The Warm Ones
Focus/Pairing: Heechul/Hankyung
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Hiding is like a sport; it's fun.
Word count: 1,337
A/N: this is the aftermath of no googledocs for a few days, and my love for Hanchul. and my love for trying to live inside Heechul's head. each scene is picture-inspired ♥
The Warm Ones
Hiding is a sport, and every once in a while, Heechul likes to play. It's fun to see which places are the best places to hide in. Being a a child brought the inevitable game of hide and seek, and Heechul had always been the one they'd find last.
He was that good. The other kids hated it, and how the game could somehow go on for hours on end. They'd call his name and claim forfeit, but he never believed them, even when it was true. He'd wait.
Hiding from his family was fun, too. His mother found him sitting on top of a shelf once, twig legs dangling. That was when he was four. As he got older and older, hiding was moved from high spots to dark places. Cupboards, closets, or under the bed. They stopped paying attention to him at some point. They thought that the hiding was just a ploy to garner attention and hoard it like the TV show the neighbors watched (except there were no dead cats, thank God). Heechul would hoard people and affection, they thought, but really he could care less about if his habits got them to look at him.
He did it because he wanted to. That's the way he'd always work.
Hiding in books. Somehow it's more fun to disappear when in loving company. In twos, it's hard to feel lonely. At least, it is when you're with the right person.
Hankyung is from his organic chemistry class. And Heechul doesn't know exactly why he signed up for it; neither is Hankyung. They get along well through not being able to understand what's happening and only Hankyung shows any interest in trying. Heechul always thinks about dropping it, but he can't seem to work up any initiative.
Sometimes they spend their time together leaning or huddling against bookshelves. There's this used bookstore that Heechul likes the most, and Hankyung goes just because. The heating system isn't like other stores that blast until people's eyes and lips are parched, it's old and shaky and sometimes they have to bring blankets or wear and share fluffy coats in the winter.
Summer brings fans into the picture, and Heechul doesn't ask for permission from the cashier to take one of the fans off a shelf and put it in front of them. It rotates, left to right, over and over, drying the sweat on their foreheads.
Today is a day in October, before it gets too cold to warrant fluffy coats but after the warmth of summer and early autumn left for the next few months. Heechul takes his sneakers off anyway. He can always shove his feet under Hankyung's calves. He knows that Hankyung likes keeping him warm. It's not something that's easily hidden.
Alcohol is never good to hide in, but it feels good. Heechul's gained this new habit of bringing Hankyung into his apartment on late nights when he's too happy to be alone or too gloomy to sulk around in his own dust. Not to mention, Hankyung is a warm body, and warm bodies are always a nice luxury. There aren't too many of those this day and age, everyone's so plastic.
Tonight is special because Hankyung agreed to cook. Well, not so much agreed, but more like offered and insisted when he didn't even need to go that far. "I could go for a free meal," Heechul says later, pushing Hankyung through his front door.
Heechul whips out the cigarettes halfway through Hankyung's cooking process and decides to mix garlic smells and alcoholic breath with smoke. "Life is good," Hankyung mutters after Heechul sticks one in his mouth, lifting the lighter to meet its end. The exchange grins and air, because they're too close now, but Hankyung pulls away when the room sizzles. No, it's just the pan. Heechul picks up his can and notices it hadn't felt this light before.
The idea of eating is just faintly lingering in his memory. His eyes are half-lidded, and he smells smoke, but then none of that matters because he tastes what he might have had for dinner on someone's tongue. His hands figure out that this is Hankyung, eventually. But neither of them know what's happening and both of them are naked. There could have been a mattress supporting his back when he fell backwards, but he also could never be sure. Hankyung could have been holding him, and that's what he'd like to believe.
In the morning, he's hiding underneath a blanket, and nothing else. He feels light, like someone could pick him up with their littlest finger and carry him around. When he rolls over, he feels warmth emitting from the other side of the bed. Heechul never needed to sleep alone in a bed this large anyway, so before he opens his eyes and remembers exactly who he happened to share his bed with last night, he smiles to himself.
Hankyung looks the same way he did last night in the dark, only brighter and softer. For a second, Heechul thinks about the two of them are naked, and he thinks about what could have happened. But then he thinks about what didn't happen, and they just happen to be the same thing.
He doesn't notice that Hankyung's eyes are open until they've shared a stare for a minute, at least. "I think I'm starting to understand that organic chemistry," he says. Heechul leans on his side, forgets about bare bodies, and puts his eyes on the warm person in front of him.
"You'll have to lend me a hand then, because I don't."
"I'd be happy to."
They end up closing the space between them, or at least keeping a thin border of one blanket between them. There's something they can't ignore, or something they have to ignore even if it's out in the open. Hankyung leaves his hand on Heechul's arm, but they can't look at each other anymore. Not in the face. Heechul rests his vision against a smooth collarbone, hands wanting to reach towards comforting skin. He waits until the heat from Hankyung's fingertips permeates his body.
Right out in the open, in plain sight, walking side-by-side. Sure, it happens all the time, but occasions come and go when it's one of the scariest things in the world. And the rain is too loud--this affects him, too. Loud enough for Heechul to look at Hankyung under their green umbrella and have to think about what he would talk to him about if he could speak in a way that wouldn't make him go, "What?"
No one gives them peculiar glances when they walk without air between them. Hankyung's arm has turned into Heechul's scarf, because that's just how it always works these days. But what also works these days more than usual is Heechul's brain.
They pass by countless strangers on their walks. What if they could still be strangers? What if they could just make it so, make it that way? A simple question like that couldn't possibly be so simple in reality, even if it takes merely a few syllables. Heechul understands that the substance is what makes his head churn around these thoughts, these scenarios that he can't rid himself of. For example, the one where he pushes Hankyung's arm away and stomps off, running before Hankyung can grasp what could possibly be happening. He could take every little thing Hankyung has left in Heechul's apartment and dump it outside his door, and change the locks while he's at it. He could do that. Heechul has the capacity to pull it off (or so he thinks).
The rain still pounds away at the earth--the ground and the umbrellas all around; he doesn't think Hankyung can hear anything else. With the exception of an occasional car horn.
"Would you miss me?"
Hankyung twitches towards him, and answers with hurt written on his forehead. "Don't be silly."
(Then again, Hankyung would run fast enough to catch him, anyway.)
//
it's taken me this long to realize that I barely attempt living inside Geng's head. you'd think someone like me would put an offer in for a summer house up there, jeez.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Hiding is like a sport; it's fun.
Word count: 1,337
A/N: this is the aftermath of no googledocs for a few days, and my love for Hanchul. and my love for trying to live inside Heechul's head. each scene is picture-inspired ♥
The Warm Ones
Hiding is a sport, and every once in a while, Heechul likes to play. It's fun to see which places are the best places to hide in. Being a a child brought the inevitable game of hide and seek, and Heechul had always been the one they'd find last.
He was that good. The other kids hated it, and how the game could somehow go on for hours on end. They'd call his name and claim forfeit, but he never believed them, even when it was true. He'd wait.
Hiding from his family was fun, too. His mother found him sitting on top of a shelf once, twig legs dangling. That was when he was four. As he got older and older, hiding was moved from high spots to dark places. Cupboards, closets, or under the bed. They stopped paying attention to him at some point. They thought that the hiding was just a ploy to garner attention and hoard it like the TV show the neighbors watched (except there were no dead cats, thank God). Heechul would hoard people and affection, they thought, but really he could care less about if his habits got them to look at him.
He did it because he wanted to. That's the way he'd always work.
Hiding in books. Somehow it's more fun to disappear when in loving company. In twos, it's hard to feel lonely. At least, it is when you're with the right person.
Hankyung is from his organic chemistry class. And Heechul doesn't know exactly why he signed up for it; neither is Hankyung. They get along well through not being able to understand what's happening and only Hankyung shows any interest in trying. Heechul always thinks about dropping it, but he can't seem to work up any initiative.
Sometimes they spend their time together leaning or huddling against bookshelves. There's this used bookstore that Heechul likes the most, and Hankyung goes just because. The heating system isn't like other stores that blast until people's eyes and lips are parched, it's old and shaky and sometimes they have to bring blankets or wear and share fluffy coats in the winter.
Summer brings fans into the picture, and Heechul doesn't ask for permission from the cashier to take one of the fans off a shelf and put it in front of them. It rotates, left to right, over and over, drying the sweat on their foreheads.
Today is a day in October, before it gets too cold to warrant fluffy coats but after the warmth of summer and early autumn left for the next few months. Heechul takes his sneakers off anyway. He can always shove his feet under Hankyung's calves. He knows that Hankyung likes keeping him warm. It's not something that's easily hidden.
Alcohol is never good to hide in, but it feels good. Heechul's gained this new habit of bringing Hankyung into his apartment on late nights when he's too happy to be alone or too gloomy to sulk around in his own dust. Not to mention, Hankyung is a warm body, and warm bodies are always a nice luxury. There aren't too many of those this day and age, everyone's so plastic.
Tonight is special because Hankyung agreed to cook. Well, not so much agreed, but more like offered and insisted when he didn't even need to go that far. "I could go for a free meal," Heechul says later, pushing Hankyung through his front door.
Heechul whips out the cigarettes halfway through Hankyung's cooking process and decides to mix garlic smells and alcoholic breath with smoke. "Life is good," Hankyung mutters after Heechul sticks one in his mouth, lifting the lighter to meet its end. The exchange grins and air, because they're too close now, but Hankyung pulls away when the room sizzles. No, it's just the pan. Heechul picks up his can and notices it hadn't felt this light before.
The idea of eating is just faintly lingering in his memory. His eyes are half-lidded, and he smells smoke, but then none of that matters because he tastes what he might have had for dinner on someone's tongue. His hands figure out that this is Hankyung, eventually. But neither of them know what's happening and both of them are naked. There could have been a mattress supporting his back when he fell backwards, but he also could never be sure. Hankyung could have been holding him, and that's what he'd like to believe.
In the morning, he's hiding underneath a blanket, and nothing else. He feels light, like someone could pick him up with their littlest finger and carry him around. When he rolls over, he feels warmth emitting from the other side of the bed. Heechul never needed to sleep alone in a bed this large anyway, so before he opens his eyes and remembers exactly who he happened to share his bed with last night, he smiles to himself.
Hankyung looks the same way he did last night in the dark, only brighter and softer. For a second, Heechul thinks about the two of them are naked, and he thinks about what could have happened. But then he thinks about what didn't happen, and they just happen to be the same thing.
He doesn't notice that Hankyung's eyes are open until they've shared a stare for a minute, at least. "I think I'm starting to understand that organic chemistry," he says. Heechul leans on his side, forgets about bare bodies, and puts his eyes on the warm person in front of him.
"You'll have to lend me a hand then, because I don't."
"I'd be happy to."
They end up closing the space between them, or at least keeping a thin border of one blanket between them. There's something they can't ignore, or something they have to ignore even if it's out in the open. Hankyung leaves his hand on Heechul's arm, but they can't look at each other anymore. Not in the face. Heechul rests his vision against a smooth collarbone, hands wanting to reach towards comforting skin. He waits until the heat from Hankyung's fingertips permeates his body.
Right out in the open, in plain sight, walking side-by-side. Sure, it happens all the time, but occasions come and go when it's one of the scariest things in the world. And the rain is too loud--this affects him, too. Loud enough for Heechul to look at Hankyung under their green umbrella and have to think about what he would talk to him about if he could speak in a way that wouldn't make him go, "What?"
No one gives them peculiar glances when they walk without air between them. Hankyung's arm has turned into Heechul's scarf, because that's just how it always works these days. But what also works these days more than usual is Heechul's brain.
They pass by countless strangers on their walks. What if they could still be strangers? What if they could just make it so, make it that way? A simple question like that couldn't possibly be so simple in reality, even if it takes merely a few syllables. Heechul understands that the substance is what makes his head churn around these thoughts, these scenarios that he can't rid himself of. For example, the one where he pushes Hankyung's arm away and stomps off, running before Hankyung can grasp what could possibly be happening. He could take every little thing Hankyung has left in Heechul's apartment and dump it outside his door, and change the locks while he's at it. He could do that. Heechul has the capacity to pull it off (or so he thinks).
The rain still pounds away at the earth--the ground and the umbrellas all around; he doesn't think Hankyung can hear anything else. With the exception of an occasional car horn.
"Would you miss me?"
Hankyung twitches towards him, and answers with hurt written on his forehead. "Don't be silly."
(Then again, Hankyung would run fast enough to catch him, anyway.)
//
it's taken me this long to realize that I barely attempt living inside Geng's head. you'd think someone like me would put an offer in for a summer house up there, jeez.