Meanwhile, outside in the freezing cold…

            “Okay!  Everyone listen up!  We’re going to divide up into two teams now!” Sungmin hollered above the voices of the fellow members.  “Hyukjae and I are each going to pick team members and then we’ll start up.”

            They’d decided on meeting up at a nearby park, in a small field off the beaten path were they could find a little privacy, and bundled up to play soccer while Ryeowook cooked.  Sungmin had lured them all there with thermoses of coffee and chocolate cupcakes—just a little snack to tide them over until they got back to the apartment—but now they were all hyped up on sugar and caffeine. 

            “Why do you and Hyuk get to be the team captains?” Donghae questioned.

            “Because it was our idea to play, so we get to pick the teams.  Besides, anyone who questions my authority won’t get any dessert, since I made it all,” he pointed out.

            Complete silence.

            “Okay,” Sungmin said, tossing the soccer ball into the air.  “Let’s get started then.  I’ll pick first.”

            “Wait!  Why do you get to choose first?  We should flip a coin or something,” Hyukjae suggested.

            Sungmin looked over at Hyukjae, who belatedly remembered that dessert was at stake, and decided to do a little backtracking.  “Actually, I think you should pick first too.”

            “Kangin,” Sungmin started.

            “Donghae,” Hyukjae said, giving his best bud a high five as he joined team two.

            “Siwon.”

            “Shindong.”

            “Henry.”

            “ZhouMi”

            “Alright, everyone knows how the hell to play, so let’s take a minute to chat with our teammates and then get started,” Sungmin ordered, heading off to the side with his team.  “Okay…this is a really good group, so we won’t have any problems.  Henry, you’ll be goalie.  Hyuk will probably stick ZhouMi on goalie—since he’s tall and light on his feet—so Kangin, you’ll get Shindong to keep tabs on.  Siwon, I want you on Donghae, since you’re taller than him and can totally block his view.  Plus, he’s easily distracted if you start talking about acting.  I get Hyuk.”

            “You sure you should be up against Hyukjae, Minnie?” questioned Henry.  “You two have been at each other’s throats lately at the apartment.”

            “Henry, my dear, that’s the main reason I’m assigning myself to Hyuk.”

            “Nothing like beating the crap out of each other to blow off some steam.  Friendships are saved that way,” Kangin informed him.  “Real men duke it out when they’re pissed off at one another and then they’re cool with each other after that.”

            Henry’s brows furrowed, and he looked from Kangin to Sungmin in confusion.  “That’s not what Kyu and Wookie do when they’re mad at each other.”

            Sungmin eyed the maknae warningly.

            “Why would Hyuk and Min fight the same way as they do?” Kangin asked.  “Of course they’re not going to duke it out…Kyuhyun would never get laid again!  And then he’d whine about getting slapped by his wife because you know that little would go awol on him!”

            “We are never repeating this conversation in front of Wookie,” warned Siwon, giving Henry a stern look.  “I want no involvement in this.”

            Kangin shook his head and looked up at the tallest member.  “How the hell did you even manage to get your out of filming today?  You’re busy about every day of the week.”

            Siwon gave him a look as if it was obvious.  “There are women on the set.”

            “What does that have to do with anything?” asked Kangin.

            “Seriously,” Sungmin asked, giving Kangin a dumbfounded look.  “When this man wants to put on his charm to persuade someone, who’s really going to say no to him?”

            Siwon grinned, showing off his dimples, and his eyes dancing in the sunlight.

            Kangin’s face fell.  “You’re not as innocent as people think you are and someday they’re going to figure it out.”

            “But they haven’t yet!” Siwon said, clapping his hands together and eyeing the other team.  “Anyway, it looks like team two is ready.  Are we all set?”

            “We’re set,” agreed Sungmin.

            Everyone nodded in agreement and Sungmin put his hand in the middle of them and they all added their hands and hollered a cheer before breaking up and heading to their spots.  Siwon tossed the ball up into the air and Sungmin and Hyukjae began the game by fighting over the ball, with Sungmin managing to kick it off to Kangin, who barged his way past Shindong, but couldn’t managed to get the ball in the goal, ZhouMi’s height proving to be the advantage.  ZhouMi sent the ball sailing across the field and Siwon and Donghae ended up shoving each other around a bit, eventually kicking it off to Sungmin, who brought the ball down the field.  Hyukjae was quicker than him and easily caught up, nearly tripping up Sungmin as he tried to kick the ball away.  For a moment, they stood there practically kicking each other until Hyukjae managed to get the ball from Sungmin by bumping him hard and kicking the ball off to Donghae, tripping then both up in the process. 

            Sungmin fell down backwards and Hyukjae landed on top of him, nearly winding him.  “Ouch, you oaf!  Get off me,” Sungmin said, pushing against Hyukjae’s chest.

            Hyukjae smirked, leaning in closer, his arms holding him up above Sungmin.  “That’s not what you were saying to me when we were in Malaysia.” 

            Sungmin pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes.  “I should have!”

            “You’re awfully moody lately,” Hyukjae pointed out, glancing back at the other members to make sure no one was looking.  Then he ground his hips into Sungmin’s.  “Perhaps I can help calm you down later.”

            Sungmin’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.  This wasn’t normal Hyukjae behavior.  Yes, they slept together on occasion when overseas, but for two years they’d never spoken about it while in Korea.  And of all times, he brings it up then?  In the middle of a soccer game, lying on the cold ground?  Angry, Sungmin shoved Hyukjae off of him and jumped to his feet fast.

            “Hard to solve a problem when you are the problem,” Sungmin hissed.

            Hyukjae rolled onto is back and smiled up at Sungmin.  “About ing time you started admitting to it instead of giving me the cold shoulder in the dorm all the time!”

            Hyukjae jumped up to his feet from lying on his back, one of those smooth moves that he practiced until he’d perfected it in front of the mirrors of the dance studio. 

            “There’s nothing to discuss,” Sungmin pointedly told him, heading down the field to catch up with the other members.

            “Obviously there is or you wouldn’t be acting like this,” Hyukjae shot back, jumping into the struggle between Donghae and Siwon for control of the ball.  He managed to get in and kicked it off towards the goal, but Henry was too fast for him.  He turned his back to the others and faced Sungmin for a moment.  “Let’s finish this talk later.”

            Sungmin wanted to scream and yell at his oldest friend, but he knew better than to start something with all the members around.  But the trouble was, he had no idea what was really bothering him.  Honestly, Hyukjae was good at pleasuring him, but he was frustrated by the fact that he had no idea what they were doing together.  Hyukjae still dated girls on the side whenever he was home.  They never lasted long, but he continuously did it.  But then he slept with Sungmin on occasion when they toured.  Was it just because he was convenient?  Were there any feelings involved?  Why didn’t it ever seem to happen when they were at home?  And deep down, Sungmin wondered if he even wanted the answers to those questions.

            Sungmin just ran towards the ball and ignored Hyukjae’s existence as best he could, which was damn near impossible.  His eyes seemed draw to the man of their own accord and Sungmin cursed his wandering thoughts of moments from Malaysia, when they were last together.

            Kyuhyun finally wandered into the kitchen again, moving slow to gauge Ryeowook’s mood.  Ryeowook spotted him out of the corner of his eye as he was setting the sweet potatoes on the stove to cool down a bit and waved his husband over.  Kyuhyun walked over and leaned back against the counter next to the stove, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep from touching anything.  “How’s it coming?”

            “Everything is finishing up,” Ryeowook admitted, grabbing a spoon out of the drawer and digging into the dish.  He held the spoon up and blew on the food for a second before bringing it to his mouth and tasting a small portion, smacking his lips as he tried to figure out if he liked them.  Then he held up the spoon for Kyuhyun and he leaned forward and opened his mouth as Ryeowook fed him the spoonful.  “What do you think?”

            “They’re good,” Kyuhyun admitted, watching his husband recover the dish.  When he was about to back away, Kyuhyun grabbed Ryeowook’s wrist gently and pulled him in for a kiss, molding his lips against his husband’s.  He meant to be brief, but when Ryeowook moved closer and planted his free hand on Kyuhyun’s chest—unceremoniously dropping the spoon on the