Super Junior AU; Hanchul; The Best Days of Our Lives
Title: The Best Days of Our Lives
Chapter: Epilogue
Fandom: Super Junior AU (High School)
Pairing: Hankyung/crossdressing!Heechul (main), Kangin/Eeteuk, Kibum/Donghae, Yehsung/Ryeowook, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, bestfriends!Eunhae.
Word count: 2,689
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Coming into a strange new world can be strange enough. Unfortunately, someone’s forgotten to tell Hankyung something Very Important.
A/N: And we're done! This could possibly have been changed and made into a side story, but I liked some of the elements and wanted an epilogue anyway because it makes a story seem posh. That's my reasoning anyway.
I cannot thank the people who have commented throughout this enough, and I have so much love for everyone who's been reading this. I'll admit it, the comments and praise that I recieved really touched me, and they were a major part of what inspired me to continue writing. I hope that the end of this is as bittersweet as it is to me; I wish I could continue writing this forever and ever if people would continue enjoying it, but I've had to stop at some point and and and *collapses into a heap of thanks and wonder and exhaustion*
In conclusion: ♥
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21 / Chapter 22 / Chapter 23 / Chapter 24 / Chapter 25 / Epilogue
“We said last year that we’d never do this again,” said Heechul. “Do you mind explaining to me why we are doing this again?”
“Because it’s a party,” said Siwon. “And you shouldn’t turn your nose up at parties.”
Hankyung, however, agreed with Heechul. The end of year graduation party had been just as bad last year when they’d attended for Eeteuk and Kangin’s graduation. It hadn’t improved at all - there was still the same music, because the school had hired the same DJ, and there was the same food, because the school had hired the same caterers, and the same teachers were acting as chaperones. Really, the only different thing about it was that Kangin and Eeteuk weren’t there.
“It doesn’t feel the same without Kangin and Eeteuk,” said Hankyung.
“Thank you for that,” said Kangin’s voice from behind him, and when Hankyung span around it actually was Kangin and Eeteuk standing behind them, dressed in their very best outfits.
“Umma,” cried Sungmin, and practically threw himself at Eeteuk. The nickname had stuck with Eeteuk, although Eeteuk was the only one who still called Kangin Appa. “What are you doing here?”
“Apparently the fan club petitioned to be able to get us to come,” said Eeteuk. “They seemed to think that we’d actually want to attend another one of these things, and we couldn’t exactly say no in the face of over five hundred signatures.”
“I like parties,” said Xiao Li, with a wide smile. “But I don’t think this is a very good party.”
Hankyung didn’t have much experience of parties, so he couldn’t exactly comment, but Heechul nodded sagely like he agreed, even though he’d never been to many parties either. “School parties aren’t really parties,” said Heechul. “They’re more like voluntary torture.”
In the year since Kangin and Eeteuk had graduated, nothing much had changed, apart from a total breakdown in organization at school because the eldest hadn’t been there to tell them all where everyone else was. The two had not moved away, and remained in their flat, while Eeteuk drove to his college on the east side of the city (Hankyung had decided to never be out of the house around about the time that Eeteuk left each morning), and they still met up nearly every Saturday at the flat to talk and chat. Sometimes they went out shopping - in the end, Xiao Li had ended up using Siwon as a bag carrier, but he was used to that from Heechul and took it all with a passive cheerfulness.
“Dance with me,” begged Sungmin, pulling on Kyuhyun’s hand, who was quite certain that he didn’t want to dance, and was struggling all the way. “Come on,” said Sungmin desperately. “It’s not a party unless you dance.”
“This isn’t a party,” said Kyuhyun. “This is a room full of people with crap music. No amount of dancing is going to change that.”
”Go on,” said Ryeowook, completely not sticking up for him, and Shindong came out of nowhere, and pushed him onto the dance floor with Sungmin.
The only way Sungmin had changed over the year was that he was quite firm in that he loved his cat, named Juliet, more than he loved Kyuhyun, who seemed to think that the whole thing was ridiculous, hated the damn thing because it ruined his curtains a few months after he got it, and couldn’t wait until Sungmin got his own place so he could keep it. Hankyung rather thought that Kyuhyun was more than a little jealous of the animal.
“No,” said Siwon firmly, as Xiao Li turned to look at him with an innocent smile. “No, I refuse to dance with you.” She took hold of his hand and tried to pull him out anyway, and he resisted with a laugh. “No,” he repeated. “I really, really won’t. I’m not weak like Kyuhyun.”
Xiao Li huffed, before she turned to Hankyung with that same smile. “Hangeng,” she said in Chinese, trying to grab hold of his hand. “Dance with me?”
Hankyung laughed and shook his head, but suddenly and without warning, which made him think that it was all a conspiracy, Heechul put his hand on the small of his back and pushed him forward, so he stumbled out of his seat and into Xiao Li, who trilled her thanks, flashed a smile at Heechul, and then pulled him onto the dance floor.
Hankyung noticed Siwon and Heechul talking quietly. Siwon, despite going out with Xiao Li for almost a year and a half, had not once told her that he loved her, something Xiao Li had been quite worried about until Heechul told her that Siwon was just a moron and that there was a very good reason for it that he couldn’t tell her. Xiao Li, in her usual easy-going way, had taken this as fact, and had dropped the subject. In reality, Siwon didn’t tell her it because he was too scared to.
“The problem with telling Xiao Li that I love her,” he’d told Hankyung and Heechul, “is that she’s going to be leaving anyway and then that’s totally unfair on her because she’ll think that she’s breaking my heart or something.”
The question as to whether Xiao Li would be leaving was still unanswered. Siwon seemed to be certain that she was - Xiao Li just pretended to not understand the question whenever anyone asked her. She smiled mysteriously and refused to answer when Hankyung had asked her in Chinese. There was no doubt that Siwon loved the girl, and Hankyung wasn’t sure how he’d cope if she did end up back in China.
“You seem worried,” said Xiao Li over the top of the music. Her accent had not gone - it was still there, making her stand out as a foreigner, and Heechul had not helped a bit by perfecting an impression of it and doing it whenever he could.
“Not really,” said Hankyung. “Just thinking about what’s going to happen now.”
“Ryeowook cried,” she said, with a knowing smile, and nodded over at where the boy was sitting with his head resting on Yehsung’s shoulder. “I saw him, when Yehsung got his - thing, I don’t know what you call it.”
“Scroll,” said Hankyung, and she nodded. “Oh, really?” He filed the incident away for future blackmail purposes - not that he’d ever had to blackmail Ryeowook before, but with a group like this, you could never be too careful.
Ryeowook had come out of his shell since his father had died. It had taken some time for his grief to wane, but Yehsung had helped him, and somehow the boy had tapped into a well of confidence from somewhere, which had allowed him to start singing in public, instead of just for himself. Yehsung had secretly entered him into a talent show, and he had come second, with a song of his own that he had written. He had been promised a place at a talent agency for when he graduated - the same agency that Yehsung was joining, while he did a university course in music. He planned on becoming the lead singer of a rock band, and he didn’t seem too bothered about how famous it became, as long as he was able to sing.
“You know,” said Eunhyuk, appearing beside Hankyung and grinning at him, “for two people on the dance team, you two sure aren’t acting like you are.”
“That’s different,” said Hankyung. “This is a dance floor at a school party. This is called the Pathetic Dance Floor Dance.”
“Whatever,” said Eunhyuk, waving away his excuses with a hand. “I’m going to go find a girl and show off. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” said Xiao Li in Chinese, and waved him off. “Eunhyuk doesn’t need luck,” she said in Korean. “All the girls in the school would give their right hand to be able to dance with him.”
“Really?” Hankyung watched as a group of second years giggled as Eunhyuk talked to them.
“Yeah,” said Xiao Li. “I’m given confessions for him daily.”
“Really,” said Hankyung, with raised eyebrows and a grin.
Eunhyuk had not been lying when he’d claimed that he didn’t need to study, because he’d become a dancer instead. His audition with a talent agency, a different one to Yehsung’s and Ryeowook’s, but perhaps more famous, had gone incredibly well, and he’d been signed up on the spot. That had helped him to get into a university dance course, along with Donghae, who was going to try for the same agency whenever auditions came up again. Eunhyuk was going to remain living at home, because it would be easier for him to get to the agency from there, while Donghae planned on moving into a flat with Heechul and Siwon.
Heechul had been accepted into the first university of his choice to do hairdressing, and while he was rather blasé about the whole thing, Hankyung knew that he was incredibly excited about starting the course. Hankyung wasn’t even too bothered about the fact that they weren’t going to be living together - Heechul had seemed to relish the idea of being able to ‘invite’ Hankyung over to stay. “It’ll be like having a real boyfriend,” he’d said with a smirk, and laughed as Hankyung claimed that he was a real boyfriend.
Siwon was off to an incredibly famous university to study physical education and physical sciences, although he had no idea as to what to do after that. Heechul had breezed that that was fine, because he had three years at university to do that, displaying his amazing ability to not comfort at all when he attempted it. The statement hadn’t helped Hankyung either, who had decided to do a joint dance and drama course, after he’d found that he also had an innate ability at drama when he’d jokingly entered for the school play with Siwon. Both boys had been given lead parts, shocking everyone involved, and Siwon seemed quite taken with the idea of becoming an actor, although he wasn’t sure whether his parents would quite like that.
Shindong was doing the same drama course as Hankyung, at the same university, and Hankyung rather felt that he was going to end up doing just as well, if not better, than Hankyung - he had a fantastic array of personas that he could act out, and managed to be serious one second and then comedic the next. Hankyung, who had never noticed until a few months ago, was still completely in awe.
After around half an hour Hankyung and Xiao Li collapsed back into their seats, laughing, and Heechul handed him his drink, while Siwon offered his to Xiao Li, who accepted it and smiled softly at him.
“I have something for you,” said Siwon suddenly, and started fumbling around in his pockets, while Hankyung became aware of Heechul grinning happily. Judging by that, Heechul knew exactly what the present was. Hankyung didn’t - neither did Xiao Li, who looked at Siwon expectantly, as he pulled his fist out of his pocket, and slowly opened his fingers.
It was a ring, and Hankyung was as shocked as Xiao Li was to see it. It was silver, with a small, delicate ruby in the centre, understated and beautiful. Xiao Li took it with trembling fingers, and held it in her cupped hands, and looked at Siwon with a wide-eyed curiosity.
“Siyuan, I-” She said. She had not stopped using his Chinese name, despite speaking almost only Korean nowadays.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” said Siwon, with a tense smile, aware that Heechul and Hankyung were watching them, but he didn’t stop or ask them to go away. “It’s just something to remember me by while you’re in China.”
“Oh,” said Xiao Li, and slipped it onto her middle finger on her right hand. Siwon looked at it carefully, and sighed in mock exasperation.
“Honestly,” he said. “I spent half an hour in the shop with Heechul trying to guess the right size and it’s still too big.”
“I hate you for keeping this a secret,” whispered Hankyung, but Heechul didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh,” repeated Xiao Li, and then she smiled at Siwon. “Siyuan,” she said, and took hold of his hand. “I have something to tell you too.”
“You’re pregnant,” said Siwon with a grin, and Xiao Li laughed.
“Chance would be a fine thing,” she said with a grin of her own, and Siwon had a mini coughing fit, and Hankyung tried to pretend he hadn’t heard that. Hankyung knew for a fact that the two had slept together, because Xiao Li had told Heechul, and Heechul had insisted on telling Hankyung. His yells of disgust and denial had brought his mother up to his room, thinking that Heechul was killing him, and she had been slightly too amused to see him curled into a ball on the floor, foetal-style while Heechul laughed at him.
“No,” continued Xiao Li. “I have something important to tell you.”
“Shoot,” said Siwon, who looked as though he was determined to not let whatever it was ruin his good mood.
“I’m not going back to China,” said Xiao Li, and everyone who had been watching (Hankyung and Heechul, though Eeteuk was probably listening too, because he did that) looked at her shocked, while Siwon opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again. “I’m not going back,” she repeated. “I’m going to the Chinese university here in Seoul, and I’m going to remain living with my aunt.” She had tripped over some of her words along the way, and Hankyung thought for a second that Siwon had maybe not understood, but then he spoke.
“You aren’t going?” He asked, his eyes wide. She shook her head and smiled at him, still holding his hands.
“Wo ai ni,” said Siwon suddenly and loudly, still staring at her. “Wo ai ni, wo ai ni, wo ai ni. Saranghae.” He stopped, looked taken aback with himself, and then started to laugh as she burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
“Aw,” said Heechul, leaning back to rest his head on Hankyung’s shoulder. “Isn’t that cute? He’s in love.”
“Hmm,” murmured Hankyung, his hand playing with the tips of Heechul’s hair. He’d never told Heechul that he loved him, not after that disastrous moment when walking to the bus stop. He had to stop himself from saying it, afraid as to how Heechul would react, but at moments like this, he wished that he could say it, before it all got too much and it exploded over like it had with Siwon.
Heechul liked chocolate but he couldn’t eat too much because it gave him a headache; Heechul could fall asleep within seconds, but it took him half an hour to wake up; he had a scar on his arm caused by Donghae cutting him with scissors by accident when they were six. Heechul wore skirts and dresses in summer, and trousers in winter, and he wore tank tops and old jogging bottoms when he went to bed. He liked to kiss Hankyung straight on the mouth, and Hankyung was completely in love with him.
“I love you,” he said softly into his ear, and Heechul stiffened against him. “I know you said to not say it unless I really meant it,” went on Hankyung, “but I really mean it. I really, really love you.”
Heechul sat up and looked at him, the lights from the disco reflected off the black of his eyes. “People who love me go away,” he said, and Hankyung might have found the cause of everything; of everything that made Heechul "Heechul". Heechul’s fingers tangled in his, and his other hand played with the material of Hankyung’s shirt and he looked away, and Hankyung kissed him on the temple.
“I won’t,” he said softly, and pulled Heechul back down, and he didn’t say anything else. I won’t leave you was all he could say. I love you was all he would ever be able to say.
Chapter: Epilogue
Fandom: Super Junior AU (High School)
Pairing: Hankyung/crossdressing!Heechul (main), Kangin/Eeteuk, Kibum/Donghae, Yehsung/Ryeowook, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, bestfriends!Eunhae.
Word count: 2,689
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Coming into a strange new world can be strange enough. Unfortunately, someone’s forgotten to tell Hankyung something Very Important.
A/N: And we're done! This could possibly have been changed and made into a side story, but I liked some of the elements and wanted an epilogue anyway because it makes a story seem posh. That's my reasoning anyway.
I cannot thank the people who have commented throughout this enough, and I have so much love for everyone who's been reading this. I'll admit it, the comments and praise that I recieved really touched me, and they were a major part of what inspired me to continue writing. I hope that the end of this is as bittersweet as it is to me; I wish I could continue writing this forever and ever if people would continue enjoying it, but I've had to stop at some point and and and *collapses into a heap of thanks and wonder and exhaustion*
In conclusion: ♥
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21 / Chapter 22 / Chapter 23 / Chapter 24 / Chapter 25 / Epilogue
“We said last year that we’d never do this again,” said Heechul. “Do you mind explaining to me why we are doing this again?”
“Because it’s a party,” said Siwon. “And you shouldn’t turn your nose up at parties.”
Hankyung, however, agreed with Heechul. The end of year graduation party had been just as bad last year when they’d attended for Eeteuk and Kangin’s graduation. It hadn’t improved at all - there was still the same music, because the school had hired the same DJ, and there was the same food, because the school had hired the same caterers, and the same teachers were acting as chaperones. Really, the only different thing about it was that Kangin and Eeteuk weren’t there.
“It doesn’t feel the same without Kangin and Eeteuk,” said Hankyung.
“Thank you for that,” said Kangin’s voice from behind him, and when Hankyung span around it actually was Kangin and Eeteuk standing behind them, dressed in their very best outfits.
“Umma,” cried Sungmin, and practically threw himself at Eeteuk. The nickname had stuck with Eeteuk, although Eeteuk was the only one who still called Kangin Appa. “What are you doing here?”
“Apparently the fan club petitioned to be able to get us to come,” said Eeteuk. “They seemed to think that we’d actually want to attend another one of these things, and we couldn’t exactly say no in the face of over five hundred signatures.”
“I like parties,” said Xiao Li, with a wide smile. “But I don’t think this is a very good party.”
Hankyung didn’t have much experience of parties, so he couldn’t exactly comment, but Heechul nodded sagely like he agreed, even though he’d never been to many parties either. “School parties aren’t really parties,” said Heechul. “They’re more like voluntary torture.”
In the year since Kangin and Eeteuk had graduated, nothing much had changed, apart from a total breakdown in organization at school because the eldest hadn’t been there to tell them all where everyone else was. The two had not moved away, and remained in their flat, while Eeteuk drove to his college on the east side of the city (Hankyung had decided to never be out of the house around about the time that Eeteuk left each morning), and they still met up nearly every Saturday at the flat to talk and chat. Sometimes they went out shopping - in the end, Xiao Li had ended up using Siwon as a bag carrier, but he was used to that from Heechul and took it all with a passive cheerfulness.
“Dance with me,” begged Sungmin, pulling on Kyuhyun’s hand, who was quite certain that he didn’t want to dance, and was struggling all the way. “Come on,” said Sungmin desperately. “It’s not a party unless you dance.”
“This isn’t a party,” said Kyuhyun. “This is a room full of people with crap music. No amount of dancing is going to change that.”
”Go on,” said Ryeowook, completely not sticking up for him, and Shindong came out of nowhere, and pushed him onto the dance floor with Sungmin.
The only way Sungmin had changed over the year was that he was quite firm in that he loved his cat, named Juliet, more than he loved Kyuhyun, who seemed to think that the whole thing was ridiculous, hated the damn thing because it ruined his curtains a few months after he got it, and couldn’t wait until Sungmin got his own place so he could keep it. Hankyung rather thought that Kyuhyun was more than a little jealous of the animal.
“No,” said Siwon firmly, as Xiao Li turned to look at him with an innocent smile. “No, I refuse to dance with you.” She took hold of his hand and tried to pull him out anyway, and he resisted with a laugh. “No,” he repeated. “I really, really won’t. I’m not weak like Kyuhyun.”
Xiao Li huffed, before she turned to Hankyung with that same smile. “Hangeng,” she said in Chinese, trying to grab hold of his hand. “Dance with me?”
Hankyung laughed and shook his head, but suddenly and without warning, which made him think that it was all a conspiracy, Heechul put his hand on the small of his back and pushed him forward, so he stumbled out of his seat and into Xiao Li, who trilled her thanks, flashed a smile at Heechul, and then pulled him onto the dance floor.
Hankyung noticed Siwon and Heechul talking quietly. Siwon, despite going out with Xiao Li for almost a year and a half, had not once told her that he loved her, something Xiao Li had been quite worried about until Heechul told her that Siwon was just a moron and that there was a very good reason for it that he couldn’t tell her. Xiao Li, in her usual easy-going way, had taken this as fact, and had dropped the subject. In reality, Siwon didn’t tell her it because he was too scared to.
“The problem with telling Xiao Li that I love her,” he’d told Hankyung and Heechul, “is that she’s going to be leaving anyway and then that’s totally unfair on her because she’ll think that she’s breaking my heart or something.”
The question as to whether Xiao Li would be leaving was still unanswered. Siwon seemed to be certain that she was - Xiao Li just pretended to not understand the question whenever anyone asked her. She smiled mysteriously and refused to answer when Hankyung had asked her in Chinese. There was no doubt that Siwon loved the girl, and Hankyung wasn’t sure how he’d cope if she did end up back in China.
“You seem worried,” said Xiao Li over the top of the music. Her accent had not gone - it was still there, making her stand out as a foreigner, and Heechul had not helped a bit by perfecting an impression of it and doing it whenever he could.
“Not really,” said Hankyung. “Just thinking about what’s going to happen now.”
“Ryeowook cried,” she said, with a knowing smile, and nodded over at where the boy was sitting with his head resting on Yehsung’s shoulder. “I saw him, when Yehsung got his - thing, I don’t know what you call it.”
“Scroll,” said Hankyung, and she nodded. “Oh, really?” He filed the incident away for future blackmail purposes - not that he’d ever had to blackmail Ryeowook before, but with a group like this, you could never be too careful.
Ryeowook had come out of his shell since his father had died. It had taken some time for his grief to wane, but Yehsung had helped him, and somehow the boy had tapped into a well of confidence from somewhere, which had allowed him to start singing in public, instead of just for himself. Yehsung had secretly entered him into a talent show, and he had come second, with a song of his own that he had written. He had been promised a place at a talent agency for when he graduated - the same agency that Yehsung was joining, while he did a university course in music. He planned on becoming the lead singer of a rock band, and he didn’t seem too bothered about how famous it became, as long as he was able to sing.
“You know,” said Eunhyuk, appearing beside Hankyung and grinning at him, “for two people on the dance team, you two sure aren’t acting like you are.”
“That’s different,” said Hankyung. “This is a dance floor at a school party. This is called the Pathetic Dance Floor Dance.”
“Whatever,” said Eunhyuk, waving away his excuses with a hand. “I’m going to go find a girl and show off. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” said Xiao Li in Chinese, and waved him off. “Eunhyuk doesn’t need luck,” she said in Korean. “All the girls in the school would give their right hand to be able to dance with him.”
“Really?” Hankyung watched as a group of second years giggled as Eunhyuk talked to them.
“Yeah,” said Xiao Li. “I’m given confessions for him daily.”
“Really,” said Hankyung, with raised eyebrows and a grin.
Eunhyuk had not been lying when he’d claimed that he didn’t need to study, because he’d become a dancer instead. His audition with a talent agency, a different one to Yehsung’s and Ryeowook’s, but perhaps more famous, had gone incredibly well, and he’d been signed up on the spot. That had helped him to get into a university dance course, along with Donghae, who was going to try for the same agency whenever auditions came up again. Eunhyuk was going to remain living at home, because it would be easier for him to get to the agency from there, while Donghae planned on moving into a flat with Heechul and Siwon.
Heechul had been accepted into the first university of his choice to do hairdressing, and while he was rather blasé about the whole thing, Hankyung knew that he was incredibly excited about starting the course. Hankyung wasn’t even too bothered about the fact that they weren’t going to be living together - Heechul had seemed to relish the idea of being able to ‘invite’ Hankyung over to stay. “It’ll be like having a real boyfriend,” he’d said with a smirk, and laughed as Hankyung claimed that he was a real boyfriend.
Siwon was off to an incredibly famous university to study physical education and physical sciences, although he had no idea as to what to do after that. Heechul had breezed that that was fine, because he had three years at university to do that, displaying his amazing ability to not comfort at all when he attempted it. The statement hadn’t helped Hankyung either, who had decided to do a joint dance and drama course, after he’d found that he also had an innate ability at drama when he’d jokingly entered for the school play with Siwon. Both boys had been given lead parts, shocking everyone involved, and Siwon seemed quite taken with the idea of becoming an actor, although he wasn’t sure whether his parents would quite like that.
Shindong was doing the same drama course as Hankyung, at the same university, and Hankyung rather felt that he was going to end up doing just as well, if not better, than Hankyung - he had a fantastic array of personas that he could act out, and managed to be serious one second and then comedic the next. Hankyung, who had never noticed until a few months ago, was still completely in awe.
After around half an hour Hankyung and Xiao Li collapsed back into their seats, laughing, and Heechul handed him his drink, while Siwon offered his to Xiao Li, who accepted it and smiled softly at him.
“I have something for you,” said Siwon suddenly, and started fumbling around in his pockets, while Hankyung became aware of Heechul grinning happily. Judging by that, Heechul knew exactly what the present was. Hankyung didn’t - neither did Xiao Li, who looked at Siwon expectantly, as he pulled his fist out of his pocket, and slowly opened his fingers.
It was a ring, and Hankyung was as shocked as Xiao Li was to see it. It was silver, with a small, delicate ruby in the centre, understated and beautiful. Xiao Li took it with trembling fingers, and held it in her cupped hands, and looked at Siwon with a wide-eyed curiosity.
“Siyuan, I-” She said. She had not stopped using his Chinese name, despite speaking almost only Korean nowadays.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” said Siwon, with a tense smile, aware that Heechul and Hankyung were watching them, but he didn’t stop or ask them to go away. “It’s just something to remember me by while you’re in China.”
“Oh,” said Xiao Li, and slipped it onto her middle finger on her right hand. Siwon looked at it carefully, and sighed in mock exasperation.
“Honestly,” he said. “I spent half an hour in the shop with Heechul trying to guess the right size and it’s still too big.”
“I hate you for keeping this a secret,” whispered Hankyung, but Heechul didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh,” repeated Xiao Li, and then she smiled at Siwon. “Siyuan,” she said, and took hold of his hand. “I have something to tell you too.”
“You’re pregnant,” said Siwon with a grin, and Xiao Li laughed.
“Chance would be a fine thing,” she said with a grin of her own, and Siwon had a mini coughing fit, and Hankyung tried to pretend he hadn’t heard that. Hankyung knew for a fact that the two had slept together, because Xiao Li had told Heechul, and Heechul had insisted on telling Hankyung. His yells of disgust and denial had brought his mother up to his room, thinking that Heechul was killing him, and she had been slightly too amused to see him curled into a ball on the floor, foetal-style while Heechul laughed at him.
“No,” continued Xiao Li. “I have something important to tell you.”
“Shoot,” said Siwon, who looked as though he was determined to not let whatever it was ruin his good mood.
“I’m not going back to China,” said Xiao Li, and everyone who had been watching (Hankyung and Heechul, though Eeteuk was probably listening too, because he did that) looked at her shocked, while Siwon opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again. “I’m not going back,” she repeated. “I’m going to the Chinese university here in Seoul, and I’m going to remain living with my aunt.” She had tripped over some of her words along the way, and Hankyung thought for a second that Siwon had maybe not understood, but then he spoke.
“You aren’t going?” He asked, his eyes wide. She shook her head and smiled at him, still holding his hands.
“Wo ai ni,” said Siwon suddenly and loudly, still staring at her. “Wo ai ni, wo ai ni, wo ai ni. Saranghae.” He stopped, looked taken aback with himself, and then started to laugh as she burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
“Aw,” said Heechul, leaning back to rest his head on Hankyung’s shoulder. “Isn’t that cute? He’s in love.”
“Hmm,” murmured Hankyung, his hand playing with the tips of Heechul’s hair. He’d never told Heechul that he loved him, not after that disastrous moment when walking to the bus stop. He had to stop himself from saying it, afraid as to how Heechul would react, but at moments like this, he wished that he could say it, before it all got too much and it exploded over like it had with Siwon.
Heechul liked chocolate but he couldn’t eat too much because it gave him a headache; Heechul could fall asleep within seconds, but it took him half an hour to wake up; he had a scar on his arm caused by Donghae cutting him with scissors by accident when they were six. Heechul wore skirts and dresses in summer, and trousers in winter, and he wore tank tops and old jogging bottoms when he went to bed. He liked to kiss Hankyung straight on the mouth, and Hankyung was completely in love with him.
“I love you,” he said softly into his ear, and Heechul stiffened against him. “I know you said to not say it unless I really meant it,” went on Hankyung, “but I really mean it. I really, really love you.”
Heechul sat up and looked at him, the lights from the disco reflected off the black of his eyes. “People who love me go away,” he said, and Hankyung might have found the cause of everything; of everything that made Heechul "Heechul". Heechul’s fingers tangled in his, and his other hand played with the material of Hankyung’s shirt and he looked away, and Hankyung kissed him on the temple.
“I won’t,” he said softly, and pulled Heechul back down, and he didn’t say anything else. I won’t leave you was all he could say. I love you was all he would ever be able to say.