Acid Trip
Part: 4/5
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Characters: SJ-M
Writer's Note: No, I don't know why I picked on Wook. Because he's cute and deserves it? Probably.
Summary: Ryeowook is not sure about this….
Previously: one, two, Three
"I'd swear he was Han Geng," the bartender said as he shrugged into his jacket.
Li Xu looked up from the newspaper on the table. "Who?"
"The guy at the bar tonight, the one that kept asking about you."
"The one that sent over the random request, for the songs you didn't recognize?"
"Yeah. He just… really looks like him."
"What if he is?"
The bartender laughed as he closed his locker. "Why would he be here? He's got to be just a good look-a-like."
Li Xu stood and stretched. "Yeah… but if word got out he'd been here, wouldn't more people start coming?"
"Yeah, until they realized he didn't really," the bartender said. "Good night."
Li Xu nodded, slipping out the door as the bartender turned off the lights. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, heading for the street and the way home, less than a block away.
"Li Xu."
He didn't recognize the voice, so he didn't stop walking, hunching his shoulders. He didn't even want to know who called him.
"Ryeowook."
That brought him to a dead stop, and he turned around. Then his eyes widened as he realized that the bartender had been right - it was Han Geng, and….
"How long have you been here?" Geng asked, stopping in front of him.
Ryeowook merely stared at him through his hair. "I… how…."
Geng smiled. "Come and talk with me. We miss you."
Ryeowook shook his head, weakly. "I can't. You have… tomorrow…."
"Please? Tomorrow can wait until tomorrow. I'll bring you home in the morning."
Stunned, not really sure why, he accepted, and got into the backseat of the waiting car with Geng. "Your reputation will be shot," Ryeowook said after a while. "If anyone saw you."
Geng laughed. "It'll blow over," he said with a grin. "It always does."
The apartment reminded him of the dorm they'd had. Ryeowook followed Geng into the front room and sat down in one of the chairs. "You've been doing really well," he said as Geng sat down across from him.
The older man smiled. "Thank you. I've been lucky." He tilted his head and smiled. "You look well."
Ryeowook smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad I came here."
"Why did you?"
Ryeowook leaned back. "I had to get out," he murmured. "I told you everything in the voicemail message."
Geng laughed gently. "You didn't say you'd be gone for years," he said. "What happened?"
Ryeowook shrugged. "I went into SM, to ask about the album, and… it didn't go well. At all. They said there was no point, if I wasn't going to be performing, and it didn't seem to matter, really, because they had decided I wouldn't." He didn't mention the way everyone reacted, the horror and pity he'd seen, that made him slink out of the building. "I didn't know what to do. So I just left."
Geng nodded. "I assume the fans had something to do with it?"
"A lot. I still don't deal well with crowds, but I don't need to." Ryeowook shrugged.
Geng nodded. "True," he said, and changed the subject.
The night passed quicker than Ryeowook had expected, and he found he really didn't want to leave when they both realized the sun had risen. But he went, knowing how precious the time was to Geng.
"Don't worry," the dancer said as Ryeowook climbed out of his car near his apartment. "I'll be in touch. I know where to find you, now."
Ryeowook paused and glanced back at him. "You realize that's almost a threat, right?"
Geng laughed. "Good. I'll see you later."
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Characters: SJ-M
Writer's Note: No, I don't know why I picked on Wook. Because he's cute and deserves it? Probably.
Summary: Ryeowook is not sure about this….
Previously: one, two, Three
"I'd swear he was Han Geng," the bartender said as he shrugged into his jacket.
Li Xu looked up from the newspaper on the table. "Who?"
"The guy at the bar tonight, the one that kept asking about you."
"The one that sent over the random request, for the songs you didn't recognize?"
"Yeah. He just… really looks like him."
"What if he is?"
The bartender laughed as he closed his locker. "Why would he be here? He's got to be just a good look-a-like."
Li Xu stood and stretched. "Yeah… but if word got out he'd been here, wouldn't more people start coming?"
"Yeah, until they realized he didn't really," the bartender said. "Good night."
Li Xu nodded, slipping out the door as the bartender turned off the lights. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, heading for the street and the way home, less than a block away.
"Li Xu."
He didn't recognize the voice, so he didn't stop walking, hunching his shoulders. He didn't even want to know who called him.
"Ryeowook."
That brought him to a dead stop, and he turned around. Then his eyes widened as he realized that the bartender had been right - it was Han Geng, and….
"How long have you been here?" Geng asked, stopping in front of him.
Ryeowook merely stared at him through his hair. "I… how…."
Geng smiled. "Come and talk with me. We miss you."
Ryeowook shook his head, weakly. "I can't. You have… tomorrow…."
"Please? Tomorrow can wait until tomorrow. I'll bring you home in the morning."
Stunned, not really sure why, he accepted, and got into the backseat of the waiting car with Geng. "Your reputation will be shot," Ryeowook said after a while. "If anyone saw you."
Geng laughed. "It'll blow over," he said with a grin. "It always does."
The apartment reminded him of the dorm they'd had. Ryeowook followed Geng into the front room and sat down in one of the chairs. "You've been doing really well," he said as Geng sat down across from him.
The older man smiled. "Thank you. I've been lucky." He tilted his head and smiled. "You look well."
Ryeowook smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad I came here."
"Why did you?"
Ryeowook leaned back. "I had to get out," he murmured. "I told you everything in the voicemail message."
Geng laughed gently. "You didn't say you'd be gone for years," he said. "What happened?"
Ryeowook shrugged. "I went into SM, to ask about the album, and… it didn't go well. At all. They said there was no point, if I wasn't going to be performing, and it didn't seem to matter, really, because they had decided I wouldn't." He didn't mention the way everyone reacted, the horror and pity he'd seen, that made him slink out of the building. "I didn't know what to do. So I just left."
Geng nodded. "I assume the fans had something to do with it?"
"A lot. I still don't deal well with crowds, but I don't need to." Ryeowook shrugged.
Geng nodded. "True," he said, and changed the subject.
The night passed quicker than Ryeowook had expected, and he found he really didn't want to leave when they both realized the sun had risen. But he went, knowing how precious the time was to Geng.
"Don't worry," the dancer said as Ryeowook climbed out of his car near his apartment. "I'll be in touch. I know where to find you, now."
Ryeowook paused and glanced back at him. "You realize that's almost a threat, right?"
Geng laughed. "Good. I'll see you later."