Blood Brothers II Chapter 9
Title: Blood Brothers II
Pairing: KyuTeukChul, HanChul, YeWook, EunHae, SiChulfriendship, MiMin (Is that the name for Zhou Mi x Sungmin pairing?) possible other pairings in the future.
Rating: M
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Genre: romance, action, thriller
Summary: The cycle of revenge is never-ending, unless someone learns to forgive.
Chapter 8 ---- Chapter 10
---
Heechul sipped his lemonade, pursing his lips a bit at the sour tang. It was refreshing, and he stirred his straw around, watching the ice turn and clink against the glass. “See? I told you this place has the best Italian food. Who would have thought, huh?”
Siwon continued twirling his angelhair pasta around with his fork and gave a small smile and a nod.
Heechul spoke again, prolonging the one-sided conversation. “It’s run by a real Italian couple. I don’t know why they moved to China. I’d much rather stay in Barcelona.”
“That’s Spain, hyung.”
“Good to know you’re paying attention to me.” Heechul smirked, “I was worried you weren’t hearing anything I said.”
Siwon gave a sheepish grin, “Sorry hyung I just…”
“You’re uncomfortable.” Heechul supplied, giving a brief smile that faded quickly. “I can understand. You haven’t seen me in fifteen years and I have botched the mental state of two of your most trusted friends.” His grin came back, crooked and forced.
Siwon shifted uncomfortably, deciding that it would be safer to eat some more of his pasta than to respond. After he took a few bites and swallowed, he finally spoke. “Hyung…why?”
“Why what?” Heechul blinked, “Why bring you here? I already told you that their Italian food is the best. Hey, have you tried the fusilloni? It’s amazing with this cream sauce, I should ask how they make it-”
“Hyung.” Siwon repeated, his voice more serious. “Why did you do that to Kyuhyun and Leeteuk hyung?” He watched as Heechul’s carefree visage morphed, becoming stony and cold. His heart sank a little when he realized that Heechul wasn’t going to talk. What had he expected? And really, why bring it up in a public restaurant? He began to feel even more stupid.
Heechul surprised him by speaking, finally, after the most awkward and tense moment of Siwon’s life.
“It seemed better than putting out a hit on them.” Heechul finally murmured, going for his lemonade again.
Siwon felt a bit of reassurance at that statement. It meant that Heechul genuinely cared for them, right? He refused to have them harmed-it explained why he’d jumped in front of Kyuhyun to stop the bullet-and it meant that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be impossible.
“Why did you target them at all? Why not just their parents?” Siwon finally asked softly.
“I don’t think you’ll like my answer.” Heechul warned, and it made Siwon realized just how dangerous this conversation was. He was lucky that Heechul had given him this much. Siwon simply nodded and went back to eating his food.
Heechul watched Siwon eat and when Siwon’s attention was focused on his food, Heechul grimaced and reached up a hand to rub his forehead. He’d had a headache ever since he’d woken up in the morning. Luckily his fever had gone down significantly and he’d felt good enough to attend Siwon’s lecture. Then again, he probably would have dragged himself there anyway.
He didn’t remember when Zhou Mi came in the night before but he had been asleep on the couch-Baengshin clawing at his hair-when he’d left the apartment. Hangeng had been passed out on the other side of the bed from watching over Heechul the entire night. Heechul had figured the two needed to sleep, and they wouldn’t have wanted him to go to work while sick anyway.
But he’d taken the precautions of another fever reducer and some pain killers for his oncoming headache. He thought they should be proud of him for doing that much.
“Hyung, do you know…who shot at you?”
Heechul paused, hand halfway to his mouth. “What?” He croaked out.
“Do you know…who shot you?” Siwon’s gaze lingered on Heechul’s chest where he knew bullet had gone through.
Heechul let out a small laugh and coughed, “No, no we haven’t. If I knew who had shot at me they’d be dead, right?” Siwon felt that Heechul’s answer had been too quick, and he looked a little nervous. He didn’t seem to want to continue on the topic, and that made Siwon suspicious.
He dropped it, however. He had more important things to ask. Things that he figured Heechul would not like to hear. At all. But he needed to gauge Heechul’s reactions and see how much Heechul really did care about Leeteuk and Kyuhyun.
“Hypothetically, if Kyuhyun and Leeteuk hyung were to come to China, would you meet with them?” Siwon finally began.
Hypothetical? Heechul wanted to laugh. He knew very well that his two ex-boyfriends were in Hong Kong. But he’d let Siwon think he didn’t know. It would probably be safer that way. “No.” Heechul answered back with a sharp smile. “That would defeat the purpose of coming back to China and away from then, now wouldn’t it?”
Siwon sighed, “Hyung, I know you still care.”
“Is that so? You seem to know a lot about me for not having seen me in 15 years.” Heechul snorted, reaching for his lemonade again.
---
Sungmin woke up with a small groan. As he opened his mouth he felt a sharp, painful tug and bit back a grunt. He lifted his hand to his cheek and felt the soft gauze of a bandage and smiled to himself. Siwon had probably fixed him up when he’d been asleep. He was surprised that he’d been so exhausted as to pass out when he’d gotten back to the hotel. He’d run for what felt like miles, and the blood loss probably hadn’t helped. It was also hot and muggy and he’d probably gotten dehydrated.
He looked down to see that someone had changed him out of his blood-stained shirt-it had been one of his favorites, that was unfortunate-and that Kyuhyun was drooling on his stomach.
He sat up and Kyuhyun slumped to the side, groaning. He blinked a few times before sitting up hurriedly, “Sungmin!”
“I’m ok.” Sungmin answered back with a cheerful smile. “But I’m really hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
Kyuhyun did not seem convinced, and Sungmin knew that it was because he probably thought it was his fault Sungmin had gotten hurt. No, it was just Sungmin’s fault and Sungmin was having enough fun berating himself without feeling bad about Kyuhyun’s own self-blame.
The two managed to somehow leave the room and found Kangin and Leeteuk sitting at the bar in the kitchen. They both looked up when Sungmin and Kyuhyun entered, and Kangin gave a relieved grin as he stood.
He grabbed Sungmin and clapped him on the back. “Glad to see you’re ok, man.”
Sungmin returned the grip and nodded, “It’s just a scratch.” And a stupid mistake that could have made it fatal, but we won’t talk about my lack of intelligent decision making.
“Where’s Siwon hyung?” Kyuhyun was looking around, having already stolen Kangin’s plate and beginning to eat whatever it was he’d ordered for breakfast.
Leeteuk held up a slim piece of paper. “He had to go to his lecture. He said he’d be back later tonight.”
Kyuhyun nodded, continuing to eat until Kangin punched him in the arm and shoved him out of his chair. “Get your own, kid.” He muttered, taking back his fork. Kyuhyun pouted, before looking to the phone, “But that means I have to order…”
Sungmin had grabbed the menu and put it in front of him with a cheerful smile, “What do you want? I’m getting French toast.”
“It’s two in the afternoon.” Leeteuk pointed out. “I don’t know if they’ll still serve breakfast items.”
Sungmin pursed his lips. “But I want French toast…”
“Fine, fine, Kangin, order some French toast, what do you want, Kyuhyun?”
“Same. I don’t care.” Kyuhyun shrugged, “And some orange juice.”
Kangin grumbled as he headed for the phone, something about not being a butler and getting no appreciation for what he did. Leeteuk simply smiled after him before turning to the other two, mainly Sungmin.
“You said last night that you saw Director Gam…what happened exactly?”
“His name is Zhou Mi.” Sungmin sat down in his chair. He looked tired, and a little hesitant to speak. “At the restaurant, I caught a glimpse of him outside the door with his bodyguard. I pursued. I should have told you instead of running off like that.” He bowed his head, “Sorry.”
Kangin smacked the back of it and sent Sungmin’s forehead into the counter. Sungmin cursed but didn’t retaliate, knowing he deserved it. Leeteuk shot him an exasperated glance, “Youngwoon!”
Kyuhyun had stood from his chair, shoving away from the bar. “That means that Heechul is here!”
“Kyuhyun, sit down!” Leeteuk had stood as well, and grabbed Kyuhyun’s arm. “If you’re thinking of running around out there without a plan you’ll end up hurt. The only reason Sungmin’s only got a scratch is because he’s been trained. If you try the same thing who knows what will happen.”
Kyuhyun glared, but sat down with a pout. “What should I do then?”
“We will think of something. So don’t try anything on your own.”
---
It was not supposed to be like this.
If someone were to tell Ryeowook that by the end of the night he would be sitting on his couch watching Star Wars with Kim Jongwoon he would probably have laughed at them.
But here they were, slurping cup ramen as Ryeowook listened to Yesung rant about how the newest movie just didn’t feel the same as the first three-and something about the first three actually being the last three but Ryeowook was hardly paying attention.
He was still trying to figure out why Yesung was in his apartment.
He vaguely remembered calling him and asking him if he had a copy of the latest loan transactions that he’d asked Yesung to verify. Somehow it had ended in him asked Yesung to bring the files over to his apartment.
Yesung had appeared with the files and some DVDs and had pushed his way inside before Ryeowook could protest. Yesung had stated that Ryeowook needed a break.
Ryeowook wasn’t quite certain how this equated to relaxing when he jumped every time Yesung shifted on the couch. He wasn’t sure why he felt so jittery and uncomfortable. No one had ever come to his apartment. Ever. Not even his parents. When he’d moved out of the house so he wouldn’t bother them with his hectic working hours, he’d never given them the address. When it came up in a conversation, he avoided it.
Yesung was the first person to ever enter his apartment besides himself. It was unnerving. He wondered how it looked. His eyes glanced furtively around to see if there was anything embarrassing peeking out from around corners or lying on the coffee table. No, just piles of paperwork and a bowl of popcorn.
“Do you own any other clothing? Or do you sleep in a suit and tie too?”
Ryeowook snapped his head to the side to see Yesung staring at him quizzically. He looked down at his clothes and cleared his throat. “Well, um, no, I have other clothes.” I think I have an old sweater my mother knitted…
“Go change. It’s weird sitting with you like this.” Yesung suggested, looking back to the TV. “Really weird.” He added for emphasis before reaching for the popcorn. He grabbed a handful and began munching.
“I’m fine-” What if Yesung really was a creeper rapist and attacked him in his bedroom while he was changing?
“You can lock the door if it makes you more comfortable.” Yesung suggested, as if reading his thoughts, even though his gaze was fixed on the TV. “But I promise I won’t do anything.”
Ryeowook nodded, feeling a little ashamed that Yesung knew he was thinking such things, and slipped off the couch, hurrying to his bedroom to change into the only pajamas he had: a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that he remembered being able to wear comfortably in seventh grade.
As he started to unbutton his shirt he paused, looking to the door. He’d forgotten to lock the bedroom door. For a moment he panicked and he began slipping his shirt back on with hurried movements. He stopped for a moment as he remembered the long nights he and Yesung had stayed up in the computer labs, going over files and Yesung’s slow, easy smile that rarely showed itself.
He began changing again.
---
Eunhyuk returned from work with a grocery bag full of kimbap and strawberry milk to find Donghae practically dancing around the apartment, lugging boxes out of the extra room and placing them in the living room.
“What are you doing?” Eunhyuk placed the bag on the table beside the coat rack and looked around. It looked like half of the boxes in the extra room had already been strewn across the rest of the house.
Donghae only then seemed to notice him as he pulled out his headphones and grinned. The moment he did the sound of Reset by Super Junior began blaring. Eunhyuk frowned, remembering the conversation he’d had with the other man about listening to his music too loudly. Apparently that lecture had gone unheeded.
“What are you doing?” He repeated, knowing that Donghae hadn’t heard the first time.
Donghae turned off his iPod and grinned, “I have to clean out the guest room. We’re going to have someone stay over.”
Eunhyuk blinked. Well, this had been the first time he’d been told about this. Then again, this was Donghae’s apartment and he didn’t even really live there, so he didn’t have room to complain. He simply nodded, “Who?”
“Henli. He’s Hankyung’s little brother, and Heechul hyung’s adopted one. He’s really cute, and he’s a famous violinist. You’ll like him!” Donghae continued cheerfully, dusting off one of the boxes and coughing.
“Really?” Eunhyuk was a little worried. Donghae seemed to know the oddest people, and all of them seemed to want to kill him. And Donghae said that Henry was Heechul’s adopted brother…
He would just have to be the best boyfriend ever. He headed over to where Donghae stood and helped him lift a particularly heavy box. “So, where are we putting all of this stuff?”
“The closet maybe? I’m not sure yet…I was just trying to get everything out of the extra bedroom…” Donghae trailed off, “Do you think we could do some laundry? The other comforter is probably dirty.”
Eunhyuk nodded, giving a soft sigh. He really hoped that Henry was normal.
---
Hangeng had not been pleased when he learned that Heechul had left for work that day with a fever. He’d been tempted to head down to the University and pick him up, but Zhou Mi had held him back. They still had things to talk about.
Hangeng had been dreading that.
So now the two stood in the living room, silent, as Zhou Mi tried to figure out how to start the conversation and Hangeng tried to figure out how to avoid whatever Zhou Mi was trying to discuss. The cats had seemed to sense the tension and had gone off to the bedroom and were probably napping on the bed.
“You need to leave Xi Che ge alone.” Zhou Mi finally spoke. “The thing that you two have, it isn’t good for anyone involved.”
Hangeng paused. So this was what it was about, eh? He felt himself immediately bristle in anger and he knew that he would get defensive. Heechul needed him, he wouldn’t leave him alone. And he didn’t know if he’d be able to go back to the way they were after all that they had done. It was impossible.
He simply remained silent, afraid of what he would say.
Zhou Mi took his silence as the ok to continue. “You’re tearing him apart slowly, Hangeng. Xi Che won’t be able to last much longer.”
“I love him!” Hangeng yelled out, unable to control himself.
“You’re killing him!” Zhou Mi pleaded desperately, “Please ge…if you love him so much, you can’t afford to do this to him. Xi Che ge doesn’t need this, you know it. We both know it.”
We both know that Heechul doesn’t love you the way you love him.
The truth hurt, and it made Hangeng angrier. He swallowed, fingers curling into fists as he let out a shaky breath. He knew that Zhou Mi was right, but if he was right, if Hangeng accepted the fact, it would make him feel like everything he’d done with Heechul was some kind of sick delusion.
He wanted to stay with the belief that even if it was just a little, Heechul was in love with him and would fall more in love with him as time passed. He couldn’t do that if he had to stop this. He just needed more time.
“Cho Kyuhyun and Park Jungsu are in Hong Kong. What are you hoping to accomplish? Do you want to make Heechul hate himself even more? You know that he-”
“He does not love them and they don’t love him. They don’t give a shit about him. They don’t deserve to be near him.” Hangeng hissed, “Don’t start with me about-”
“Are you going to make him choose?” Zhou Mi asked wearily. “Are you going to make him choose between us and them?”
“It’ll be us.”
“Yes.” Zhou Mi nodded solemnly. “It will. I don’t doubt that. But the choice will kill him. We both know it. It’s already killing him.”
Hangeng looked away. He wished Henry would barge in so that this conversation would have to stop, but he knew that Henry wouldn’t be appearing any time soon. He wished his phone would ring and that Heechul would be calling to ask him to come and pick him up. Or that someone would call Zhou Mi about some file transaction or business meeting he had scheduled. Something, anything, because he didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
He let out a low growl in the back of his throat as he tried to keep himself from getting even more angry. “What about you?” Hangeng yelled back. “What right do you have to talk, huh?”
“Stop trying to change the subject!” Zhou Mi shot back, but now he was bristling in defense. He was starting to get angry too, angry and pleading. It hurt Hangeng to continue, but he wanted Zhou Mi to feel bad, to feel as much like shit as Hangeng did.
“You’re the one who tried to kill Cho Kyuhyun and Park Jungsu.”
“To protect Xi Che ge!”
“Why?”
“Because I love him!” And Zhou Mi went silent as well. The two stared at one another, breathing heavily, glaring.
A soft thud met their statement and both turned to the doorway. Heechul stood there, hands held lax in front of him and a pile of text books at his feet.
“…you did what…?”