Childhood Love (28/?)
Author: kyumin86eunhae
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Pairings: main!KyuMin, twins!HyukMin, quite-a-lot-HaeHyuk, minor!Yewook, mentions of other pairings
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: hateable!OC, tons of fill-in-Chapters
Summary: This is the love and also the life story (okay until their twenties) of Sungmin, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Donghae and Ryeowook. This story tells about how they grow up and closer and also how they will find their first and maybe everlasting love.
“You lost the keys? “ Sungmin exclaimed, jaw hanging open from disbelief. “Sorta. “ Kyuhyun mumbled, hands burying deep into his pockets.
“What now?” Sungmin moaned. Then his face lightened. “Call Mr. Park!” Kyuhyun closed his eyes as he buried his hands even deeper into his pockets, if that was possible. “I kinda… left my cellphone upstairs too... I didn’t think we would be out for long…” he stated helplessly.
Sungmin grabbed his hair and started walking around. “What now? Why is this hotel locked anyway? Aren’t hotels supposed to be opened 24/7 for guests that come home late from partying? Or guests that check-in late night? With a receptionist standing at the front desk and-“ Kyuhyun grabbed Sungmin’s shoulders, shaking him lightly.
“Hyung. Calm down. This hotel is specialized on school excursions that’s why the entrance is locked after 8PM and-“ Sungmin pulled a face and began to struggle against Kyuhyun’s grip. “Just calm down.” Kyuhyun ended his consolation, realizing that it hadn’t been consoling at all. You’re such a useless brat when it’s about things of importance. Sungmin, meanwhile settling his bottom on the cold stairs, sighed and buried his face in between his crossed arms.
“Mr. Park is going to kill us.” he complained. Kyuhyun didn’t know what to do now; he obviously sucked at comforting and now, well now, he was just awkwardly standing there, hands in his pockets and helplessly looking at his Hyung. He didn’t know how long they had kept that position but Kyuhyun knew that he couldn’t stand that tension any longer. It was mortifying. Sungmin seemed to feel the same.
“Sorry. “ they both said at the same time. Both, surprised by each other’s words stared at each other for a moment before Sungmin began to giggle. Kyuhyun looked at his laughing fit. He gave him a small, shy smile, causing Sungmin to awe over his Dongsaeng’s cuteness and shrugged.
“I disappointed you this morning, didn’t I?” he replied submissively. Kyuhyun, the obedient puppy. He thought at the same time but he couldn’t do else when it came to that dude there in front of him, flashing that curious smile. Sungmin formed an ‘o’ with his lips before they curved into another smile.
“I’m not angry anymore. I was a bit angry at first but it cooled down quite fast. Kyuhyun, you’re still a kid. It’s natural to be curious!” And again. Kyuhyun felt his mouth corner twitching in a failing attempt of smiling. You are adorable, Kyuhyun, aren’t you?
“Well, I just thought it’d be the right thing to apologize.” he concluded his apologize, deciding to ignore what Sungmin had just said. If that guy would ever realize that Kyuhyun was not a little kid but just madly in love…
“I wanted to apologize because I was rude this morning. And because I caused you trouble because of my own egoistic demands. And because I just was complaining even though- Well, it was your fault.” Those words hit Kyuhyun hard. He knew they were true though. “But I’m not helping our situation with my whining at all.”
This apologize somehow made Kyuhyun feel even worse than before. “I’m sorry.” he murmured, looking at the ground. Sungmin immediately regretted saying anything as he saw that tall, lanky boy in front of him having a bad guilt again.
“We’ll just wait until the door is unlocked tomorrow morning again and ask the receptionist to unlock our room for us. Mr. Park won’t notice, okay?” Sungmin said, hand caressing Kyuhyun’s arm. I give a damn shit about Mr. Park. I made you upset. That’s my damn problem. Kyuhyun just sighed when suddenly Sungmin pulled Kyuhyun into a slightly awkward hug.
Kyuhyun was more than just startled, he was shocked. His face heated up in a ridiculously quick pace, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He was in the warm, apparently comforting embrace of his Hyung. Kyuhyun thought of how weird it looked. He, proudly 180 cm tall, being in that caressing, consoling hug of his five centimeter shorter Hyung. It felt good, how he noticed with a little smile as he found himself wrapping his arms around Sungmin.
“Uuuh… Hyung?” he muttered quietly. He didn’t actually plan on ending that moment too soon but he also thought of how awkward it’d have been if he didn’t say anything at all.
“I’m giving you a comforting ‘I’m-sorry-hug’.” Sungmin explained before releasing the younger from his embrace. Damn! Kyuhyun whined mentally, holding onto Sungmin for maybe one short second longer than actually necessary and letting go under silent protests then.
“Seems like we have to spend the whole night here.” Kyuhyun sighed. “Seems like…” Sungmin murmured, sitting down on the stairs again. “They’ll be thinking that we’re homeless dudes dirtying their stairs when they see us sitting here.” Kyuhyun stated flatly before dropping his big butt right next to Sungmin. The older boy giggled before opening his mouth for a wide yawn.
“Are you tired, Hyung?” Kyuhyun asked gently before a little idea popped up his mind. “Yo-you ca-can lean on my shoulder if you want.” he stuttered nervously. Sungmin lifted his head and tilted it to the side.
“Are you cold? Your voice is shaking…”
“I’m okay, Hyung. Perfectly fine.” Kyuhyun murmured, cupping his cheeks with his hands to check if his face was warmer than it should be. “Can I really lean on your shoulder?” Sungmin asked softly and all Kyuhyun could do was nodding frantically while staring into the darkness in front of him.
“Thank you…” Sungmin hummed tiredly before resting his head on Kyuhyun’s boney shoulder. Kyuhyun could hear that Sungmin didn’t fall asleep but just had his head placed on that shoulder, eyes probably locking gaze with the sky, dark blue in the clear, cloudless night where white, sparkling dots could be seen.
“Look! Can you see the stars?” Sungmin suddenly exclaimed, raising his head from Kyuhyun’s shoulder again, much to the latter’s discomfort.
“I can. Why?”
“You usually just see that one, very bright star when we’re in Seoul.”
“I see. Do you know its name?” Kyuhyun chuckled while staring up into the sky along with his Hyung.
“Nope. No idea. It still looks awesome, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.” They both remained in a comfortable silence, just staring up into the sky when Kyuhyun began to giggle.
“What’s funny, Kyuhyunnie?” Sungmin asked, curiously looking at his laughing Dongsaeng.
“The stars’ constellation… They look like a giant egg roll!”
Sungmin moaned at the mentioning of food. Both of them suddenly remembered that they didn’t have anything for dinner.
“Stop it. I’m hungry.”
Kyuhyun went mute for the sake of his own stomach too. “Don’t you think it looks more like a pencil case anyway? The one that Haerim has…” Sungmin mused absentmindedly. Kyuhyun flinched unnoticeably and acted like he hadn’t heard it.
“Aren’t you tired, Hyung?”
“Hmm… I really am.” Sungmin hummed before leaning on Kyuhyun’s shoulder again. “Thank you for your shoulder.”
“You’re always welcome.” Soon, Kyuhyun heard a soft snore, noticing that he was the only one now being awake. He tried not to move in order to not let Sungmin waking up especially since he knew that his Hyung had a light sleep. At the same time, he remembered those times when Sungmin was fast asleep like a rock, those times when they still had shared a bed and a blanket. A long, long time ago. A cool wind breezed on his face when Kyuhyun noticed that Jeju Island was really cold at night, being an island in the sea. He felt Sungmin slightly shivering on his shoulder and when he looked, he could see his Hyung’s face frowning up a bit, shoulder pulling up.
He knew that it was risky to move but the sight of his Hyung being cold was too unbearable. Kyuhyun shifted his body, lifting Sungmin’s head a bit before placing his Hyung’s cheek on his chest in order to wrap his arms around Sungmin’s shoulders, hoping that it would warm up his body. Kyuhyun felt Sungmin snuggling closer to his chest, unconsciously letting out a small relieved sigh as it became a little warmer. The younger boy could just smile, feeling how the blood in his body circulated was faster than before, making his own body heating up.
He leaned on the balusters of the stairs as he realized that it would be hard to sleep like this, having Sungmin leaning on him like this. His Hyung’s hot breath was tickling the skin on his collarbone, arms unconsciously on his thighs loosely and yes, it wasn’t the most comfortable position for Kyuhyun to sleep in but he didn’t mind. He probably had never felt better sleeping like this, having Sungmin in his arms. He just hoped that Sungmin wouldn’t wake up from his incredibly loud heartbeat, pounding fast in his chest.
Kyuhyun looked down, almost sneezing when Sungmin’s hair tickled his nose and saw his Hyung leaning on his shoulder, face flushed from cool wind and lips slightly parted. It was definitely up on the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Having this image of a peacefully sleeping Sungmin in front of his eyes, Kyuhyun felt his eye lids getting heavier and finally drifted off into sleep.
“Mmmh… “ Sungmin moaned when he woke up. The sun was already peeking over the horizon. Sungmin didn’t feel good. He had a headache and his body felt unnaturally hot. Thinking of it; there was a pair of arms wrapped around his body and Sungmin soon realized that it was his cute little Dongsaeng Kyuhyun who was hugging him while still being fast asleep. Sungmin smiled softly when he saw how innocent Kyuhyun looked in his sleep.
“Like a little kid…” he mouthed in awe before thinking of what to do now. He felt sick. They probably should be up in their room, just in case that Mr. Park would wake up earlier. “Kyuhyunnie….” Sungmin whispered carefully before shifting his body, freeing himself from Kyuhyun’s embrace. Kyuhyun didn’t move, not even when his hands hit the stairs as they fell from Sungmin’s back.
Sungmin sighed before sitting up straightly. He grabbed Kyuhyun’s shoulders and began to shake them gently. “Kyuhyunnie… wake up. We have to get into our room.” Sungmin tried to say but then realized that he was completely husky. His words only came out as a whisper and his throat felt dry too. Kyuhyun, however, reacted to the shaking and his eye lids parted.
“Nggghhh…” Kyuhyun struggled against the grip on his shoulders, still half asleep.
“Kyuhyunnie. Wake up!” Sungmin whispered another time before coughing. His throat made a very distracting and unhealthy noise in that progress. Kyuhyun’s eyes now completely snapped open.
“Hyung, are you sick?” he asked, voice perfectly fine and apparently not affected by the cold night at all. Sungmin just nodded before whispering “We have to get into our rooms.”
Kyuhyun nodded, helping Sungmin standing up because the latter obviously felt dizzy too. And while Sungmin thought of how to explain his sudden sickness to Mr. Park, Kyuhyun was thinking of how to help him. Tea, a warm blanket, spicy soup, he thought.
Luckily, the receptionist was still young and understood their situation, giving them the spare keys for the room. At least that problem was solved. Sungmin immediately fell on his bed when they opened the door, snuggling deeply into the blankets.
“Hyung, how do you feel?” Kyuhyun asked in worry, face frowning up while stepping up to the bed. Sungmin just closed his eyes, underarm on his forehead. Kyuhyun checked Sungmin’s temperature, immediately feeling that it had risen very high. Sungmin was not in the condition to complain or to do anything when Kyuhyun already lifted the blanket and covered his shaking body. “You stay here, Sungmin Hyung. I’m getting Mr. Park.” Kyuhyun ordered without even noticing possible complains from Sungmin.
Sungmin was not able to say anything against it anyway. He felt sick. He had the feeling that he would immediately throw up once he’d stand up. His head was dizzy and aching, his body heated up and shaking and his mind was completely blurry. Kyuhyun was struggling with himself. Was it okay to leave Sungmin alone? He had no choice. He ran out of the room into Mr. Park’s room’s direction. He didn’t care that it was still early, that Mr. Park probably was still asleep but hey, he didn’t know what time it was anyway and even less did he care about his teacher’s physical condition. Sungmin was sick. Kyuhyun just began to hit the door because all he could think of was Sungmin being sick and alone in their room.
“Who is it?” his teacher’s voice came out of the room. Kyuhyun, still slightly breathless from his sprint, panted out a “Kyuhyun!” before the door opened, revealing Mr. Park in blue pajamas with yellow ducks on it. Under normal circumstances, Kyuhyun would have made a silent joke to himself about it but it really wasn’t the time to laugh about his teacher’s childishness.
“What is it Kyuhyun? Why are you already up?” Mr. Park wondered.
“Sungmin Hyung! He’s sick! He has a fever and his body is shaking and his voice is gone and-“
“Calm down, Kyuhyun. I’m on my way. We’ll see.” Mr. Park tried to calm down Kyuhyun but actually began to worry too. It didn’t sound too good. They ran to Kyuhyun’s and Sungmin’s shared room where Mr. Park burst into the room, finding the bed empty. Kyuhyun immediately began to panic as he followed and couldn’t find his precious Hyung anywhere.
“Where is he?” Kyuhyun panted, hands palming his mouth in shock. That was when they heard the noise from the bathroom. It was the noise of the toilet flushing and then the dull sound of something heavy falling to the ground. “In the bathroom.” he and Mr. Park whispered before rushing into said room. Sungmin was laying on the ground, sweating and eyes closed.
“Did he vomit?” Kyuhyun asked in desperate worry, clinging on Mr. Park’s arm who slowly walked to his sick student.
“Seems like he did…” Mr. Park sighed. He kneeled down next to Sungmin before placing his hand on Sungmin’s forehead. “He has a high fever. I’m calling the doctor.”
Sungmin had caught the flu. Mr. Park completely forgot about their punishment for the following day, as it seemed and ordered Kyuhyun to take care of his sick roommate for the rest of the week. He was positive that a student like Kyuhyun could keep up with the class anyway and Kyuhyun could just obey, the thought that it was his fault that Sungmin got sick at first place because stupid him had forgotten the key upstairs - it was impossible to erase the guilt he was feeling.
So while Sungmin was lying under the blankets, body shaking and face reddened, Kyuhyun was mentally cursing at himself. He was staring at his Hyung who was sleeping but probably having feverish dreams, telling by his bothered, frowning face and the way he was uncomfortably writhing under his blanket.
“What are you dreaming, Hyung?” Kyuhyun whispered, more to himself than to Sungmin, as he wringed the cold water out of the face towel before neatly folding it to place it on Sungmin’s forehead again. He could see how the facial expression of pain eased a bit and had to smile a bit. Sungmin was, as always, shockingly beautiful, even when he was sick.
Kyuhyun was sitting next to Sungmin’s bed on a, unfortunately, very hard chair. His back was aching and so did his butt but all he could care about in that moment was getting Sungmin all okay again. Next to him, on the side table, he had kept everything he needed. He didn’t even dare leaving Sungmin for a second to get things like a thermometer, hot tea or cold water. He would call Donghae who he was blaming at first place anyway and would curse loudly if his brother was not available due to school activities and excursions.
A bottle of cool water, a package with ice cubes in case that the cool water would warm up too much, a thermometer, a Thermos bottle with spicy chicken soup, another one with hot tea, an empty bowl (just in case) and his phone. Kyuhyun actually had no idea what to do in the time that Sungmin was just asleep and the towel still icy. He decided just to look at his Hyung until one hour had passed and he could check the temperature again. It somehow wasn’t even boring. Aside from the fact that it was incredibly fulfilling just to look into that beautiful face, Kyuhyun finally had some time to think.
He usually was always busy and even in his free time, he would play Starcraft, so he never had any time to actually sit down and think. About his situation, about his whole life that, as he had to admit, wasn’t that bad but neither was completely perfect. But whose life even is perfect? Well, that would be unbelievably boring. His life just happened to be built on a crush he probably already had when he was 4 years old. Why was he like that, anyway? Other people can move on; other people can find new crushes, maybe even loves; other people don’t try to chase an impossible love that might not even can be labeled ‘love’; other people… are not Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun, the stubborn little child that somehow, somehow always got what he wanted in the end.
Not that Kyuhyun just looked at Sungmin as someone or something just like everything else in his life that he had always gotten after a certain amount of begging to his mom but well, Sungmin didn’t belong to the things that his beloved mother could just get him in a matter of seconds. Kyuhyun sometimes wondered if he even loved Sungmin. Kyuhyun would always say that he indeed ‘loved’ his Hyung, but wasn’t that something that everyone just said from time to time to so many people? He told his mother that he loved her, he told his father that he loved him, sometimes, even if it’s already been quite a while, he even told Donghae that he loved him.
But it was just something complete different when he looked at Sungmin, who, by the way, head awaken by now. Kyuhyun was sure that nothing in the entire world could make his heart beat increasing that much, not even the release of a new Final Fantasy game or the latest dual core processor that is compatible to his laptop. He would sometimes even blush, especially when Sungmin decided to flash him one of his, needless to say, gorgeous smiles and dude, Cho Kyuhyun blushing was already a big deal.
“Hyung, are you awake?” Kyuhyun asked softly before raising the face towel on Sungmin’s forehead to slip his hand under, checking the temperature.
“Mmmh… Kyuhyunnie?” Sungmin murmured, eyes closing again. Kyuhyun was almost thinking that his Hyung was about to fall asleep again when Sungmin was looking at him again. “Am I still sick?”
“Your forehead still seems pretty hot to me. I’ll check the temperature.” Kyuhyun said, voice full of concern before he ordered Sungmin to open his mouth for him to slip the thermometer between his lips. The red line of mercury slowly began to become longer and longer after cooling down to room temperature in the time it was just lying around uselessly on the side table. “Are you hungry? Or do you still feel dizzy? Do you feel like throwing up again?” Kyuhyun began to shower his Sungmin with questions full of concern, ignoring the fact that the older boy actually was not quite in the state to reply to him as he had a glass stick stuck in his mouth.
Kyuhyun noticed it soon and after the red line stopped rising, Kyuhyun leaned closer to look at the measuring point. “103 degrees. It got better. At least you voice is back by now.” He sighed in relief before putting the thermometer back into its wrapping. “So. My questions?” he smiled encouragingly and Sungmin had to giggle a bit. Kyuhyun wondered if he still was feverish.
“I feel a lot better now, thank you. I’m not that hungry. Also, I’m afraid of how my gastric will actually react on food. Dizziness is still present, but not that bad and right now, I don’t feel like vomiting.” Sungmin answered to all the questions before smiling at Kyuhyun. “Did you really stay right here the whole time when I was asleep?” he asked, almost in surprise as Kyuhyun noticed his brows moving up a bit.
“Yes, why?” Kyuhyun was sure that it was the most natural thing in the world to do so. Caring for Sungmin when he was sick, y’know.
“You’re very nice, Kyuhyun.” Sungmin smiled again and Kyuhyun immediately noticed the lack of minimization in his Hyung’s words this time. There was a little silence in which Kyuhyun’s brain had to process this information. “Why don’t you try one spoonful of soup? It won’t hurt, right?” he then started a new topic and Sungmin nodded happily.
“A bit food can’t hurt. I haven’t eaten anything for a while, have I?” Sungmin sighed before accepting the spoon with soup that Kyuhyun was giving him. Not to mention that Kyuhyun was uber happy and excited to feed Sungmin on his bed. “Soup’s good! Can I get some more?” Sungmin grinned, just like a little child, and opened his mouth again. Kyuhyun gladly shoved another spoon with chicken soup into Sungmin’s pink mouth.
And that went for five more minutes until Sungmin had to admit that he was full. And happy, of course. “Thank you ~” he sing-sang to Kyuhyun who could do nothing but grin back at his cute roommate. “I kinda felt like a little kid again. When my mom was feeding me every time I was sick.”
“Did you just compare me to your mom?” Kyuhyun mocked with that mischievous grin he was famous for. They both burst out in laughter before it all eased down to comfortable silence.
“You know that I don’t think of you as my mom, right?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t.”
“I usually still see you as a little kid, Kyuhyun. That’s all I remember about you.” Sungmin admitted once again.
“I seriously thought you had completely forgotten about me, to be honest.” Kyuhyun said, lowering his voice a bit in case that it was too awkward to about that topic.
“I actually did.” Sungmin said honestly, a small hint of apology in his voice.
“I remembered your name, I knew that you were Donghae’s brother and that we used to be best friends and even that you… were my first kiss” Kyuhyun chuckled at the thought “I remember facts that you just cannot forget but as for feelings… I can’t seem to recall my feelings from back then. I don’t know why.” Sungmin said and placed his hand on Kyuhyun’s arm as for comfort. “But you do, right?” he added cautiously.
Kyuhyun inhaled deeply. He weighed up the situations that would occur in the both cases, lying or not. He recently had learned that a lie would not always help him. But he had also learned that the truth sometimes hurt. A lot. And this time, he would be the one who might get hurt by the truth.
“I remember everything, Hyung. Every little thing, every feeling I had and - just forget it.” Kyuhyun had told the truth but soon enough, he had noticed that it was indeed painful to talk about the truth. He had felt his heart slightly clenching when he almost had said ‘and I still have those feelings for you, Hyung’. Sungmin tilted his head.
“Am I still a little kid to you, Kyuhyun?”
Kyuhyun was close to immediately shouting out loud ‘No!’ when he realized that he indeed had to think about it. It was a hard question because Sungmin hadn’t really changed in his eyes. Except of the annoying girlfriend part, mind you. Sungmin would always and forever stay his bubbly, cute, cheerful Hyung who would blow away his bruises when he hit his knee on the playground.
“You never seemed like a little kid to me, Hyung. You were always like my big brother. And you somehow still are. You’re just the same as back then.”
“Really? That means that I really still am a little kid.” Sungmin laughed. He snuggled into his blanket. “Kyuhyun, isn’t it sad that we used to be best friends like this? And then after that long time, I just forgot about my best friend. I feel like a horrible person.”
Kyuhyun didn’t answer because he somehow had the feeling that Sungmin didn’t really expect him to reply.
“I bet that tons of friendships just vanish like this. Just the thought makes me depressed.” Sungmin continued, lowering his head as to emphasize his feelings. Kyuhyun didn’t know if he should take those words as an opportunity, an invitation.
“Uhm, Hyung. I actually don’t want it to end like this.” He said honestly, closing his eyes just like he was afraid of being hit. Just the hit he was afraid of was more like a stab into his heart instead of a actual physical beat up.
“Kyuhyun, really?” Sungmin asked in disbelief, raising his body from the bed. It was like his fever was completely gone, he looked as agile as a healthy Sungmin always looked. Talking really helps. Kyuhyun just nodded slowly. “I have a bad feeling about ending it like this, too.” Sungmin admitted and Kyuhyun so hoped that the blush on his face was not from fever. But it had actually been there the whole time so he immediately gave up hoping.
“Let’s try being best friends again?” Kyuhyun grinned happily, offering his hand to Sungmin.
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Sungmin grinned back. He didn’t accept Kyuhyun’s hand but hugged the younger boy instead, ignoring the fact that his sickness was contagious. Or rather forgetting that fact. Not that Kyuhyun actually cared about it. He was way too happy right in that moment. They remained in that position for a while before Sungmin began to cough which forced him back under his blanket again.
“You should go back to sleep.” Kyuhyun suggested and Sungmin nodded.
“I really should.” He closed his eyes and it almost seemed like he was about to drift off when his eyes snapped open again. “Kyuhyun?”
“Yes, Hyung?”
“Where’s my phone?”
“It’s right here but the battery is empty. I couldn’t find the charger.” Kyuhyun said, holding up Sungmin’s phone.
“Uhm, it’s actually here, under my pillow. Can you please charge it for me?”
“Sure, but what do you need your phone for?”
There was a little silence before Sungmin coughed once again. Kyuhyun had the feeling that this cough wasn’t because of sickness.
“I might want to call her when I’m all fine again.” Sungmin whispered and closed his eyes. Kyuhyun hoped that it either was the fever or to break up with her. Even though he knew that Sungmin was way too nice to break up with someone on the phone. Oh lord, please let it be the fever. He suddenly felt a heavy rock in his stomach.
“Oh, and Kyuhyun?” Sungmin said, opening his eyes again. Kyuhyun, who had stared at Sungmin’s phone in his hand absentmindedly, raised his head. And what Sungmin was saying then, really eased that rock and making him want that it was not the fever this time.
“You didn’t seem like a little kid to me at all. Thank you for taking good care of me.”
A/N: Yay me! I didn't think I could return to KyuMin that quickly again after having those terrible mood swings but yes, I managed to beat 3k words out of my head today so I'm able to update! :D Thanks to the pairing Dark/Daisuke to get me into fanfiction again. You guys ROCK! :D Still sorry in case this really sucks lol
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Pairings: main!KyuMin, twins!HyukMin, quite-a-lot-HaeHyuk, minor!Yewook, mentions of other pairings
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: hateable!OC, tons of fill-in-Chapters
Summary: This is the love and also the life story (okay until their twenties) of Sungmin, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Donghae and Ryeowook. This story tells about how they grow up and closer and also how they will find their first and maybe everlasting love.
“You lost the keys? “ Sungmin exclaimed, jaw hanging open from disbelief. “Sorta. “ Kyuhyun mumbled, hands burying deep into his pockets.
“What now?” Sungmin moaned. Then his face lightened. “Call Mr. Park!” Kyuhyun closed his eyes as he buried his hands even deeper into his pockets, if that was possible. “I kinda… left my cellphone upstairs too... I didn’t think we would be out for long…” he stated helplessly.
Sungmin grabbed his hair and started walking around. “What now? Why is this hotel locked anyway? Aren’t hotels supposed to be opened 24/7 for guests that come home late from partying? Or guests that check-in late night? With a receptionist standing at the front desk and-“ Kyuhyun grabbed Sungmin’s shoulders, shaking him lightly.
“Hyung. Calm down. This hotel is specialized on school excursions that’s why the entrance is locked after 8PM and-“ Sungmin pulled a face and began to struggle against Kyuhyun’s grip. “Just calm down.” Kyuhyun ended his consolation, realizing that it hadn’t been consoling at all. You’re such a useless brat when it’s about things of importance. Sungmin, meanwhile settling his bottom on the cold stairs, sighed and buried his face in between his crossed arms.
“Mr. Park is going to kill us.” he complained. Kyuhyun didn’t know what to do now; he obviously sucked at comforting and now, well now, he was just awkwardly standing there, hands in his pockets and helplessly looking at his Hyung. He didn’t know how long they had kept that position but Kyuhyun knew that he couldn’t stand that tension any longer. It was mortifying. Sungmin seemed to feel the same.
“Sorry. “ they both said at the same time. Both, surprised by each other’s words stared at each other for a moment before Sungmin began to giggle. Kyuhyun looked at his laughing fit. He gave him a small, shy smile, causing Sungmin to awe over his Dongsaeng’s cuteness and shrugged.
“I disappointed you this morning, didn’t I?” he replied submissively. Kyuhyun, the obedient puppy. He thought at the same time but he couldn’t do else when it came to that dude there in front of him, flashing that curious smile. Sungmin formed an ‘o’ with his lips before they curved into another smile.
“I’m not angry anymore. I was a bit angry at first but it cooled down quite fast. Kyuhyun, you’re still a kid. It’s natural to be curious!” And again. Kyuhyun felt his mouth corner twitching in a failing attempt of smiling. You are adorable, Kyuhyun, aren’t you?
“Well, I just thought it’d be the right thing to apologize.” he concluded his apologize, deciding to ignore what Sungmin had just said. If that guy would ever realize that Kyuhyun was not a little kid but just madly in love…
“I wanted to apologize because I was rude this morning. And because I caused you trouble because of my own egoistic demands. And because I just was complaining even though- Well, it was your fault.” Those words hit Kyuhyun hard. He knew they were true though. “But I’m not helping our situation with my whining at all.”
This apologize somehow made Kyuhyun feel even worse than before. “I’m sorry.” he murmured, looking at the ground. Sungmin immediately regretted saying anything as he saw that tall, lanky boy in front of him having a bad guilt again.
“We’ll just wait until the door is unlocked tomorrow morning again and ask the receptionist to unlock our room for us. Mr. Park won’t notice, okay?” Sungmin said, hand caressing Kyuhyun’s arm. I give a damn shit about Mr. Park. I made you upset. That’s my damn problem. Kyuhyun just sighed when suddenly Sungmin pulled Kyuhyun into a slightly awkward hug.
Kyuhyun was more than just startled, he was shocked. His face heated up in a ridiculously quick pace, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He was in the warm, apparently comforting embrace of his Hyung. Kyuhyun thought of how weird it looked. He, proudly 180 cm tall, being in that caressing, consoling hug of his five centimeter shorter Hyung. It felt good, how he noticed with a little smile as he found himself wrapping his arms around Sungmin.
“Uuuh… Hyung?” he muttered quietly. He didn’t actually plan on ending that moment too soon but he also thought of how awkward it’d have been if he didn’t say anything at all.
“I’m giving you a comforting ‘I’m-sorry-hug’.” Sungmin explained before releasing the younger from his embrace. Damn! Kyuhyun whined mentally, holding onto Sungmin for maybe one short second longer than actually necessary and letting go under silent protests then.
“Seems like we have to spend the whole night here.” Kyuhyun sighed. “Seems like…” Sungmin murmured, sitting down on the stairs again. “They’ll be thinking that we’re homeless dudes dirtying their stairs when they see us sitting here.” Kyuhyun stated flatly before dropping his big butt right next to Sungmin. The older boy giggled before opening his mouth for a wide yawn.
“Are you tired, Hyung?” Kyuhyun asked gently before a little idea popped up his mind. “Yo-you ca-can lean on my shoulder if you want.” he stuttered nervously. Sungmin lifted his head and tilted it to the side.
“Are you cold? Your voice is shaking…”
“I’m okay, Hyung. Perfectly fine.” Kyuhyun murmured, cupping his cheeks with his hands to check if his face was warmer than it should be. “Can I really lean on your shoulder?” Sungmin asked softly and all Kyuhyun could do was nodding frantically while staring into the darkness in front of him.
“Thank you…” Sungmin hummed tiredly before resting his head on Kyuhyun’s boney shoulder. Kyuhyun could hear that Sungmin didn’t fall asleep but just had his head placed on that shoulder, eyes probably locking gaze with the sky, dark blue in the clear, cloudless night where white, sparkling dots could be seen.
“Look! Can you see the stars?” Sungmin suddenly exclaimed, raising his head from Kyuhyun’s shoulder again, much to the latter’s discomfort.
“I can. Why?”
“You usually just see that one, very bright star when we’re in Seoul.”
“I see. Do you know its name?” Kyuhyun chuckled while staring up into the sky along with his Hyung.
“Nope. No idea. It still looks awesome, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.” They both remained in a comfortable silence, just staring up into the sky when Kyuhyun began to giggle.
“What’s funny, Kyuhyunnie?” Sungmin asked, curiously looking at his laughing Dongsaeng.
“The stars’ constellation… They look like a giant egg roll!”
Sungmin moaned at the mentioning of food. Both of them suddenly remembered that they didn’t have anything for dinner.
“Stop it. I’m hungry.”
Kyuhyun went mute for the sake of his own stomach too. “Don’t you think it looks more like a pencil case anyway? The one that Haerim has…” Sungmin mused absentmindedly. Kyuhyun flinched unnoticeably and acted like he hadn’t heard it.
“Aren’t you tired, Hyung?”
“Hmm… I really am.” Sungmin hummed before leaning on Kyuhyun’s shoulder again. “Thank you for your shoulder.”
“You’re always welcome.” Soon, Kyuhyun heard a soft snore, noticing that he was the only one now being awake. He tried not to move in order to not let Sungmin waking up especially since he knew that his Hyung had a light sleep. At the same time, he remembered those times when Sungmin was fast asleep like a rock, those times when they still had shared a bed and a blanket. A long, long time ago. A cool wind breezed on his face when Kyuhyun noticed that Jeju Island was really cold at night, being an island in the sea. He felt Sungmin slightly shivering on his shoulder and when he looked, he could see his Hyung’s face frowning up a bit, shoulder pulling up.
He knew that it was risky to move but the sight of his Hyung being cold was too unbearable. Kyuhyun shifted his body, lifting Sungmin’s head a bit before placing his Hyung’s cheek on his chest in order to wrap his arms around Sungmin’s shoulders, hoping that it would warm up his body. Kyuhyun felt Sungmin snuggling closer to his chest, unconsciously letting out a small relieved sigh as it became a little warmer. The younger boy could just smile, feeling how the blood in his body circulated was faster than before, making his own body heating up.
He leaned on the balusters of the stairs as he realized that it would be hard to sleep like this, having Sungmin leaning on him like this. His Hyung’s hot breath was tickling the skin on his collarbone, arms unconsciously on his thighs loosely and yes, it wasn’t the most comfortable position for Kyuhyun to sleep in but he didn’t mind. He probably had never felt better sleeping like this, having Sungmin in his arms. He just hoped that Sungmin wouldn’t wake up from his incredibly loud heartbeat, pounding fast in his chest.
Kyuhyun looked down, almost sneezing when Sungmin’s hair tickled his nose and saw his Hyung leaning on his shoulder, face flushed from cool wind and lips slightly parted. It was definitely up on the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Having this image of a peacefully sleeping Sungmin in front of his eyes, Kyuhyun felt his eye lids getting heavier and finally drifted off into sleep.
“Mmmh… “ Sungmin moaned when he woke up. The sun was already peeking over the horizon. Sungmin didn’t feel good. He had a headache and his body felt unnaturally hot. Thinking of it; there was a pair of arms wrapped around his body and Sungmin soon realized that it was his cute little Dongsaeng Kyuhyun who was hugging him while still being fast asleep. Sungmin smiled softly when he saw how innocent Kyuhyun looked in his sleep.
“Like a little kid…” he mouthed in awe before thinking of what to do now. He felt sick. They probably should be up in their room, just in case that Mr. Park would wake up earlier. “Kyuhyunnie….” Sungmin whispered carefully before shifting his body, freeing himself from Kyuhyun’s embrace. Kyuhyun didn’t move, not even when his hands hit the stairs as they fell from Sungmin’s back.
Sungmin sighed before sitting up straightly. He grabbed Kyuhyun’s shoulders and began to shake them gently. “Kyuhyunnie… wake up. We have to get into our room.” Sungmin tried to say but then realized that he was completely husky. His words only came out as a whisper and his throat felt dry too. Kyuhyun, however, reacted to the shaking and his eye lids parted.
“Nggghhh…” Kyuhyun struggled against the grip on his shoulders, still half asleep.
“Kyuhyunnie. Wake up!” Sungmin whispered another time before coughing. His throat made a very distracting and unhealthy noise in that progress. Kyuhyun’s eyes now completely snapped open.
“Hyung, are you sick?” he asked, voice perfectly fine and apparently not affected by the cold night at all. Sungmin just nodded before whispering “We have to get into our rooms.”
Kyuhyun nodded, helping Sungmin standing up because the latter obviously felt dizzy too. And while Sungmin thought of how to explain his sudden sickness to Mr. Park, Kyuhyun was thinking of how to help him. Tea, a warm blanket, spicy soup, he thought.
Luckily, the receptionist was still young and understood their situation, giving them the spare keys for the room. At least that problem was solved. Sungmin immediately fell on his bed when they opened the door, snuggling deeply into the blankets.
“Hyung, how do you feel?” Kyuhyun asked in worry, face frowning up while stepping up to the bed. Sungmin just closed his eyes, underarm on his forehead. Kyuhyun checked Sungmin’s temperature, immediately feeling that it had risen very high. Sungmin was not in the condition to complain or to do anything when Kyuhyun already lifted the blanket and covered his shaking body. “You stay here, Sungmin Hyung. I’m getting Mr. Park.” Kyuhyun ordered without even noticing possible complains from Sungmin.
Sungmin was not able to say anything against it anyway. He felt sick. He had the feeling that he would immediately throw up once he’d stand up. His head was dizzy and aching, his body heated up and shaking and his mind was completely blurry. Kyuhyun was struggling with himself. Was it okay to leave Sungmin alone? He had no choice. He ran out of the room into Mr. Park’s room’s direction. He didn’t care that it was still early, that Mr. Park probably was still asleep but hey, he didn’t know what time it was anyway and even less did he care about his teacher’s physical condition. Sungmin was sick. Kyuhyun just began to hit the door because all he could think of was Sungmin being sick and alone in their room.
“Who is it?” his teacher’s voice came out of the room. Kyuhyun, still slightly breathless from his sprint, panted out a “Kyuhyun!” before the door opened, revealing Mr. Park in blue pajamas with yellow ducks on it. Under normal circumstances, Kyuhyun would have made a silent joke to himself about it but it really wasn’t the time to laugh about his teacher’s childishness.
“What is it Kyuhyun? Why are you already up?” Mr. Park wondered.
“Sungmin Hyung! He’s sick! He has a fever and his body is shaking and his voice is gone and-“
“Calm down, Kyuhyun. I’m on my way. We’ll see.” Mr. Park tried to calm down Kyuhyun but actually began to worry too. It didn’t sound too good. They ran to Kyuhyun’s and Sungmin’s shared room where Mr. Park burst into the room, finding the bed empty. Kyuhyun immediately began to panic as he followed and couldn’t find his precious Hyung anywhere.
“Where is he?” Kyuhyun panted, hands palming his mouth in shock. That was when they heard the noise from the bathroom. It was the noise of the toilet flushing and then the dull sound of something heavy falling to the ground. “In the bathroom.” he and Mr. Park whispered before rushing into said room. Sungmin was laying on the ground, sweating and eyes closed.
“Did he vomit?” Kyuhyun asked in desperate worry, clinging on Mr. Park’s arm who slowly walked to his sick student.
“Seems like he did…” Mr. Park sighed. He kneeled down next to Sungmin before placing his hand on Sungmin’s forehead. “He has a high fever. I’m calling the doctor.”
Sungmin had caught the flu. Mr. Park completely forgot about their punishment for the following day, as it seemed and ordered Kyuhyun to take care of his sick roommate for the rest of the week. He was positive that a student like Kyuhyun could keep up with the class anyway and Kyuhyun could just obey, the thought that it was his fault that Sungmin got sick at first place because stupid him had forgotten the key upstairs - it was impossible to erase the guilt he was feeling.
So while Sungmin was lying under the blankets, body shaking and face reddened, Kyuhyun was mentally cursing at himself. He was staring at his Hyung who was sleeping but probably having feverish dreams, telling by his bothered, frowning face and the way he was uncomfortably writhing under his blanket.
“What are you dreaming, Hyung?” Kyuhyun whispered, more to himself than to Sungmin, as he wringed the cold water out of the face towel before neatly folding it to place it on Sungmin’s forehead again. He could see how the facial expression of pain eased a bit and had to smile a bit. Sungmin was, as always, shockingly beautiful, even when he was sick.
Kyuhyun was sitting next to Sungmin’s bed on a, unfortunately, very hard chair. His back was aching and so did his butt but all he could care about in that moment was getting Sungmin all okay again. Next to him, on the side table, he had kept everything he needed. He didn’t even dare leaving Sungmin for a second to get things like a thermometer, hot tea or cold water. He would call Donghae who he was blaming at first place anyway and would curse loudly if his brother was not available due to school activities and excursions.
A bottle of cool water, a package with ice cubes in case that the cool water would warm up too much, a thermometer, a Thermos bottle with spicy chicken soup, another one with hot tea, an empty bowl (just in case) and his phone. Kyuhyun actually had no idea what to do in the time that Sungmin was just asleep and the towel still icy. He decided just to look at his Hyung until one hour had passed and he could check the temperature again. It somehow wasn’t even boring. Aside from the fact that it was incredibly fulfilling just to look into that beautiful face, Kyuhyun finally had some time to think.
He usually was always busy and even in his free time, he would play Starcraft, so he never had any time to actually sit down and think. About his situation, about his whole life that, as he had to admit, wasn’t that bad but neither was completely perfect. But whose life even is perfect? Well, that would be unbelievably boring. His life just happened to be built on a crush he probably already had when he was 4 years old. Why was he like that, anyway? Other people can move on; other people can find new crushes, maybe even loves; other people don’t try to chase an impossible love that might not even can be labeled ‘love’; other people… are not Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun, the stubborn little child that somehow, somehow always got what he wanted in the end.
Not that Kyuhyun just looked at Sungmin as someone or something just like everything else in his life that he had always gotten after a certain amount of begging to his mom but well, Sungmin didn’t belong to the things that his beloved mother could just get him in a matter of seconds. Kyuhyun sometimes wondered if he even loved Sungmin. Kyuhyun would always say that he indeed ‘loved’ his Hyung, but wasn’t that something that everyone just said from time to time to so many people? He told his mother that he loved her, he told his father that he loved him, sometimes, even if it’s already been quite a while, he even told Donghae that he loved him.
But it was just something complete different when he looked at Sungmin, who, by the way, head awaken by now. Kyuhyun was sure that nothing in the entire world could make his heart beat increasing that much, not even the release of a new Final Fantasy game or the latest dual core processor that is compatible to his laptop. He would sometimes even blush, especially when Sungmin decided to flash him one of his, needless to say, gorgeous smiles and dude, Cho Kyuhyun blushing was already a big deal.
“Hyung, are you awake?” Kyuhyun asked softly before raising the face towel on Sungmin’s forehead to slip his hand under, checking the temperature.
“Mmmh… Kyuhyunnie?” Sungmin murmured, eyes closing again. Kyuhyun was almost thinking that his Hyung was about to fall asleep again when Sungmin was looking at him again. “Am I still sick?”
“Your forehead still seems pretty hot to me. I’ll check the temperature.” Kyuhyun said, voice full of concern before he ordered Sungmin to open his mouth for him to slip the thermometer between his lips. The red line of mercury slowly began to become longer and longer after cooling down to room temperature in the time it was just lying around uselessly on the side table. “Are you hungry? Or do you still feel dizzy? Do you feel like throwing up again?” Kyuhyun began to shower his Sungmin with questions full of concern, ignoring the fact that the older boy actually was not quite in the state to reply to him as he had a glass stick stuck in his mouth.
Kyuhyun noticed it soon and after the red line stopped rising, Kyuhyun leaned closer to look at the measuring point. “103 degrees. It got better. At least you voice is back by now.” He sighed in relief before putting the thermometer back into its wrapping. “So. My questions?” he smiled encouragingly and Sungmin had to giggle a bit. Kyuhyun wondered if he still was feverish.
“I feel a lot better now, thank you. I’m not that hungry. Also, I’m afraid of how my gastric will actually react on food. Dizziness is still present, but not that bad and right now, I don’t feel like vomiting.” Sungmin answered to all the questions before smiling at Kyuhyun. “Did you really stay right here the whole time when I was asleep?” he asked, almost in surprise as Kyuhyun noticed his brows moving up a bit.
“Yes, why?” Kyuhyun was sure that it was the most natural thing in the world to do so. Caring for Sungmin when he was sick, y’know.
“You’re very nice, Kyuhyun.” Sungmin smiled again and Kyuhyun immediately noticed the lack of minimization in his Hyung’s words this time. There was a little silence in which Kyuhyun’s brain had to process this information. “Why don’t you try one spoonful of soup? It won’t hurt, right?” he then started a new topic and Sungmin nodded happily.
“A bit food can’t hurt. I haven’t eaten anything for a while, have I?” Sungmin sighed before accepting the spoon with soup that Kyuhyun was giving him. Not to mention that Kyuhyun was uber happy and excited to feed Sungmin on his bed. “Soup’s good! Can I get some more?” Sungmin grinned, just like a little child, and opened his mouth again. Kyuhyun gladly shoved another spoon with chicken soup into Sungmin’s pink mouth.
And that went for five more minutes until Sungmin had to admit that he was full. And happy, of course. “Thank you ~” he sing-sang to Kyuhyun who could do nothing but grin back at his cute roommate. “I kinda felt like a little kid again. When my mom was feeding me every time I was sick.”
“Did you just compare me to your mom?” Kyuhyun mocked with that mischievous grin he was famous for. They both burst out in laughter before it all eased down to comfortable silence.
“You know that I don’t think of you as my mom, right?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t.”
“I usually still see you as a little kid, Kyuhyun. That’s all I remember about you.” Sungmin admitted once again.
“I seriously thought you had completely forgotten about me, to be honest.” Kyuhyun said, lowering his voice a bit in case that it was too awkward to about that topic.
“I actually did.” Sungmin said honestly, a small hint of apology in his voice.
“I remembered your name, I knew that you were Donghae’s brother and that we used to be best friends and even that you… were my first kiss” Kyuhyun chuckled at the thought “I remember facts that you just cannot forget but as for feelings… I can’t seem to recall my feelings from back then. I don’t know why.” Sungmin said and placed his hand on Kyuhyun’s arm as for comfort. “But you do, right?” he added cautiously.
Kyuhyun inhaled deeply. He weighed up the situations that would occur in the both cases, lying or not. He recently had learned that a lie would not always help him. But he had also learned that the truth sometimes hurt. A lot. And this time, he would be the one who might get hurt by the truth.
“I remember everything, Hyung. Every little thing, every feeling I had and - just forget it.” Kyuhyun had told the truth but soon enough, he had noticed that it was indeed painful to talk about the truth. He had felt his heart slightly clenching when he almost had said ‘and I still have those feelings for you, Hyung’. Sungmin tilted his head.
“Am I still a little kid to you, Kyuhyun?”
Kyuhyun was close to immediately shouting out loud ‘No!’ when he realized that he indeed had to think about it. It was a hard question because Sungmin hadn’t really changed in his eyes. Except of the annoying girlfriend part, mind you. Sungmin would always and forever stay his bubbly, cute, cheerful Hyung who would blow away his bruises when he hit his knee on the playground.
“You never seemed like a little kid to me, Hyung. You were always like my big brother. And you somehow still are. You’re just the same as back then.”
“Really? That means that I really still am a little kid.” Sungmin laughed. He snuggled into his blanket. “Kyuhyun, isn’t it sad that we used to be best friends like this? And then after that long time, I just forgot about my best friend. I feel like a horrible person.”
Kyuhyun didn’t answer because he somehow had the feeling that Sungmin didn’t really expect him to reply.
“I bet that tons of friendships just vanish like this. Just the thought makes me depressed.” Sungmin continued, lowering his head as to emphasize his feelings. Kyuhyun didn’t know if he should take those words as an opportunity, an invitation.
“Uhm, Hyung. I actually don’t want it to end like this.” He said honestly, closing his eyes just like he was afraid of being hit. Just the hit he was afraid of was more like a stab into his heart instead of a actual physical beat up.
“Kyuhyun, really?” Sungmin asked in disbelief, raising his body from the bed. It was like his fever was completely gone, he looked as agile as a healthy Sungmin always looked. Talking really helps. Kyuhyun just nodded slowly. “I have a bad feeling about ending it like this, too.” Sungmin admitted and Kyuhyun so hoped that the blush on his face was not from fever. But it had actually been there the whole time so he immediately gave up hoping.
“Let’s try being best friends again?” Kyuhyun grinned happily, offering his hand to Sungmin.
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Sungmin grinned back. He didn’t accept Kyuhyun’s hand but hugged the younger boy instead, ignoring the fact that his sickness was contagious. Or rather forgetting that fact. Not that Kyuhyun actually cared about it. He was way too happy right in that moment. They remained in that position for a while before Sungmin began to cough which forced him back under his blanket again.
“You should go back to sleep.” Kyuhyun suggested and Sungmin nodded.
“I really should.” He closed his eyes and it almost seemed like he was about to drift off when his eyes snapped open again. “Kyuhyun?”
“Yes, Hyung?”
“Where’s my phone?”
“It’s right here but the battery is empty. I couldn’t find the charger.” Kyuhyun said, holding up Sungmin’s phone.
“Uhm, it’s actually here, under my pillow. Can you please charge it for me?”
“Sure, but what do you need your phone for?”
There was a little silence before Sungmin coughed once again. Kyuhyun had the feeling that this cough wasn’t because of sickness.
“I might want to call her when I’m all fine again.” Sungmin whispered and closed his eyes. Kyuhyun hoped that it either was the fever or to break up with her. Even though he knew that Sungmin was way too nice to break up with someone on the phone. Oh lord, please let it be the fever. He suddenly felt a heavy rock in his stomach.
“Oh, and Kyuhyun?” Sungmin said, opening his eyes again. Kyuhyun, who had stared at Sungmin’s phone in his hand absentmindedly, raised his head. And what Sungmin was saying then, really eased that rock and making him want that it was not the fever this time.
“You didn’t seem like a little kid to me at all. Thank you for taking good care of me.”
A/N: Yay me! I didn't think I could return to KyuMin that quickly again after having those terrible mood swings but yes, I managed to beat 3k words out of my head today so I'm able to update! :D Thanks to the pairing Dark/Daisuke to get me into fanfiction again. You guys ROCK! :D Still sorry in case this really sucks lol