I can still hear you - 2/5 - Eunhyuk x Donghae
Title: I Can Still Hear You
Paring: Eunhyuk/Donghae
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, romance, angst
Chapter: 2/5
Warnings: -
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except from the plot.
Beta: plu178
Summary: Sometimes just listening with your ears isn't enough.
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I Can Still Hear You
part two
“Where is the yellow pen?” Sungmin asks. “I need a yellow pen.”
Junsu makes a half hearted attempt to look around the table when he raises his head from the painting he's working on. He shrugs his shoulders before continuing.
The playroom is crowded today, because not only is Hyukjae's class here but their parallel class as well. Hyukjae doesn't like the other class, they are too noisy. He likes it better when it's just his class; him, his friends and a couple of other guys and girls. Luckily it's seldom that the two classes do things together.
“Over there,” Siwon says and points.
Hyukjae, like Junsu, is also busy creating a masterpiece, and doesn't look up until he hears Sungmin say “I don't wanna go there. He's weird.”
Siwon is pointing at a table at the far end of the room and when Hyukjae sees who's sitting there, alone at that table, he immediately stops painting. He doesn't know if the familiar boy heard what Sungmin said or not, because the room is pretty big and he's sitting far away. He hopes he didn't hear, but of course he doesn't say anything about it.
“Sungmin!” a female voice says warningly, because even if Donghae didn't hear Sungmin, the teacher did. It startles a few of the boys around the table, because no one heard the woman enter the playroom in the first place. “Watch your mouth.”
The boys giggle, because for some unexplainable reason it's always fun when someone is being told off. Sungmin isn't amused and the fact that his friends are laughing at him just makes him angrier.
“Why? It's not my fault he's weird,” he says. It's the truth, it isn't Sungmin's fault. But the teacher doesn't look convinced as she still looks at him with a frown on her face, the wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes getting even more visible.
“He is, isn't he?” Sungmin insists, in a way of trying to justify himself, and he elbows Shindong's ribs a little too hard in his attempt to make Shindong agree with him. Shindong doesn't agree, instead he groans out in pain and that's enough to make the rest of the boys laugh. Hyukjae laughs too.
“Enough!” the teacher says and grabs Shindong’s and Sungmin's wrist in each hand when they start pushing each other. The boys force themselves to go silent in a second, and some of them bite their lower lip to prevent themselves from laughing again. The fact that they're not supposed to laugh just makes everything so much funnier, even when most of them already forgot what they were laughing about in the first place, or why they're not allowed to laugh.
But then Siwon singsongs in a low voice, “He's weird,” and everyone burst out laughing again; gaining not only the attention of the other children but the teachers as well. When Hyukjae turns his head a little he sees that even the weird boy is looking at them. Donghae’s looking at them without knowing he's the reason to their mocking laughter, and that makes Hyukjae's conscience give him a hard slap across the face. He stops laughing.
When their eyes accidentally meet for just a brief moment Hyukjae finds himself wondering if Donghae still remembers him.
Donghae quickly looks away. The teacher sighs angrily.
“What is wrong with him?” Kibum suddenly asks when they all have calmed down.
“Nothing is wrong with him,” the teacher assures. She glares at Sungmin when she sees him grin. ”He's mute.”
And as a spell, Hyukjae's table turns silent for the first time, even though not all of them are sure what the teacher said means. Shindong is the first one to speak up.
“What's that?”
“It's when you can't hear, stupid,” Sungmin says and rolls his eyes.
“No, it's not,” Hyukjae says. He knows Donghae can hear. He knows Donghae can see too. “It's when you can't talk.”
“What are you, a doctor?” Sungmin asks, the interest in the mute boy all forgotten.
“Maybe.”
“You're nine,” Sungmin states dead panned and the way he says it makes it sound like an insult. Hyukjae would have retorted (even if he wouldn't have anything clever to say), but he doesn't because, well, Sungmin is nine years old too.
Then he remembers that Sungmin is three months older - damnit! - so maybe he should say something anyway. However, before he can do that the teacher tells them one final time to calm down and behave, and Hyukjae decides to let this time pass.
They sit in silence and continue where they left off before their fit of laughter, but for some reason Hyukjae can't seem to concentrate anymore. He keeps glancing over to Donghae. It’s weird how that name, Donghae, is still there in his mind. And it's weird how Hyukjae remembers him so clearly; how he was sitting there alone on the swing, with a red nose and snowflakes in his hair. Even now, four years later, Donghae is still alone.
What is it like, not being able to talk? What if you need help with something and can't write? Or what if you get really angry at someone and can't shout at them? Sungmin and Hyukjae get angry at each other all the time - they're best friends, they are supposed to fight - but what if Hyukjae wouldn't be able to yell back? Would Sungmin be mean and bossy, because Hyukjae wouldn't be able to say anything to defend himself?
And how do you get friends when you can't talk to them?
Without saying a word Hyukjae gets up from his seat, ignoring his friends’ questions of what he's doing, and walks over to the other side of the room where Donghae is sitting by himself, doing exactly what Hyukjae and his friends are doing: painting.
The sound of the chair right next to him squeaking against the wooden floor reaches Donghae's ears and Hyukjae notices how he tenses his whole body. He doesn't raise his head to look at him, but gradually relaxes and continues his painting. He's making a brown puppy, Hyukjae notices.
“The teacher says you can't talk,” Hyukjae says as he sits down.
Donghae ignores him, still not looking up. Maybe Hyukjae was a little too straight forward.
“Have you ever talked?” he asks instead and tries his best to sound friendly. He thinks maybe he succeeded, because Donghae answers. He shakes his head.
“Open your mouth,” Hyukjae says and Donghae raises his head and looks at him with big eyes for the first time since this conversation started. Actually, for the first time in four years.
He hasn't changed a bit; his eyes still keep that surprised and confused look.
“Here,” Hyukjae says and moves a little closer, carefully putting one hand on Donghae's forehead and the other on his chin. He feels how Donghae tenses all his muscles again. “Open your mouth,” he repeats.
Donghae opens his mouth a little awkwardly.
“More. I can't see.”
When he does, Hyukjae lowers his head to take a proper look at Donghae's mouth.
“It looks normal,” he says after a few seconds of observation and Donghae rolls his eyes. “You know, just sitting here all by yourself isn't gonna help you get any friends.”
The black haired boy shrugs his shoulders. That's not an answer, so Hyukjae grabs his wrist in one hand and Donghae's paper in the other hand. Donghae quickly reaches out to grab his chair as he tries to resist, but he's too slow.
“I don't care if you don't want to, you need to get friends,” Hyukjae says as he drags the same aged boy to the table he was sitting at before.
His four friends look up at him with huge eyes when they both sit down.
“This is Donghae,” Hyukjae says and points at Donghae. Everyone looks at him; Donghae blushes. For a split second he wonders why this boy knows his name.
He introduces Siwon, the tall boy; Junsu, the boy with childish eyes; Kibum, the quiet boy; Shindong, the chubby boy; and Sungmin, the boy people always thought was the maknae.
“And I'm Hyukjae,” he says with a huge grin. Donghae smiles back.
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A/N: Sooo, here's part two! This chapter is really short, but it's alright! Next chapter is going to be longer~
When I saw the comments of the first chapter I got really happy. So many of you in the EunHae fandom haven't forgotten me even though I haven't posted anything in a very long time. Thank you~ And I hope this fic won't disappoint you!
I'll really try updating as soon as possible, both this fic and The Beauty of the Forbidden, but now in the beginning it's gonna be very hard. I have two exams next month and I have so many books to read ide /falls. I'll do my best tho!
Edit: Oh yeah! I won't post anything before christmas so:
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I wish you a wonderful time with the people you love the most ♥