thezdawg
Pairing: Zhoumi/Henry (Zhoury)
Summary: Henry is the inspiration behind all of Zhou Mi's lyrics, but he is definitely unaware of this fact.
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Zhou Mi loves Henry. If he's certain of anything, it's that.
He loves Henry joyously, like he loves finding a pair of pants that are long enough for his legs without being eight thousand sizes too big in the waist. He loves Henry earnestly, like he loves cats and dogs and anything small and fluffy. He loves Henry with his whole heart, like he loves the joy he hears in his mother's voice every time he calls home. He loves Henry secretly, like he loves any food that is deep-fried and fattening and oh-so-bad for him, getting some whenever he can. He loves Henry's gestures, his small kindnesses, the way his nose crinkles when he laughs, the way he looks way too happy when he eats, the way he always tries to make Zhou Mi feel included, the way he always has something to tell him about, the way...
"Miiiiiiiii! Come on!"
One thing he does not love, however, is trying to write a song with Henry.
"We're aiming for a hopeful mood with the song! Hopeful! Playful! The lyrics should reflect that more!" Henry smiles at him enthusiastically.
Zhou Mi stares down at an almost unreadable sheet of lyrics. His lyrics. They're so covered in red pen that he can hardly make out his original black markings beneath them.
Hopeful. Wow. If there's anything he'd been when the decision had passed to work on some of Super Junior-M's upcoming songs for Break Down, with Henry no less, the word to describe his attitude would have been hopeful. Now, staring at his heartfelt feelings in ink format beneath him while Henry continues to be completely oblivious, he feels a little more along the lines of hopeless.
Oblivious. Now, if he had to choose a word for Henry (beyond the thousands of words of admiration he'd choose beforehand), it would beoblivious. He's been subtly trying to win Henry over for what feels like an entire dynasty. He's done almost everything he can think of, and Henry just doesn't get it. Henry's always telling him that he's so very grateful for all the little things he does for him: the coffees, the surprise gifts of his favorite foods, the late night talks, the company when he needs it, the silence when he doesn't. Zhou Mi has always wondered how he can't see it. Sure, he's nice to all the other members, but who would tolerate being woken up at four in the morning to hear a "sudden miracle violin inspiration" and actually genuinely be interested if they weren't head over heels for the other person?
One might think the sensible thing to do would be to simply confess. Just catch him alone and say "Henry, I've liked you for five whole years and been in love with you for most of them, won't you please accept my feelings?" which doesn't really leave any room for misinterpretation, and then they can both get on with their lives, preferably together. However, there's that more than possible chance that they don't end up together after such a confession, and Henry hates him and things are awkward and horrible and they cause the group to break up. That fear is behind every single thing Zhou Mi does. That fear makes him have to be subtle. He wants Henry to come to the conclusion that his dear friend is madly in love with him on his own, so he can decide with as little pressure as possible what outcome he wants, and they can drift away from each other slowly when Henry decides with little self-reflection that he definitely has no feelings for his best friend, who inconveniently happens to be male.
Which is why Zhou Mi is stuck with a bubbly Henry and a handwritten sheet of lyrics for "Go" in a recording studio when he'd rather be somewhere else. Like experimenting with the effects of battery acid on his digestive tract. Or discovering how long it takes to get hit by a car while lying in the middle of a highway. Or learning first hand exactly how long it takes piranhas to strip flesh from the bone. Or...