Fic: Family Arc II - 34B
Title: Family Arc II - 34B
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: Angst/Comfort
Rating: NC-16 (just to be safe)
Summary: Kyuhyun meets a lady at the hospital.
Arc I Arc II
The rest were still a little confused as to what was going on. Hankyung had looked up from his position in Siwon’s chest when he first heard Kyuhyun speak. He felt a stab of pain in his heart as he heard the plea and fear in Kyuhyun’s voice. He yearned to be the one comforting Kyuhyun, but he could not do it as he needed to be comforted as well. Hankyung felt a bit jealous at the ease that Eeteuk was able to embrace Kyuhyun in.
“Hyung...” Kyuhyun’s soft voice called out.
And for some reason, everyone knew that Kyuhyun was calling out to Hankyung, even though everyone in the kitchen was his hyung. Hankyung looked down at Kyuhyun, who had extracted himself from Eeteuk’s hug. Hankyung could see that Kyuhyun wanted him to go closer, but there was this barrier preventing Hankyung from doing it. What if I hurt him again? Hankyung had begun to doubt himself. There was a gently push on his back. As Hankyung turned around confused, Siwon smiled at him and mouthed that it was alright. Siwon gave him another push in Kyuhyun’s direction. Hankyung took small tentative steps towards Kyuhyun, stopping an arm length away from Kyuhyun, Eeteuk and Kibum, not finding the courage to get even closer.
Kyuhyun knew that he had hurt Hankyung with his actions, even if he had been doing it subconsciously. He could not control his reaction and knew that it was only going to get worse now since the memories resurfaced, but he wanted his hyung to know that it was not his fault.
“Hannie-hyung, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. You just happened to trigger some unpleasant memories.”
Kyuhyun spoke when he saw that Hankyung was not about to take any steps closer to him. Hankyung did not look convinced, but was glad to hear from Kyuhyun that it was not his fault. It was something that Hankyung needed to hear from Kyuhyun himself for Hankyung to actually stop blaming himself, even though Hankyung was upset at triggering such an obviously unpleasant memory for his dongsaeng.
Kyuhyun saw that Yesung was about to ask what memories were triggered and quickly intercepted. “Hyung, I’m tired. Can I go back to my room?”
Kyuhyun spoke to Eeteuk, knowing that Eeteuk would not have the heart to reject him. And as expected, Eeteuk nodded and slowly helped Kyuhyun up from the floor. Kyuhyun felt bad for using Eeteuk’s natural kind-heartedness, but he truly did not want to deal with all the memories right now. He was already stressed enough with the meeting with his parents that afternoon. Sometimes, even when one has figured out the answers to the questions, one wishes that he could return to the time when there was no answer.
As he lied on the bed, tucked in by Eeteuk, Kyuhyun wished that he had not wanted to find out the answers to his questions. It simply brought more problems into his life. Kyuhyun wished that he had left that particular memory forever buried. He knew this was not the way to deal with all the issues that happened in his life, however, everyone had memories that they want to forget. And this was one Kyuhyun wished had never happened.
“Sleep well Kyu. We’ll talk about your memories tomorrow.” Eeteuk said as he planted a kiss on Kyuhyun’s bed.
He was not allowing Kyuhyun to escape again, or to have time to re-bury the memory deep in his head. They had to start dealing with these memories, or Kyuhyun would not find it in him to place his trust in them, or to let himself truly be part of the family. Eeteuk knew that Kyuhyun did not want to tell them about the memory, but he would not allow someone from his family to deal with what was obviously a distressing memory alone.
Kyuhyun’s eyes were wide and followed Eeteuk’s back as Eeteuk left the room. He never expected Eeteuk to put his foot down on the matter. And Eeteuk played the role well by stating the fact that they would be talking, and not giving Kyuhyun a choice. Just like how Eeteuk could never seem to deny Kyuhyun of his request, Kyuhyun could not help but listen to his hyung, the designated Umma of their family. Kyuhyun actually felt relief blossoming in his heart that he no longer had to hide all the things within him anymore, even if Kyuhyun still felt ashamed of himself for not putting up a better fight those years ago. Jong-hyung, I’m really not alone anymore.
That was the last thought that echoed in Kyuhyun’s mind before he drifted off into dreamland, where he was able to wander around freely and play with his hyungs.
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As Eeteuk brought Kyuhyun to his room, the rest turned their attention to the only person who had spent the day with Kyuhyun - Hankyung.
“Hannie, what happened?” Heechul was the first one to voice out.
Hankyung shook his head from where he was sitting. “I don’t know. We were about to have dinner when he asked me what happened last night.”
There was a tense silence as everyone remembered what happened.
“I think that he didn’t actually have any recollection of what happened. So I asked him what he remembered. That was when he suddenly went rigid. And no matter how I called out to him, there was no reaction from him.”
Hankyung could distinctly remember the panic clawing at his heart. He was thankful for the grip on the shoulder from Sungmin.
“What was it about Kyuhyun meeting his parents?” Eeteuk’s voice came from the doorway as he entered the kitchen.
Hankyung gave a shrug. He was getting questions that he had no answer to.
“Kyuhyun suddenly got a phone call from his father requesting for a meeting. Kyu didn’t know what it was about and also had a shock when he saw his mother at the restaurant.”
Hankyung ran a hand through his hair. “I asked if he wanted me to follow, but he said no. That’s why I waited outside the restaurant. I didn’t have the heart to interrupt his family reunion.”
“Do you know what happened during the meeting?” The question came from Donghae who was leaning again the counter.
“No, I didn’t get the chance to ask Kyu. But he seemed really upset after the meeting. So something must have happened, which he believed must be dealt by him.”
Hankyung looked down to his hands. “I shouldn’t have let him go and meet his parents, should I?”
It was a whispered question that was filled with doubt. Sungmin shook his hand from his position and tightened his grip on Hankyung’s shoulders.
“No, Hyung. All of us would have agreed to let Kyuhyun meet his parents. ‘Cos he must have been so happy that you didn’t have the heart to reject him.”
Eunhyuk and Shindong nodded their agreement at Sungmin’s words because they were sure that they would have caved in as well to Kyuhyun’s request.
“What had happened has passed. Now we just need to figure out what exactly they spoke about during the meeting.”
Everyone fell silent at Eeteuk’s words, knowing that none of them had the ability to return to the past to change things. All they could do was try and make the future better.
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What Eeteuk had forgotten when he mentioned that they would talk the next day was that almost everyone had something on their schedule besides Heechul and Kyuhyun. The two had an appointment at the hospital with Heechul getting a check-up and Kyuhyun back for another physiotherapy session. It only occurred to Eeteuk in the morning when he woke up. He sighed. Nothing seemed to be happening like it was supposed to be in the past few months.
Kyuhyun woke up to an almost empty house, with only him and Heechul left. He found a note from Eeteuk-hyung that stated that they would definitely be having the conversation later in the day. Kyuhyun felt his mouth twitch a little at the note. He could not help but feel elated at the fact that someone wanted to talk to him, that someone wanted to find out what was going on in his life, even if the things they were going to discuss were not pleasant at all.
Heechul was bemused by the energetic magnae who wandered into the kitchen as he sat there eating his cereal. Their magnae seemed to be going through a lot of mood swings in the past month. Heechul suspected that it was normal, for it was the first time Kyuhyun was forced to deal with all the problems that had piled up in his short life. But Heechul was definitely glad to see Kyuhyun in such an upbeat mood before his physiotherapy session.
“Morning Hyung!” Kyuhyun greeted as he sat down in front of Heechul with a bowl of cereal.
“What made you so happy this morning?” Heechul had to admit that he was curious.
“Hmmm?” Kyuhyun looked up from his bowl. “Oh, nothing really. Just Eeteuk-hyung saying that we’ll talk later today.”
Heechul tilted his head to the side. That’s making him happy? Heechul really did not understand how their magnae’s mind worked. Heechul gave a mental shrug. As long as his dongsaeng was happy, who was he to question the way Kyuhyun’s mind worked?
They arrived at the hospital with a slightly more subdued Kyuhyun. The energy was still present by Kyuhyun’s constant fidgeting, but it was not as noticeable as it was in the morning. Heechul smiled at Kyuhyun as he dropped him off at the physiotherapy room, promising to wait for Kyuhyun there after his check-up. With that Heechul left, still bemused by Kyuhyun’s antics.
It was the first time Kyuhyun was entering the physiotherapy room feeling that he could well accomplish something in physiotherapy today. He didn’t really know why he was in such a good mood, but he suspected that it had something to do with Eeteuk-hyung’s note. And the fact that Kyuhyun had managed to push the memory to the back of his mind helped immensely as well. Now the problem Kyuhyun had to worry about was his father’s request. Kyuhyun was shaken out of his thoughts when the physiotherapist entered.
“Good morning, Kyuhyun-sshi.”
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Kyuhyun was tired, but satisfied with his progress after the physiotherapy session. He truly felt that he was on the route to recovery. He couldn’t wait to share this joy with his hyung. Kyuhyun was slightly puzzled that Heechul was not waiting for him outside, since the check-up should not have taken as long as his physiotherapy session. Or on the other hand, it might just be that long. Kyuhyun wandered down the corridor, looking at the signs to direct him to the part of the hospital that Heechul was in. Because Kyuhyun was so absorbed in trying not to get lost, he did not pay attention to the people around him when he turned the corner, resulting in a collision with a lady.
Luckily for him, Kyuhyun reacted fast by grabbing onto the railings on the wall to stabilise himself. Unfortunately for the lady, she was shocked by the collision that she simply fell to the ground.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you alright?” Kyuhyun asked immediately after he recovered from the slight fall.
He bent down to help the lady up, but froze when he noticed who she was. No one but his hyungs would have noticed his slight hesitation before he actually touched the lady.
“It’s not your fault. I should have paid more attention to where I was going.”
Kyuhyun picked up the items that were dropped in their collision and volunteered to help carry the items for her back to the room. Kyuhyun had completely forgotten that he was in the middle of searching for Heechul-hyung.
As the two walked towards the ward, Kyuhyun kept sneaking glances at her. None of them was in a particularly talkative mood, so silence was their companion. She doesn’t seem to recognise me. I suppose he would not have mentioned me anyway. When they reached the ward, Kyuhyun entered after the lady, placing the items in his arms on the arm chair situated near the entrance. He let his eyes scan across the room.
The child was sleeping peacefully, engulfed by the colourful blanket placed on him, a slight smile despite looking pale. It was obvious that the boy was clearly loved by everyone, judging by the number of cards and stuffed animals and toys that gave the ward a more homey feeling. His eyes lingered at the photo frame located on the drawer. He must have been staring at it for a long time for the lady suddenly spoke up.
“That’s my family. It’s a pretty photo, isn’t it?”
Kyuhyun nodded, not trusting his voice as he continued to stare at the photo.
“I wish we could be like that again.” The sadness in her voice made Kyuhyun tear his eyes away from the photo of a family he would never have.
“My son has liver illness. Unless he gets a liver transplant soon...” She left the sentence hanging, making it obvious that she didn’t want the unsaid to happen. Some tears welled up in her eyes as she hastily wiped them away.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry on you.”
Kyuhyun shook his head. “I should be leaving.”
She nodded, walking him to the door. “Thank you for helping me. I didn’t get your name.” He really didn’t tell her anything. It’s as if I never existed.
“I’m Cho Kyuhyun.” Kyuhyun replied softly.
He bowed immediately and walked away.
He stopped when he heard the door to the ward close. Kyuhyun backtracked and peered through the small window on the door. He watched as the lady tenderly sponged the boy’s face, planting a kiss on his face. The smile on the lady’s face was one full of love, but also pain for her son. Kyuhyun could not look anymore and turned away, heading back to the corridor he was supposed to be waiting for Heechul.
We could have been a family. I could have been the one experiencing the tender loving care from her. Kyuhyun couldn’t help but project that image in his mind. Watching the way she took care of her son made Kyuhyun want to help her. But one part of him wanted his father to suffer for all the pain he had gone through. Kyuhyun knew that he should not harbour such malicious thoughts and that the boy - my half-brother - was innocent and should not be brought into the cross-fire. But he simply wanted to let his father know how it felt like to be so helpless.
“Kyuhyun! Where did you go?” Heechul exclaimed as he caught sight of his dongsaeng coming down the corridor.
Heechul had thought that Kyuhyun had wandered off and something had happened again. He would not be able to deal with that if it really occurred. Heechul was about to berate Kyuhyun when Kyuhyun looked up. The words did not leave Heechul’s mouth as he saw the conflict in Kyuhyun’s eyes.
Heechul came to a stop in front of Kyuhyun, gently holding on to Kyuhyun’s hand.
“What’s wrong Kyu?”
Heechul hoped that nothing bad happened during physiotherapy as he understood well the frustration of not progressing. Kyuhyun was silent for a while before he looked at Heechul with pleading eyes.
“Hyung, I don’t know what to do.”
Heechul was confused.
“I don’t know what I should do. Can you tell me what I should do?”
Kyuhyun didn’t want to decide or think anymore. He simply wanted someone to tell him what to do. That way, he would not need to feel conflicted within himself anymore.
Hi! I'm finally back after I think a 3 week hiatus or something. I just started Uni at a new country so Iit took me a while to get used to everything. And it also took me a while to get the internet to work. Which is why I'm only posting now. Thank you to everyone who was waiting patiently (or impatiently) for theis next chapter. I don't know if it was up to standard cos I really didnt write anything for 3 weeks. so may have lost touch a little. I will complete this fic even if Uni life gets a little busy. But I do have a vague plan of what to write for the next chapter so it should be up in a couple of days if everything goes fine.
Do comment and tell me how I can improve it! Thank you so much!!