Fic: Family Arc II - 29B

[vic_sim]

Title: Family Arc II - 29B
Author: vic_sim
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. I apologise for any incorrect portrayal of people or any inaccurate details mentioned in my story.
Pairing: None at the moment.
Category: Comfort/Angst
Rating: NC-16 (just to be safe)
Summary: Kyuhyun's first time back at the practice room with them.
Arc I Arc II

Kyuhyun watched as the rest learned the dance. How he wished he could be there with them as well, dancing. He had learned a bit of the dance but they refused to let him dance the whole thing. Kyuhyun knew that his body was not able to take the stress of the dance yet. Kyuhyun accepted the fact that he was not well enough to do the whole dance, but he could not stop himself from wanting to do so. He vowed that he would one day be with his hyungs on stage dancing Don’t Don.

Kyuhyun watched as Heechul struggled with the dance even though Heechul was a much better dancer than him. Kyuhyun could tell that the dance was a little hard on Heechul-hyung, who had almost fully recovered from his injury. He watched as Heechul tried again and again to get the moves down. Kyuhyun cheered on Heechul from his heart, knowing that Heechul would not want anyone to pay special attention to him at that point. It was the same way with Kyuhyun’s physiotherapy. They both wanted to prove that they could do it.

Kyuhyun spotted the exact moment when Heechul got all the moves down. They had just finished dancing the track and Kyuhyun knew that Heechul was right there with the rest. Heechul’s face lit up when he realised that he too was back when he completed the dance without a hitch.

Although there were still some moves that needed perfecting, Heechul was ecstatic. He was finally able to dance with Super Junior. Dancing with Super Junior-T was different from dancing with Super Junior. He wanted to promote the album with the rest. He no longer needed to watch as the rest danced and performed without him. A bright smile spread across his face as Heechul dashed towards Donghae, pouncing on him. Donghae was his dongsaeng who was the most upset over his accident, who felt that if it weren’t for him, Heechul would not have gotten into the accident.

“I did it! I did it!”

Heechul cried out. The two had fallen to the ground as Donghae was not expecting a handful of Heechul. The rest were staring at Heechul in amazement. They were stunned for a while by Heechul’s actions and exclamations, but recovered fast from it.

Donghae hugged Heechul tightly to his chest, not caring if their position was a little precarious. He was very happy for Heechul and felt the guilt that tangled around his heart loosen and lift from his heart finally. The rest of Super Junior surrounded the two, dancing happily in circles around the two.

Tears of happiness flowed down Donghae’s face. He didn’t care if it was making him a cry baby. He didn’t care if it was wetting Heechul’s shirt, knowing that Heechul would most probably whine and scream at him later for ruining his shirt. All Donghae cared was that his hyung was back. And though Heechul still needed to under go several surgeries to remove all the pins in his body, it was something to be of concern in the future. Right now, Super Junior basked in the happiness of Heechul being back together with Super Junior. Now they just had to wait for Kyuhyun to recover. Super Junior would be one.

The group lifted Heechul off Donghae and tossed him into the air, celebrating with him his success. They knew that Heechul had worked very hard and it was time for a celebration. Kyuhyun smiled from where he was standing, cheering as his hyungs tossed Heechul up. None of them cared that they were supposed to be practising. None of them cared that they were a bunch of twenty year olds acting like little kids. Finally they all fell to the ground, panting hard but all laughing and smiling.

Kyuhyun sat down at a corner, smiling at the whole situation. Heechul caught his eyes, telling him that if he could do it, so could Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun nodded, finding confidence in Heechul. He could do it as well.

Donghae wiped his tears away, truly happy. He didn’t care if this incident was going to be taken as him joking around or being a cry baby. But Donghae knew that this incident would not be leaked out to anyone else. It belonged to Super Junior and Super Junior only.

Their manager came in, calling some of them to the recording room. Eeteuk, Kangin, Sungmin and Shindong gathered their emotions though they all left the practice room with smiles on their faces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When it was Kyuhyun’s turn, he took a deep breath before standing up. Hankyung looked at him, offering to accompany Kyuhyun to the recording room. But Kyuhyun shook his head, knowing that he needed to do this alone. Hankyung sat down, respecting Kyuhyun’s wish though he stared worriedly after Kyuhyun as Kyuhyun walked out of the room.

Kyuhyun repeated “You can do it. You can do it…” under his breath as he made his way to the studio. He entered the recording room, staying at the waiting area. He watched as Kibum and Eunhyuk were inside the studio recording their rap. Although his facial expression betrayed nothing of what he felt, Kyuhyun was nervous. It was his first time stepping into the recording studio since the accident. It was the first time he was participating in the Super Junior activities. He had watched the Super Junior movie, wishing that he could have been part of the crew. For countless nights, Kyuhyun had watched his hyungs perform without him, looking brilliant on stage. Now he was finally able to participate in the same activities as them. He needed to do a good job. He needed to show his hyungs, to show his parents, and most importantly to show himself that he could do it.

When Kibum and Eunhyuk exited, Kyuhyun looked at them smiling and told them that they did a great job. He received big smiles from the two. It had been a long time since Kyuhyun had smiled so freely at them, not since the accident. Kibum was elated that he stuck by his decision to set Heechul-hyung and Hankyung-hyung on Kyuhyun and he was grateful for whatever they had told Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun revert a little back to the way he was before the accident, smiling more often. His smiles were more real and truly happy, and though Kyuhyun still seemed a little afraid to voice his thoughts, he began to talk slightly more to them instead of waiting for them to prompt him with questions.

Kibum squeezed Kyuhyun’s hand before Kyuhyun entered the recording studio. The two watched from the outside. Both could tell that Kyuhyun was nervous, judging by his stiff stature. All of them had learned to not just read Kyuhyun’s expressions but also his whole body to understand what Kyuhyun was feeling.

Kyuhyun closed his eyes, calming himself down with deep breaths. Recording songs was not new to him, but this time round, Kyuhyun was more nervous than the first time he had ever stood in the recording room as Super Junior at the exact same place to record ‘U’.

Kibum felt nervous as well for Kyuhyun as he watched from the outside.

“Kibum-sshi, it’s time to go.”

Kibum turned to his manager, who was pointing at his watch. Kibum turned back to Kyuhyun, wanting to stay with him, but Kibum’s filming schedule did not permit it. He wanted to be there to support Kyuhyun, to share his joy that Kyuhyun was able to join them in their activities again.

“Kibum-sshi.”

Kibum nodded as he continued to stare at Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun had opened his eyes, having sufficiently calmed himself down, although his hands were still covered with cold sweat. Kibum waved at Kyuhyun, signalling to him that he had to go. Kibum mouthed to Kyuhyun, “You can do it, Kyuhyunnie. Fighting.” Kibum was not sure if Kyuhyun had gotten his message. But judging from Kyuhyun’s smile, Kyuhyun caught the message. He gave a slight wave back, mouthing “Fighting” back to Kibum.

As Kyuhyun turned his attention to the producer, Kibum turned to Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk nodded at Kibum’s unspoken request, knowing what Kibum wanted.

“I’ll stay here with Kyuhyun until he finishes his recording. Hankyung-hyung and Hae have yet to record. They’ll be around as well. Don’t worry.”

Kibum flashed a smile at Eunhyuk, glad that he understood his request. Kibum gave one last look at Kyuhyun before leaving the room. Eunhyuk focused his attention back on Kyuhyun. Although they had provided a chair for Kyuhyun, he chose to remain standing to record. The song played as Kyuhyun got ready to sing.

Eunhyuk leaned forward from his position on the couch in anticipation. As Kyuhyun’s voice drifted through the system, Eunhyuk let it wash over him. It was the same feeling that he had when he had first heard Kyuhyun sing in the hospital together with Ryeowook and Yesung. It was what Eunhyuk themed as K.R.Y’s comeback performance. It was all going well when suddenly a note went off. Eunhyuk snapped open his eyes. He had unknowingly shut his eyes as he enjoyed the deep voice of his dongsaeng. Kyuhyun wore a sheepish look on his face, apologising to the producer before starting the recording again.

Kyuhyun knew that the recording would not be smooth sailing as it never was even before the accident, but he did not expect to be stuck at the same line after so long. Why can’t I get the note right? Why can’t I hit the note? Kyuhyun was getting frustrated at himself. It was not as if the note was too high for him to reach. He simply went out of tune at that note. He was getting tired and it was getting painful to sing and to stand, even if he refused to show it on his face.

Kyuhyun was not the only one getting frustrated. The producer was frustrated at their non-existent progress of the recording. Eunhyuk watched from the outside, worried. He stood up and approached the producer for a break. It was granted. Eunhyuk opened the door, startling Kyuhyun who was engrossed in taking his mind off the pain and trying to figure out how to sing the note.

“Hyung! What are you doing here?”

It was apparent to Eunhyuk that Kyuhyun was really vexed by his errors that he paid no attention to his surroundings.

“Break time, Kyu. Why don’t you take a seat to rest for a while?”

Kyuhyun shook his head. He knew that if he sat down, he would not be able to find the strength in him to stand up again to sing. And Kyuhyun knew that it was harder and more painful to sing sitting down. He wanted to do his best at the song, but he just could not seem to hit that note. Kyuhyun ran a hand through his hair, the visible reaction to his frustration.

Eunhyuk knew that he had to find some way to calm Kyuhyun down. It was not good to be frustrated. He started humming “Miracle” under his breath and singing to the light-hearted song. He knew that he had caught Kyuhyun’s attention when Kyuhyun lowered his head to stare at Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk continued to sing the song, dancing around Kyuhyun, trying to get Kyuhyun to relax. A smile slowing appeared on Kyuhyun’s face as he relaxed and began singing softly to the song as well. Eunhyuk’s eyes twinkled at the smile. The two ended the song on a high note, both enjoying themselves. Eunhyuk collapsed on the floor, while Kyuhyun leaned against the wall.

“Are you more relaxed now Kyuhyunnie?”

Kyuhyun nodded, grateful to have taken the frustration off his mind for a while.

“Don’t be so tense. It’s okay not to get it right. There’s no need to rush. Take your time.”

Eunhyuk told Kyuhyun, wanting to let him know that no one was rushing him. Eunhyuk stood up, patting Kyuhyun lightly on the back before leaving the room. Kyuhyun had a small smile on his face at his hyung’s effort to help him.

Although Kyuhyun knew in him that the recording would most likely to be tough, he was still stressed over the fact that he could not hit that note. After singing with Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun felt that he could do it now, that he would have no problem hitting that note. He put on the earphones again, closing his eyes. He let the music wash over him and prepared to sing. This time, the melody flowed. It captured Kyuhyun’s emotions perfectly for the song. Eunhyuk cheered from the outside. With new found confidence, Kyuhyun recorded the next song in a breeze.

I can do it.

When Kyuhyun was done, he was very tired but satisfied. He walked out of the room slowly, feeling the adrenaline draining out of him. Like always, Kyuhyun thanked everyone for their hard work. It felt extremely wonderful that he was able to say that again. All the people in the studio were touched by Kyuhyun’s determination and singing. Eunhyuk hugged Kyuhyun, congratulating him for a job well done. Kyuhyun mustered a smile back at Eunhyuk. It showed that Kyuhyun was tired.

“Let’s go back to the practice room?” Eunhyuk asked, seeing how Kyuhyun was dragging his feet.

Kyuhyun nodded, not bothering to speak up.

Somehow Kyuhyun found the strength in him to walk back to the practice room. He didn’t expect that merely singing would make him so exhausted. They would be waiting for Hankyung and Donghae to finish their recording and head back to the dorm together. They met Hankyung and Donghae on the way and though Kyuhyun wanted to wish them all the best, he couldn’t find the strength in him to say so. Hankyung and Donghae smiled at the two, even if they were concerned about Kyuhyun’s visible exhaustion. But that was not unexpected for it was his first day back at the job.

“I’ll take care of him, don’t worry. We’ll be waiting for you at the practice room.” Eunhyuk told the two, holding onto Kyuhyun.

Hankyung nodded, pulling Donghae along. Both of them wanted to finish as fast as possible, though they would still want to deliver a good job.

Kyuhyun didn’t notice the conversation around him, or if he did, he showed no reaction. He was just concentrating on putting his foot one in front of the other, wanting to get back to the practice room. He wanted to lie down on the hard floor, to take the pressure off his legs. Upon entering the room, Kyuhyun slid down to the floor, facing the ceiling. He did not care if he was somewhat blocking the door way. He just wanted to relieve the stress in his back. Eunhyuk closed the door before kneeling down beside Kyuhyun. He propped Kyuhyun’s head on his lap.

“You’ve worked hard today.”

Eunhyuk didn’t like the fact that his dongsaeng was so tired. It brought back the guilt that he got off so lightly from the accident. Why him? Eunhyuk thought as he watched Kyuhyun take deep breaths.

“Hyung?”

Kyuhyun’s question jerked Eunhyuk out of his depressing thoughts.

“Hmm?” Eunhyuk answered, gently massaging Kyuhyun’s shoulders.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” Kyuhyun’s statement brought more questions to Eunhyuk’s face.

“I’m glad that you didn’t get injured like me.” Kyuhyun meant his words.

“Hyung, I’m glad that you didn’t get hurt.”

Kyuhyun had saw how happy Eunhyuk was on stage dancing, having watched numerous TV shoes and performances when he was recovering. Today when he saw with his own eyes as his hyungs practiced, he saw just how brilliant Eunhyuk-hyung was shining even in practice. And Kyuhyun was willing to suffer the injury. He didn’t know if Eunhyuk understood what he was trying to say, but Kyuhyun was glad to have said it.

Eunhyuk felt tears in his eyes. He did not really understand what Kyuhyun was trying to say, but it sounded as if Kyuhyun was glad to have been the one who was injured most severely, instead of his hyungs. He had been so happy with the rest when they learned that it was confirmed that Kyuhyun was participating in the second album. Kyuhyun had blushed with all the attention they showered on him when they found out, although as an afterthought, Kyuhyun had yet to fully recover and he should not be forcing himself.

Eeteuk immediately protested the idea, wanting Kyuhyun to rest and get better first instead of rushing to work. He knew that part of the decision to join them was Kyuhyun’s need of reassuring himself of his place in Super Junior. He also knew that it would take time to convince Kyuhyun that he would never be replaced. But that did not mean that Eeteuk agreed to it. Kyuhyun pleaded, saying that he was recovering fine and that he would go crazy if he was made to stay at home any longer with nothing to do. Eeteuk gave in to Kyuhyun’s insistence, unable to win over the magnae’s stubbornness. Eeteuk also gave in because Kyuhyun had called their dorm home. It brought wonderful feelings to Eeteuk’s heart, making him unable to reject Kyuhyun. But Eeteuk made everyone promise to keep a close eye on Kyuhyun and Kyuhyun to tell them if he was tired or unable to take it. Kyuhyun promised, knowing that his standard for limit was most probably different from the one in Eeteuk’s mind.

“Kyu, you did well today. You really did well with your moves.”

Eunhyuk really thought that Kyuhyun danced brilliantly even if it was only a few moves. Eunhyuk had noticed Kyuhyun’s constant staring at them when they were practicing. Their magnae was made to rest by Eeteuk, but as Kyuhyun sat there, he was mimicking their hand movements and committing the dance moves to his memories. Eunhyuk was sure that Kyuhyun would be practicing the moves on his own when he was alone.

Kyuhyun shook his head at Eunhyuk’s words.

“I still didn’t get them correct.”

Eunhyuk wanted to say that it was okay, that he would get it soon, but no words came out because Eunhyuk knew that Kyuhyun did not want to hear those words. They would mean nothing to Kyuhyun until Kyuhyun believed that he could achieve it.

“Heechul-hyung was so happy today.”

Kyuhyun changed the topic. Eunhyuk conceded that Kyuhyun did not want to dwell on him any longer.

“Ya. It’s his first time dancing with us as a group since his accident. But I think Fishie was happier than Heechul-hyung.”

Kyuhyun smiled at that. He too was very glad that Heechul was finally able to do so. He was glad that Heechul-hyung did not disappear from his life like Jong-hyung did. He was glad that Eeteuk-hyung, Shindong-hyung and Eunhyuk-hyung did not disappear from the rest, causing them the same grief Jong-hyung’s death caused for him.

Kyuhyun wondered when it would be his turn to act like Heechul-hyung. He wondered if that day would ever appear for him. As his thoughts drifted, Kyuhyun’s eyelids felt heavier and heavier by the moment.

“Hyung, can you tell me about your radio shows?” Kyuhyun asked, not wanting to sleep in silence.

Eunhyuk looked down at Kyuhyun, shocked. Kyuhyun was not one to have such requests. Eunhyuk started to speak about their radio show. Kyuhyun let Eunhyuk’s voice drift over him.

Kyuhyun refused to admit to anyone that he was in pain. He felt that since he was the one who insisted on participating, he would have no right to complain about anything. He closed his eyes as he listened. It felt really good to be lying on Eunhyuk’s lap. Eunhyuk paused in his story-telling.

“Sleep Kyu. We’ll have to wait a while for Hannie-hyung and Hae.”

Kyuhyun’s answer was to rearrange himself on Eunhyuk’s lap, finding a suitable position.

Eunhyuk smiled at Kyuhyun’s antics, knowing that their magnae won’t say that he was tired or in pain. They had to spot it themselves. Eunhyuk had noticed the tension on Kyuhyun’s face as he lay on his lap. He was about to start his story again when Kyuhyun spoke.

“Hyung, can you wake me up when they’re done?”

“I will.”

Eunhyuk didn’t think much about the request, but Kyuhyun felt reassured by the answer. He didn’t want to be asleep in the van back later. The fear still remained in him. He had not told anyone of it before. That was why he gave in to the urge to sleep now. And because his hyung was there. He knew that he would not wake up alone.

Eunhyuk described in details the little things that occurred, sharing his experiences with Kyuhyun. He watched as Kyuhyun’s breathing even out. He continued to talk as he took off his jacket to drape over Kyuhyun.

I’m glad that you’re back.

Dedicated to renichifreak & lizzybabycake3.Here's Eunhyuk for the two of you!
Hi! I'm back from my one week hiatus. Why I had the hiatus I'm not very sure. Maybe cos it had just been a bad week. Too much things had happened. I don't want to think about it. :(
I tried to write a slightly happier chapter but with how I was feeling, I think it came out conflicting. Sorry if I confused anyone.
Hope you enjoy the chapter.