The Fight About Nothing, Chapter Five

[aquariuslover]

Title: The Fight About Nothing
Author: Aquariuslover
Pairing: Kyuwook
Rating: R
Genre: Friendship, Love

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

He wasn’t jealous. He was selfish, and there was a distinct difference in the two feelings. His desire to go over there and rip that girl’s hair out had nothing to do with jealousy, but it had everything to do with selfishness. Kyuhyun told himself this, as he glared at Luna and Ryeowook talking in the doorway.

He had found this room to hide in, so he could avoid everybody. His anti-social behavior had started last night after Sungmin had woke him up to take his medicine, and he had been unable to go back to sleep.

Unfortunately for him, Ryeowook’s radar that seemed to be permanently set to find him, was working fine today. He had avoided Ryeowook at breakfast and in the van, where he had thrown himself between Eunhyuk and Donghae, refusing to move. He had continued to avoid Ryeowook during rehearsal.

Ryeowook had almost made it to Kyuhyun to start the interrogation when she had stopped him. If she hadn’t stopped Ryeowook, Kyuhyun realized he would probably be napping now. Ryeowook’s ability to put him to sleep was uncanny, and Kyuhyun filed it away as an example of how boring he found Ryeowook and nothing else. So he wasn’t jealous…he was just selfish, because he really did need a nap before he had to perform.

He was about to offer Luna a most humiliating suggestion on how she could better control her voice, when Yesung squeezed between them and entered the room. Yesung looked at the two people in the doorway, and then looked at Kyuhyun as he put his finger up to his mouth and made loud gagging noises.

Ryeowook glared, Luna blushed, and Kyuhyun smiled. Kyuhyun patted the spot next to him on the couch, signaling for Yesung to take a seat. Kyuhyun decided his anti-social behavior, from this moment on, would not include Yesung, who himself was very selfish.

“You look awful,” Yesung said as he took the seat next to Kyuhyun, giving him a good looking over.

“It matches how I feel.”

“If you pass out today on stage, your fan numbers will probably double.” Yesung didn’t look worried, but envious, as he pointed this out.

“Well, that’s a big possibility.” Kyuhyun was talking to Yesung, but he had one eye on Ryeowook who was obviously eavesdropping on them. Ryeowook seemed to be trying to end his conversation with Luna, but the young girl was oblivious and kept babbling on.

“Well if you do, the Company is only going to get more grief for making you come back too soon.”

“I have had a long time off. It isn’t their fault I got another infection.”

“Exactly, but still you probably shouldn’t faint.”

“I will try not to.”

“If you were in one of the main waiting rooms now, the girls would be piling up to wish you well and to mother you.”

“Oh, I get enough mothering, thank you, and I’m not in the mood for silly girls. I was trying to avoid all of that, but unfortunately, some people bring their silly girls into the room where I am trying to rest,” Kyuhyun spoke loudly, so eavesdropping wouldn’t be necessary.

The look of hurt on Luna’s face didn’t bother Kyuhyun in the least as she scampered off. Ryeowook didn’t look upset, but worried, by Kyuhyun’s outburst. Ryeowook turned and walked over to him, not giving Luna a second glance. Kyuhyun wrapped his hand around Yesung’s arm, so Ryeowook would know he wasn’t invited.

“I feel exactly the same way. A true artist should take some time to reflect, focus before their performance, and not mingle.”

“Exactly,” Kyuhyun answered as he watched Ryeowook, who had stopped directly in front of him, not saying a word.

“It’s sad that Ryeowook’s falling victim to such petty matters. His artistry is bound to suffer.” Yesung said, while he tried to shake free of the death grip Kyuhyun had on him.

Instead of arguing back with them, Ryeowook just put his hand through Kyuhyun’s hair and said, “I’m sorry.” Kyuhyun mentally cursed his body as it betrayed him, and much of the tension left at Ryeowook’s touch.

“Well, we will cover for you today. Well, actually, I will probably have to cover for both of you today,” Yesung informed them as he tried to shake loose of Kyuhyun again. “Why are you clinging to me?”

“I missed you?”

“Of course you did, but save this for the cameras,” Yesung told him. Kyuhyun finally let go of him and couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you laughing? Fan service is a very important part of being an idol!”

“Yesung, you - ” Ryeowook stopped, rolling his eyes at the older man as his hand continued to brush through Kyuhyun’s hair.

“Don’t Yesung me! We need to be doing some major fan service; the YeWook fans are just heartbroken that we are no……..longer roommates. You should find me at the end of the show and hug me.”

“Why do I have to find you? Why can’t you find me?” Ryeowook asked as he sneakily squeezed between the two of them on the couch.

“Because it was obviously your fault, and you are trying to make it up to me,” Yesung informed him.

“What’s my fault?”

“The YeWook break-up,” Yesung informed Ryeowook.

“We broke up? Why do the fans think it’s my fault? Why would they think that?” Ryeowook asked, a hint of dread coloring his face.

“There may have been a rumor,” Yesung said, rubbing his neck and avoiding eye contact with Ryeowook. Kyuhyun laughed from his spot on Ryeowook’s lap. How the freaking heck did his head get on Ryeowook’s lap, he wondered?

“Did you spread a rumor that I did something to you on one of the Yewook sites you visit?” Ryeowook accused Yesung, as one hand toyed with Kyuhyun’s hair and the other one gently massaged his back.

“Well, they were very curious once Heechul announced that you lived on the top floor now, and I didn’t want them to think it was my fault.”

“It was your fault. You wanted your own private room,” Ryeowook informed him.

“As if,” was all Kyuhyun could manage to get out, but he couldn’t help but feel disgruntled that the fans apparently knew about the change in living arrangements before he did. He couldn’t get too worked up about it, though, because Ryeowook’s hands were working their magic, and he could feel himself drifting off to a happy sleep. If Kyuhyun had been a cat, he would have purred.

“I couldn’t very well tell them that, so instead I told them - ” Yesung stopped, suddenly wondering if he should move farther down the couch from Ryeowook.

“What did you tell them about me?”

“First, you should know that your boy is very tired and cranky. He needs his nap, so if you get up and try to hurt me, it will be him that suffers,” Yesung pointed out as he slid farther down the couch.

Ryeowook looked down at the sleeping Kyuhyun in his lap and then back at Yesung. “What did you do?”

“You and Sungmin were baking cookies, and one thing led to another….and you two kissed. Fate would have it that Kyuhyun and I walked in at that exact moment. Kyuhyun was of course heartbroken that Sungmin would cheat on him...and hence the reason he got so sick. I, however, was outraged and threw you from our room.”

“You…you spread that?” Ryeowook swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to control his rage.

“Well, not me, but an insider who has proven to have accurate facts in the past.” Yesung jumped from the couch when it looked like Ryeowook was about to lunge at him. “Kyuhyun needs his rest; he’s feeling bad today, and they are expecting way too much of him. If you get up and try to kill me, he’s the one that will suffer. I think -” Yesung jumped and turned around as he felt a finger tapping his shoulder.

Sungmin and Leeteuk stood behind him. “Lucky for Ryeowook, I’m here to kill you,” Sungmin said, and he did have a murderous look in his eyes. Yesung took off out of the room like cat on fire, and Sungmin was right behind him.

Leeteuk chuckled as Sungmin took off after the fleeing Yesung. He took a seat next to Ryeowook. “You want to tell me why Luna is crying, and their manager is shooting me dirty looks?”

Ryeowook looked down at Kyuhyun. “He’s very cranky.”

“Oh, so it was him. I thought you might have broken the girl’s heart or something.”

“Hardly.”

“I thought he was avoiding you today? Although he did a good job of making it look like he was avoiding us all,” Leeteuk said, looking down at Kyuhyun fondly.

“He was.”

“So, you have taken care of that problem?”

“Only because he fell asleep, but I’m afraid that when he wakes up, it will be worse,” Ryeowook told the leader, while his hands never stopped working their magic on Kyuhyun.

Leeteuk sighed, not wanting to hear that. “Can’t you fix whatever it is that’s wrong with the two of you?”

“I have tried, and it will be okay for awhile, but the way I fixed it just causes him to get mad sometimes.”

“The fight about nothing is becoming something of a problem. I guess you wouldn’t want to enlighten me on what it was really about?” Leeteuk asked, watching as Ryeowook turned red. Ryeowook looked away from him, shaking his head no. “I didn’t think so.”

“I wish I could, but I just can’t,” Ryeowook told him, sounding truly sorry, and finding it very difficult to look at the leader.

“It’s alright, but we are going to have to wake him.” Leeteuk turned his focus to Kyuhyun and patted his shoulder. “Hey, it’s time to wake up now.”

“No,” Kyuhyun told him, burying his face deeper into Ryeowook’s lap.

“As soon as the show is over, you can sleep as much as you want,” Leeteuk told Kyuhyun as he stood up and motioned for Ryeowook to do the same.

Ryeowook slid out from under Kyuhyun and stood next to Leeteuk. Kyuhyun opened his eyes, but did not raise his head from the couch. Leeteuk turned to Ryeowook and told him, “Go apologize for him, and make nice with her, so it doesn’t affect their performance. We don’t need to be blamed for that.”

“Okay,” Ryeowook told Leeteuk, but he was eyeing Kyuhyun, who was looking at them, confused.

“I will take care of him,” Leeteuk told Ryeowook as the younger man left the room.

Leeteuk knelt down till he was eye to eye with Kyuhyun. “So it’s your big comeback today. How do you feel about that?”

“Nauseous.”

“That’s not good, but I know you will pull it together for the members and the fans.”

Kyuhyun sat up on the couch. “I will?”

“Yes, because that’s what you do,” Leeteuk said as he eyed the pale younger man, whose bones seemed to be sticking out at him.

“I am just tired of always hurting, being tired, or being sick.”

“I know, but you got to suck it up.”

Kyuhyun nodded his head. Leeteuk stood up and offered Kyuhyun his hand, and the younger man took it and stood up. “We got to get you to a make-up artist first, though,” Leeteuk said, leading Kyuhyun out of the room.

*****************

“You make me sick,” Sungmin told Yesung from his seat beside Kyuhyun on the ride back to the dorm. Kyuhyun had the unfortunate honor of sitting between them. Yesung had grabbed him so he could use him as a human shield against Sungmin, and because Kyuhyun was trying to avoid Ryeowook, he had let him.

Shindong, who sat in the seats in front of them with Ryeowook, could be heard laughing. “It isn’t funny. There are some crazy fans out there who will believe his lies. That I am some kind of cheater that broke Kyuhyun’s heart and caused him to be hospitalized!”

“Sungmin, nobody really believes that couple stuff; it’s just for fun. Can’t we just be glad that Kyuhyun didn’t pass out on stage?” Shindong said, attempting to calm his red faced friend.

“Oh, not only do they believe it, it affects your popularity,” Sungmin told Shindong. “No, wonder Yesung’s popularity has taken such a sudden boost…the innocent victim my ass.”

“Hey, I’m the one that it made literally ill. I should get a boost, too.” Kyuhyun pointed out evilly. He had been rejuvenated by the fact that he had made it though Bonamana without falling on his face, but that energy was already beginning to fade. He suddenly wished he was anywhere but between the bickering Yesung and Sungmin.

“You did, plus you were really in the hospital; your numbers are amazing,” Yesung told him.

“You’re a real friend,” Kyuhyun told him as he rested his head against his arm.

“Well, the two victims have to stick together.” Yesung smirked.

“I will make you think victim when I beat the hell out of you,” Sungmin said, trying to pull Kyuhyun away, but accidentally elbowing him in the stomach, as he whacked Yesung in the chest.

“Ouch! Such violence,” Yesung yelled.

“Do I have to stop this vehicle?” The driver yelled, stopping Sungmin from committing any further beatings.

“Please do, and let me out?” Kyuhyun begged, but the driver ignored him. He really regretted his decision to not sit with Ryeowook now. He could have been sleeping.

“You chose to sit back there,” Ryeowook pointed out, as if he could read Kyuhyun’s thoughts. Kyuhyun frowned. How he hated it when Ryeowook did that.

“I’m sorry,” Sungmin told Kyuhyun, and then patted his own shoulder, “sleep here. I will wait and kill Yesung later…when there aren’t any witnesses.”

“I don’t think so, home wrecker,” Kyuhyun told him, and leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

“Don’t encourage him,” Yesung hissed.

“Like anybody believes you two would kiss,” Shindong told them. Kyuhyun eyes flew open, and he wished he could see Ryeowook’s expression.

“But all the MinWook action lately made it seem lots more believable. It’s almost like you were trying to help my rumor out,” Yesung said smiling.

“What? There isn’t any more MinWook action! We are the same as always,” Sungmin told him, shaking his head.

“Not true, the little maknae wasn’t here to get all your attention, so you two have been extra close while he was away.”

“Of course we are extra close! We are the only nice people we know,” Ryeowook turned around in his seat to tell Yesung.

Shindong also turned around to face them. “Like I said, nobody would believe that you two would kiss……your both, how can I say this politely?”

“What?” Ryeowook and Sungmin asked at the same time.

“Well, umm you two would both be considered bottoms and two bottoms never go together, if I understand homosexuality correctly,” Shindong informed them. “I am pretty sure it works that way, but I am not an expert. I think if Ryeowook had kissed me or Siwon, it would have been more believable.”

Sungmin just stared at Shindong, speechless. Ryeowook turned completely red and turned back around and just slid down in his seat. Kyuhyun couldn’t help but notice that Ryeowook didn’t deny it, while Sungmin’s look had turned murderous.

“I always knew I was on top when it came to KyuMin,” Kyuhyun couldn’t help but add, but held his hands up quickly when Sungmin turned on him in fury. “Sick, remember I’m sick!”

**********

“We can always eat cereal?” Eunhyuk said as he looked through the cabinets of their kitchen.

“There isn’t any milk,” Yesung pointed out.

“This is your fault,” Kyuhyun told Yesung from his seat at the table. The moment they had got home, Sungmin had run into his room, grabbed Kyuhyun’s medicine and thrown it at him, and then locked himself up in their room, refusing to let Kyuhyun in.

“Excuse me? It was your last comment that sent him over the edge,” Yesung pointed out as he looked in the refrigerator for the tenth time. “Thanks to you, our ride home consisted of getting a lecture on how the color pink does not define a man’s masculinity.”

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but start to chuckle. “It was just an innocent comment.”

“I am so glad I wasn’t riding with you guys,” Eunhyuk told them as he took a seat at the table next to Kyuhyun and pulled out his phone.

“I’d call my mom, but she’s out of town visiting relatives,” Yesung said, taking another seat at the table.

“I don’t know why I have to suffer with you guys. I didn’t do anything. I’m a total innocent here,” Eunhyuk said, while looking at his phone. “Oh, he’s on Twitter.”

Yesung immediately pulled out his phone and started looking at Twitter. “Thank goodness, he’s just going on about sadness, loneliness and darkness.”

“Eunhyuk, you’re his oldest friend; go talk him down.” Kyuhyun begged. “All the candy Ryeowook saved for me is locked up in there with him. I am sure he’s eating it all to spite me.”

“You know, I tried, but nothing is working.”

“We will just have to order take out,” Yesung declared, not taking his eyes off his phone, in case Sungmin decided to share some unflattering news about him.

“I don’t want take out,” Kyuhyun whined.

“Why do you have to be so picky? Take out is good!” Eunhyuk said, without looking up from his phone.

“Then let me call Ryeowook and tell him that Sungmin is starving you. Then we will all get to eat,” Yesung told him.

“Ryeowook shouldn’t be on the top floor! He should be with us,” Eunhyuk pouted. “Donghae and Leeteuk are always bragging about all the great food they get to eat.” Eunhyuk turned to Yesung. “Why couldn’t you have moved up there instead?”

“I am the elder, and I’m not giving up my room,” Yesung informed him. “So can I call Ryeowook?”

“No!” Kyuhyun practically spit out at him.

“Aren’t we the cranky pants?”

“Is this still about your fight? I thought you two made up?” Eunhyuk asked, concerned.

“They are good. Kyuhyun was totally asleep in Ryeowook’s lap earlier.”

“I didn’t want to fall asleep in his lap. It’s just that you two were so boring, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, how I wish that conversation had stayed boring. We would be eating now, and my life wouldn’t be in danger.”

“Why did you ever admit to doing such a thing?” Eunhyuk asked.

“I thought I was only telling Ryeowook, and he was too busy pampering Sleeping Beauty to hurt me.”

“Like he wasn’t going to tell Sungmin the first chance he got?” Kyuhyun pointed out, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Okay, I admit it. I’m an idiot,” Yesung confessed, and the other two nodded their head in an agreement.

“I never had to starve at the hospital. My mother was obsessed with my dietary intake. She even threatened me with a feeding tube.” Kyuhyun scrunched up his nose in memory of the horrible threat.

“Why did I not think of this? We should totally call your mother,” Yesung said breaking out in a big grin and jumping out of the chair.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Eunhyuk declared, standing up and bowing to Yesung’s wisdom.

“Now give me your phone,” Yesung told Kyuhyun, “after I tell her how Sungmin threw you out of your room, and threw your medicine at you, and how he’s practically starving you to death - ”

“She’ll make me go home,” Kyuhyun said, interrupting him.

“But as long as she brings us food, I can live with that,” Yesung told him with a smile.

“I’ve kinda missed him. We should just suck it up and order some take out,” Eunhyuk told them, patting Kyuhyun on the back.

“I’m too tired to eat anyways,” Kyuhyun told them.

“Pizza then?” Yesung asked Eunhyuk.

“Chicken.”

“Well, just get both.” Yesung finally decided and turned to go get the take out numbers and stopped suddenly. “Ryeowook!” Yesung jumped as he noticed the other man who had been listening to them.

“Have you come to cook us something delicious?” Eunhyuk asked, with a big grin on his face at Ryeowook, who was holding a grocery bag.

“Maybe,” Ryeowook informed him as he walked into the kitchen and sat down the grocery bag.

“Could you also try to talk some sense into Sungmin?” Yesung asked cautiously from the other side of the room, carefully avoiding him. In response, Ryeowook just glared at Yesung. “Okay, maybe not.”

“What are you making?” Kyuhyun got up from the table and leaned against the cabinet watching Ryeowook.

“Spaghetti,” Ryeowook told him, not looking up as he grabbed the pots and pans he needed from the bottom shelf.

“I love spaghetti!” Kyuhyun couldn’t fight the smile that formed on his face.

Ryeowook looked up at him. “I know.”

“I hate spaghetti!” Yesung declared from the other side of the room with disgust written all over his face.

Ryeowook stood up and looked at Yesung with a big smile on his face. “And I know this, too.”

“You know you don’t live here anymore, so you can’t just be sneaking in anytime you want and be using our kitchen, just because you know the password. We just might have to change it,” Yesung said with a big frown on his face.

Eunhyuk walked up and put his arm around Ryeowook. “Don’t worry, Wookie, my password is your password.”

“Thanks.” Ryeowook said smiling.

************

He couldn’t move, he could feel his arms being held down, and he knew he was very broken. There was something cold and hard in his throat preventing him from calling out for help. He thought he heard his mother crying and his father too.

His eyes would not open and there was only darkness. Then a terrible feeling of dread more powerful than ever before came over him. Ryeowook was angry at him. Not, it was much worse; he had hurt Ryeowook. He knew for certain that his death was soon upon him, and he would never be able to tell Ryeowook how terribly sorry he was.

Kyuhyun jumped awake from the nightmare that wasn’t actually a nightmare at all, but a horrible memory. He felt his legs connect with somebody, and soon he heard Eunhyuk moan, “Stop it. I’m not going to play soccer with you anymore.”

Kyuhyun sat up and realized he was on the couch in the living room, and Eunhyuk was at the other end of it, sound asleep, holding his belly where he had eaten too much dinner. His whole body was shaking like it always did after the nightmare. He didn’t even remember falling asleep. “Damn Ryeowook.”

“What did I do?” The sound of Ryeowook’s concerned voice made Kyuhyun turn around quickly to find Ryeowook in the recliner, watching him closely.

“You are always making me fall asleep, and if I didn’t fall asleep, I wouldn’t dream stupid things,” Kyuhyun told him, wiping his eyes, and trying to collect his frazzled nerves.

“The same old nightmare?”

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun answered not looking at Ryeowook, but fidgeting with the blanket that had been tossed over him by somebody who was probably Ryeowook.

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“No, do I ever?” Kyuhyun told him, avoiding eye contact and clasping his hands together, trying to get them to be still.

“You never do.”

“Then why do you ask?”

“Because maybe someday, you will change your mind,” Ryeowook told him, his voice giving away his own exhaustion.

Kyuhyun turned and really looked at Ryeowook, and he did look tired. Ryeowook had made a mistake, and it had changed their lives forever, and he knew it must weigh on his mind. He had not made it easy on his friend either. Would it have been easier if Kyuhyun had just got mad and never wanted to be close again? What did Kyuhyun’s constant need to be near him do to Ryeowook? “I’m sorry.”

“Come here,” Ryeowook said as he scooted to one side of the chair, making room for Kyuhyun.

“But what about rule three,” Kyuhyun asked, but he was already up and beside the recliner.

Ryeowook reached out his arms for him, and Kyuhyun was nestled down beside him before he even had time to answer. “It’s not a bed; it doesn’t count.”

Ryeowook rested his head on the younger, but larger man’s chest, and with his hand, he gently rubbed his stomach. Kyuhyun could feel his eyes shutting, and he knew for certain that no memory would haunt him when he closed them. A question that had lingered in his subconscious since the night of the fight found its way out. “What would have happened if I had kissed you back?”

There was a long pause before Ryeowook broke it. “Shhhh….sleep, don’t think about that. Don’t ever think about that.”

Ryeowook and Kyuhyun were oblivious to anybody besides each other, but if they had paid just a little more attention, they would have known that Eunhyuk had awakened when Kyuhyun got off the couch. Eunhyuk laid there in perfect stillness, taking in every word.