[ILC/021] Escalator Steps
Title: Escalator Steps
ILC/Pairing Assigner: kendayawind & shadowcrawler12
Pairing: Henhyuk
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU!General
Challenge: Initial Line Challenge
Disclaimer: I don't own them, SME does. The plot is mine.
Summary: Sometimes, you find your best friend in the most unexpected places.
Warning: UN-BETA'D.
His wide eyes focused on the red balloon whose string tied on his finger, the knot stubbornly tight. He raised his eyes, scanning the mass of people around him, and tried to locate the person who had promised to pick him up at the airport.
Or, at least, he tried to make it possible for that person to find him.
“Excuse me, sir,” he beckoned, leaning over a counter to talk to an elderly man sitting behind the directory stand. “Do you happen to know if there is a telephone booth around here?”
The elder just gave him a slanted look before shaking his head.
“Great,” he cursed under his breath.
How in the world does the entire world seem to wear the exact same clothes at this airport? It was hard to distinguish any individual from another - the same tops, the same torn jeans, the same hairstyles.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, heaving a breath as he continued searching around. It had probably already been an hour since he’s landed and all he wanted was to slip into a car, sleep the ride to his home, and then pass out for eternity until-
“Are you Henry?”
Finally, he thought, slumping his shoulders and turning around with an edge. “What took you so lo-”
“Sorry,” the man smiled apologetically, reaching out and taking his luggage from his hands. “Your brother had something come up really last minute. He didn’t give me the call until a little over an hour ago, and there was traffic...”
Henry sighed. “It’s okay, I’m sorry for being rude. I thought you were Sungmin-hyung.”
“No, it’s fine,” the other laughed. “I’m Eunhyuk.”
The younger boy held out his hand, readying himself for a handshake. “Have you known my brother long?”
“Longer than you have,” Eunhyuk grinned.
Henry rose a brow.
“You’ve been abroad ever since birth, so you probably don’t know, but I grew up with Sungmin,” Eunhyuk explained. He had a belated reaction to his own words. “Oh! I didn’t mean for that to sound- that’s not what I meant,” he furrowed is brows. “Sorry.”
“It’s cool,” Henry laughed. “How did you recognize me?”
Eunhyuk pointed at Henry’s hand, smiling ever so subtly.
Henry followed Eunhyuk’s line of sight and saw the string that attached his finger to the red balloon floating above his head. “Oh,” he muttered, “right, duh.”
“You looked like a lost baby,” Eunhyuk added, starting up and heading for the escalators, fingers at his lips in thought, “that kind of helped. Not too many people here like to wear their hats like Justin Bieber, either. And that red sweatshirt- where did you even get that? Did Sungmin make that for you? Only he’d be able to make something so... so terrible.”
“Actually, my gra-”
Eunhyuk ignored him. “Do all people in Canada dress like that? Like Justin Bieber and Christmas celebrators, I mean. Not that it’s entirely a bad thing, I quite like Christmas myself...”
Henry stared at Eunhyuk speechlessly. He looked down at the escalator steps, momentarily tuning Eunhyuk out. When he looked up again, he met with Eunhyuk’s smirking eyes.
“You’re nothing like your brother,” Eunhyuk remarked.
“How so?”
Eunhyuk leaned down from the higher step, their faces so close Henry felt his eyes losing focus. “If it was Sungmin, he would have punched me in the face and shoved me into some closet, telling me to shut the hell up.”
“I was contemplating it,” Henry joked.
The older boy laughed, reaching out and flicking the red balloon that was still attached to Henry’s wrist. “Oh yeah?”
Henry shrugged, untying the balloon and lacing it around the handle of the luggage that Eunhyuk held for him.
He thinks he’s just found his new best friend.
-----
To read kendayawind's Henhyuk, click here!
-----
[ILC20: Zhoury] ♦ [ILC22: Eunhae]
-----
A/N: This is basically 3 weeks late. Haha >.> Sorry ;A;
Check out our collaboration community raw_decision
ILC/Pairing Assigner: kendayawind & shadowcrawler12
Pairing: Henhyuk
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU!General
Challenge: Initial Line Challenge
Disclaimer: I don't own them, SME does. The plot is mine.
Summary: Sometimes, you find your best friend in the most unexpected places.
Warning: UN-BETA'D.
His wide eyes focused on the red balloon whose string tied on his finger, the knot stubbornly tight. He raised his eyes, scanning the mass of people around him, and tried to locate the person who had promised to pick him up at the airport.
Or, at least, he tried to make it possible for that person to find him.
“Excuse me, sir,” he beckoned, leaning over a counter to talk to an elderly man sitting behind the directory stand. “Do you happen to know if there is a telephone booth around here?”
The elder just gave him a slanted look before shaking his head.
“Great,” he cursed under his breath.
How in the world does the entire world seem to wear the exact same clothes at this airport? It was hard to distinguish any individual from another - the same tops, the same torn jeans, the same hairstyles.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, heaving a breath as he continued searching around. It had probably already been an hour since he’s landed and all he wanted was to slip into a car, sleep the ride to his home, and then pass out for eternity until-
“Are you Henry?”
Finally, he thought, slumping his shoulders and turning around with an edge. “What took you so lo-”
“Sorry,” the man smiled apologetically, reaching out and taking his luggage from his hands. “Your brother had something come up really last minute. He didn’t give me the call until a little over an hour ago, and there was traffic...”
Henry sighed. “It’s okay, I’m sorry for being rude. I thought you were Sungmin-hyung.”
“No, it’s fine,” the other laughed. “I’m Eunhyuk.”
The younger boy held out his hand, readying himself for a handshake. “Have you known my brother long?”
“Longer than you have,” Eunhyuk grinned.
Henry rose a brow.
“You’ve been abroad ever since birth, so you probably don’t know, but I grew up with Sungmin,” Eunhyuk explained. He had a belated reaction to his own words. “Oh! I didn’t mean for that to sound- that’s not what I meant,” he furrowed is brows. “Sorry.”
“It’s cool,” Henry laughed. “How did you recognize me?”
Eunhyuk pointed at Henry’s hand, smiling ever so subtly.
Henry followed Eunhyuk’s line of sight and saw the string that attached his finger to the red balloon floating above his head. “Oh,” he muttered, “right, duh.”
“You looked like a lost baby,” Eunhyuk added, starting up and heading for the escalators, fingers at his lips in thought, “that kind of helped. Not too many people here like to wear their hats like Justin Bieber, either. And that red sweatshirt- where did you even get that? Did Sungmin make that for you? Only he’d be able to make something so... so terrible.”
“Actually, my gra-”
Eunhyuk ignored him. “Do all people in Canada dress like that? Like Justin Bieber and Christmas celebrators, I mean. Not that it’s entirely a bad thing, I quite like Christmas myself...”
Henry stared at Eunhyuk speechlessly. He looked down at the escalator steps, momentarily tuning Eunhyuk out. When he looked up again, he met with Eunhyuk’s smirking eyes.
“You’re nothing like your brother,” Eunhyuk remarked.
“How so?”
Eunhyuk leaned down from the higher step, their faces so close Henry felt his eyes losing focus. “If it was Sungmin, he would have punched me in the face and shoved me into some closet, telling me to shut the hell up.”
“I was contemplating it,” Henry joked.
The older boy laughed, reaching out and flicking the red balloon that was still attached to Henry’s wrist. “Oh yeah?”
Henry shrugged, untying the balloon and lacing it around the handle of the luggage that Eunhyuk held for him.
He thinks he’s just found his new best friend.
-----
To read kendayawind's Henhyuk, click here!
-----
[ILC20: Zhoury] ♦ [ILC22: Eunhae]
-----
A/N: This is basically 3 weeks late. Haha >.> Sorry ;A;
Check out our collaboration community raw_decision