take me away (oneshot)

[qiguai]

Title: Take Me Away
Pairing: Soohyun/Eli
Genre: AU, romance
Word Count: 3788
Rating: R
Warnings: language, drinking, sexual content
Summary: Soohyun is an idol and Eli is his manager, and Eli is worried his star is about to burn out for good.

Stress is what Eli sees when he looks Soohyun, and fear. He sees fear of failure, fear of inadequacy and fear of rejection written into his star's anxious features. Soohyun holds the phone between his ear and his shoulder, negotiating with someone about moving some interview to a better time while Eli drives them to the photoshoot conflicting with said interview. He can't remember the names of the events or people involved, but Soohyun could list them off in chronological or alphabetical order if asked, which Eli finds he has to do often. If an award for Worst Manager in the World existed, he knows he would win it. Not that Soohyun minds. He slips the cell phone into Eli's coat pocket and sighs. "They agreed to move us to next week once I explained the situation. Now stop feeling bad." Eli bites his lip, but nods. How many times has Soohyun fixed the scheduling conflicts for him when Eli was the one who created them in the first place? In the passenger seat, Soohyun sinks into the cushion, closing his eyes for a nap- a short ten minutes which will probably be the only sleep he'll get this week. The bags under his eyes have only gotten darker over the past month and even the make-up artists were starting to complain. How much could they cake on, after all? Eli doesn't know what he can do. "He'll have three performances this week, four filiming sessions for variety shows, two interviews and two photoshoots. I've already scheduled them for you- considering the disaster that was last week." A pointed look at Eli. He bends his head a little more. "You'll need to call and confirm the dates and times, though. Here." A paper is shoved across the varnished surface of the desk. "And tell Soohyun he needs to double his time in the practice rooms. His voice has been a little rough and I noticed he's been forgetting the choreography. You may go." His superior turns back to his monitor, but Eli lingers. "I was wondering..." "What?" He doesn't look away from his monitor. "Is there any way we can cancel one or two of Soohyun's schedules this week?" Sharp eyes peer at him over tiny glasses. "No." "But-" "I said no, Eli." He holds his hands tight in front of him, knuckles white, shaking. "Soohyun's tired." His voice squeaks, the older man laughs. "Is that my problem? Tell him to sleep more." There's nothing Eli can do. Day Two of Week Who-Knows-What-Number of Hell. Soohyun's asleep in the passenger seat after being woken up from his two hour slumber, and Eli's gripping the steering wheel just a little too hard. He's already been informed that next week isn't going to be easy. Then the next is Soohyun's goodbye stage. Then they begin to prepare a new single or album or something which Eli can't remember because it's all too much. He merges onto the highway, the sky still dark enough for him to see the stars, if only faintly. A look to the side and he sees yet another fading star, too tired to go on. About to burn out completely. A sign out of the corner of his view catches his attention and he makes a sudden turn. Soohyun stands, unsteady, while Eli talks to the woman behind the kiosk. He pulls the beanie down further over his face, his thick sunglasses covering what his hair and beanie leave exposed. As he walks back, Eli avoids Soohyun's eyes, not that he'd be able to see them through the sunglasses. He keeps waiting for Soohyun to say something, ask him what's going on, but he doesn't. Instead, he pats Eli on the shoulder and follows. They sit together in the uncomfortable plastic seats, surrounded by people who by some miracle don't recognize Soohyun. As a woman in a dark blue uniform steps forward, they get in line with the crowd. A voice laced with electronic static echoes above their heads: "Now boarding- Flight 192 from Seoul to Washington, DC." Soohyun spends the entirety of the flight asleep, a feat which astounds the stewards and stewardesses, but fills Eli with a sense of satisfaction. Though his phone is off, he swears he can feel every call he's missing vibrate against his leg. He loses count of how many times he sighs during the course of their trip. For the most part, the passengers surrounding them are foreigners, whom Eli doesn't worry will recognize the idol sitting in the window seat beside him. However, he's on edge, jumping whenever someone passes, responding far too loudly when asked a question. A man across the aisle smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry, I was nervous on my first flight, too." Eli's tempted to tell the man he's been on more flights than he can count, but he refrains. His full attention is on the man next to him, trying to not to disturb him and trying to keep those around them from disturbing him. He watches Soohyun's hat and glasses carefully, gently adjusting them if they slip. After a few hours, he asks the stewardess for a blanket, and spreading it over Soohyun gives him peace of mind on multiple levels. As the plane makes its descent, Soohyun slowly rouses from his sleep. He smiles at Eli as they stand up together, make their way down the aisle and off the plane. It's late at night now, on who knows what day, so the airport is comfortably quiet and relatively empty. Eli instinctively heads for the exist, trusting Soohyun to follow and not trusting himself to turn and give his hyung any kind of instructions, lest Soohyun ask for an explanation. They wait on the sidewalk in silence, though, until a yellow cab pulls up in front of them. Eli crawls in the back, followed by Soohyun, and gives the cab-driver directions. Fumbling through his collection of keys, Eli finally finds the one he's looking for, shoving it into the lock. The house is in a small suburb, right outside the city, with a slightly unkempt lawn and dark windows. He tosses Soohyun's duffel bag- prepared for a day out, not a trip like this- onto the kitchen counter as they enter, and tests each light in the room one by one, pleased when he finds they all still work. Soohyun glances around before his gaze settles on Eli, expectant. "This is my parent's house. Well, it was before they died. I guess it's mine now." Soohyun nods, that answer seeming enough of an explanation at the moment. "I remember you going on a trip for their funeral last year," he says, speaking for the first time since their entered the airport in Seoul. "Yeah," Eli mumbles, eyes darting around the dusty room nervously. "Where's the bathroom?" Soohyun asks after an uncomfortable silence, giving Eli a reassuring smile. "Down that hall," he replies quickly, pointing the way. Soohyun pats him on the shoulder as he passes, and Eli smiles to himself, sighing. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket, deciding he'd better at least see how many calls he's missed. Fifty-two, the digitalized number tell him, and he isn't surprised. Thirty from the office, twenty from Kibum, and two from Kevin. He muses a moment before deciding that the latter is his safest bet. It rings once, twice, then a voice picks up which is definitely not Kevin's. "Yah!" Kibum's voice shouts through the speaker. "Where the hell are you?" Eli visibly winces, waving off Soohyun's worried expression when he re-enters the room. "Er, well-" "Do you have any idea how mad the boss is?" "I can imagine," he mumbles, walking to the corner of the kitchen in hopes of Soohyun not hearing. "You have no fucking idea!" Kibum's voice is almost hysterical, and Eli fights the urge to laugh. "Seriously, where are you guys?" Soohyun hands Eli a glass of water poured from the tap, grinning at Kibum's voice. Eli nods thankfully, taking a sip before responding. "I can't tell you, hyung." "You mean you don't want to tell me," he corrects him. "Something like that," he says, before walking further away from Soohyun. "Listen, he was tired. I couldn't think of anything else to do." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "You know how it is. It's like we can't do anything to help them nowadays." There's a pause before Kibum speaks again. "I know, but-" A noise in the background, Kibum curses. "Hang on a sec, Kevin wants to say something." A fumbling sound as Eli assumes the phone is being passed, followed by Kevin's ecstatic voice. “Congratulations on your marriage!” he sings over the phone in English, causing Eli to sputter his drink all over his shirt. Soohyun raises an eyebrow at him but he waves him off frantically, thanking whatever higher power that Soohyun can't speak English worth shit. “We didn't get married,” he hisses into the phone, turning away from Soohyun more out of paranoia when he continues to watch Eli. A pause. “But Kibum told me you two ran away together. I assumed that meant you eloped.” Eli slaps a hand over his face, wishing like hell his face would stop turning red. “No, Kevin, we just... left.” "Are you coming back?" There's just a hint of worry in his voice. "Of course, but-" "Then that's all that matters!" Kevin laughs. "Listen, you two have fun, and Kibum and I will keep the big guys off your backs, okay? Just make sure you come back eventually so we don't get in trouble!" Shuffling, then a click as the call ends. Eli can't help the smile that spreads across his face. He grins at Soohyun. "Kevin and Kibum say hello." "Did they say anything?" Soohyun asks, voice low and serious. Eli hesitates before answering. "Everyone's really mad." A slow nod, then Soohyun pours himself some water, first rinsing the dusty glass off in the sink. "Aren't you going to say anything, hyung?" Soohyun smiles, tilting his head to the side as if thinking. "I can't think of anything to say." He watches Eli curiously. "Is there anything you want me to say?" Eli averts his gaze sheepishly. "No, I guess not." "I trust you, Eli," is all Soohyun says, setting his empty glass in the sink. Feeling his confidence return, Eli lets himself relax. "Is there anything you'd like to do?" He glances around. "You need more sleep?" "I think I slept enough on the plane," he chuckles, his face brightening. "Is there anywhere we can get some drinks?" He laughs out loud, slightly flustered. "Hyung, you don't drink!" A shrug. "Yeah, and I don't randomly fly halfway around the world, but it's never too late to do something a little... different." He gives Eli a sly smile and heads for the door, trusting Eli will follow him. He does. They take a cab to a street Eli remembers as having a plethora of clubs and bars. Eli points to a few different signs, roughly translating the names of the bars into Korean for Soohyun, who ends up choosing one based on the colors of the sign instead. "I just have a good feeling," he says confidently, grinning and grabbing Eli by the arm. As they tumble through the front doors, they're greeted with heavy bass and cigarette smoke. Soohyun's grin widens and he heads straight for the bar, face going blank as he stares at the sign listing the names of the drinks. He steps up beside Eli. "What kind of drink do you want?" "Hell if I know," Soohyun mumbles, forehead creasing in frustration. "How about some shots?" he offers, and Soohyun shrugs. Eli walks up to the bar and orders for both of them. A few hours and several drinks later, Soohyun isn't showing much of a reaction. Eli, on the other hand, finds he's laughing more than usual, and his step is wobbly. Normally he hated alcohol and avoided drinking it, but this was different. Soohyun wanted to. The room spins momentarily when he goes to down another drink and he hesitates. Soohyun raises an eyebrow as he sips his. Eli shakes his head, waving off his hyung's concern. "Going to go to the bathroom," he shouts over the music. Soohyun nods, continuing to sip at his drink. Eli manages to collect himself with a few frigid splashes of water on his face. Checking his watch, he curses. It isn't even that late yet, but he's already considering going home. When he returns, Soohyun is cornered at the bar by three amazons with bleached hair. One slides a hand up his arm, her hip brushing his slightly as she gives him a flirtatious smile. The other two mumble things back and forth, grinning as Soohyun looks between the three with wide eyes and an unsure smile. “Hey,” Eli practically has to shout over the pounding base, attracting the attention of the predatory females. They give him a once over, an obviously fake group smile and return to Soohyun, who meanwhile is begging Eli for help with his eyes. “He can't understand you,” he shouts again at the three. “He doesn't speak English.” This makes them circle closer, conversing amongst themselves and giving Soohyun the opportunity to squeeze by next to Eli. “What do they want?” he asks quietly in Korean, as if the three girls could understand him. “What do you think they want?” he chuckles. Soohyun pauses, looks back at the girls, then back to Eli and points to himself, the color draining from his face. “You got it.” The girls glance at them coyly, clearly plotting something. "How do I tell them no?" Soohyun gulps, genuine panic in his eyes. Eli puts an arm around his shoulders, laughing out loud. "Hyung! Don't be rude now," he says playfully. "I'm not going to scare away the girls for you, if that's what you're asking." With a glare that suddenly makes Eli regret his joke, Soohyun pulls him closer, whispering in his ear. "Oh, then should I scare them away?" He wraps both arms around Eli's waist from the side, grinning and nuzzling against Eli's hair. A strange gasping sound, and Eli remembers the girls. Glancing at them, they eye the pair up in shock before continuing to whisper, confusion written on their faces, and slight disgust. Something in their faces pisses Eli off, so he moves even closer, their chests pressing together. His nose bumps against Soohyun's lightly, curiosity and amusement in his eyes. Briefly, Eli wonders if Soohyun really is as sober as he appears, but the thought leaves as quickly as it came. Another look to the side, and with triumph he finds the harpies gone. However, Soohyun doesn't loosen his grip on Eli's waist, giving him a wicked smile. "You scared them away," he says breathlessly, not sure why he's having problems breathing. Soohyun nods slowly, almost groggily, but rubs his face against Eli's again, brushing against his ear. Eli shudders at the contact, and again when Soohyun laughs soundlessly, breath ghosting into Eli's ear. "H-Hyung?" His voice doesn't sound like his own, instead coming out a high-pitched whine, needy. His brain is clouded and confused, whether by the alcohol in his system or the way Soohyun's fingers are gently sliding under his t-shirt, he isn't quite sure. "Hey!" a loud, abrasive voice interrupts his thoughts, a hand roughly shoving his shoulder. A man, tall and Caucasian, glares at him. "They make bars for shit like that, but this ain't one of them." His voice is low, threatening. Eli feels Soohyun stiffen next to him, then he's pulled toward by the door, Soohyun obviously not requiring a translation. "Soohyun, I-" he starts, but Soohyun cuts him off by pulling him into a tight hug as soon as they're outside, earning them a few curious glances from the idle loiterers. "I was thinking about leaving soon anyway," he mumbles, both reassuring and something else, making sure to speak directly into Eli's ear. He pulls back and gives Eli a strange, dark smile. "Can we still get a cab this late?" It takes Eli a minute to form a response. "Yeah, hold on. I'll call one." Eli isn't sure how this happened, or why it's happening, as he forces Soohyun up against his closed front door. He isn't sure why he's pressing his lips against Soohyun's hungrily, moaning out loud when Soohyun's mouth opens for him almost immediately. He doesn't know why Soohyun's letting him push his shirt up, over his head, tossing it to the side, or why Soohyun groans as Eli touches him, grabbing Eli by the belt-loops and shoving their hips together. Both moan at the friction, Eli rolling his hips into Soohyun's over and over, testing the sensations and relishing the growls that Soohyun makes every time. He leads Soohyun by the grip he has on his hips, dragging him along on the way to the first bedroom Eli can get to- the guest room. He wonders to himself if maybe he's supposed to do this in his own room, but he isn't sure he can make it up a flight of stairs and down another damn hall. Soohyun doesn't seem to mind, letting Eli push him onto the bed, laughing as Eli pulls down and off his jeans, moaning loud and beautiful when Eli's hand finds its way into his boxers. Eli isn't sure why Soohyun is letting him do this, pressing Soohyun into the bed with all his weight, crying out beneath Eli and gripping his shoulders. He isn't sure why he's doing it, everything so perfect and planned like a fantasy he's never had, but feels has been hiding in the back of his subconscious for years, driving him further, harder, over the edge with his face buried in Soohyun's sweaty neck. He wakes first the next morning, tangled in dirty sheets in a room that still smelled of sex. His head pounds from the alcohol or guilt or both, and he watches Soohyun in his sound sleep. Tanned skin still red and slightly glistening, face perfectly relaxed, the old dark circles now gone. Eli sighs, relieved and yet his stomach turns. He's nervous. He forces himself out of the bed and to the bathroom, refusing to look at himself in the mirror. The hot water relaxes the tension in his shoulders, running down along his back, the stinging of his scratches and bruises reminding him of what he's trying not to think about. Visions flash through his mind of Soohyun's face, drunk, laughing, then smiling that strange smile as he followed Eli into the cab, then, finally, Soohyun's face as he called out Eli's name over and over until- A pair of arms wrap around him suddenly from behind, startling him so badly he slips, and he would've banged his head off the tile of the shower had Soohyun's arms not already been there to catch him. "Hyung!" is all he manages to sputter into the running water. "Not going to wait for me?" Soohyun asks sadly, arms tightening just a little. Eli begins to speak, but it comes out as a gasp as Soohyun's hands begin gently rubbing at his stomach, drifting just a bit lower now and then. He can't help but smile into the steam of the shower as Soohyun touches him, spreading his legs and gently beginning to press into him. He gasps against the cold tile as Soohyun's lips move against the back of his neck. They spend an entire week like this, hopping from one bar to another every night, only to come stumbling home, drunk and early to spend the remainder of their night in bed. For the first two days, they forget to eat, and end up gorging at a cheap all-you-can-eat buffet the third morning with furiously growling stomachs. They sleep all day, or spend hours lying around and imagining all of the things they could be doing, which is somehow far more satisfying than actually doing anything. The week passes all too quickly, and Eli grimaces when he finally receives a call from Kevin. When he answers, it's once again Kibum's voice he hears. "You really need to come back soon." There is no humor in his voice, and Eli's alarmed by the traces of worry he hears. "Has something happened?" he asks, not wanting the answer but knowing he needed to ask. "They're threatening to sue." The look on Eli's face is enough that Soohyun's grabs the phone out of his hand and walks into another room, leaving Eli spiraling downward by himself. A few minutes later, he returns with the cell and a sad, strained look on his face. "I guess it's over." Neither of them is able to sleep on the returning flight, both staring in opposing directions. Questions keep running through Eli's mind that he knows he can never ask- What do they do now? What was everything? Did it mean anything? Should he... expect something? He dares to look at Soohyun, but Soohyun doesn't look back. He's staring into the tiny window despite the shade drawn over it, in his own world. And Eli's trapped in his, building walls around himself with unanswered questions. He can hear the crowds as soon as they step off the plane, waiting at the end of the corridor connecting the plane to the airport. Hushed whispers crescendo into excited clamoring and then shouting as passengers begin to file out. Soohyun shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket, not bothering to put his beanie on, though he's wearing his sunglasses to hide the apprehension written all over his expression. Eli walks ahead, immediately beginning to shout as the crowds close in around them when they step out of the corridor. "No questions! Clear the way!" He wishes he had some bodyguards, but this is what they get for sneaking off. Reporters and paparazzi press against him, demanding this and that, but he shoves them away. He glances behind them, where Soohyun follows closely with his head bowed. "Soohyun-sshi, can we get some kind of statement? Anything? Your fans have been so worried! Do you even care?" a particular reporter shouts, her own voice filled with anger. Soohyun looks at her through his dark glasses, and Eli goes to yell something at her or say something to him, he isn't sure, but instead Soohyun grabs his arm, forcing him back. Soohyun's other hand goes to his face, guiding their lips together as they crowd gasps, some even scream in surprise. Flashbulbs explode left and right, wrapping them in bright light and uncertainty. But when Soohyun pulls back and smiles, Eli knows there's at least one thing he can be certain of.