TFAN, Part 22
Title: The Fight About Nothing
Author: aquariuslover
Pairing: KyuWook
Rating: R
Genre: Friendship, Love
Beta: unicornsinger
Summary: This is a completely fictional tale about the thin line between love and friendship, and how easily that line can become blurred.
TFAN Chapters
“What secret?” Donghae asked, walking up to them with a bottle of water.
“How I acted the fool and made you guys chase after me in your pajamas all through the city. I want to keep that a secret…forever,” Kyuhyun answered quickly at the man’s sudden appearance.
“You got some!” Eunhyuk said excitedly as he grabbed the bottle of water from Donghae and started guzzling it down.
“I doubt it stays a secret. Some of those girls had their phones out filming us. I am sure there are fan cams popping up as we speak,” Donghae told him as he pulled the water away from Eunhyuk before he could drink it all and handed it to Kyuhyun.
Kyuhyun took the water eagerly and finished the bottle off. “We need more.”
“I barely got that. The dude was not amused with me; I think he finally gave me the bottle just to get rid of me.”
“Darn, it was a dude. I was hoping it was a girl,” Eunhyuk responded sadly.
“What we need is a phone,” Kyuhyun pointed out as he surveyed the people in the park.
“I wonder what time it is,” Donghae asked, looking up at the sun.
“If they have already left for rehearsals, we are so dead,” Eunhyuk said, sighing as he imagined the already angry manager’s wrath. “Especially after we burned the dorm down.”
“We didn’t burn the dorm down. It just had some smoke damage. It should be fine by tonight,” Kyuhyun said, his gaze focused on an older couple who were walking with their little white dog.
“If Leeteuk has any say in the matter, the dorm will be ready tonight, that’s for sure,” Eunhyuk replied, remembering the Leader’s multiple complaints last night.
“He sure wasn’t any fun,” Donghae agreed.
“What are you up to? Why are you looking at them like that?” Eunhyuk asked as he noticed the elderly couple that had caught Kyuhyun’s interest.
“We need to ask somebody if we can borrow their phone, and I think you should ask them,” Kyuhyun said, pointing to the elderly couple.
“Me?” Eunhyuk asked confused.
“You are the most well known of us, so there is a greater chance that they will recognize you.”
“How do you even know they have a phone?” Donghae asked.
“Because I’m a psychic,” Kyuhyun told him sarcastically.
“Huh?” Eunhyuk and Donghae both shared a confused look with each other.
“No, you idiots! I just saw the old woman using one not even five minutes ago,” Kyuhyun told them, rolling his eyes. “Do you think I just randomly picked them because I liked their doggy?”
“You are the evilest maknae ever,” Eunhyuk told him, looking offended.
“No respect for anybody,” Donghae confirmed.
“I’m so ashamed, I promise to be nice from now on,” Kyuhyun told them in the most insincere way possible, and then ordered, “Now go get us that phone.”
“Who are we going to call if I do get it? I am not calling the manager; he will kill us.”
“We will have to call a member,” Donghae realized.
“I have a feeling they are already on their way to rehearsal. It has to be past nine by now,” Kyuhyun pointed out regretfully.
“I don’t even know my friends numbers. I don’t even know yours. I use my cell for everything,” Donghae told them, running a hand through his hair.
“Me too. I don’t know anybodies number, except my ex girlfriends, and my parent’s home phone,” Eunhyuk admitted.
“I know most of my family members, but of the members, I only remember Sungmin’s, because we are constantly changing our numbers,” Kyuhyun reluctantly informed them.
“I’m not calling Sungmin.” Eunhyuk informed them. “I’d rather run back to the dorm and miss the festival entirely before I would call him.”
“Agreed!” Donghae blurted out. “He was scary mad last night after we caught the kitchen on fire.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, unless you want to call my mom,” Kyuhyun said innocently, trying to hide a smile.
“You don’t know Ryeowook’s number?” Eunhyuk asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing in on Kyuhyun.
“I can’t remember it,” Kyuhyun told him with an expression that made it look like he was trying really hard to remember.
“Okay, I will get the phone, and you get to call Sungmin,” Eunhyuk said, taking Kyuhyun by the arm and dragging him with him toward the elderly couple.
“I think it’s important to remember that we are in our pajamas, and we look crazy,” Donghae said, hurrying up beside Eunhyuk.
“If they ask, tell them you’re in some kind of variety show, and the evil director left you stranded in the park,” Kyuhyun offered as they got closer to the couple.
“I think you should do the talking, since you’re so clever,” Eunhyuk said after stopping suddenly.
“Yeah, and you’ve got clothes on,” Donghae agreed with Eunhyuk.
“You just stay back here and look pretty then…and smile really big,” Kyuhyun told them, looking annoyed as he left them to walk up to the elderly couple.
“He could be a little more grateful. It is his fault that we are here,” Donghae complained as he watched the younger man approach the couple and start talking.
“Exactly, there isn’t any way in hell he doesn’t remember Ryeowook’s number. I bet he knows all our numbers,” Eunhyuk said, glaring at Kyuhyun.
“He is a math genius,” Donghae said frowning. “Why would he say he doesn’t know any of the numbers, except Sungmin’s?”
“Who knows how that evil brain works? He probably just wanted to watch me squirm as I called Sungmin,” Eunhyuk pondered as he noticed the elderly couple giving him and Donghae pitiful smiles.
“Why are they looking at us like that?” Donghae asked as the little lady gave them a sweet little wave.
“I don’t know,” Eunhyuk answered as he waved back. He saw Kyuhyun using their phone.
“I am praying that they are still there….if we missed rehearsal. If the manager doesn’t kill us, Leeteuk will…he was so grumpy last night,” Donghae said sitting back down in the grass.
“He really is getting old,” Eunhyuk said, sitting down beside Donghae.
“I know; he is like obsessed with sleep,” Donghae confirmed. “That happens with age, I hear.”
“True,” Eunhyuk said, agreeing with Donghae as he saw Kyuhyun bowing to the elderly couple, who seemed to be praising him. The elderly lady even gave him a hug. “This can’t be good.”
“They are waving at us again,” Donghae said as he waved back to the couple.
“Like we are retarded,” Eunhyuk pointed out as Kyuhyun walked back toward them.
“What did you tell them about us?” Donghae asked as Kyuhyun approached them.
“Does it matter?” Kyuhyun asked as he walked up to the other two men who were sitting side by side on the grass and started patting them each on the head.
“Yes!” Donghae and Eunhyuk both insisted.
Kyuhyun couldn’t help but grin. “Well, it seems you two are special……in the mentally challenged way, and you escaped from the psychiatric hospital where you live…and I am just watching you ‘till help arrives.”
“I hate you,” Eunhyuk told him with a huge frown on his face as Kyuhyun continued to pat his head like he was his favorite pet.
“I hate you more!” Donghae told him as he knocked Kyuhyun’s hand off his head.
“What? I didn’t tell them you were violent; you’re just really slow,” Kyuhyun said, snickering.
“Jerk. Did you talk to Sungmin? Is he sending help?” Donghae demanded as he climbed back to his feet.
“I talked to Siwon, and they have already left, but they are sending staff to pick us up,” Kyuhyun told him, still grinning.
“Siwon! I thought you only remembered Sungmin’s number?” Eunhyuk said, looking up at him from his spot on the ground, his voice was full of accusation.
“I know isn’t it funny how my brain works? All those numbers just came back to me suddenly. I think it’s because my brain is so big, that I can only access certain things at a time.”
“You’re a big freaking asshole is what you are!” Donghae told him.
“Such words,” Kyuhyun said, shaking his head and acting highly insulted.
*******************
The performance at the festival was over, the boys and staff crammed into two large vans. Kyuhyun made sure to get on the same van as Ryeowook, who was walking in front of him with Sungmin.
Ryeowook entered the van and took a seat by the window. Sungmin was about to sit down beside him when Kyuhyun crammed between them and took the spot instead. “Sorry, but I’m really sleepy, and I need my favorite pillow,” Kyuhyun told Sungmin as he slapped Ryeowook’s thigh.
“I bet you are, since you ran all over the city this morning,” Sungmin said, not moving, as he stood above Kyuhyun glaring.
“Plus he was up all night crying and slobbering too,” Yesung couldn’t help but add as he scooted past Sungmin to take the seat behind Ryeowook and Kyuhyun.
“Huh?” Sungmin asked, confused, as Heechul stopped beside him.
“Crying and slobbering?” Heechul asked, overhearing Yesung, too.
“He had one of those awful nightmares,” Ryeowook explained as he wrapped an arm around the younger man beside him. Kyuhyun leaned into Ryeowook and let him do the talking as he looked pitifully up at Sungmin and Heechul.
“Oh” Sungmin said, instantly more understanding. He had shared a room with Kyuhyun enough to know just how awful those nightmares could be.
“You are just strange,” Heechul said, watching Ryeowook and Kyuhyun closely.
“He was more than strange last night. He woke up fruiter than a fruitcake. I almost felt like crying myself from just watching him. He should always be a brat, not broken like that,” Yesung commented from behind them.
Heechul’s expression softened. “Sleep, kid,” Heechul said, walking past Sungmin, and then yelled at Shindong, “Get your fat ass out of the backseat; you know I sit there.”
“Not today, princess!” Shindong yelled back at him.
“Those two,” Sungmin said, rolling his eyes at their bickering that would have shocked anybody else…..anybody who didn’t know their brutal form of teasing. “I guess I will sit in front of you.”
“Sorry,” Kyuhyun said as he laid his head down on Ryeowook’s lap, not looking the least bit sorry.
“Just get some rest. We are back in our room tonight, and I don’t want to deal with your cranky ass in the morning,” Sungmin said as he situated himself in the front seat.
“This doesn’t bother you any, does it? You know friends and all?” Kyuhyun whispered to Ryeowook, who seemed to be concentrating on something.
Ryeowook looked down at him and smiled. “Oh, not all.”
“Good,” Kyuhyun said, grinning up at him. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night - ”
Ryeowook interrupted him quickly, “You never have to apologize for that.”
“But I do, because I have no right to ask such things of you. You’re not my keeper. I know you’d rather not be bothered.”
Ryeowook was now looking at Kyuhyun suspiciously, trying to determine just what the younger man was up to. “I’m your friend; it wasn’t a bother.”
“Well, this morning was definitely me over stepping our boundaries,” Kyuhyun said, looking up at Ryeowook innocently.
“Yes, it was. I trust it won’t happen again,” Ryeowook told Kyuhyun seriously, causing the younger man to frown.
“Nothing like that will ever happen again…unless you start it,” Kyuhyun told Ryeowook, sounding slightly annoyed.
Ryeowook just smiled down at him. “Good, then we never need to worry about that again.” Ryeowook then pulled out his phone and started looking at it.
Kyuhyun just stared up at Ryeowook, totally annoyed; if he hadn’t known better, he would have completely believed him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m updating Twitter. I thought you were sleepy?” Ryeowook answered, not looking at the other man, completely focused on his phone.
“Sending pictures out?” Kyuhyun asked, fighting the urge to grab the phone and stomp on it.
“I’m about to. Sungmin,” Ryeowook said, calling for the other man.
“What?” Sungmin asked, turning around in his seat to face Ryeowook.
“Let’s take a picture together, and I will send it out,” Ryeowook told him, holding up his phone.
“Oh, cool. No problem. MinWook is the new craze,” Sungmin joked.
“Do you mind getting up for a bit?” Ryeowook asked Kyuhyun, whose head still remained in his lap.
Kyuhyun sat up and glared at Ryeowook. “Why don’t you ask me to be in a picture?” Kyuhyun demanded to know.
Ryeowook did a double take and explained, “You hate Twitter.”
“I can be on Twitter without liking it.”
“You hate taking pictures,” Sungmin pointed out from the seat in front of them.
“Well, if you two are too good for me,” Kyuhyun said sulking.
“Okay, okay. Go up in the front seat with Sungmin, and I will take a picture of both of you,” Ryeowook said giving in.
“I don’t think so. KyuMin fans don’t need any encouragement,” Kyuhyun said, not moving from his seat.
“You’re right. They don’t need any encouragement, so if you pose with him or not, it won’t matter; they will make it into KyuMin, so be a good boy and pose with him,” Ryeowook informed Kyuhyun.
“What if I don’t want to pose with him?” Sungmin said, acting offended. “You just want to use KyuMin’s popularity to increase your followers.”
“Well...duh,” Ryeowook admitted honestly.
“You’d pimp me out like that?” Kyuhyun told him, looking extremely annoyed.
“I wasn’t pimping you out. It’s just a picture, for heaven’s sake. You live with him and share a room with him, for God’s sake. Don’t act like it is some huge bother to take a picture with him,” Ryeowook told him, smacking him gently on the leg.
“I don’t like encouraging dirty-minded people,” Kyuhyun told them, folding his arms across his chest, causing Ryeowook and Sungmin to both roll their eyes.
“You KyuMin hater!” Sungmin told him, but he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes, I am! You can whine all you want in your UFO’s about it, too!” Kyuhyun told Sungmin in a voice full of annoyance.
“You are still traumatized from that story you read,” Sungmin said laughing. “I will never forget the look on your face.”
“It was sick, I tell you! Sick! You’re my brother-in-law, after all!” Kyuhyun told him, looking slightly ill.
“Brother-in-law?” Sungmin asked confused.
“I mean, brother! You’re my most favorite Hyung ever,” Kyuhyun said, quickly covering, as Ryeowook snickered from beside him.
“If you won’t increase my followers by taking a picture with Sungmin, how do you want to take it?” Ryeowook asked him, bewildered by the extremely difficult young man.
“I will take one with you,” Kyuhyun informed him.
“What about KyuWook fans with their dirty minds?” Sungmin asked as he leaned over the seat and gently slapped Kyuhyun on the head.
“There are too few of them to worry about. I mean, nobody seriously thinks Ryeowook and I are together,” Kyuhyun explained to Sungmin with a huge grin on his face as he felt Ryeowook stiffen beside him.
“Very true. You two don’t exactly inspire the dirty-minded,” Sungmin said, laughing at the very thought of it.
“I couldn’t agree more. Can you take the picture?” Ryeowook said, handing the phone to Sungmin, attempting to change the subject fast.
“Okay,” Sungmin said taking the phone from Ryeowook as the other two men posed. “Kyuhyun, what the hell is that look?”
“It’s my Twitter picture look,” Kyuhyun explained.
“You look like an idiot,” Sungmin pointed out.
“I was going for more of an irritated look.”
“I am not taking your picture. You irritate me,” Sungmin said handing the phone back to Ryeowook.
“Why do I have to smile and be all fake?” Kyuhyun asked as he lifted his leg and kicked the back of Sungmin’s seat.
“Stop it,” Sungmin warned, leaning over his seat, trying to smack Kyuhyun, but the other ducked out of the way.
“I will take the picture, and you can look as irritating as you want,” Ryeowook told Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun responded by getting up close in Ryeowook’s personal space and peered closely into his face. Ryeowook snapped the picture and showed it to Kyuhyun.
“Perfect,” Kyuhyun said, taking the phone from Ryeowook and showing it to Sungmin.
“You look like you’re going to bite him,” Sungmin told him.
“Not on a bus full of people,” Kyuhyun told him, shaking his finger at Sungmin.
Ryeowook kicked Kyuhyun in the leg and took his phone back.
“Why does the fan meet have to be tomorrow? I don’t know if I can stand another road trip with you,” Sungmin couldn’t help but whine at the thought of more time spent in a closed vehicle with the difficult maknae.
“That’s right! I forgot! How did I forget?” Kyuhyun said gleefully as he plopped back down in Ryeowook’s lap and looked up at the other man lovingly.
“You didn’t forget,” Ryeowook grumbled as he continued to work with his phone.
“You’re right, I totally didn’t. I mean how could I forget a road trip with my two most favorite people in all the world?” Kyuhyun asked as he pulled his knees up in the seat, bending them, with his head still in Ryeowook’s lap.
“Your parents will be touched,” Sungmin told him as he started digging through his bag.
“Okay, maybe two of my four most favorite people in the world,” Kyuhyun said, clarifying, then he thought some more. “Okay, two of my five most favorite people in the world.”
Sungmin pulled out his headphones. “I am going to listen to music and hopefully sleep. I want to dream that I am going on a road trip with anybody but you.”
“Hey!” Kyuhyun said, glaring up at the man.
“Well, who knows what you might set fire to next!” Sungmin said, putting his headphones on before he could hear Kyuhyun’s rebuttal, and then turned around in his seat.
Kyuhyun glared at Sungmin through the seat as Ryeowook continued to focus on his phone. After a few moments passed and Sungmin didn’t return for a rematch, and Ryeowook still ignored him in favor of his phone, Kyuhyun stuck his hand up in Ryeowook’s face with one finger sticking up.
“Stop it,” Ryeowook mumbled to him as he moved to escape the hand in his face.
“You are number one, you know?” Kyuhyun whispered, looking up at Ryeowook batting his eyelashes.
Ryeowook put the phone away and looked down at Kyuhyun, and he looked long suffering. “Don’t even start.”
“I’m just saying…Ryeowook, Mom, Dad, Evil sister, and Sungmin.”
“Your sister isn’t evil,” Ryeowook said, smiling down at Kyuhyun, “and your mom and dad so beat me.”
“No, they don’t. They haven’t for a long time. I mean our purely platonic friendship is more important to me than anything….well, one thing would beat it out, but I don’t get to have that,” Kyuhyun told him in a low voice, maintaining eye contact, and he could almost feel Ryeowook’s discomfort.
“No, you don’t. It’s good that you value our purely platonic friendship, though; it’s great all by itself,” Ryeowook whispered to him as his hand disobeyed him and starting running though Kyuhyun’s hair.
“I do. I won’t do anything to ruin it. The next move is totally yours,” Kyuhyun told him, and he couldn’t help but yawn.
“There aren’t going to be anymore moves,” Ryeowook told him, unable to resist a small smile, as he watched Kyuhyun fight against the sleepiness that was assaulting him now.
“I’m just saying if you change your mind…I’m more than willing. You are…putting me to sleep,” Kyuhyun said, unable to fight off another yawn.
“Some say singing is my greatest talent, but little do they know,” Ryeowook joked as Kyuhyun fought to keep his eyes open.
“It is…cheating. I can’t - ” Kyuhyun stopped half sentence as another huge yawn over took him.
“Then sleep, Kyuhyun. You hardly got any sleep last night, and you made today rougher than it had to be. You have to be very sleepy. Sleep,” Ryeowook said in soft whisper that sent Kyuhyun straight to dreamland.
*****************
“I will do it for you,” Ryeowook offered the next morning as he watched Shindong trying his best to put his lunchbox together for his picnic with his girlfriend.
“No, I have to do it. You have helped too much already,” Shindong said, trying to slice a cucumber.
“It’s the thought that counts,” Ryeowook said, squinting his eyes as Shindong almost took off his thumb.
“It’s more than that. I want to be able to say I did it….with your supervision of course,” Shindong said as he tried to slice the cucumber into smaller slices.
“But what she doesn’t know won’t maim you,” Ryeowook insisted as he fluffed the rice, and placed the vegetables strategically to make them look pretty.
“You wouldn’t understand; everybody loves your cooking. It feels good to feed the one you love, and for them to like it,” Shindong said in frustration as one of the cucumbers went rolling off the cabinet onto the floor.
“Yes, because I only feed people I hate,” Ryeowook told the other man. Ryeowook’s frustration was building at having to be witness to Shindong mutilating poor, innocent cucumbers.
“It’s not the same as being in love,” Shindong informed him in a lovesick voice.
“Why do you have to go and make me nauseous so early in the morning?” Heechul sneered as he walked into the kitchen.
“It’s ten o’clock, and it’s never too early for love,” Shindong told Heechul, turning around as he continued trying to slice his cucumbers.
“Would she love you minus a finger? Because if you don’t watch what you are cutting, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Ryeowook said, grabbing the knife away from Shindong.
Ryeowook’s question just made Heechul break into laughter. “Don’t start!” Shindong warned, giving Heechul a nasty look.
“I didn’t say a thing,” Heechul told him as he opened the refrigerator and peered inside.
“I could hear you thinking it!” Shindong said frowning. “You know jealousy really - ” Shindong stopped suddenly as Eunhyuk rushed into the kitchen and grabbed Ryeowook by the arm.
“I gotta talk to you before you leave with Sungmin and Kyuhyun,” Eunhyuk said, trying to pull a very surprised Ryeowook out of the kitchen.
“Rudeness. Not here to steal more popsicles, I see?” Heechul said as he watched Eunhyuk drag Ryeowook out of the kitchen.
“Popsicles? Since when do we have popsicles?” Shindong asked, his eyes lighting up.
“There were some a couple weeks ago. Didn’t you see them?” Heechul asked, turning his focus entirely on Shindong now.
“We didn’t have any popsicles; if we did, I would have known about it,” Shindong said as he turned back to his lunchbox.
“Yes, you would have, wouldn’t you?” Heechul replied back to him very suspiciously as he peered off in the direction that Eunhyuk had dragged Ryeowook.
Author: aquariuslover
Pairing: KyuWook
Rating: R
Genre: Friendship, Love
Beta: unicornsinger
Summary: This is a completely fictional tale about the thin line between love and friendship, and how easily that line can become blurred.
TFAN Chapters
“What secret?” Donghae asked, walking up to them with a bottle of water.
“How I acted the fool and made you guys chase after me in your pajamas all through the city. I want to keep that a secret…forever,” Kyuhyun answered quickly at the man’s sudden appearance.
“You got some!” Eunhyuk said excitedly as he grabbed the bottle of water from Donghae and started guzzling it down.
“I doubt it stays a secret. Some of those girls had their phones out filming us. I am sure there are fan cams popping up as we speak,” Donghae told him as he pulled the water away from Eunhyuk before he could drink it all and handed it to Kyuhyun.
Kyuhyun took the water eagerly and finished the bottle off. “We need more.”
“I barely got that. The dude was not amused with me; I think he finally gave me the bottle just to get rid of me.”
“Darn, it was a dude. I was hoping it was a girl,” Eunhyuk responded sadly.
“What we need is a phone,” Kyuhyun pointed out as he surveyed the people in the park.
“I wonder what time it is,” Donghae asked, looking up at the sun.
“If they have already left for rehearsals, we are so dead,” Eunhyuk said, sighing as he imagined the already angry manager’s wrath. “Especially after we burned the dorm down.”
“We didn’t burn the dorm down. It just had some smoke damage. It should be fine by tonight,” Kyuhyun said, his gaze focused on an older couple who were walking with their little white dog.
“If Leeteuk has any say in the matter, the dorm will be ready tonight, that’s for sure,” Eunhyuk replied, remembering the Leader’s multiple complaints last night.
“He sure wasn’t any fun,” Donghae agreed.
“What are you up to? Why are you looking at them like that?” Eunhyuk asked as he noticed the elderly couple that had caught Kyuhyun’s interest.
“We need to ask somebody if we can borrow their phone, and I think you should ask them,” Kyuhyun said, pointing to the elderly couple.
“Me?” Eunhyuk asked confused.
“You are the most well known of us, so there is a greater chance that they will recognize you.”
“How do you even know they have a phone?” Donghae asked.
“Because I’m a psychic,” Kyuhyun told him sarcastically.
“Huh?” Eunhyuk and Donghae both shared a confused look with each other.
“No, you idiots! I just saw the old woman using one not even five minutes ago,” Kyuhyun told them, rolling his eyes. “Do you think I just randomly picked them because I liked their doggy?”
“You are the evilest maknae ever,” Eunhyuk told him, looking offended.
“No respect for anybody,” Donghae confirmed.
“I’m so ashamed, I promise to be nice from now on,” Kyuhyun told them in the most insincere way possible, and then ordered, “Now go get us that phone.”
“Who are we going to call if I do get it? I am not calling the manager; he will kill us.”
“We will have to call a member,” Donghae realized.
“I have a feeling they are already on their way to rehearsal. It has to be past nine by now,” Kyuhyun pointed out regretfully.
“I don’t even know my friends numbers. I don’t even know yours. I use my cell for everything,” Donghae told them, running a hand through his hair.
“Me too. I don’t know anybodies number, except my ex girlfriends, and my parent’s home phone,” Eunhyuk admitted.
“I know most of my family members, but of the members, I only remember Sungmin’s, because we are constantly changing our numbers,” Kyuhyun reluctantly informed them.
“I’m not calling Sungmin.” Eunhyuk informed them. “I’d rather run back to the dorm and miss the festival entirely before I would call him.”
“Agreed!” Donghae blurted out. “He was scary mad last night after we caught the kitchen on fire.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, unless you want to call my mom,” Kyuhyun said innocently, trying to hide a smile.
“You don’t know Ryeowook’s number?” Eunhyuk asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing in on Kyuhyun.
“I can’t remember it,” Kyuhyun told him with an expression that made it look like he was trying really hard to remember.
“Okay, I will get the phone, and you get to call Sungmin,” Eunhyuk said, taking Kyuhyun by the arm and dragging him with him toward the elderly couple.
“I think it’s important to remember that we are in our pajamas, and we look crazy,” Donghae said, hurrying up beside Eunhyuk.
“If they ask, tell them you’re in some kind of variety show, and the evil director left you stranded in the park,” Kyuhyun offered as they got closer to the couple.
“I think you should do the talking, since you’re so clever,” Eunhyuk said after stopping suddenly.
“Yeah, and you’ve got clothes on,” Donghae agreed with Eunhyuk.
“You just stay back here and look pretty then…and smile really big,” Kyuhyun told them, looking annoyed as he left them to walk up to the elderly couple.
“He could be a little more grateful. It is his fault that we are here,” Donghae complained as he watched the younger man approach the couple and start talking.
“Exactly, there isn’t any way in hell he doesn’t remember Ryeowook’s number. I bet he knows all our numbers,” Eunhyuk said, glaring at Kyuhyun.
“He is a math genius,” Donghae said frowning. “Why would he say he doesn’t know any of the numbers, except Sungmin’s?”
“Who knows how that evil brain works? He probably just wanted to watch me squirm as I called Sungmin,” Eunhyuk pondered as he noticed the elderly couple giving him and Donghae pitiful smiles.
“Why are they looking at us like that?” Donghae asked as the little lady gave them a sweet little wave.
“I don’t know,” Eunhyuk answered as he waved back. He saw Kyuhyun using their phone.
“I am praying that they are still there….if we missed rehearsal. If the manager doesn’t kill us, Leeteuk will…he was so grumpy last night,” Donghae said sitting back down in the grass.
“He really is getting old,” Eunhyuk said, sitting down beside Donghae.
“I know; he is like obsessed with sleep,” Donghae confirmed. “That happens with age, I hear.”
“True,” Eunhyuk said, agreeing with Donghae as he saw Kyuhyun bowing to the elderly couple, who seemed to be praising him. The elderly lady even gave him a hug. “This can’t be good.”
“They are waving at us again,” Donghae said as he waved back to the couple.
“Like we are retarded,” Eunhyuk pointed out as Kyuhyun walked back toward them.
“What did you tell them about us?” Donghae asked as Kyuhyun approached them.
“Does it matter?” Kyuhyun asked as he walked up to the other two men who were sitting side by side on the grass and started patting them each on the head.
“Yes!” Donghae and Eunhyuk both insisted.
Kyuhyun couldn’t help but grin. “Well, it seems you two are special……in the mentally challenged way, and you escaped from the psychiatric hospital where you live…and I am just watching you ‘till help arrives.”
“I hate you,” Eunhyuk told him with a huge frown on his face as Kyuhyun continued to pat his head like he was his favorite pet.
“I hate you more!” Donghae told him as he knocked Kyuhyun’s hand off his head.
“What? I didn’t tell them you were violent; you’re just really slow,” Kyuhyun said, snickering.
“Jerk. Did you talk to Sungmin? Is he sending help?” Donghae demanded as he climbed back to his feet.
“I talked to Siwon, and they have already left, but they are sending staff to pick us up,” Kyuhyun told him, still grinning.
“Siwon! I thought you only remembered Sungmin’s number?” Eunhyuk said, looking up at him from his spot on the ground, his voice was full of accusation.
“I know isn’t it funny how my brain works? All those numbers just came back to me suddenly. I think it’s because my brain is so big, that I can only access certain things at a time.”
“You’re a big freaking asshole is what you are!” Donghae told him.
“Such words,” Kyuhyun said, shaking his head and acting highly insulted.
*******************
The performance at the festival was over, the boys and staff crammed into two large vans. Kyuhyun made sure to get on the same van as Ryeowook, who was walking in front of him with Sungmin.
Ryeowook entered the van and took a seat by the window. Sungmin was about to sit down beside him when Kyuhyun crammed between them and took the spot instead. “Sorry, but I’m really sleepy, and I need my favorite pillow,” Kyuhyun told Sungmin as he slapped Ryeowook’s thigh.
“I bet you are, since you ran all over the city this morning,” Sungmin said, not moving, as he stood above Kyuhyun glaring.
“Plus he was up all night crying and slobbering too,” Yesung couldn’t help but add as he scooted past Sungmin to take the seat behind Ryeowook and Kyuhyun.
“Huh?” Sungmin asked, confused, as Heechul stopped beside him.
“Crying and slobbering?” Heechul asked, overhearing Yesung, too.
“He had one of those awful nightmares,” Ryeowook explained as he wrapped an arm around the younger man beside him. Kyuhyun leaned into Ryeowook and let him do the talking as he looked pitifully up at Sungmin and Heechul.
“Oh” Sungmin said, instantly more understanding. He had shared a room with Kyuhyun enough to know just how awful those nightmares could be.
“You are just strange,” Heechul said, watching Ryeowook and Kyuhyun closely.
“He was more than strange last night. He woke up fruiter than a fruitcake. I almost felt like crying myself from just watching him. He should always be a brat, not broken like that,” Yesung commented from behind them.
Heechul’s expression softened. “Sleep, kid,” Heechul said, walking past Sungmin, and then yelled at Shindong, “Get your fat ass out of the backseat; you know I sit there.”
“Not today, princess!” Shindong yelled back at him.
“Those two,” Sungmin said, rolling his eyes at their bickering that would have shocked anybody else…..anybody who didn’t know their brutal form of teasing. “I guess I will sit in front of you.”
“Sorry,” Kyuhyun said as he laid his head down on Ryeowook’s lap, not looking the least bit sorry.
“Just get some rest. We are back in our room tonight, and I don’t want to deal with your cranky ass in the morning,” Sungmin said as he situated himself in the front seat.
“This doesn’t bother you any, does it? You know friends and all?” Kyuhyun whispered to Ryeowook, who seemed to be concentrating on something.
Ryeowook looked down at him and smiled. “Oh, not all.”
“Good,” Kyuhyun said, grinning up at him. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night - ”
Ryeowook interrupted him quickly, “You never have to apologize for that.”
“But I do, because I have no right to ask such things of you. You’re not my keeper. I know you’d rather not be bothered.”
Ryeowook was now looking at Kyuhyun suspiciously, trying to determine just what the younger man was up to. “I’m your friend; it wasn’t a bother.”
“Well, this morning was definitely me over stepping our boundaries,” Kyuhyun said, looking up at Ryeowook innocently.
“Yes, it was. I trust it won’t happen again,” Ryeowook told Kyuhyun seriously, causing the younger man to frown.
“Nothing like that will ever happen again…unless you start it,” Kyuhyun told Ryeowook, sounding slightly annoyed.
Ryeowook just smiled down at him. “Good, then we never need to worry about that again.” Ryeowook then pulled out his phone and started looking at it.
Kyuhyun just stared up at Ryeowook, totally annoyed; if he hadn’t known better, he would have completely believed him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m updating Twitter. I thought you were sleepy?” Ryeowook answered, not looking at the other man, completely focused on his phone.
“Sending pictures out?” Kyuhyun asked, fighting the urge to grab the phone and stomp on it.
“I’m about to. Sungmin,” Ryeowook said, calling for the other man.
“What?” Sungmin asked, turning around in his seat to face Ryeowook.
“Let’s take a picture together, and I will send it out,” Ryeowook told him, holding up his phone.
“Oh, cool. No problem. MinWook is the new craze,” Sungmin joked.
“Do you mind getting up for a bit?” Ryeowook asked Kyuhyun, whose head still remained in his lap.
Kyuhyun sat up and glared at Ryeowook. “Why don’t you ask me to be in a picture?” Kyuhyun demanded to know.
Ryeowook did a double take and explained, “You hate Twitter.”
“I can be on Twitter without liking it.”
“You hate taking pictures,” Sungmin pointed out from the seat in front of them.
“Well, if you two are too good for me,” Kyuhyun said sulking.
“Okay, okay. Go up in the front seat with Sungmin, and I will take a picture of both of you,” Ryeowook said giving in.
“I don’t think so. KyuMin fans don’t need any encouragement,” Kyuhyun said, not moving from his seat.
“You’re right. They don’t need any encouragement, so if you pose with him or not, it won’t matter; they will make it into KyuMin, so be a good boy and pose with him,” Ryeowook informed Kyuhyun.
“What if I don’t want to pose with him?” Sungmin said, acting offended. “You just want to use KyuMin’s popularity to increase your followers.”
“Well...duh,” Ryeowook admitted honestly.
“You’d pimp me out like that?” Kyuhyun told him, looking extremely annoyed.
“I wasn’t pimping you out. It’s just a picture, for heaven’s sake. You live with him and share a room with him, for God’s sake. Don’t act like it is some huge bother to take a picture with him,” Ryeowook told him, smacking him gently on the leg.
“I don’t like encouraging dirty-minded people,” Kyuhyun told them, folding his arms across his chest, causing Ryeowook and Sungmin to both roll their eyes.
“You KyuMin hater!” Sungmin told him, but he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes, I am! You can whine all you want in your UFO’s about it, too!” Kyuhyun told Sungmin in a voice full of annoyance.
“You are still traumatized from that story you read,” Sungmin said laughing. “I will never forget the look on your face.”
“It was sick, I tell you! Sick! You’re my brother-in-law, after all!” Kyuhyun told him, looking slightly ill.
“Brother-in-law?” Sungmin asked confused.
“I mean, brother! You’re my most favorite Hyung ever,” Kyuhyun said, quickly covering, as Ryeowook snickered from beside him.
“If you won’t increase my followers by taking a picture with Sungmin, how do you want to take it?” Ryeowook asked him, bewildered by the extremely difficult young man.
“I will take one with you,” Kyuhyun informed him.
“What about KyuWook fans with their dirty minds?” Sungmin asked as he leaned over the seat and gently slapped Kyuhyun on the head.
“There are too few of them to worry about. I mean, nobody seriously thinks Ryeowook and I are together,” Kyuhyun explained to Sungmin with a huge grin on his face as he felt Ryeowook stiffen beside him.
“Very true. You two don’t exactly inspire the dirty-minded,” Sungmin said, laughing at the very thought of it.
“I couldn’t agree more. Can you take the picture?” Ryeowook said, handing the phone to Sungmin, attempting to change the subject fast.
“Okay,” Sungmin said taking the phone from Ryeowook as the other two men posed. “Kyuhyun, what the hell is that look?”
“It’s my Twitter picture look,” Kyuhyun explained.
“You look like an idiot,” Sungmin pointed out.
“I was going for more of an irritated look.”
“I am not taking your picture. You irritate me,” Sungmin said handing the phone back to Ryeowook.
“Why do I have to smile and be all fake?” Kyuhyun asked as he lifted his leg and kicked the back of Sungmin’s seat.
“Stop it,” Sungmin warned, leaning over his seat, trying to smack Kyuhyun, but the other ducked out of the way.
“I will take the picture, and you can look as irritating as you want,” Ryeowook told Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun responded by getting up close in Ryeowook’s personal space and peered closely into his face. Ryeowook snapped the picture and showed it to Kyuhyun.
“Perfect,” Kyuhyun said, taking the phone from Ryeowook and showing it to Sungmin.
“You look like you’re going to bite him,” Sungmin told him.
“Not on a bus full of people,” Kyuhyun told him, shaking his finger at Sungmin.
Ryeowook kicked Kyuhyun in the leg and took his phone back.
“Why does the fan meet have to be tomorrow? I don’t know if I can stand another road trip with you,” Sungmin couldn’t help but whine at the thought of more time spent in a closed vehicle with the difficult maknae.
“That’s right! I forgot! How did I forget?” Kyuhyun said gleefully as he plopped back down in Ryeowook’s lap and looked up at the other man lovingly.
“You didn’t forget,” Ryeowook grumbled as he continued to work with his phone.
“You’re right, I totally didn’t. I mean how could I forget a road trip with my two most favorite people in all the world?” Kyuhyun asked as he pulled his knees up in the seat, bending them, with his head still in Ryeowook’s lap.
“Your parents will be touched,” Sungmin told him as he started digging through his bag.
“Okay, maybe two of my four most favorite people in the world,” Kyuhyun said, clarifying, then he thought some more. “Okay, two of my five most favorite people in the world.”
Sungmin pulled out his headphones. “I am going to listen to music and hopefully sleep. I want to dream that I am going on a road trip with anybody but you.”
“Hey!” Kyuhyun said, glaring up at the man.
“Well, who knows what you might set fire to next!” Sungmin said, putting his headphones on before he could hear Kyuhyun’s rebuttal, and then turned around in his seat.
Kyuhyun glared at Sungmin through the seat as Ryeowook continued to focus on his phone. After a few moments passed and Sungmin didn’t return for a rematch, and Ryeowook still ignored him in favor of his phone, Kyuhyun stuck his hand up in Ryeowook’s face with one finger sticking up.
“Stop it,” Ryeowook mumbled to him as he moved to escape the hand in his face.
“You are number one, you know?” Kyuhyun whispered, looking up at Ryeowook batting his eyelashes.
Ryeowook put the phone away and looked down at Kyuhyun, and he looked long suffering. “Don’t even start.”
“I’m just saying…Ryeowook, Mom, Dad, Evil sister, and Sungmin.”
“Your sister isn’t evil,” Ryeowook said, smiling down at Kyuhyun, “and your mom and dad so beat me.”
“No, they don’t. They haven’t for a long time. I mean our purely platonic friendship is more important to me than anything….well, one thing would beat it out, but I don’t get to have that,” Kyuhyun told him in a low voice, maintaining eye contact, and he could almost feel Ryeowook’s discomfort.
“No, you don’t. It’s good that you value our purely platonic friendship, though; it’s great all by itself,” Ryeowook whispered to him as his hand disobeyed him and starting running though Kyuhyun’s hair.
“I do. I won’t do anything to ruin it. The next move is totally yours,” Kyuhyun told him, and he couldn’t help but yawn.
“There aren’t going to be anymore moves,” Ryeowook told him, unable to resist a small smile, as he watched Kyuhyun fight against the sleepiness that was assaulting him now.
“I’m just saying if you change your mind…I’m more than willing. You are…putting me to sleep,” Kyuhyun said, unable to fight off another yawn.
“Some say singing is my greatest talent, but little do they know,” Ryeowook joked as Kyuhyun fought to keep his eyes open.
“It is…cheating. I can’t - ” Kyuhyun stopped half sentence as another huge yawn over took him.
“Then sleep, Kyuhyun. You hardly got any sleep last night, and you made today rougher than it had to be. You have to be very sleepy. Sleep,” Ryeowook said in soft whisper that sent Kyuhyun straight to dreamland.
*****************
“I will do it for you,” Ryeowook offered the next morning as he watched Shindong trying his best to put his lunchbox together for his picnic with his girlfriend.
“No, I have to do it. You have helped too much already,” Shindong said, trying to slice a cucumber.
“It’s the thought that counts,” Ryeowook said, squinting his eyes as Shindong almost took off his thumb.
“It’s more than that. I want to be able to say I did it….with your supervision of course,” Shindong said as he tried to slice the cucumber into smaller slices.
“But what she doesn’t know won’t maim you,” Ryeowook insisted as he fluffed the rice, and placed the vegetables strategically to make them look pretty.
“You wouldn’t understand; everybody loves your cooking. It feels good to feed the one you love, and for them to like it,” Shindong said in frustration as one of the cucumbers went rolling off the cabinet onto the floor.
“Yes, because I only feed people I hate,” Ryeowook told the other man. Ryeowook’s frustration was building at having to be witness to Shindong mutilating poor, innocent cucumbers.
“It’s not the same as being in love,” Shindong informed him in a lovesick voice.
“Why do you have to go and make me nauseous so early in the morning?” Heechul sneered as he walked into the kitchen.
“It’s ten o’clock, and it’s never too early for love,” Shindong told Heechul, turning around as he continued trying to slice his cucumbers.
“Would she love you minus a finger? Because if you don’t watch what you are cutting, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Ryeowook said, grabbing the knife away from Shindong.
Ryeowook’s question just made Heechul break into laughter. “Don’t start!” Shindong warned, giving Heechul a nasty look.
“I didn’t say a thing,” Heechul told him as he opened the refrigerator and peered inside.
“I could hear you thinking it!” Shindong said frowning. “You know jealousy really - ” Shindong stopped suddenly as Eunhyuk rushed into the kitchen and grabbed Ryeowook by the arm.
“I gotta talk to you before you leave with Sungmin and Kyuhyun,” Eunhyuk said, trying to pull a very surprised Ryeowook out of the kitchen.
“Rudeness. Not here to steal more popsicles, I see?” Heechul said as he watched Eunhyuk drag Ryeowook out of the kitchen.
“Popsicles? Since when do we have popsicles?” Shindong asked, his eyes lighting up.
“There were some a couple weeks ago. Didn’t you see them?” Heechul asked, turning his focus entirely on Shindong now.
“We didn’t have any popsicles; if we did, I would have known about it,” Shindong said as he turned back to his lunchbox.
“Yes, you would have, wouldn’t you?” Heechul replied back to him very suspiciously as he peered off in the direction that Eunhyuk had dragged Ryeowook.