Happiness Opportunities Memories Everyday A.K.A. HOME
one.
A gentle shake woke Heechul up from his sleep. He made a short, low sound to let whoever it was waking him up know that he wasn’t in the mood for late night games. He had an extremely tiring day – photo shoot in the morning, variety show before lunch, drama shooting after lunch, another variety show by dinner, and his radio show after his late dinner. From how heavy his eyelids felt, he had only been sleeping for five minutes.
“Hyung. Heechul hyung”
The soft voice calling him irritated him, because he knew exactly who it was. And no matter how much he wanted to ignore Donghae, he just couldn’t bring himself to let the kid go back to his room without knowing why he was up this late at night.
“Wae?” he growled, opening his eyes with much difficulty. He switched on the light on the lamp on his bedside table. Sure enough, when the incandescent light filled up one-fourth of the room, he saw Donghae standing beside his bed, pillow clutched tightly in his thin arms.
“What is it, Donghae?” he asked, a little exasperatedly. This kid, from what he’s observed for the past 7 years that they have known each other, sometimes doesn’t think about why he does things and just goes ahead and does them without any consideration whatsoever for the people around him.
Donghae didn’t answer and simply stood there, staring at the floor while chewing on his lower lip. Heechul rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. “Yah, if you’re just going to stare at the floor like that, can you do that in your own room? I want to sleep.”
“Hyung, can I- I mean, do you mind if- can I sleep with you tonight?” he finally answered and moved his gaze to Heechul’s face.
“Ah, Donghae-yah, you know I don’t like sharing a bed with people. What’s wrong with your bed? Why do you have to sleep here in mine?” Getting tired from leaning on one arm while watching Donghae fidget, he tiredly pulled his body up into a sitting position and leaned on the headboard.
“Geunyang… I just want to. Please, hyung, just this once?”
“Go sleep with Hyukjae,” he offered, rubbing his eye. He knew that he and Donghae would share a bed sometimes. And the aforementioned didn’t mind it anyway when Donghae would bother him in his sleep just so that he could settle in beside him. Heechul sometimes suspects that he even liked it sometimes. Curse their lonely, single lives.
Instead, however, of Donghae agreeing to his suggestion and bounding away, wondering why he didn’t think of it before, he only stood there and clutched the pillow tighter to his chest. Heechul frowned and raised an eyebrow at his rigid form and at his unreadable expression. He yawned then, and decided that Donghae wasn’t going to go away anytime soon that night, so he pulled back his blankets and shifted over to the other side of the bed.
“Okay, fine, but just this once. And stay on your side of the bed. No touching. And turn off the light.”
Donghae climbed into the bed at once and settled in after turning off the lamp, leaving the two in complete darkness. Heechul pulled the blanket up to his chin and tried to relax his body into the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. However, he didn’t fall asleep immediately like he wanted. There was just something off with the way Donghae wasn’t moving at all beside him. It was odd for him to be this still, even with the rules that Heechul told him he had to follow if he wanted to sleep in his bed. He wasn’t even sure if the kid was still breathing.
He opened his eyes again and decided to look over to Donghae’s side of the bed. From what he could make out in the darkness, Donghae lay on his side of the bed, just as he told him to, but he didn’t sleep. He only stared up at the ceiling.
Heechul looked away and frowned. He could only think of one possible reason why he was being this way, but, it couldn’t possibly be that day again already. He grabbed his phone from the table on his side of the bed and looked at the date in the display.
August 8, 2007
He put his phone away with a heavy heart – so he was right. He took a deep breath and looked over at him again. He knew that Donghae was another one of his dongsaengs who loved skinship with his hyungs. He only needed a pat on the head to feel like he had made them proud, a touch on his hand to know that he was being supported, and a hug to make him feel loved and comforted.
Putting his comfort aside, he touched Donghae’s hand and clutched it tightly. With just that one gesture, Heechul felt a shift in the bed and then a weight on the right side of his body. His reflexes would normally push the body away, but when he remembered that it was Donghae who was beside him, he stopped himself. He moved his arm slowly until it was free from being trapped between their bodies and let Donghae’s head rest on his shoulder. He patted the younger’s head gently and, when he felt Donghae bury his face on his shirt, even placed a small kiss on his forehead.
“Sleep, little fishy,” he coaxed him, continuing the gentle patting on his head. He felt small spots on the sleeve of his shirt become warm and wet and he felt Donghae’s sharp intake of breaths.
Heechul sighed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night – he never can whenever he shares a bed with someone else. But he would just let his crankiness be the problem of everybody else when morning came, for now, getting Donghae to stop crying and sleep was his worry.
“Donghae, himnaeseyo. Hyung-i ga ittjanhayo,” he sang quietly to the younger one beside him, hoping that it would at least calm him down. It was the song that Jungsu always sang to him whenever he was being his proud, bratty self and would curse into his pillow about how he hated the world. It annoyed him to know that such a short childish song could get him to calm down and actually smile.
After a few more ‘have strength’ lines, Donghae finally stopped crying and his breathing became steady. Heechul could feel his arm start to get tired from stroking Donghae’s hair repeatedly. When he was sure that Donghae wouldn’t wake up if he stopped moving his hand, he let it fall back on the bed.
He breathed deeply and closed his eyes; if he was lucky, he would pass out from exhaustion and finally get to sleep.
“Hyung,”
“Mmm,” he answered, already on the brink of deep sleep.
It was a while before he heard Donghae answer him again, and just when he was about to fall asleep, he felt arms tighten around his torso.
“You feel just like home.”
“Hyung. Heechul hyung”
The soft voice calling him irritated him, because he knew exactly who it was. And no matter how much he wanted to ignore Donghae, he just couldn’t bring himself to let the kid go back to his room without knowing why he was up this late at night.
“Wae?” he growled, opening his eyes with much difficulty. He switched on the light on the lamp on his bedside table. Sure enough, when the incandescent light filled up one-fourth of the room, he saw Donghae standing beside his bed, pillow clutched tightly in his thin arms.
“What is it, Donghae?” he asked, a little exasperatedly. This kid, from what he’s observed for the past 7 years that they have known each other, sometimes doesn’t think about why he does things and just goes ahead and does them without any consideration whatsoever for the people around him.
Donghae didn’t answer and simply stood there, staring at the floor while chewing on his lower lip. Heechul rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. “Yah, if you’re just going to stare at the floor like that, can you do that in your own room? I want to sleep.”
“Hyung, can I- I mean, do you mind if- can I sleep with you tonight?” he finally answered and moved his gaze to Heechul’s face.
“Ah, Donghae-yah, you know I don’t like sharing a bed with people. What’s wrong with your bed? Why do you have to sleep here in mine?” Getting tired from leaning on one arm while watching Donghae fidget, he tiredly pulled his body up into a sitting position and leaned on the headboard.
“Geunyang… I just want to. Please, hyung, just this once?”
“Go sleep with Hyukjae,” he offered, rubbing his eye. He knew that he and Donghae would share a bed sometimes. And the aforementioned didn’t mind it anyway when Donghae would bother him in his sleep just so that he could settle in beside him. Heechul sometimes suspects that he even liked it sometimes. Curse their lonely, single lives.
Instead, however, of Donghae agreeing to his suggestion and bounding away, wondering why he didn’t think of it before, he only stood there and clutched the pillow tighter to his chest. Heechul frowned and raised an eyebrow at his rigid form and at his unreadable expression. He yawned then, and decided that Donghae wasn’t going to go away anytime soon that night, so he pulled back his blankets and shifted over to the other side of the bed.
“Okay, fine, but just this once. And stay on your side of the bed. No touching. And turn off the light.”
Donghae climbed into the bed at once and settled in after turning off the lamp, leaving the two in complete darkness. Heechul pulled the blanket up to his chin and tried to relax his body into the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. However, he didn’t fall asleep immediately like he wanted. There was just something off with the way Donghae wasn’t moving at all beside him. It was odd for him to be this still, even with the rules that Heechul told him he had to follow if he wanted to sleep in his bed. He wasn’t even sure if the kid was still breathing.
He opened his eyes again and decided to look over to Donghae’s side of the bed. From what he could make out in the darkness, Donghae lay on his side of the bed, just as he told him to, but he didn’t sleep. He only stared up at the ceiling.
Heechul looked away and frowned. He could only think of one possible reason why he was being this way, but, it couldn’t possibly be that day again already. He grabbed his phone from the table on his side of the bed and looked at the date in the display.
August 8, 2007
He put his phone away with a heavy heart – so he was right. He took a deep breath and looked over at him again. He knew that Donghae was another one of his dongsaengs who loved skinship with his hyungs. He only needed a pat on the head to feel like he had made them proud, a touch on his hand to know that he was being supported, and a hug to make him feel loved and comforted.
Putting his comfort aside, he touched Donghae’s hand and clutched it tightly. With just that one gesture, Heechul felt a shift in the bed and then a weight on the right side of his body. His reflexes would normally push the body away, but when he remembered that it was Donghae who was beside him, he stopped himself. He moved his arm slowly until it was free from being trapped between their bodies and let Donghae’s head rest on his shoulder. He patted the younger’s head gently and, when he felt Donghae bury his face on his shirt, even placed a small kiss on his forehead.
“Sleep, little fishy,” he coaxed him, continuing the gentle patting on his head. He felt small spots on the sleeve of his shirt become warm and wet and he felt Donghae’s sharp intake of breaths.
Heechul sighed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night – he never can whenever he shares a bed with someone else. But he would just let his crankiness be the problem of everybody else when morning came, for now, getting Donghae to stop crying and sleep was his worry.
“Donghae, himnaeseyo. Hyung-i ga ittjanhayo,” he sang quietly to the younger one beside him, hoping that it would at least calm him down. It was the song that Jungsu always sang to him whenever he was being his proud, bratty self and would curse into his pillow about how he hated the world. It annoyed him to know that such a short childish song could get him to calm down and actually smile.
After a few more ‘have strength’ lines, Donghae finally stopped crying and his breathing became steady. Heechul could feel his arm start to get tired from stroking Donghae’s hair repeatedly. When he was sure that Donghae wouldn’t wake up if he stopped moving his hand, he let it fall back on the bed.
He breathed deeply and closed his eyes; if he was lucky, he would pass out from exhaustion and finally get to sleep.
“Hyung,”
“Mmm,” he answered, already on the brink of deep sleep.
It was a while before he heard Donghae answer him again, and just when he was about to fall asleep, he felt arms tighten around his torso.
“You feel just like home.”