The Fine Line ch.1
Pairing: Kyuhyun/Eunhyuk
Chapters: view all
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Originally meant to be a oneshot but ended up turning into another series (sorry, guys).
For purple_garden.
Chapter 1
How To Be An Idiot
To say that Eunhyuk was excited would be an understatement. In fact, there probably were no words that could describe the way he felt the moment those wheels touched ground and the airplane came to a halt. And the excitement stayed with him, carried on by their fans' screams and shouts and the low hum of the van as they were transported to the hotel.
Yet it only took three words to crush Eunhyuk's optimism and bury it in a 6-foot deep hole, never to see the light of day again:
Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk.
He stared unseeingly in front of him, wondering what god hated him and why their manager couldn't have picked a better roommate for him, or at least someone whom he didn't hate and who didn't hate him. It was just his luck he'd be paired up with that bastard on his long-awaited vacation, which wasn't really a vacation since it was for a photoshoot, and it wasn't just his since the rest of Super Junior was going as well, but those were just minor details. He had been looking forward to this trip despite the reasons, though now he was wondering why he hadn't foreseen something like this happening and just feigned sickness before they left so he wouldn't have had to go on it in the first place.
And it was all because of him.
He turned his head slightly towards his current object of loathing. Kyuhyun was standing a little behind him and to the right, whispering furiously to Ryeowook who merely shook his head and laid a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of sympathy.
You're not the only one pissed off right now, Eunhyuk thought angrily, teeth gritting together.
As if hearing his thoughts, Kyuhyun spotted him looking and glared. Eunhyuk narrowed his eyes for a moment, wishing he had some sort of power that made laser beams come out from his eyes, then turned back to the staff member who was still speaking.
He could ask their manager to switch him to another room, but he doubted that would have gone over well. He could already picture the way the man's mouth would open in shock, then close again before listing off all the reasons why he should be trying to get along with everyone and why he shouldn't be acting so selfish.
But if he got one of the other guys to agree to switching rooms with him, he thought to himself, then his manager wouldn't have anything to complain about. He smiled, already knowing exactly who he was going to ask.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Eunhyuk asked, looking in disbelief at the person before him.
"I mean 'no' as in 'I don't want to do it,'" Sungmin said, his tone surprisingly serious.
Eunhyuk's eye twitched. "Aren't you guys friends? Why can't you just switch rooms with me?"
Sungmin sighed and looked up from the suitcase he was unpacking. His clothes were strewn across the bed, unfolded and crumpled in heaps. Eunhyuk doubted they had even been folded in the first place. "I don't understand why you don't like him."
Eunhyuk's mouth was pressed into a thin line. "Because," he said very slowly, trying not to snap at his supposed friend, "he pisses me off," as if that explanation was good enough. Sungmin frowned at him, apparently not agreeing. "I just don't like him, alright?"
Eunhyuk sighed and fell into one of the cushioned seats in the room, arms limp at his sides. "Just switch with me." He looked over to Sungmin who had turned his back on him and went back to unpacking his things, pointedly ignoring him. "I'll let you borrow whatever you want from me when we get back to Korea," he tried. "Anything at all. Clothes, manga, porn, whatever." Sungmin kept his back turned and shook his head.
"Min," he pleaded as if his life depended on it.
"Hyuk," his friend responded indifferently.
"Damn it!" Eunhyuk threw his hands up and pushed himself off from the chair. "Fine, I'm going to ask someone else." He stomped to the door, picked up his bag, and practically threw the door open. "Thanks for the help, asshole."
"Good luck," Sungmin said with a smile, undeterred by his comment. Eunhyuk rolled his eyes and would have slammed the door if it had let him. But, like all hotel doors, it only closed slowly and shut with an audible click, automatically locking. It certainly made Eunhyuk's dramatic exit seem a lot less dramatic.
"Stupid hotel," he muttered to himself as he made his way down the hall.
***
By the time he got back to his room, Eunhyuk was exhausted. Everybody had turned him down, using some excuse or another, usually along the lines of 'Oh, sorry, I already unpacked' even if they hadn't and their luggage was sitting by the door, untouched.
Everyone had used that excuse except for Heechul who had looked at him, arms folded in front of him and a smirk on his face. "Why don't you stop being such a girl? It's just two weeks, Hyukkie, I'm sure you'll manage." Eunhyuk hated that nickname and, if Heechul's smirk was anything to go by, the older man knew it too.
He had asked everyone except Donghae because he knew what his best friend would say. Donghae was the type of person who always wanted people to get along, and it was obvious with the amount of times he tried to get Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun to talk to each other.
But it was pointless. As much as Eunhyuk didn't want to see that sad look on his best friend's face, it was impossible for his feelings for Kyuhyun to just change overnight.
Eunhyuk hung his head, standing just outside the room he'd be sharing with Kyuhyun. He knew the second he stepped foot inside that room they would be at each other's throats, and Eunhyuk was too tired to fight with him after spending hours trying to convince the others to switch their rooms with him only to be denied, and then hanging around until they kicked him out and told him to get back to his own room.
Taking a deep breath, he slid the key card in the slot and pushed the door open. He walked down the short hallway and saw Kyuhyun's things on one of the beds already, clearly marking it as his but their owner nowhere to be found.
He sighed in relief and took the bed nearest the window, hauling his suitcase up onto it so he could unpack. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom and went to unpacking as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to have a run-in with his new roommate too soon. He figured he'd go take a walk somewhere, maybe drag someone to explore the hotel with him - anything that didn't mean staying in the same room as Kyuhyun.
Unfortunately, that was not to be.
Not even 5 minutes later, he heard the door to the bathroom open and his fingers dug into the shirt he was in the midst of folding, effectively wrinkling it in his grip. He wasn't prepared for this. Kyuhyun, the guy who had a mutual dislike for Eunhyuk since he was put into their group, was standing less then ten feet away from him, drying his hair with a towel from their shared bathroom.
Kyuhyun noticed him and the hand rubbing the towel over his head paused, as if in surprise, before he turned and walked back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Asshole, Eunhyuk thought, looking hard at the door Kyuhyun had just disappeared through. He took a deep breath and smoothed out the shirt in his hands on the bed and began folding it again.
He knew he couldn't let Kyuhyun ruin his vacation, but just the mere thought of sleeping in the same room as him, sharing the same bathroom as him, made Eunhyuk torn between wanting to smash his head through a wall and smashing Kyuhyun's head through a wall, though he was pretty sure Donghae and Sungmin would be really pissed if he did that. He was pretty sure the rest of the other guys would be pissed if he did that, too, now that he thought about it.
He sighed, throwing the folded shirt with the others he'd already finished, and sat down on the bed, his back facing the bathroom. If the rest of them got along with Kyuhyun, why couldn't Eunhyuk?
It was a simple question, yet the answer was complicated to explain, even to himself. Sungmin had asked him why he disliked Kyuhyun back in his room, but he'd only given him a vague response. There were a couple reasons why Eunhyuk hated being around Kyuhyun, one of those reasons involving Donghae, which made him all the more reluctant to tell Sungmin because he just knew he'd be called an idiot if he said anything.
Maybe he was an idiot, Eunhyuk thought to himself, staring at the maroon carpet beneath his feet. All he had to do was spend two weeks in the same room with Kyuhyun, that was all. And the more civilized they were to each other during that time, the less shitty this vacation would be.
Eunhyuk stood and gathered his clothes, walking over to the dresser against the wall and opening the top drawer. He was surprised to see it was already occupied by some of Kyuhyun's things, which took up one side, but he put his things inside as well next to them, albeit a little reluctantly.
He was still trying to come to terms with sharing the room with him, and sharing drawer and closet space was just another one of those things he would have to live with for the next couple weeks.
Eunhyuk was in the walk-in closet, just finishing putting his last shirt through a hanger, when he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. He hung up his shirt and walked back into the room to find Kyuhyun moving his suitcase against the wall.
Be civilized, he told himself, staring at Kyuhyun's back. Civilized and calm. You can do this. He took a deep breath.
"So, um," he began, pausing to swallow what he could only guess was bile trying to rise up in his throat, "I was thinking we should have some sort of a truce while we're here, you know, uh... since we're sharing a room and all," he finished lamely.
Kyuhyun had stiffened the moment he heard his voice but hadn't turn around. It was a few seconds before he said anything. "If that's what you want," he bit out.
Eunhyuk narrowed his eyes at Kyuhyun's back and gritted his teeth to keep himself from responding. He had already told himself he was going to be civil, which meant that he couldn't rise up to the bait Kyuhyun was practically dangling in front of his face.
"Look," Eunhyuk said, his voice as neutral as it could be, "I'm sure you and I can both agree that the next two weeks would be a lot better if we just got along. So how about it?"
"You're right," Kyuhyun said and turned around. If it wasn't for the sarcastic smile on his face, Eunhyuk would have thought the impossible had happened and he was finally agreeing with him on something. But of course it was fake. "You're absolutely right," Kyuhyun said again, "it would be better if we just got along." His smile fell and he glared at Eunhyuk. "But I think it's a bit too late for that."
Eunhyuk had at least tried to be civil, but it was apparent that Kyuhyun wasn't going to agree on making a truce no matter how nice he was to him. Eunhyuk wasn't willing to make a truce with someone who was intent on being an asshole for no reason anyway.
"What the hell is your problem?" he asked the younger man, eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to-"
"Yeah, I know what you're trying to do," Kyuhyun interrupted him, keeping his glare on Eunhyuk. "You're trying to make it so your vacation doesn't suck, am I right?" Eunhyuk couldn't help feeling offended even though everything he said was true. "This nice act of yours really doesn't suit you, so stop making it seem as if you're doing me a favor when you're only thinking about yourself." He spat the last word out and Eunhyuk was sure Kyuhyun would have spat on him if he was standing any closer.
He would never admit he was taken aback by Kyuhyun's words and the way he looked at him, as if he were less than the crap stuck to the bottom of his shoe, but he was at that moment. And he couldn't even think of a good insult to throw back at him.
This was the first time Kyuhyun had said anything like this to him. The past few years had been spent doing nothing but looking at each other hatefully from across rooms and they had both refrained from speaking to one another unless it was absolutely necessary. That was when they had to put their acting skills to work.
It sounded like it would have been difficult carrying on like that for so long, but none of the higher-ups cared if they got along or not, just as long as the fans didn't know it. And with there being so many people in their group, it wasn't that hard for their animosity to go unseen in the innocent eyes of their followers who always believed everyone got along perfectly.
But this look Kyuhyun was giving him now was different. It was new, more hateful, and it struck a chord in Eunhyuk. He knew their hate was mutual, but even he wouldn't have looked at him in disgust the way Kyuhyun was now.
Why did it bother him so much? He disliked this guy and yet seeing how much hate Kyuhyun had towards him was-dare he say it-surprising, and not in a good way.
Turning away, Eunhyuk's nails dug into his palms as he marched to the nightstand between their beds and grabbed his wallet, phone, and room card. He couldn't look at Kyuhyun as he passed him, not even to glare at him once more before he left.
"Fine," he ground out, trying to put as much anger is he could behind that one word before he left the room.
For some reason, it didn't come out quite the way he'd hoped it would.
***
Stupid...
Eunhyuk gritted his teeth and turned, throwing his arm out, leg sliding and making his shoes squeak against the laminate floor.
...fucking...
He bent his knees, the muscles in his thighs protesting from overuse, but he forced his legs to bend anyway, using his arm for balance.
...asshole.
Turning again, he put his weight on one leg while the other moved behind him, arm moving upward and bent at the elbow.
"-hyuk!"
"What?" he snapped, out of breath, dropping his arms and turning towards Donghae.
"I think you should take a break," he said, concerned at how worn-out his friend looked. Eunhyuk was pushing himself too hard, but Donghae knew saying that to him would only make him push himself harder.
"You take a break," Eunhyuk said under his breath, which was still heavy from practicing nonstop for the last two hours. He felt a hand grab him before he could fall back into his steps and sighed, closing his eyes. "Donghae..."
"Just a few minutes, okay? It won't be that long," he said. "Then you can go back to killing yourself."
Despite how crappy he was feeling, Eunhyuk still managed to smile at his friend's words. Of course Donghae would think practicing for this long was suicide. He couldn't go twenty minutes without getting distracted by something or someone and demanding they take a break in the middle of practice.
"Fine, just for a few minutes," he relented, looking at Donghae just as his face lit up into a smile. He moved to the wall and slid down to sit with his back to it, legs spread out in front of him. He closed his eyes and waited for his breathing to even out.
He jerked when he felt something cold and wet on the side of his face and glared up. Donghae stood before him, offering him a water bottle with a grin. Eunhyuk wordlessly took it and twisted the cap off. Cold water filled his mouth and washed down his throat as he drank hungrily. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been when he was practicing, too focused on trying to take his anger and frustration out on something; in this case, his own body.
Eunhyuk sighed, the back of his head hitting the wall with a soft thud, and closed his eyes again. Even after those hours of practice, he was still bothered by what Kyuhyun said to him.
'This nice act of yours really doesn't suit you...'
What was that supposed to mean? That Eunhyuk was a bastard all the time? He ran a hand through his hair, forgetting it was damp with sweat. Sighing in irritation, he reached for his towel and covered his face in it, wiping the perspiration off. What the hell did Kyuhyun know about him anyway, he thought angrily, tossing the towel over to his bag. It's not like they were friends. It's not like Kyuhyun knew anything about him.
He got up and stretched, head rolling from one side to the other to loosen up his muscles so he could pick up where he left off.
"You guys fought again, didn't you?"
Eunhyuk glanced over to Donghae, almost forgetting he'd been there. Judging by his expression, Donghae already knew the answer and it was obvious he was not happy about it.
"You should really give him a chance," Donghae said, standing up and walking over to him. "He's a good guy."
Eunhyuk scoffed and turned away. Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if you heard the shit he said to me last night.
He heard Donghae sigh and knew he was about to get lectured. "Why do you hate him so much? It's been this long and you guys still can't get along."
"I just don't like him," Eunhyuk said, irritated that they were back to that question again. He wished Donghae would just stop trying to fix everything. Kyuhyun hated him and he hated Kyuhyun, it was pointless. "Can we just drop it?"
"No," Donghae said, taking a step closer to him to show he wasn't going to back down this time. "Tell me the real reason, Hyuk. Why do you hate him so much?"
Eunhyuk turned away, arms crossed, not saying anything.
"Did he do something to you when he joined the group?" tried Donghae. Eunhyuk stubbornly kept his mouth shut. "Did he say something?" Again, no answer.
"Oh, I get it," Donghae said, as if he just realized something. "You're jealous because he's younger than you and sings better than you."
"That's not fucking it!" Eunhyuk shouted, glaring at Donghae. "That is not fucking it, Hae, and you know it." How could he even think that? How could he think that Eunhyuk would dislike someone over something as petty as that?
"Then tell me why," Donghae said, pleading with him this time. "If that's not the reason, then tell me why you really dislike him."
"Because of you," Eunhyuk snapped before he could stop himself. His jaw clenched and he quickly turned away again so he wouldn't have to see the look of surprise on his friend's face.
"W-What?" Donghae stuttered, confused. He sounded completely shocked and Eunhyuk couldn't blame him. "Why?"
Eunhyuk sighed heavily. "Because," he began, forcing his voice to stay even and not tremble like it wanted to do. He was scared of telling Donghae this, of saying how insecure he was around Kyuhyun. "Because from the moment he joined, I felt like I was being replaced. Not only with you," he added quickly just as Donghae opened his mouth to argue, "but with the others as well. Because it took him less than a week to get close to everyone when it took me years." He paused, knowing that was a lie, and shook his head a little ruefully. "No, I'm still not close to everyone," he corrected himself, unaware of how sad he sounded.
There were only a handful of people in the group he got along with, the others didn't really care or were undoubtedly annoyed by him. But even though Eunhyuk understood that it was hopeless to try to get them all to like him, it still hurt knowing that he couldn't bridge that gap between them.
"It's so easy for him to get along with everyone," he went on, his voice sounding small and unfamiliar, even to him. "I've been here longer than him and he's closer to most of the guys than I am. But what really gets me is when he gets praised for his dancing, even though he only puts in half the effort during practice." Eunhyuk had always been frustrated by that fact, knowing that his hard work was being overshadowed by someone who was younger than him, someone who had less experience.
He covered his eyes with his hand, which trembled in an effort to keep himself from breaking down. All those years of practice and Kyuhyun got recognition in just a few, short months. It made him feel useless, it made all the time he'd spent in empty practice rooms dancing well into the night feel pointless. Eunhyuk had already felt the tears building up, it was only a matter of time before they fell.
"Even though I've spent so much time practicing," his voice quivered, both in anger and sadness. God, why couldn't he stop himself from talking? "Even though his moves are sloppier than mine, he gets more praise for something that I've been trying my hardest at for years and I don't understand why."
Eunhyuk felt arms wrap around him from behind and it was like a trigger had been pulled as the tears he'd been trying to keep from falling finally fell. He could feel Donghae's chin digging into his shoulder. His hand shook slightly as it came up to clutch one of of the arms that laid across his chest.
Donghae had become one of his closest friends over the years. His bright, cheerful, and, more often than not, naive personality was something that Eunhyuk had at first taken advantage of but now knew to be just a few of Donghae's charming points. Their personalities were so different, yet they'd still become friends.
Donghae's arms tightened around him and Eunhyuk knew what was coming next. Donghae was going to try to cheer him up, or that was what he usually intended to do, but somehow he always managed to say something that made zero sense to Eunhyuk and, ultimately, didn't help him at all. But knowing Donghae cared enough to at least try was good enough for him. Eunhyuk leaned back a little more into his friend's embrace, wiping his eyes as he mentally readied himself for whatever weird things Donghae was going to spew out of his mouth this time.
"You're an idiot."
Eunhyuk frowned, thinking he'd heard him wrong.
"Both of you are complete idiots," Donghae said, dismissing any possibility that Eunhyuk was hearing things. He laughed under his breath and held Eunhyuk closer.
Eunhyuk pried Donghae's arms from him and turned around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the amusement he saw. He'd just finished telling Donghae why he was so bothered by Kyuhyun, crying, and his best friend found it funny?
Donghae noticed the unamused expression on Eunhyuk's face and held up his hands in surrender. "No, I mean, um..." It was obvious he was trying to think of something to say so Eunhyuk wouldn't get angry, but all he came up with was, "Sorry?"
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Eunhyuk pushed past Donghae and went to get his bag. He couldn't believe he bared his soul to him only to get laughed at and called an idiot. He'd expected that from Sungmin, not Donghae.
"Hyuk, wait! I didn't mean it like that," he said, hand reaching out and keeping Eunhyuk from walking out the door.
"Don't touch me," Eunhyuk snapped as he tried to pull his arm from Donghae's grip, which was surprisingly strong. "Donghae," he said with a sigh.
"We're still practicing tomorrow night, right?" Donghae asked him, tugging a little on his shirt. Eunhyuk could just imagine the sad puppy look on Donghae's face. He knew if he didn't promise to go, Donghae would stick to him like glue until he gave in.
"Yeah, fine, whatever," Eunhyuk told him, still trying to make it out the door, but his friend still hadn't let go of him. "Donghae!"
"I love you."
Eunhyuk stared at the door in front of him, his only escape route, and pictured himself smashing his head into it. Repeatedly.
Another tug on his shirt told him that Donghae was waiting for his usual response, something that Eunhyuk had found hilarious the first few times but now couldn't say without feeling extremely embarrassed. He could already feel the tell-tale blush on the tips of his ears despite feeling incredibly annoyed at Donghae for putting him through this when he had every right to be angry at him for laughing. If only Donghae hadn't taken a habit to bothering him without remorse until he responded back, he would have gladly pushed his friend away and escaped.
"Hyuk," Donghae whined, drawing out that one syllable and furthering Eunhyuk's desire to commit suicide via door.
Eunhyuk sighed heavily, knowing there was no way out of this without saying it, and turned reluctantly around to face him. He was such a pushover when it came to this guy. "Okay, okay," he gave up, gaze lowered. It was bad enough having to say something like this at all, but it was even worse having to look at him and do it. "I love you too," he muttered between clenched teeth. Donghae smiled brightly at him, the hand on Eunhyuk's arm squeezing lightly. "Can I go now?"
Obviously pleased that he'd gotten his way, Donghae let go of him. Eunhyuk immediately made for the exit. "Don't forget your promise," Donghae called after him.
I didn't promise anything, Eunhyuk thought tiredly, but he yelled back with a "Yeah, I know" anyway before turning the corner.
***
He heard a chime and looked up just as the elevator doors opened. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder and made his way to his room - his and Kyuhyun's room, he remembered with a feeling of dread. He felt his energy drain away with each step that brought him closer to it.
Eunhyuk unlocked the door and pushed it open. The room was dark save for the little light coming in through the windows, but it was enough for him to make his way inside and find his bed. He ignored the figure on the other bed and the soft snoring coming from it, and faced the other way as he began to change.
Normally, he'd shower after practice, but he was too tired physically and emotionally to drag himself to the bathroom and wash. The maids would change the sheets the next day when they came to clean the room so he figured it wouldn't be too bad.
It'd been a long time since he'd realized the reasons behind his hatred for Kyuhyun and acknowledged them. He usually took to the basic reasoning of 'I just hate him so we'll leave it at that,' but confessing them once again, and out loud this time, had been tiresome. And all Donghae did was call him an idiot and laugh.
Grumbling, he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head, muscles aching slightly at the movement, and then went to taking off his shorts. He slipped out of them, leaving him only in his boxers, and tossed his clothes somewhere on the floor on his side of the room. He climbed into bed, throwing half of the pillows on the other side and leaving one for himself, and finally settled down under the covers.
He never really liked sleeping in hotels, he couldn't get used to it, but the brutal practice he put himself through earlier had taken its toll on him and he found his body relaxing despite the mattress and sheets being so different from what he was used to.
Eunhyuk felt his breathing even out and knew he'd fall asleep relatively easy tonight. He was just drifting off when he noticed how quiet the room was, but sleep claimed him before he could figure out why and the unasked question faded into the recesses of his mind.
--
A/N: For those of you still following Trace (I'd be surprised if you guys still exist. I think you all might have died out already...), Trace is on hiatus for now until I figure out how to write the emotional parts because I'm really horrible at that.
It was true this was supposed to be a oneshot written for purple_garden (since you didn't give me a prompt, I just ended up with this, lol... please don't hate me for making them dislike each other) but, as you can see, I ended up dragging the story out (no surprise there considering I'm the author). I don't even know how I would have been able to turn Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun's hate towards each other into sexy-sexy-times in a oneshot anyway, so there. New series. I suck at writing. Enjoy the irregular updates that will take place from here on out!
Chapters: view all
--
Originally meant to be a oneshot but ended up turning into another series (sorry, guys).
For purple_garden.
Chapter 1
How To Be An Idiot
To say that Eunhyuk was excited would be an understatement. In fact, there probably were no words that could describe the way he felt the moment those wheels touched ground and the airplane came to a halt. And the excitement stayed with him, carried on by their fans' screams and shouts and the low hum of the van as they were transported to the hotel.
Yet it only took three words to crush Eunhyuk's optimism and bury it in a 6-foot deep hole, never to see the light of day again:
Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk.
He stared unseeingly in front of him, wondering what god hated him and why their manager couldn't have picked a better roommate for him, or at least someone whom he didn't hate and who didn't hate him. It was just his luck he'd be paired up with that bastard on his long-awaited vacation, which wasn't really a vacation since it was for a photoshoot, and it wasn't just his since the rest of Super Junior was going as well, but those were just minor details. He had been looking forward to this trip despite the reasons, though now he was wondering why he hadn't foreseen something like this happening and just feigned sickness before they left so he wouldn't have had to go on it in the first place.
And it was all because of him.
He turned his head slightly towards his current object of loathing. Kyuhyun was standing a little behind him and to the right, whispering furiously to Ryeowook who merely shook his head and laid a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of sympathy.
You're not the only one pissed off right now, Eunhyuk thought angrily, teeth gritting together.
As if hearing his thoughts, Kyuhyun spotted him looking and glared. Eunhyuk narrowed his eyes for a moment, wishing he had some sort of power that made laser beams come out from his eyes, then turned back to the staff member who was still speaking.
He could ask their manager to switch him to another room, but he doubted that would have gone over well. He could already picture the way the man's mouth would open in shock, then close again before listing off all the reasons why he should be trying to get along with everyone and why he shouldn't be acting so selfish.
But if he got one of the other guys to agree to switching rooms with him, he thought to himself, then his manager wouldn't have anything to complain about. He smiled, already knowing exactly who he was going to ask.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Eunhyuk asked, looking in disbelief at the person before him.
"I mean 'no' as in 'I don't want to do it,'" Sungmin said, his tone surprisingly serious.
Eunhyuk's eye twitched. "Aren't you guys friends? Why can't you just switch rooms with me?"
Sungmin sighed and looked up from the suitcase he was unpacking. His clothes were strewn across the bed, unfolded and crumpled in heaps. Eunhyuk doubted they had even been folded in the first place. "I don't understand why you don't like him."
Eunhyuk's mouth was pressed into a thin line. "Because," he said very slowly, trying not to snap at his supposed friend, "he pisses me off," as if that explanation was good enough. Sungmin frowned at him, apparently not agreeing. "I just don't like him, alright?"
Eunhyuk sighed and fell into one of the cushioned seats in the room, arms limp at his sides. "Just switch with me." He looked over to Sungmin who had turned his back on him and went back to unpacking his things, pointedly ignoring him. "I'll let you borrow whatever you want from me when we get back to Korea," he tried. "Anything at all. Clothes, manga, porn, whatever." Sungmin kept his back turned and shook his head.
"Min," he pleaded as if his life depended on it.
"Hyuk," his friend responded indifferently.
"Damn it!" Eunhyuk threw his hands up and pushed himself off from the chair. "Fine, I'm going to ask someone else." He stomped to the door, picked up his bag, and practically threw the door open. "Thanks for the help, asshole."
"Good luck," Sungmin said with a smile, undeterred by his comment. Eunhyuk rolled his eyes and would have slammed the door if it had let him. But, like all hotel doors, it only closed slowly and shut with an audible click, automatically locking. It certainly made Eunhyuk's dramatic exit seem a lot less dramatic.
"Stupid hotel," he muttered to himself as he made his way down the hall.
***
By the time he got back to his room, Eunhyuk was exhausted. Everybody had turned him down, using some excuse or another, usually along the lines of 'Oh, sorry, I already unpacked' even if they hadn't and their luggage was sitting by the door, untouched.
Everyone had used that excuse except for Heechul who had looked at him, arms folded in front of him and a smirk on his face. "Why don't you stop being such a girl? It's just two weeks, Hyukkie, I'm sure you'll manage." Eunhyuk hated that nickname and, if Heechul's smirk was anything to go by, the older man knew it too.
He had asked everyone except Donghae because he knew what his best friend would say. Donghae was the type of person who always wanted people to get along, and it was obvious with the amount of times he tried to get Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun to talk to each other.
But it was pointless. As much as Eunhyuk didn't want to see that sad look on his best friend's face, it was impossible for his feelings for Kyuhyun to just change overnight.
Eunhyuk hung his head, standing just outside the room he'd be sharing with Kyuhyun. He knew the second he stepped foot inside that room they would be at each other's throats, and Eunhyuk was too tired to fight with him after spending hours trying to convince the others to switch their rooms with him only to be denied, and then hanging around until they kicked him out and told him to get back to his own room.
Taking a deep breath, he slid the key card in the slot and pushed the door open. He walked down the short hallway and saw Kyuhyun's things on one of the beds already, clearly marking it as his but their owner nowhere to be found.
He sighed in relief and took the bed nearest the window, hauling his suitcase up onto it so he could unpack. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom and went to unpacking as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to have a run-in with his new roommate too soon. He figured he'd go take a walk somewhere, maybe drag someone to explore the hotel with him - anything that didn't mean staying in the same room as Kyuhyun.
Unfortunately, that was not to be.
Not even 5 minutes later, he heard the door to the bathroom open and his fingers dug into the shirt he was in the midst of folding, effectively wrinkling it in his grip. He wasn't prepared for this. Kyuhyun, the guy who had a mutual dislike for Eunhyuk since he was put into their group, was standing less then ten feet away from him, drying his hair with a towel from their shared bathroom.
Kyuhyun noticed him and the hand rubbing the towel over his head paused, as if in surprise, before he turned and walked back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Asshole, Eunhyuk thought, looking hard at the door Kyuhyun had just disappeared through. He took a deep breath and smoothed out the shirt in his hands on the bed and began folding it again.
He knew he couldn't let Kyuhyun ruin his vacation, but just the mere thought of sleeping in the same room as him, sharing the same bathroom as him, made Eunhyuk torn between wanting to smash his head through a wall and smashing Kyuhyun's head through a wall, though he was pretty sure Donghae and Sungmin would be really pissed if he did that. He was pretty sure the rest of the other guys would be pissed if he did that, too, now that he thought about it.
He sighed, throwing the folded shirt with the others he'd already finished, and sat down on the bed, his back facing the bathroom. If the rest of them got along with Kyuhyun, why couldn't Eunhyuk?
It was a simple question, yet the answer was complicated to explain, even to himself. Sungmin had asked him why he disliked Kyuhyun back in his room, but he'd only given him a vague response. There were a couple reasons why Eunhyuk hated being around Kyuhyun, one of those reasons involving Donghae, which made him all the more reluctant to tell Sungmin because he just knew he'd be called an idiot if he said anything.
Maybe he was an idiot, Eunhyuk thought to himself, staring at the maroon carpet beneath his feet. All he had to do was spend two weeks in the same room with Kyuhyun, that was all. And the more civilized they were to each other during that time, the less shitty this vacation would be.
Eunhyuk stood and gathered his clothes, walking over to the dresser against the wall and opening the top drawer. He was surprised to see it was already occupied by some of Kyuhyun's things, which took up one side, but he put his things inside as well next to them, albeit a little reluctantly.
He was still trying to come to terms with sharing the room with him, and sharing drawer and closet space was just another one of those things he would have to live with for the next couple weeks.
Eunhyuk was in the walk-in closet, just finishing putting his last shirt through a hanger, when he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. He hung up his shirt and walked back into the room to find Kyuhyun moving his suitcase against the wall.
Be civilized, he told himself, staring at Kyuhyun's back. Civilized and calm. You can do this. He took a deep breath.
"So, um," he began, pausing to swallow what he could only guess was bile trying to rise up in his throat, "I was thinking we should have some sort of a truce while we're here, you know, uh... since we're sharing a room and all," he finished lamely.
Kyuhyun had stiffened the moment he heard his voice but hadn't turn around. It was a few seconds before he said anything. "If that's what you want," he bit out.
Eunhyuk narrowed his eyes at Kyuhyun's back and gritted his teeth to keep himself from responding. He had already told himself he was going to be civil, which meant that he couldn't rise up to the bait Kyuhyun was practically dangling in front of his face.
"Look," Eunhyuk said, his voice as neutral as it could be, "I'm sure you and I can both agree that the next two weeks would be a lot better if we just got along. So how about it?"
"You're right," Kyuhyun said and turned around. If it wasn't for the sarcastic smile on his face, Eunhyuk would have thought the impossible had happened and he was finally agreeing with him on something. But of course it was fake. "You're absolutely right," Kyuhyun said again, "it would be better if we just got along." His smile fell and he glared at Eunhyuk. "But I think it's a bit too late for that."
Eunhyuk had at least tried to be civil, but it was apparent that Kyuhyun wasn't going to agree on making a truce no matter how nice he was to him. Eunhyuk wasn't willing to make a truce with someone who was intent on being an asshole for no reason anyway.
"What the hell is your problem?" he asked the younger man, eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to-"
"Yeah, I know what you're trying to do," Kyuhyun interrupted him, keeping his glare on Eunhyuk. "You're trying to make it so your vacation doesn't suck, am I right?" Eunhyuk couldn't help feeling offended even though everything he said was true. "This nice act of yours really doesn't suit you, so stop making it seem as if you're doing me a favor when you're only thinking about yourself." He spat the last word out and Eunhyuk was sure Kyuhyun would have spat on him if he was standing any closer.
He would never admit he was taken aback by Kyuhyun's words and the way he looked at him, as if he were less than the crap stuck to the bottom of his shoe, but he was at that moment. And he couldn't even think of a good insult to throw back at him.
This was the first time Kyuhyun had said anything like this to him. The past few years had been spent doing nothing but looking at each other hatefully from across rooms and they had both refrained from speaking to one another unless it was absolutely necessary. That was when they had to put their acting skills to work.
It sounded like it would have been difficult carrying on like that for so long, but none of the higher-ups cared if they got along or not, just as long as the fans didn't know it. And with there being so many people in their group, it wasn't that hard for their animosity to go unseen in the innocent eyes of their followers who always believed everyone got along perfectly.
But this look Kyuhyun was giving him now was different. It was new, more hateful, and it struck a chord in Eunhyuk. He knew their hate was mutual, but even he wouldn't have looked at him in disgust the way Kyuhyun was now.
Why did it bother him so much? He disliked this guy and yet seeing how much hate Kyuhyun had towards him was-dare he say it-surprising, and not in a good way.
Turning away, Eunhyuk's nails dug into his palms as he marched to the nightstand between their beds and grabbed his wallet, phone, and room card. He couldn't look at Kyuhyun as he passed him, not even to glare at him once more before he left.
"Fine," he ground out, trying to put as much anger is he could behind that one word before he left the room.
For some reason, it didn't come out quite the way he'd hoped it would.
***
Stupid...
Eunhyuk gritted his teeth and turned, throwing his arm out, leg sliding and making his shoes squeak against the laminate floor.
...fucking...
He bent his knees, the muscles in his thighs protesting from overuse, but he forced his legs to bend anyway, using his arm for balance.
...asshole.
Turning again, he put his weight on one leg while the other moved behind him, arm moving upward and bent at the elbow.
"-hyuk!"
"What?" he snapped, out of breath, dropping his arms and turning towards Donghae.
"I think you should take a break," he said, concerned at how worn-out his friend looked. Eunhyuk was pushing himself too hard, but Donghae knew saying that to him would only make him push himself harder.
"You take a break," Eunhyuk said under his breath, which was still heavy from practicing nonstop for the last two hours. He felt a hand grab him before he could fall back into his steps and sighed, closing his eyes. "Donghae..."
"Just a few minutes, okay? It won't be that long," he said. "Then you can go back to killing yourself."
Despite how crappy he was feeling, Eunhyuk still managed to smile at his friend's words. Of course Donghae would think practicing for this long was suicide. He couldn't go twenty minutes without getting distracted by something or someone and demanding they take a break in the middle of practice.
"Fine, just for a few minutes," he relented, looking at Donghae just as his face lit up into a smile. He moved to the wall and slid down to sit with his back to it, legs spread out in front of him. He closed his eyes and waited for his breathing to even out.
He jerked when he felt something cold and wet on the side of his face and glared up. Donghae stood before him, offering him a water bottle with a grin. Eunhyuk wordlessly took it and twisted the cap off. Cold water filled his mouth and washed down his throat as he drank hungrily. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been when he was practicing, too focused on trying to take his anger and frustration out on something; in this case, his own body.
Eunhyuk sighed, the back of his head hitting the wall with a soft thud, and closed his eyes again. Even after those hours of practice, he was still bothered by what Kyuhyun said to him.
'This nice act of yours really doesn't suit you...'
What was that supposed to mean? That Eunhyuk was a bastard all the time? He ran a hand through his hair, forgetting it was damp with sweat. Sighing in irritation, he reached for his towel and covered his face in it, wiping the perspiration off. What the hell did Kyuhyun know about him anyway, he thought angrily, tossing the towel over to his bag. It's not like they were friends. It's not like Kyuhyun knew anything about him.
He got up and stretched, head rolling from one side to the other to loosen up his muscles so he could pick up where he left off.
"You guys fought again, didn't you?"
Eunhyuk glanced over to Donghae, almost forgetting he'd been there. Judging by his expression, Donghae already knew the answer and it was obvious he was not happy about it.
"You should really give him a chance," Donghae said, standing up and walking over to him. "He's a good guy."
Eunhyuk scoffed and turned away. Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if you heard the shit he said to me last night.
He heard Donghae sigh and knew he was about to get lectured. "Why do you hate him so much? It's been this long and you guys still can't get along."
"I just don't like him," Eunhyuk said, irritated that they were back to that question again. He wished Donghae would just stop trying to fix everything. Kyuhyun hated him and he hated Kyuhyun, it was pointless. "Can we just drop it?"
"No," Donghae said, taking a step closer to him to show he wasn't going to back down this time. "Tell me the real reason, Hyuk. Why do you hate him so much?"
Eunhyuk turned away, arms crossed, not saying anything.
"Did he do something to you when he joined the group?" tried Donghae. Eunhyuk stubbornly kept his mouth shut. "Did he say something?" Again, no answer.
"Oh, I get it," Donghae said, as if he just realized something. "You're jealous because he's younger than you and sings better than you."
"That's not fucking it!" Eunhyuk shouted, glaring at Donghae. "That is not fucking it, Hae, and you know it." How could he even think that? How could he think that Eunhyuk would dislike someone over something as petty as that?
"Then tell me why," Donghae said, pleading with him this time. "If that's not the reason, then tell me why you really dislike him."
"Because of you," Eunhyuk snapped before he could stop himself. His jaw clenched and he quickly turned away again so he wouldn't have to see the look of surprise on his friend's face.
"W-What?" Donghae stuttered, confused. He sounded completely shocked and Eunhyuk couldn't blame him. "Why?"
Eunhyuk sighed heavily. "Because," he began, forcing his voice to stay even and not tremble like it wanted to do. He was scared of telling Donghae this, of saying how insecure he was around Kyuhyun. "Because from the moment he joined, I felt like I was being replaced. Not only with you," he added quickly just as Donghae opened his mouth to argue, "but with the others as well. Because it took him less than a week to get close to everyone when it took me years." He paused, knowing that was a lie, and shook his head a little ruefully. "No, I'm still not close to everyone," he corrected himself, unaware of how sad he sounded.
There were only a handful of people in the group he got along with, the others didn't really care or were undoubtedly annoyed by him. But even though Eunhyuk understood that it was hopeless to try to get them all to like him, it still hurt knowing that he couldn't bridge that gap between them.
"It's so easy for him to get along with everyone," he went on, his voice sounding small and unfamiliar, even to him. "I've been here longer than him and he's closer to most of the guys than I am. But what really gets me is when he gets praised for his dancing, even though he only puts in half the effort during practice." Eunhyuk had always been frustrated by that fact, knowing that his hard work was being overshadowed by someone who was younger than him, someone who had less experience.
He covered his eyes with his hand, which trembled in an effort to keep himself from breaking down. All those years of practice and Kyuhyun got recognition in just a few, short months. It made him feel useless, it made all the time he'd spent in empty practice rooms dancing well into the night feel pointless. Eunhyuk had already felt the tears building up, it was only a matter of time before they fell.
"Even though I've spent so much time practicing," his voice quivered, both in anger and sadness. God, why couldn't he stop himself from talking? "Even though his moves are sloppier than mine, he gets more praise for something that I've been trying my hardest at for years and I don't understand why."
Eunhyuk felt arms wrap around him from behind and it was like a trigger had been pulled as the tears he'd been trying to keep from falling finally fell. He could feel Donghae's chin digging into his shoulder. His hand shook slightly as it came up to clutch one of of the arms that laid across his chest.
Donghae had become one of his closest friends over the years. His bright, cheerful, and, more often than not, naive personality was something that Eunhyuk had at first taken advantage of but now knew to be just a few of Donghae's charming points. Their personalities were so different, yet they'd still become friends.
Donghae's arms tightened around him and Eunhyuk knew what was coming next. Donghae was going to try to cheer him up, or that was what he usually intended to do, but somehow he always managed to say something that made zero sense to Eunhyuk and, ultimately, didn't help him at all. But knowing Donghae cared enough to at least try was good enough for him. Eunhyuk leaned back a little more into his friend's embrace, wiping his eyes as he mentally readied himself for whatever weird things Donghae was going to spew out of his mouth this time.
"You're an idiot."
Eunhyuk frowned, thinking he'd heard him wrong.
"Both of you are complete idiots," Donghae said, dismissing any possibility that Eunhyuk was hearing things. He laughed under his breath and held Eunhyuk closer.
Eunhyuk pried Donghae's arms from him and turned around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the amusement he saw. He'd just finished telling Donghae why he was so bothered by Kyuhyun, crying, and his best friend found it funny?
Donghae noticed the unamused expression on Eunhyuk's face and held up his hands in surrender. "No, I mean, um..." It was obvious he was trying to think of something to say so Eunhyuk wouldn't get angry, but all he came up with was, "Sorry?"
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Eunhyuk pushed past Donghae and went to get his bag. He couldn't believe he bared his soul to him only to get laughed at and called an idiot. He'd expected that from Sungmin, not Donghae.
"Hyuk, wait! I didn't mean it like that," he said, hand reaching out and keeping Eunhyuk from walking out the door.
"Don't touch me," Eunhyuk snapped as he tried to pull his arm from Donghae's grip, which was surprisingly strong. "Donghae," he said with a sigh.
"We're still practicing tomorrow night, right?" Donghae asked him, tugging a little on his shirt. Eunhyuk could just imagine the sad puppy look on Donghae's face. He knew if he didn't promise to go, Donghae would stick to him like glue until he gave in.
"Yeah, fine, whatever," Eunhyuk told him, still trying to make it out the door, but his friend still hadn't let go of him. "Donghae!"
"I love you."
Eunhyuk stared at the door in front of him, his only escape route, and pictured himself smashing his head into it. Repeatedly.
Another tug on his shirt told him that Donghae was waiting for his usual response, something that Eunhyuk had found hilarious the first few times but now couldn't say without feeling extremely embarrassed. He could already feel the tell-tale blush on the tips of his ears despite feeling incredibly annoyed at Donghae for putting him through this when he had every right to be angry at him for laughing. If only Donghae hadn't taken a habit to bothering him without remorse until he responded back, he would have gladly pushed his friend away and escaped.
"Hyuk," Donghae whined, drawing out that one syllable and furthering Eunhyuk's desire to commit suicide via door.
Eunhyuk sighed heavily, knowing there was no way out of this without saying it, and turned reluctantly around to face him. He was such a pushover when it came to this guy. "Okay, okay," he gave up, gaze lowered. It was bad enough having to say something like this at all, but it was even worse having to look at him and do it. "I love you too," he muttered between clenched teeth. Donghae smiled brightly at him, the hand on Eunhyuk's arm squeezing lightly. "Can I go now?"
Obviously pleased that he'd gotten his way, Donghae let go of him. Eunhyuk immediately made for the exit. "Don't forget your promise," Donghae called after him.
I didn't promise anything, Eunhyuk thought tiredly, but he yelled back with a "Yeah, I know" anyway before turning the corner.
***
He heard a chime and looked up just as the elevator doors opened. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder and made his way to his room - his and Kyuhyun's room, he remembered with a feeling of dread. He felt his energy drain away with each step that brought him closer to it.
Eunhyuk unlocked the door and pushed it open. The room was dark save for the little light coming in through the windows, but it was enough for him to make his way inside and find his bed. He ignored the figure on the other bed and the soft snoring coming from it, and faced the other way as he began to change.
Normally, he'd shower after practice, but he was too tired physically and emotionally to drag himself to the bathroom and wash. The maids would change the sheets the next day when they came to clean the room so he figured it wouldn't be too bad.
It'd been a long time since he'd realized the reasons behind his hatred for Kyuhyun and acknowledged them. He usually took to the basic reasoning of 'I just hate him so we'll leave it at that,' but confessing them once again, and out loud this time, had been tiresome. And all Donghae did was call him an idiot and laugh.
Grumbling, he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head, muscles aching slightly at the movement, and then went to taking off his shorts. He slipped out of them, leaving him only in his boxers, and tossed his clothes somewhere on the floor on his side of the room. He climbed into bed, throwing half of the pillows on the other side and leaving one for himself, and finally settled down under the covers.
He never really liked sleeping in hotels, he couldn't get used to it, but the brutal practice he put himself through earlier had taken its toll on him and he found his body relaxing despite the mattress and sheets being so different from what he was used to.
Eunhyuk felt his breathing even out and knew he'd fall asleep relatively easy tonight. He was just drifting off when he noticed how quiet the room was, but sleep claimed him before he could figure out why and the unasked question faded into the recesses of his mind.
--
A/N: For those of you still following Trace (I'd be surprised if you guys still exist. I think you all might have died out already...), Trace is on hiatus for now until I figure out how to write the emotional parts because I'm really horrible at that.
It was true this was supposed to be a oneshot written for purple_garden (since you didn't give me a prompt, I just ended up with this, lol... please don't hate me for making them dislike each other) but, as you can see, I ended up dragging the story out (no surprise there considering I'm the author). I don't even know how I would have been able to turn Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun's hate towards each other into sexy-sexy-times in a oneshot anyway, so there. New series. I suck at writing. Enjoy the irregular updates that will take place from here on out!