks about how Siwon is, hm, probably in his top three.
Zhou Mi thinks, He's not the only one and Who else?
Kyuhyun has picked up his friendship with Henry. He allows Eeteuk to coddle him. He talks for hours with Sungmin. He drinks wine with Sungmin. He shares music with Sungmin.
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature, but Kyuhyun makes him stupid, and crazy, and jealous. Kyuhyun makes him nervous, insecure, scared. Kyuhyun makes him happy, makes him laugh, makes him think he's never had a friend like this and could never have anyone better. Kyuhyun makes him think he doesn't want anyone else.
Kyuhyun tells him he's being stupid, and crazy, and jealous. That there's no need to be nervous or insecure or scared.
"Have you seen you?" he says, and he doesn't mean the way Zhou Mi lights up when he's laughing and happy; he means the way he's close with everyone, with friendships that have blossomed in the short time he's been in Korea. He means how everyone from Henry to Heechul to Siwon will talk about him, affectionate. How everyone from Victoria to Changmin to Jonghyun will want to spend time with him.
"You're lucky I'm not the jealous type," Kyuhyun says. Zhou Mi almost laughs at how sullen and annoyed his voice is. Jealous.
He kisses Zhou Mi until the half-formed smile goes away and they've both put away their fears for the moment. Zhou Mi holds Kyuhyun and looks into his eyes. There's something like happiness there, genuine and bright, visible even though he's not laughing. Zhou Mi kisses him again.
This half is from Prompt A: Zhou Mi/everyone.
(Honestly, you guys, I should've said no Qmi. They are impossible! I wanted to write Zhou Mi/other people! :C Nah, Qmi is still my heart's OTP, even when they are being stupid and impossible.)
*
1 :: any excuse will do
Zhou Mi/Sungmin, PG, lost in an airport
Zhou Mi can no longer count on both hands all the airports he's seen - or, strictly speaking, not seen, as it's hard to see past the throngs of screaming fans waving banners and placards. He smiles every time he sees his name, or hears it, like the lightboards are wired directly to his heart. There are more of them than there were before, even if they're rare among the cacophony for the others. There are more of them than there were before, and that's good enough for him, for now.
The lot of them, members and staff, are crowded into a VIP room not meant to seat so many, when Sungmin says, "I'm thirsty. Zhou Mi, come with me to get a drink!"
They could send a staff member, but Zhou Mi leaps upon the excuse to get a moment of breathing room. "Sure!" He's always willing to play translator for Sungmin, whose eyes shine when he says thank you, like it's really incredible that Zhou Mi is capable, or that he is willing. Kyuhyun doesn't lift his eyes from his PSP when Zhou Mi links his arm through Sungmin's and slips them out among the crowd of staffers, their heads ducked low as they keep a wary eye out for fans from behind their sunglasses.
"Coffee?" Zhou Mi asks. "Something fruity?"
"A smoothie sounds really good," says Sungmin. "It's so hot!"
Halfway to the nearest drink shop, Zhou Mi realizes they are not as discreet as they would've hoped. Fans should never be underestimated in their dedication to pursuit, but they seem content to follow at a distance with their cameras. He's always liked Taiwanese fans.
"Um," says Sungmin when he sees the three young girls loitering at the counter of the drink shop. "Maybe the next one?"
Zhou Mi is surprised, because Sungmin is usually very sweet with the fans, albeit restrained. "Okay, I think there's one around this corner-" Sungmin's arm still linked through his, they dart left with a little wave of recognition at the girls.
Sungmin huffs a laugh as they wind their way through the airport, through strangers who blink at their sunglasses and hats and at the girls trailing after them like tails on a comet. "Thanks for indulging me," he says, and then pulls Zhou Mi into another unexpected turn.
Twenty minutes later, Sungmin has his smoothie and they are well on the other side of the airport. Zhou Mi is fielding annoyed texts from the managers demanding their return.
"Okay, okay! Honestly, where did we end up, hyung? I don't even know how to get back," he says in exasperation.
Sungmin grins. "It's okay, I do."
He takes Zhou Mi's hand and walks them calmly back to the VIP room in approxmiately seven minutes. Zhou Mi purses his lips at him, because he recognizes suspicious behavior, even if it takes him a while. "Was- was this a plan?"
Sungmin squeezes his hand and beams at him. "Thanks for the date, Zhou Mi."
Zhou Mi can't help it if his heart lights up again; it seems he's just wired that way.
*
2 :: cunning
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, Harry Potter
Kyuhyun couldn't look at Zhou Mi for a week without bursting into laughter. It was more or less par for the course that Zhou Mi didn't even blink an eye.
"What a dick," Heechul said, shaking his head. It didn't sound like censure though.
Zhou Mi shrugged philosophically.
Kyuhyun just kept laughing. Occasionally he'd be able to say, "Slytherin?" in tones of utter disbelief between his guffaws.
Ignoring him cheerfully, which was also rapidly becoming par for the course, Zhou Mi usually passed his time with Heechul or the others until Kyuhyun had ceased his welcoming gales of laughter. When Kyuhyun had returned to normal, Zhou Mi also returned his attention to him.
"You, a Slytherin," said Kyuhyun. "Impossible."
Zhou Mi pouted. "You don't think I'm cunning or ambitious?"
Kyuhyun looked at him pityingly. He took Zhou Mi's hand and patted it. "Hyung, Niqiu is more cunning and ambitious than you are."
With a sigh, Zhou Mi let it go. The disbelieving mockery would pass, given time. Kyuhyun was easily distracted, after all, and he was busy with the fifth album promotions and upcoming concerts. He was also, as it turned out, anxiously awaiting his own Pottermore email, so he could be Sorted and see if his results were as ludicrous as Zhou Mi's.
The week passed and so did the laughter that greeted Zhou Mi every time Kyuhyun looked at him. Well, at least the laughter associated with Slytherin. Kyuhyun was good at finding other reasons to laugh.
No Pottermore email came for Kyuhyun.
Another week passed, and Kyuhyun started looking annoyed. He glared at his laptop, who was a rather innocent party, all things considered. "Where is it?"
The third week passed after Zhou Mi had been sorted into Slytherin. Zhou Mi came by the dorm to visit and Kyuhyun greeted him with a sulk. Zhou Mi cheerfully left him to it and went to see Heechul.
"What a spoilt child," said Heechul, and this time, there was a bit of censure in his voice.
Zhou Mi patted his knee. "Well, to be fair, his email came three weeks ago."
Heechul looked at him. "You didn't!"
He sounded inutterably gleeful.
"He really should stop using the same three passwords on everything, you know. It's not very cunning. Anyone could hack into his email..."
Heechul started laughing.
"I mean, I'll definitely let him use my account when my email eventually comes but, honestly, at this rate, he won't even get sorted into Ravenclaw."
*
3 :: holiday from reality
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, Vietnamese subs
He wakes up to the muted roar of motorcycle and mopeds on a busy street, rumbling engines and the occasional honk accompanying the morning. The streets downstairs are alive, crowded with food stalls and pedestrians, both tourists and locals, hustling to the first stop on the day's itinerary or to open their stores, stopping for breakfast along the way. Zhou Mi's already freshly scrubbed and sorting out his outfit for the day - something fashionable, of course, but practical for walking around, nothing too hot.
Kyuhyun only truly wakes up half an hour later at the restaurant cum café down the block, sipping at strong Vietnamese coffee and watching Zhou Mi aim his camera at the streets. Their rickety table is outside, in the shade of the building, but the sun is bright and strong as it climbs.
A van inches by, trapped behind three Europeans with hiking backpacks and a map, who edge out of the way. The van zooms forward, only to slow again to a crawl behind the car in front, which is carefully skirting past the street vendors and people.
Why the rush, Kyuhyun thinks lazily, sipping at his coffee. It's a beautiful morning.
"What do you want to do today?" Zhou Mi's finally put the camera down. He digs in his bag for a guide book.
"The War Remnants Museum."
Zhou Mi makes a face. "Why? That sounds so...bloody and horrific."
Kyuhyun smirks. Trust Zhou Mi to be squeamish. "It's history. It's interesting."
The look Zhou Mi turns on him is frankly disbelieving.
All right. So maybe someone he's lived with for three years knows him better than that. "There's a tank out front that looks really cool."
Zhou Mi rolls his eyes theatrically.
"Well, what do you want to do?"
Kyuhyun listens to Zhou Mi wax poetic about the cheap massage places and hair salons, about the incredible shopping deals, for approximately five minutes before losing interest. They iron out a compromise in the time it takes for Kyuhyun to finish the rest of his coffee and drop the appropriate bills on the table. When they leave, their waitress nods and smiles at them, and Kyuhyun manages an awkward Thank you in English.
They make it to the end of the block, in search for a taxi, when Zhou Mi stops short abruptly. His eyes have gone shiny and wide at the food vendor on the corner. "Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun! Look! It's banh mi! Let's get some. My guidebook says they're a must-try!"
Kyuhyun looks. As far as he can tell, they're nothing more than a sandwich - some meat and vegetables on French bread. But Zhou Mi can't be denied, beaming the way he is, and Kyuhyun is hardpressed to say no. He doesn't always love trying new foods, but this looks safe enough. And it's really rather difficult to say no to that face.
Zhou Mi grins at the woman behind the cart watching them with some amusement. He gestures at the sandwiches and raises two fingers; she nods.
The sandwiches are cheap - 10,000 dong each, which translates to about 700 won per sandwich. Kyuhyun is pleased. Vietnam is a good place to visit for Korean university students. Well, Korean university students and Chinese international exchange students who have latched onto Kyuhyun like a third arm.
They walk away eating their banh mi, which are delicious, and Kyuhyun concedes he's grown rather attached to this third arm. There's no one else he'd rather be lost in a foreign city with.
Not that they are lost. (Yet.)
*
4 :: if you'll pretend you love me
Zhou Mi/Heechul, PG, last days
September 1
"I'll miss you, Heechul," whispers Zhou Mi privately in the seclusion of Heechul's room early in the morning before reality charges in with the inescapable day. His hands are not quite gentle on Heechul's shoulders, clutching him close.
Heechul's head is bowed, the soft black fuzz curving where it hugs his skull. It's a strange, unsettling sight.
Zhou Mi bends his head to Heechul's ear. "Wo hui xiang ni. Yi ran xiang ni.¹"
Heechul doesn't look up but heaves, once, with his whole chest. Zhou Mi holds him tight.
[¹ I will miss you; I will always miss you.]
*
One day before
They do lunch, a middling affair for Kim Heechul: it's not raucous but hardly quiet and moody. It's not everyone he loves, but it's got some of the more important figures. Zhou Mi fidgets under the curious gazes of Heechul's parents; they're friendly but it's impossible to guess what they're thinking behind their carefully cultivated smiles. So he talks to Jungmo, mostly, and Heechul when their eyes meet. There's a look in those eyes that makes Zhou Mi's heart clench.
Under the table, Heechul puts a hand on Zhou Mi's knee.
"I'll be fine, honestly. I'm not the delicate princess you raised anymore, mother." Heechul rolls his eyes. His father laughs.
"Given up on your Prince Charming at last, then?"
*
Two days before
Heechul kisses him, hard and urgent, like he's desperate for the taste of Zhou Mi's mouth, or for the small sound that Zhou Mi makes involuntarily, or the way Zhou Mi more or less just bends under his will, pliant and everything Heechull wants him to be.
Heechul's eyes are squeezed shut as he slides a hand over Zhou Mi's cheek, cupping it with surprising gentleness.
"Heechul," Zhou Mi pants. "Heechul."
His voice is hoarse, nearly unrecognizable. The accent lingers in his ears, always foreign, even after all these years, as Heechul kisses him again.
*
Three days before
"Only three days," Heechul muses, on his back in his bed. Zhou Mi sits on the floor, fending off Heebum, who is apparently entranced by the rustling of paper and has found a new hobby in swatting his paw at Zhou Mi's magazine.
"Yah, Heechul, would you get your cat away from me?" Zhou Mi snatches his magazine away and gives Heebum an evil look. The cat doesn't seem fazed.
It takes a moment for Zhou Mi to look up and realize Heechul is staring at him.
It's a strange moment, stretching uncomfortably. Zhou Mi fights to urge to hunch his shoulders.
"Will you miss me?" Heechul is suddenly upright, eyes intense.
"Of course! Well, maybe not your horrible cat, but-"
The look sharpens, painfully, and that's when it slides home for him. Why this moment is strange - strange because it is familiar. His words trail off.
He takes a breath.
"Ni xiang wo ma?²"
Heechul flinches back. "Yah! Speak Korean! You're in Korea, you're basically a Korean-"
He looks uncharacteristically vulnerable suddenly, wide-eyed as he abruptly shuts himself up. Caught. Unexpectedly.
Zhou Mi doesn't know what to say. The only thing that comes to mind is I'm sorry, but who is he to apologize? It's not his fault. He had no part in it, in the thing of which they do not speak, the thing and the name that is tumbling in his throat and piling up now, threatening to choke him.
But then Heechul says, "Please."
Zhou Mi stares at him. Heechul swallows, a convulsive bob of his throat.
"Three days."
[² Will you miss me?]
*
September 1
Heechul pulls away and doesn't look at him as he leaves the room.
Bye, hyung, thinks Zhou Mi. This farewell is his own.
*
5 :: the opposite of fairy tales
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, angstyangstyangstyangsty
He thought about what it would've been like, if he'd said yes. If he hadn't said anything, but had let Zhou Mi take his hand instead of drawing away.
It was easy to picture in his head: they had practically been there already, a close friendship he had never expected and a warm presence so willingly at his side. All it would've taken was a yes instead of a no, leaning forward instead of leaning back, a brush of lips rather than a kiss of air.
It could've been easy, the easiest thing Kyuhyun had ever done.
Then it would've gotten hard, though, inevitably. How would he have ever explained to his parents? How could he do that to the other members? He imagined the accusatory stares; worse, the disgusted ones. The lengthening silences would haunt his dreams, damning. Could he ever face his church again? It wasn't like they could ever be married. What a waste it would be, to throw away his career, his future -- his world as he knew it.
It would be ugly; the fans would be hateful. His mother would never be able to hold up her head again. When he looked Zhou Mi's smile, so wide and so bright, he saw in his mind the sheen of tears in his mother's eyes if he said yes.
So he said no.
He was a good Christian boy raised by a loving family he owed so much to, so he said no. He wouldn't jeopardize the group. He wouldn't betray the fans. He wouldn't sacrifice himself, and that was okay, wasn't it?
In the grand scheme of things, Zhou Mi was only one person. The good of the whole versus the good of one, after all, made his choice only sensible.
Zhou Mi went solo in Taiwan the year Kyuhyun enlisted in the army. Before he left, they had dinner, and Zhou Mi smiled at him with a hundred thousand words and wishes locked behind his eyes. Kyuhyun knew he wouldn't voice them. That was the thing with someone who loved you so well: they wouldn't ask the impossible from you.
Zhou Mi never said, "Will you?"
He said, "I understand."
He said, "I'll miss you, Kyuhyun."
His lips were gentle on Kyuhyun's cheek when they said goodbye.
Kyuhyun said no, but it had always been to his own question. He wondered if he'd spend the rest of his life telling himself it had been the right answer.
*
6 :: it's never you (i could forget)
Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun, PG, jealousy
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature. Zhou Mi likes happy things, likes happy people, and likes more of both. He'd like to feel loved and appreciated, but how can it be a bad thing if other people are getting appreciated too? More of a good thing is no cause for jealousy.
Kyuhyun is a private person. Kyuhyun is a complex person, with a lot of philosophies he keeps in his head, different ones for himself than the ones he has for other people. Kyuhyun is funny, smart, and sarcastic. He's a little mean but only on the surface; underneath, he's all heart and genuine feeling. Like a marshmallow, honestly.
Zhou Mi loves it when Kyuhyun laughs, little quiet snickers to himself he tries to stifle away from the mic or huge guffaws that wrack his entire body. Whatever way Kyuhyun is laughing, Zhou Mi loves it, because it means Kyuhyun is happy.
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature. He is always happy when Kyuhyun is happy.
When Kyuhyun laughs with Siwon, or Donghae, his eyes crinkle up. There are years of history there, years of fond affection. When Kyuhyun laughs with Eunhyuk, teases him or cracks up over his clever deadpan lines, there is admiration there. They tease Eunhyuk for his face, say it's balanced out by his great personality. He has a great personality, Zhou Mi agrees.
Kyuhyun goes on shows and talks about his first love, his belief in fate, his first kiss. He goes on shows and talks about how Siwon loves him best, how everyone dotes on him because he's their magnae. He talks about how Siwon is, hm, probably in his top three.
Zhou Mi thinks, He's not the only one and Who else?
Kyuhyun has picked up his friendship with Henry. He allows Eeteuk to coddle him. He talks for hours with Sungmin. He drinks wine with Sungmin. He shares music with Sungmin.
Zhou Mi's not a jealous person by nature, but Kyuhyun makes him stupid, and crazy, and jealous. Kyuhyun makes him nervous, insecure, scared. Kyuhyun makes him happy, makes him laugh, makes him think he's never had a friend like this and could never have anyone better. Kyuhyun makes him think he doesn't want anyone else.
Kyuhyun tells him he's being stupid, and crazy, and jealous. That there's no need to be nervous or insecure or scared.
"Have you seen you?" he says, and he doesn't mean the way Zhou Mi lights up when he's laughing and happy; he means the way he's close with everyone, with friendships that have blossomed in the short time he's been in Korea. He means how everyone from Henry to Heechul to Siwon will talk about him, affectionate. How everyone from Victoria to Changmin to Jonghyun will want to spend time with him.
"You're lucky I'm not the jealous type," Kyuhyun says. Zhou Mi almost laughs at how sullen and annoyed his voice is. Jealous.
He kisses Zhou Mi until the half-formed smile goes away and they've both put away their fears for the moment. Zhou Mi holds Kyuhyun and looks into his eyes. There's something like happiness there, genuine and bright, visible even though he's not laughing. Zhou Mi kisses him again.