Catch Me - KangTeuk
100 THEMES CHALLENGE
Theme: 1 - Freefall [Leeteuk/Kangin]
Title: Catch Me
Subpairings: Brothers Leeteuk/Siwon
Words: 907
Completed: October 1st, 2011
Genre: AU
Rating: PG
Warnings: Dementia
Summary: Leeteuk had never been the same since he fell from the balcony twenty years ago.
The song Leeteuk is singing is "Fair" by Remy Zero.
So what if you catch me, where would we land?
“What was that, Teukie?” Siwon called from the couch in the room.
The madman, sitting cross-legged on the bed and swaying as he sang to himself, smiled vaguely. “Nothing.”
We found the ground and the damage is done
It’s cold and it’s fading to the sun
Where’d you go to?
You’re alive
Well, it’s only fallen frames they told me
You stand out so loud and so what if it is?
It’s cold and it’s facing to the west
Where to go?
Tonight, the sun shall see its light.
Siwon stood up, putting his book aside and regarding his brother through his glasses. “I think you should go to sleep.”
The singing cut off abruptly and the older man stared at his hands, clutching his ankles.
“Teuk?”
“Sleep?”
“Look at you, you’re exhausted,” Siwon sighed gently, walking to the bed and kneeling in front of the other to touch the dark circles beneath his eyes. “Why won’t you sleep?”
“He didn’t come last time, Siwon…”
Siwon kissed his brother’s forehead. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll fall?”
“You won’t fall.”
“I will.”
“No, you won’t,” Siwon insisted, pushing the elder backwards to lie down and tucked him in. “I’ll stay with you tonight, okay? But you have to go to sleep.”
Leeteuk shook his head, making shifting noises on the pillow. “No, I don’t want to sleep. He stopped coming.”
“Teukie…”
Leeteuk sat up suddenly, staring into Siwon’s face with wide eyes. “Did you chase him away, Siwon?”
“What?”
“You did! You chased him away! You stopped him from catching me!”
“Teukie, I did no such thing.”
“You’re jealous, you think you’re the only one who should catch me!” Leeteuk suddenly seemed to calm and he lay back down in the bed. “You’re so young, Siwonnie, it’s okay though.”
Siwon said nothing as he walked away, returning quickly with a mug of chai latte. He thrust it at his brother. “Drink that and go to sleep.”
Leeteuk took the drink, gulping it down obediently and rubbing his eyes as Siwon took the mug back. “I’m not sleeping.”
Siwon didn’t argue, knowing that the medication would have his brother out in no time. In fact, within ten minutes his eyes were beginning to droop. Siwon lay down beside him, on top of the blankets, snuggling up to him as he drifted off.
“No… no, Kangin! I don’t want to fall…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Siwon sighed sadly, running his thumb along his brother’s eyebrow. They were tight and concerned, even in sleep, and the younger wished they’d smooth.
He hated looking after his brother. Not because he resented him or the workload it entailed, but because it was too heartbreaking to see him falling apart more each day.
Leeteuk had his own little world in his head, one that had been his main reality since the incident nearly twenty years ago, one that kept him distant from Siwon, far away in a place the younger could never hope to understand.
There was nothing more he could do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leeteuk sat on the edge, legs dangling off the precipice. He swung them, looking up at the clear purplish-orange sky.
You gonna do it or what.
Leeteuk wrapped his arms around himself. He wasn’t sure if he could do it again.
Of course you can, ya big chicken.
Chicken? CHICKEN? Way to be an encouragement. Chickens were terrible fliers.
Leeteuk stood up, heading away from the edge, scuffing up the red dirt between his bare toes. He gazed back up at the sky. How much would he like to be in it again? How much had he missed the freedom? How long had it been since he’d been able to feel the pure joy it induced?
Oh, how much did he want to fly again.
He turned back to the cliff, the cliff so high he’d never seen the ground below until he was on it.
“I want to fly.”
I’ll fall.
“I want to fly.”
He ran, leaving a red cloud behind the path of his feet. He ran, closer to the edge, to the edge, off the edge…
Into the purple-orange sky.
He closed his eyes, spread his arms, hair whipping around his face as he fell through the air. He flipped, laughed, spun, whirled.
He was flying.
He flipped onto his back and opened his eyes.
Flying…
Wait…
Falling…
But he only had a second to feel fear.
“Oof,” he huffed, landing in something soft and solid and warm. Something more familiar to him than anything else.
“The hell you been?” a gruff voice inquired, holding him close.
Leeteuk burst into tears, clinging back at the other. “Where the hell were you?”
“I’ve always been right here. Ready to catch you.”
“You didn’t catch me.”
“I didn’t need to.”
“I fell.”
“You never landed.”
Leeteuk said nothing for a while and the other set him down on his feet. “Teukie, I promised.”
“Kangin…”
“I’ll never break that promise, okay? You can fall but I’ll always catch you.”
Leeteuk looked down as Kangin touched his face. “Okay? Believe me?”
Leeteuk nodded once.
“Good.” Kangin smiled and patted his cheek. “Want to fly again?”
Leeteuk nodded again, a faint smile curving his lips.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Leeteuk stepped forward and pressed his face into Kangin’s chest, gripping him for reassurance before he went back up. “Catch me.”
“Always.”