[ILC/012] Timely Companions
Title: Timely Companions
ILC/Pairing Assigner: kendayawind & shadowcrawler12
Pairing: Leeteuk/Heechul
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own them, SME does. Plot is mine.
Challenge: Initial Line Challenge
Summary: Sometimes, having no words to say is just that much better than belting out to your hearts content. It's just the way it is.
Warning: Un-beta'd. Not edited. Written with 4 hours of sleep, a whole day of work, and really bad mood swings (do these even count as warnings? Haha).
It was pointless to pursue the matter any further, and by the look on his face, he decided to cowardly drop the subject.
“So, you want to catch a movie or something?”
Heechul gave Leeteuk a sideways glance, one brow raised over the other. “What movie do you suggest we see that would oh-so-aptly hearten my mood?” He asks.
Leeteuk blinked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Okay, maybe not a movie then...” he trailed off. To be honest, he didn't even know what movies were out - let alone if there were any movies that would suit Heechul's taste. “Let's get some lunch or something. Ice cream, maybe?”
“Do I look like a five year old to you? Do I look like some kid that can be satisfied with a freaking five inch long ice cube that melts in, like, five seconds?” Heechul rolls his eyes. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the brick wall, his breaths too calm to be appeasing.
The elder of the two sighed, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets lazily. It was true; the sun was out and shining, clouds were almost nonexistent. Leeteuk knew there was a reason they were hiding in an alley, shadowed by buildings and rooftops.
Heechul felt his heart tremble slightly as Leeteuk released his breath. Glancing up at the sky - which nearly blinded him - Heechul leaned the back of his head against the cool surface and closed his eyes. “Let's just stay like this,” he said, “just you and me, good old buddies hanging out on a sunny afternoon.”
“But you're upset,” Leeteuk replies, settling against the wall beside Heechul. Their shoulders are nearly touching, so close it hurts a little - the almost non-existent distance tickles the skin of Leeteuk's bare arms. “I feel like I need to do something to cheer you up, you know, like I always do.”
“I'm having family issues, Teuk, I wasn't diagnosed with cancer. As soon as things fix themselves, I'll be fine.”
But things don't just fix themselves, Leeteuk thinks, and if Heechul continuously refuses to let him in on what 'issues' he's going through, there's no way Leeteuk can help him. Heechul is digging his own grave, writing out his own misery.
“I'm tired,” Heechul whispers.
Leeteuk feels a weight on his side; he turns to see Heechul's head resting on his shoulder, his body slumped against his. Heechul's eyes are still closed and he looks so peaceful - so beautiful.
“I want to stay like this forever,” he mutters lazily, “just the two of us. You're the only one I can rely on, Teuk. You're the only friend I've got. Only you can put up with me.”
The older boy pats Heechul on the crown of his head. “I know,” he laughs.
“You'll always be my best friend,” Heechul continues.
Leeteuk nods, nestling his cheek against Heechul's hair. “I know.”
“You know how much I care about you, right? How important you are to me?” Heechul asks.
And Leeteuk smiles a little, his lips tugging upwards weakly. He's choking on his breath, fighting hard against the tears that are trying to surge from his eyes. “Yeah,” he coughs, “I do.”
“No matter what happens, you'll always stay with me, right?” Heechul questions.
“Of course,” Leeteuk bites his bottom lip. “What's wrong, Heechul? What's going on?”
Heechul shakes his head. “Don't ask. Let's just stay like this, nice and comfy.”
As always, Leeteuk stops asking and cowardly drops the subject. He loathes himself for being like this - for always being too afraid to pursue the issue.
“Let's go see a movie tomorrow,” Leeteuk suggests. “I'll do some research tonight - I'll pick out a good one, I promise.”
For a moment - a moment too long - Heechul does not reply, as if he is hesitating. Heechul slips his hand into Leeteuk's and grips it strongly, pulling it to his chest. “Yeah,” he nods, “lets do that.”
Then Heechul stands upright and pulls Leeteuk out of the alley, his hand never parting from Leeteuk's. This is odd, Leeteuk thinks, because Heechul is not the touchy-feely type - or, at least, he hasn't been in the three years that they have known each other.
When they part ways that night, Heechul obviously using every last bit of strength in his being to keep up a smile, Leeteuk feels that something is wrong - incredibly wrong. Everything about Heechul today was wrong, nothing felt right.
The next day, Leeteuk dialed Heechul's number. He was sent straight to the voicemail. Leeteuk immediately called his home phone.
“Who is it?”
Leeteuk swallowed hard - he always felt extremely nervous speaking to Heechul's parents. “This is Park Jungsoo,” he replied, “I'm calling for Heechul.”
“The damned boy fled,” his mother scoffed.
Leeteuk furrowed his brows. “What?”
“He hammered his father with a baseball bat and ran,” she spat, “if you see him, tell him he best never come back. The man will kill him, he'll murder that boy.”
She spoke as if Heechul weren't her son.
“I'm sorry, ma'am,” Leeteuk said, “do you know how I could reach him? His cell phone isn't-”
“Be damned if I knew,” she laughed sarcastically. Leeteuk could hear the concern in her voice, even if she denied every bit of it. “He's gone, kid. Gone for good. Who knows? Maybe he'll show up at your door. Not like he has any other friends to run to, right?”
She had to care. If she didn't, she wouldn't have known Heechul didn't have many friends.
“Thank you, ma'am,” Leeteuk smiled. “I'll let you know if I find him.”
There was a short pause. “Don't,” she finally said. “It'd be best if none of us knew.”
Before Leeteuk could reply, she had already hung up.
An hour or so later, Leeteuk's doorbell rang. Relief washed over him when he opened the door to a disheveled Heechul; backpack on his shoulders, a small luggage in his hand. “Plan A failed, big time,” he laughed, “so, I'm going with Plan B.”
“What's Plan B?” Leeteuk asked with a chuckle, stepping aside so Heechul could enter his small apartment.
Heechul threw his backpack on the couch. “Crashing with you.”
“What made Plan A a failure?” Leeteuk inquired, throwing an arm over Heechul's shoulders.
Heechul smirked. “For one, there's no Leeteuk in Japan,” he grinned, “secondly, the plane ticket to Japan is ridiculously expensive this time of year.”
Leeteuk hugged him tightly, pulling Heechul close. “Good,” he said, “I thought I'd lost you.”
“Never,” Heechul smiled, “I told you we'd be together forever, didn't I?”
“Yeah,” Leeteuk sighed in relief, “you did.”
Leeteuk had forgotten that Heechul always kept his word, even if he didn't tell him much. Leeteuk was keen on keeping his promise, as well.
“I'll always be beside you,” Leeteuk whispered against Heechul's ear, “no matter when or where, always.”
Heechul pulled Leeteuk harder into their embrace, Leeteuk's warmth blanketing him in his entirety. “Me too,” he replied, and this is his final reply, “me too.”
They don't say much more that evening because they know they have much more time to speak to each other - for now, they live. They bask in each others presence, they relish in each others hold.
No words are needed for they are eternal; eternal companions.
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Read Nyx's challenge with the same couple here!
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A/N: One thing I am proud of about this is getting this done on time! Also, I'm not really sure who's dominant in this one.. sometimes it seems like it's almost Leeteuk but sometimes it's almost Heechul... so... yeah... *incoherent*
So, yeah (I need to stop saying this)... keep up with her journal to get her update on this couple :) I, personally, can't wait to read hers! Anyways, thanks for reading!!