[super junior] the high cost of dying (3/7)
Sungmin is coming back next part I swear!! ...not this one tho.
The High Cost of Dying
super junior // kyuhyun/zhou mi (+ minor mimin, kyumin) // r // 50,000+ words (total)
[inception!AU] In which Cho Kyuhyun, international corporate spy and part-time assassin, is sent to China on a bizarre mission involving famous popstar Victoria Song with the assistance of Chinese MC slash fashionista Zhou Mi, whom he had never met before. Along the way they discover shocking secrets, unexpected attraction, and how to make edible pancakes.
1 - 2 - 3
The High Cost of Dying.
-
It really had been going according to plan. The girl was there at the gate, anxiously waiting for something she hadn’t been aware of until Zhou Mi- Amber stepped out with a smile and a rucksack slung over her shoulders. Kyuhyun kept an eye on the whole scene from his car only a few metres away, waiting for them to get on. The girl did seem genuinely ecstatic, immediately running over and squeezing the hell out of her friend. Amber!Zhou Mi responded in kind with the same level of enthusiasm, and even from afar Kyuhyun could hear their loud chattering in Chinese.
Zhou Mi managed to maneuver them to Kyuhyun’s taxi easily enough, and Victoria didn’t even bat an eyelash or even glance at him when she got on, seemingly too absorbed in rapid-fire conversation with her friend. Kyuhyun glanced at them through the rear view mirror once. Victoria was tying her hair up, smiling widely, and Zhou Mi was laughing against her shoulder. This was all going quite fine, he thought, until his head got blown off by a semi-automatic in a moving vehicle and his brain matter was splattered all over the driving wheel. His last thought was at least it was going to be quick.
Kyuhyun woke with a gasp and a chilled feeling on the back of his head. His eyes immediately caught stirring movements of the young girl in the seat in front of him, and he quickly ripped the IV line from his wrist, scrambling forward, grabbing a somnacin vial and administrated an extra dose for her. When her eyes stilled beneath her eyelids again, Kyuhyun let out a relieved sigh. When he turned to look, Zhou Mi was bent over in his seat, heaving loudly.
“Hey. Hey.” Kyuhyun hissed quietly, nudging Zhou Mi with his foot.
“What happened?” Henry looked highly alarmed.
Kyuhyun looked down at his watch, checking the time. He cursed under his breath and closed the PASIV suitcase. They only got four hours left to figure this mess out before the train arrived at Qingdao. Looking at Zhou Mi’s shell-shocked expression, Kyuhyun couldn’t even have it in him to complain about the nuisance of working with new blood in the field.
“Hey, are you okay?” He nudged Zhou Mi lightly. Zhou Mi stared at him as if he wanted to say something, but then closed his mouth. Henry looked a little pale after Kyuhyun recounted what had happened in the dream. Kyuhyun sighed as he looked out of the window, resolutely trying not to conjure up images of his head slamming into the headboard mere minutes earlier.
A few minutes down the ride, Kyuhyun decided to break the silence with the one thing that had been gnawing at his mind.
“She knew she was dreaming.”
He could see Zhou Mi nod out of the corner of his eyes. The man looked calmer now, deep in thought. Zhou Mi suddenly turned to him, his expression apologetic and regretful.
“I’m really sorry. It was my fault. She must have noticed something was amiss about her friend. I must have missed something in my research. It wasn’t good enough.”
Kyuhyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes or snap at the other man. “Well, you could say the same thing about me. Maybe something was wrong with the airport, or something was wrong with the taxi. It’s no use putting the blame on anyone now. The point is she knew she was dreaming way too fast. She definitely had training. She definitely knows more than she should about dream-sharing. She held a gun to my head for god’s sake. A normal teen pop idol doesn’t just calmly blast someone’s head off in a moving vehicle like that, even in a dream.”
“I know. Something is wrong about this. This is what we didn’t know, or were not allowed to know. They should have told us.”
They fell into silent contemplation for a short while. The chill at the back of Kyuhyun’s head was starting to fade.
“How did the dream end?” Kyuhyun asked quietly, remembering the way Zhou Mi had shaken violently after the dream.
“After… after you…” Zhou Mi swallowed. “A truck in the opposite lane slammed into us.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Kyuhyun rubbed at his head absently. “Car wrecks are pretty crap, especially when you first start out. Did you die instantly?”
“Yeah… I think.” Zhou Mi went all quiet again. “Do you die a lot?”
Kyuhyun shrugged. “Plenty, I guess. It isn’t anything particularly note-worthy anymore. We all know how it goes now - we die in the dream, we wake up. Just a technicality. But you slowly get used to it.” The first few deaths were always a shock to the system. “You haven’t been in the field much, have you?”
“Yeah, no.” Kyuhyun was vaguely aware of Zhou Mi staring at the back of his head while Henry was trying pretty hard to look away. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah… no, not really.” Kyuhyun didn’t reach back to touch the back of his head. “It’s just phantom pain. You learn to tune out the pain. Does your body ache?”
“I guess.” Zhou Mi admitted. “I… it isn’t like I have never died in a dream. It was one of the first things we learned when we started out. You know the company’s training program.” Oh, of course Kyuhyun remembered that. A shock to the system was an understatement. Zhou Mi’s voice was quiet though, and Kyuhyun had the feeling this was more than just what he had thought. “It’s just… she shot you in the head.”
Kyuhyun blinked as realization hit him about what was actually bothering the other man and why Zhou Mi kept staring at his head. “Oh. Oh. Yeah. I’m sorry you had to see that up close. I can imagine it wasn’t a very pretty sight.” What with all the blood and grey matter and splintered skull. Which brought him back to the main point of this job right then: Victoria Song was more than just a normal citizen. The gun didn’t waver even once when she was having it pressed against his head, and she shot without hesitation. The girl knew how to handle weapons.
Kyuhyun looked at the sleeping girl in front of him. She looked more her age in real life, not exactly the teenie cutesy image they had seen in video clips and magazines in the past few days. Kyuhyun had attributed her wiry and strong body type to her dance background, but he was starting to have doubts about that.
“We need to go back in.” Zhou Mi said, and both Kyuhyun’s and Henry’s heads snapped up.
“What’s the guarantee she won’t call you out on it again?” Henry frowned, but his hands were already reaching for the machine.
“Nothing. Subtlety doesn’t seem to work, so we are going in full force. She pulled a gun on us, we are pulling guns on her as well. It might prove productive to duke it out and see what really is going on.” Kyuhyun deftly clicked the PASIV suitcase open again, pulling out the IV lines. Quickly catching on Kyuhyun’s intention, Henry started loading up the somnacin system with new vials and hook up a line to Victoria’s wrist.
“Wait, what, are we going to have a gunfight?” Zhou Mi looked on in bemusement but still deftly hooked to his wrist the IV line Kyuhyun had just thrown him.
“Do you know how to handle an automatic rifle?”
“Yes, I had training, but-“
“She has something to hide, right? Something that some corporation wants. She will try to protect it if someone starts attacking her. Amidst all the gun blazing, we jump in, help her out, and tell her we are there to protect her and whatever she has to hide. No, technically, you will help her out. Under whatever disguise you want. I’ll be the one doing the attacking.”
“Are you sure she will believe us?” Zhou Mi looked at him wide-eyed, and Kyuhyun smirked.
“No, but that’s why we have to try.”
-
Looking out through a window in the building opposite Victoria Song’s apartment, Kyuhyun silently sent a thanks to all the stalker fans and the bazillion variety programs for pretty much providing the whole world the blueprint for her place. Of course he didn’t have time to commit every little stuffed animal in the bedroom to memory, but that wouldn’t matter much since the place would be in total chaos soon.
Kyuhyun slowly adjusted his rifle. He had built in three special little petrol bombs with timer inside the apartment. They had been strategically located to ignite the whole place in flame, at which point, Victoria would definitely run to save her best kept secret. From then on, it would be Zhou Mi’s job. Kyuhyun glanced at his watch. Zhou Mi had exactly twenty minutes to get her spilling the beans.
From behind the scope of his rifle, Kyuhyun could see Victoria lying on her bed reading some magazine. He started the mental countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
And boom. The explosion blasted apart all the windows. The bombs had been small enough to cause minimal damage. The main point was to put the place on fire. He could see Victoria jump up on her bed in shock. His suspicion was confirmed as she never freaked out and wasted time flailing about, but immediately started moving into the blind zones, far away from the windows. Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes. This girl definitely had training.
He counted to five, and started firing. Whole cartridges at first, but then more leisurely, just to let her know the place was under attack. He could see her running around the place in brief flashes, seemingly to gather something instead of immediately getting the hell out of the place. Jackpot. She had something more important than her life to protect in the apartment.
The plan was to have Zhou Mi be the helpful neighbour slash gallant hero who would knock down the door and offer assistance. Even if she realized she was dreaming by then, Zhou Mi would convince her not to leave behind whatever it was that she had to protect because whoever was attacking her would immediately find it.
Zhou Mi had better be quick. They got about ten minutes left until the police and fire trucks of her subconscious rushed to her protection and tore them apart. Kyuhyun gripped the rifle a little tighter as he caught sight of Zhou Mi’s disguised form inside the blazing apartment. An older man in his thirties with sturdy short frame.
He was in.
Kyuhyun barely had time to be optimistic about the development before he heard the blasted loud sirens. He looked down at the street and cursed - the police and fire trucks had started pulling up. Kyuhyun adjusted the rifle stand, pointing the gun down at the street, and started firing in automatic again when the first group of men poured out.
He was on his sixth cartridge when the projections sniffed him out to be in the opposite building, and Kyuhyun tensed as they started rushing towards his building instead. He got five minutes before they knocked down the door to this room. Kyuhyun’s eyes flickered up. Zhou Mi and Victoria were hovering over something in the kitchen, Victoria still in a half-blind spot.
“Zhou Mi, you are completely on your own now.” He muttered, and started a new round of fire down the street. It wasn’t long before there were shouts and pounding outside the door of his room. Kyuhyun took a long deep breath, swerved the gun around to face the door entrance, and started firing at the exact same time the door splintered apart and a round of bullets hit his body, tearing apart skin and bones.
-
Kyuhyun jerked awake and immediately looked at the sleeping girl.
“Henry, give her another dose, just in case.” Kyuhyun commanded, and the boy quickly followed his words. Just in time, as Zhou Mi’s eyes fluttered opened and he immediately sat up straighter, ripping the IV line from his arm.
“I’ve got it.” Zhou Mi’s eyes were bright and excited, though his mouth seemed to be set in a tight line. Pulling out his phone, he started typing something furiously.
“Well?” Kyuhyun leaned forward, closing up the PASIV machine. All three of them were already standing up half way from their seats.
“Let’s get out of here first.” Zhou Mi slid the phone back to his pocket, sparing the sleeping Victoria Song a last look before quickly striding away, Kyuhyun and Henry in tow.
Henry got off the train at Jinan, while Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun got off at Zibo and then made their way back to Beijing. Zhou Mi was practically vibrating with excitement the entire time, his hand gripping tightly around Kyuhyun’s arm.
“It’s a series of number,” Zhou Mi whispered under his breath as they made their way through the train station. “A password. There is a USB key stored in a cupboard in her kitchen.”
“I see.” Kyuhyun nodded, mind rushing with the next final steps of the operation. “So now we need to get inside her apartment and get the USB key.”
“And luckily for us, she’s in Qingdao for the next few days.” Zhou Mi grinned at him, and Kyuhyun smirked back, pushing up his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. The sunshine of November was warm and brilliant on the back of their heads.
-
Victoria being away for the next few days also meant that her manager was off duty and away from the apartment. Getting in an empty apartment was not exactly that complicated, and Zhou Mi quickly located the cupboard where he had seen Victoria hide the USB key inside the dream. Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi did a small high-five when Zhou Mi finally pulled out the small sparkly pink object from behind a pasta packet.
Safely back to Zhou Mi’s apartment, they huddled over the laptop in the living room. Zhou Mi fiddled with the USB, turning to look at Kyuhyun in confirmation.
“Just plug it in. I want to know what that teen pop idol girl is really involved with and what it is that the company absolutely refused to tell us about.” Kyuhyun nodded towards the laptop, his chin resting against Zhou Mi’s shoulder.
The little USB key flashed in green light as it connected to the computer. Zhou Mi quickly typed in the password he had typed down in his phone. A folder popped open, and Zhou Mi frowned.
“It’s a video file.”
“Play it.”
He clicked the little icon, and a video screen started up. On the screen was Victoria Song herself in front of an off-white background, looking like a studio of some sort. Her hair was pulled up high in a ponytail, her expression bright and cheerful, looking the typical kind of promo video she would release to her fanclub on the internet.
“Hello, I am Victoria Song!” The girl waved at the camera, pretty much bouncing on her feet. Kyuhyun frowned. He briefly wondered if it was possible that they had gotten the wrong USB key.
“We have never met before at this moment in time, but I have heard a lot about you, Zhou Mi.”
Kyuhyun jerked his head back to stare at Zhou Mi. The other man looked frozen in surprise. “How did she…” Kyuhyun could feel his face paling.
“All good things though, so you don’t have to worry.” Victoria laughed, her smile mischievous, and it reminded him of the way her voice had kept its endearing cutesy tone right up until she shot him in the back of the head. She was speaking in Chinese, but Kyuhyun could pretty much understand the gist of it.
“You are said to be one of the most promising upcoming agents in SM China’s training center, so I’m very honoured to be able to be a part of your mission this time. The fact that you are watching this video now means that you have succeeded in your mission, a proof to all your effort and amazing ability.” The girl stood up straighter, staring straight at the camera.
“Zhou Mi, class zero four, SM China branch, you have hereby passed your final trial mission in your compulsory probation period. Thank you for your hard work, and I hope we would have the opportunity to work together in future operations. I wish you the best of luck in your future career at SM.” The girl waved one last time, bowing slightly. The familiar SM emblem rolled across the screen, and the video cut off.
Both Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun stared at the blank screen for the next few minutes.
“I. What.” Zhou Mi stammered over his words. Kyuhyun turned to stare at him in accusation.
“Did you know about this?”
“No! Of course not!” Zhou Mi squeaked, waving his hand frantically. “I didn’t, I swear! I had no idea this would be their idea of a final assessment, I always thought we would come into the lab and have a controlled test or something! That’s what they told me! Oh my god, I finally passed my probation period?!” Zhou Mi’s eyes were wide in clear excitement. He could practically see explosive joy bubbling up from inside him.
Kyuhyun touched his fingers to his forehead, eyes closing, brain still struggling to process the meaning of what he had just watched.
“Wait. So. Basically. I just wasted one whole week, a lot of neurons, a lot of sleep, and a few gunshots to the head in order for you to pass your final SM assessment.”
Zhou Mi’s hand crept up to rest gingerly on his knees, but Kyuhyun knocked it away as he abruptly stood up, pulling out his cellphone. “I’m going to call Leeteuk and he had better got a damn good explanation for this.”
Leeteuk answered on his first ring, and it was more than apparent than he had been waiting for the call. Before Kyuhyun could even raise his voice, Leeteuk had cut him off.
“Kyuhyun, congratulations! I heard you two have finally successfully wrapped up the operation!”
“How did you even- Victoria called you, didn’t she?” Kyuhyun rubbed at his forehead, pacing back and forth. “She works for the company. Most likely one of the undercover intel agents of the China branch. Dammit, I should have known. We got the same training. Lucid dreaming, moving in blind spots. What about Amber Liu?”
“I don’t think I’m allowed to answer that, Kyuhyun.” Leeteuk’s voice was amused.
“Probably on a special op in the US.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “You set this up. I should have known, what with all the sketchy details. Why did it have to be me? I just came back from the Jeju job, I wasn’t exactly the one with a pool of free time around this place.”
“I told you, Kyuhyunnie, you are one of our best, that’s why. Your job was to test and assess Zhou Mi, even though you didn’t know it.”
“What, I was Zhou Mi’s final examiner and I didn’t even know about it?” Kyuhyun paced, hissing into the phone. This was ridiculous. “When did you all even start implementing this ridiculous method of final assessment?”
“That’s not exactly relevant here. You two did a good job, so don’t worry about it. You will be expected to have a full report and assessment form handed in for this particular mission, Kyuhyun.”
“I can’t believe this-“ Kyuhyun spluttered, but Leeteuk had already cut him off.
“How was he, Kyuhyun?”
Kyuhyun paused, his eyes flickered over to Zhou Mi. He hadn’t looked at him once ever since he had started his tirade over the phone with Leeteuk. Zhou Mi looked… anxious? He was staring at Kyuhyun, brows furrowed and mouth a downturned line, an opposite of the ill-concealed joy he was bursting with earlier upon the news of his successful mission.
Images fleeted through Kyuhyun’s mind - Zhou Mi’s painstaking careful research, Zhou Mi’s pale face and shaking hands, Zhou Mi’s insistence on following through despite the first horrible failure, Zhou Mi’s reliable timing, Zhou Mi’s assured sunshine smile when they got off the train.
Kyuhyun stared back at Zhou Mi, and finally mouthed into the phone, eyes never leaving the other man’s. “He was. Good.”
Zhou Mi’s eyes slowly widened. The corner of Kyuhyun’s lips twitched up, and Zhou Mi hesitantly broke into a tentative grin.
“Well, I certainly trust you on that.” He could practically hear Leeteuk’s smile over the phone. “I would of course expect a longer report than just three words though.”
Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Keep waiting, hyung.” Suddenly a thought struck him. “There was absolutely no safety reasons for switching my accommodation to Zhou Mi’s place! You just wanted him to keep an eye on me to make sure I wrote the damn report, and also for me to keep observation on him twenty four seven!”
“What, is his place not up to your five-star standards? Is it the bed or the food?” Leeteuk’s tone was teasing, but it made Kyuhyun flush nonetheless. A hotel room definitely didn’t feed him Korean seafood pajeon for dinner or serve up fried Cantonese rice for breakfast with a glass of fresh juice without his even asking for it. Zhou Mi’s room was obnoxiously a thirteen-years-old girl’s, but it felt warmer than in his own bedroom at home. What kind of douche would complain about someone who had been willing to ditch his own bed for the guest for one whole week? Not to mention Kyuhyun reckoned in the last week he had eaten more than he had done in the entire last month.
Before Kyuhyun could open his mouth to voice his sentiments though, Leeteuk had continued on.
“Anyway, congratulations, you two. Good job on getting through it in once piece. I heard Miss Victoria Song does not exactly go easy on people.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Kyuhyun muttered under his breath. He was not one to hold grudges, but he would be lying if he said he wouldn’t feel apprehensive about working with the girl in the future.
“Now that we are done with the formalities though, you two are going to take the earliest flight tomorrow back to Seoul for your first official job together.”
“What?!” Kyuhyun barked at the phone.
It turned out SM was never kidding about over-working its employees to an early brain death.
-
Kyuhyun threw his phone on the coffee table, collapsing on the sofa, head landing against Zhou Mi’s shoulder somehow. Zhou Mi’s hand automatically reached out to pat his hair lightly. They sat together like that for several minutes, slowly taking in all the information that they had been thrown in the face with in the past hour.
It took Kyuhyun a few minutes to realize Zhou Mi was fidgeting as if he wanted to jump out of his seat. Kyuhyun lifted his head, sitting up straighter and turning to look at the other man. Zhou Mi was smiling, eyes fixed down at his hands as if he was trying really hard to contain himself from bursting with joy.
“Oh.” Kyuhyun cleared his throat. “Congratulations for passing your final assessment, I guess.” Kyuhyun said, feeling kind of douchey for dampening Zhou Mi’s excitement. One more year down the line, Kyuhyun doubted Zhou Mi would be so excited over the prospect of working though.
“Thank you.” Kyuhyun nearly jumped back as Zhou Mi suddenly grasped his hand. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I’m really sorry for all the inconvenience you had to go through. If there is anything I could do to make up for it, don’t hesitate to tell me.” Zhou Mi leaned close, his face mere inches away from Kyuhyun’s, eyes boring into his. Kyuhyun swallowed.
The last time they had been this close face to face was in the first test run of the dream, but even back then Kyuhyun was face to face with his own face, and not Zhou Mi’s. He could practically commit every pore on Zhou Mi’s face to memory then. Kyuhyun leaned back a little further away, highly conscious of the way his hand was warm and tingling inside Zhou Mi’s bigger palm. He had really soft fingers, Kyuhyun randomly noted.
“Well…” Kyuhyun breathed out lightly, holding Zhou Mi’s gaze.
“Yes?”
“We can start with clearing out your alcohol stash tonight. I need a drink. Let’s go get a drink.”
-
They were down to the last quarter of the opened whiskey bottle by the time Zhou Mi decided it was time to wander into the kitchen to prepare dinner. One last time before Kyuhyun left for his frozen meals and take-away, he said. Kyuhyun’s stomach felt a bit sad, no lies. Zhou Mi announced he was going to make egg noodle soup with vegetable and chicken, and Kyuhyun had to wonder how Zhou Mi had even found the time to go shopping for food in the last week.
He stood up and wandered into the kitchen with glass in hand. The smell of sautéed chicken was getting too good. Kyuhyun leaned against the high counter, his body warm and loose from the heat burning low in his stomach. He watched Zhou Mi’s back, the subtle lines of muscles shifting underneath his shirt. He apparently hadn’t been in close proximity with someone for too long, Kyuhyun thought. It wasn’t like he wasn’t aware that Zhou Mi was good-looking, but eyeing his sister’s part-time boyfriend? Kyuhyun would like to think he wasn’t that desperate.
It didn’t hurt to stare though, the alcohol reasoned with him. Touching apparently was fine as well, his brain supplied as his feet brought him forward and his hands placed themselves on Zhou Mi’s hips.
“Kyuhyun!” Zhou Mi jumped, almost elbowing him in the face. Zhou Mi’s skin felt warm underneath the thin fabric of his shirt. Kyuhyun’s fingers stroked the edge of his jeans lightly. He leaned in, pressing his face against Zhou Mi’s shoulder, peering at the pot of boiling soup.
“It smells good.”
“Kyuhyun…” Zhou Mi turned awkwardly with Kyuhyun in the way. “Go sit down before you fall face first into a boiling pot.”
“What? I’m not even tipsy yet.” Kyuhyun scoffed. His head felt past the point of drunk though. He felt strung out and buzzed with white noise, the kind of feeling he usually got after two back-to-back jobs and not enough actual dreamless sleep. His mind still felt wired up, rushing a million miles an hour. Sometimes Kyuhyun was a little afraid of his brain falling apart from all the running and crashing inside his subconscious, but then again he always woke up.
Zhou Mi pushed him away though, so Kyuhyun walked off and headed for the sofa again. He played games on his laptop, destroying spaceships after spaceships in a monotonous pace until a hand shook his shoulder. Kyuhyun blinked, looking up to stare straight at Zhou Mi’s now familiar face.
“Uh, dinner time? I called you but you didn’t hear.” Zhou Mi was subtly cringing in a way that let Kyuhyun knew he was staring with his “creepy dead eyes” again. Kyuhyun pushed the laptop off his lap and followed Zhou Mi into the kitchen, somehow feeling oddly tired to the point he couldn’t even bother with speaking.
The noodle was good. Both of them practically inhaled the food. Kyuhyun was really going to miss this when he got back to Seoul. Zhou Mi was rambling about something, Kyuhyun was too busy munching on his chicken to really listen until he finished three quarter of the bowl.
“…and I would have to find a hotel quickly too. Do you have any recommendation, Kyuhyun?”
“Hm?” Kyuhyun looked up in confusion upon hearing his name.
“For hotels? Near the area where you live since I guess we would still have to work together a lot in the new job?”
“Hotels?” Kyuhyun repeated, feeling a bit slower than normal. “For what? We are not going to stay in a hotel in Seoul. I have an apartment there.”
Zhou Mi went still for a few beats. Kyuhyun was wondering why Zhou Mi was staring so hard at his face before he opened his mouth again. “Oh. You never said anything about me staying at your place.”
“Eh?” Kyuhyun blinked, his sluggish brain rushing to retrace what he had just said. When it hit him, Kyuhyun immediately felt his face flush in embarrassment. He had apparently become too familiar with Zhou Mi staying in his personal space, but to think about bringing the other man back to his own apartment and living together throughout the course of the job like they had been doing? Kyuhyun wasn’t so sure. “Oh. That. Oh, I mean. It’s not. Of course you would want to look for a hotel. No safety reasons or whatsoever.” Kyuhyun laughed a bit nervously.
“No, no! I would love to stay at your place, if you don’t mind.” Zhou Mi beamed at him, and only then did Kyuhyun realize the full consequences of not listening to people when he was supposed to and how he had truly put his foot in his mouth this time.
Yet had Zhou Mi not been a fantastic host in the past few days towards him? It wouldn’t make sense if Kyuhyun didn’t extend the same amount of hospitality towards him. Except Kyuhyun had never really been one for hospitality. Still, it made sense, the fact that they would be staying together again because obviously they would have to be working together most of the time anyway, there would be no need for Zhou Mi to waste money on a hotel room he would barely sleep in.
“I have a spare bedroom.” Kyuhyun blurted out, and Zhou Mi nearly snorted noodle out of his nose in barely-contained laughter. He had probably been drinking more than he should on an empty stomach, Kyuhyun thought. What next, offering his bed to a stranger he had only met a week prior? Though to be honest, that was exactly what Zhou Mi had done for him. Zhou Mi could be a nice friend, Kyuhyun decided, even after his sister ditched him, which she would. Kyuhyun caught himself wishing it was really really true that there was absolutely nothing serious between his sister and Zhou Mi, though for what reason, he was not sure.
He brought the bowls to the kitchen sink after Zhou Mi when they finished, this time finally snatching the dishwasher role. Zhou Mi hovered all over him the whole time, looking anxious, as if Kyuhyun couldn’t even handle a few ceramic bowls and bamboo chopsticks. He wasn’t even that tipsy yet to start smashing plates.
“If you keep looking over my shoulders, I’ll have this bowl of soap water in your face.” Kyuhyun threatened, letting the water run stronger. Zhou Mi backed off half a step.
“Kyuhyun, you are not using gloves!”
Kyuhyun slowly turned to stare at the offered bright yellow gloves in distaste for three seconds, and then turned away, ignoring Zhou Mi’s near-pout.
The hot rush of water was comforting, slowly relaxing the odd tension in his body. He felt loose and warm, strangely comfortable. Kyuhyun hummed low in his throat, letting his thoughts run a hundred miles a minute. It was nice, except the one thought that came out and formed into words wasn’t exactly one he would ask while stone cold sober.
“Zhou Mi.”
“Hm?” The other man looked up from cleaning the table.
“Do you find dating my sister… inconvenient?”
“Eh?” Zhou Mi sounded confused. “What do you mean, dating your sister?”
Kyuhyun paused, turning back to look at Zhou Mi. “Aren’t you? Or does two times a year not count? I don’t know, I’m not entirely clear about your arrangements.”
Zhou Mi was silent for a beat, his face making bizarre expressions. “Kyuhyun. Uh.” He smiled, but the smile was a typical ‘what-the-fuck’ one. “I’m not dating your sister. I never have. Did she tell you…?” Zhou Mi was looking a little anxious now. Kyuhyun blinked, waving frantically.
“Uh, no. I just… assumed.” And he really did, now that he thought about it. Ahra had never mentioned the word boyfriend or relationship in any conversation. “You are not?” Kyuhyun frowned. “But she called you… her boytoy. Uh, I mean, no offense, but that-“
“…Is what Ahra calls me, yeah.” Zhou Mi laughed, looking relieved. “We hang out like twice a year, but it’s just normal friends stuff. She’s possibly fond of me, but she just likes teasing me is all. I don’t think I’m quite her type.”
“Oh.” Kyuhyun nodded, not quite comprehending. “Okay.”
Well, that changed a few things. Or not. Available, his mind screamed at him. He snapped at it to shut up. Work-related. His retort sounded weak even inside his head.
-
After they finished washing up, it was near midnight and the whiskey bottle was down to the last drops. Zhou Mi pulled out a brand new bottle of cognac from a top shelf, and Kyuhyun laughed.
“You really go for the girly stuff.”
“Our flight is at nine tomorrow morning.” Zhou Mi hesitated as he set the bottle down. “Don’t you need sleep?”
“I don’t really feel like sleeping.” And somehow Kyuhyun really didn’t. He had half a mind to drink through the night, if he passed out then it was for the better, and if he still couldn’t then too bad. “I can’t sleep until the alcohol makes me pass out anyway.”
“That’s not really sleep.” Zhou Mi frowned.
Kyuhyun was apparently more tired than he thought he was, because he leaned closer into Zhou Mi, smiling. “Well, you don’t really sleep in this job anyway.”
“Do you ever dream when you are sleeping?” Zhou Mi’s fingers reached out, patting his hair lightly. It felt comforting.
“No. Not really.” Kyuhyun heaved a sigh, and reached out for the cognac bottle. He knocked down the first glass in one go. The liquid burned all the way down, thick and slow at the back of his throat. His eyes almost watered from it. He fell back against the sofa. His whole body felt weighed down and disconnected, as if someone else was controlling his sluggish movements. He would like to pretend the hand that landed on Zhou Mi’s thigh was an accident, except when it wasn’t. He played with the fabric under his fingers, rubbing and stroking slowly into Zhou Mi’s inner thigh.
Zhou Mi’s knee twitched, pressing closer against his thigh. Their legs were completely pressed up against each other then. Kyuhyun shifted his legs, dragging his body to lean half-way against the other man. His chin landed against Zhou Mi’s bony shoulder, the end of Zhou Mi’s hair tickling his nose. He took a shuddery breath, taking in the smell on the nape of Zhou Mi’s neck, warm skin and light incense and mulled spice. His lips were millimetres away from touching the heated skin, his own breath hot and damp with the smell of alcohol.
“I’m kind of… really drunk.” Kyuhyun muttered, his nose brushing against the sharp line of Zhou Mi’s jaw. His lips curved up as Zhou Mi let out a barely audible gasp.
“I can see that.” Zhou Mi’s voice came as a husky whisper, the first time he spoke up since Kyuhyun had pressed his body against the other’s. Zhou Mi’s hand slid from his hair down to his back, and Kyuhyun smirked lightly as it lingered for a few seconds on his hips, and then closed around the back of his thigh, stroking and kneading with firm fingers. Kyuhyun spread his legs a little wider, hooking one over Zhou Mi’s thigh. He was practically half sprawled out in Zhou Mi’s lap now.
Zhou Mi’s hand felt good massaging the back of his thigh. Kyuhyun sighed, closing his eyes and burying his face closer into the nape of Zhou Mi’s neck. The hand sometimes crept up to his hips, edging up under the hem of his shirt, long fingers stroking his heated skin. He breathed in the smell of Zhou Mi’s skin and his shampoo, feeling heady with warmth. His breath was hot against Zhou Mi’s skin. This was ridiculous, Kyuhyun thought, and he smirked lazily as the tip of his tongue flicked out, wetting Zhou Mi’s earlobe. A strong shiver ran through Zhou Mi’s body, he could feel it. It was strangely satisfying.
Kyuhyun let out a gasp as Zhou Mi suddenly tightened his arm around his body and hoisted him up into his lap. Kyuhyun’s thighs dragged against Zhou Mi’s hips, wrapping around them as he let his body drape over Zhou Mi’s chest. Zhou Mi’s mouth was hot and wet against his neck, and Kyuhyun let out a low groan, his hips rolling and pressing down on their own accord, his body heavy and floating. His hands found their way to Zhou Mi’s hair and tightened around the dark locks as their hardness brushed against each other. The undeniable truth of what this had been all about. Zhou Mi’s harsh breathing was loud against his ears.
There was no turning back now, the thought flashed in his mind. Obviously, he didn’t want to even if he could.
They had a rhythm going on, and Zhou Mi settled his hand on Kyuhyun’s lower back, at the end of his spine. He arched against that hand, those long fingers, warm and steady. The wave of pleasure rolled through him with every roll of their hips, heating him up inside out. He splayed his legs wider, pressing closer to the planes and angles of Zhou Mi’s body. Zhou Mi might have been mouthing his name against his jaws, but Kyuhyun couldn’t be sure. He was busy trying to get Zhou Mi’s pants open.
Zhou Mi gasped loudly, definitely his name this time, as Kyuhyun’s fingers wrapped around his cock. It felt hot and heavy and had him flush with arousal. Zhou Mi seemed to have the same idea as he worked the zipper of Kyuhyun’s pants open. His thighs tightened around Zhou Mi’s hips, and that was it for him. Kyuhyun arched in a soundless cry as those long fingers closed around his shaft, coming helplessly with each dragging stroke. He was vaguely aware of Zhou Mi’s breath hitching and his body tensing under him as well, but that was all he could do as he finally slumped over Zhou Mi’s body, his limbs feeling heavy and weightless at the same time.
He could live with this, Kyuhyun thought. He could live with warm hands under his shirt and soft lips brushing his hair, but just for a little while. The last thing that vaguely registered in Kyuhyun’s mind was something hot and wet brushing against his lips, but it might as well be another one of his lucid dreaming episodes. He had learned to stop trusting everything to be real once he closed his eyes. With the world spinning behind his eyelids, Kyuhyun passed out.
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Part 4