(20) That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles – 1,712

Kyuhyun, when thinking about it, preferred not to eat Chinese food. It wasn’t that it was bad. It was pretty tasty. But being part of Super Junior M meant that he had his share of it.

“Stop wishing. Start doing.”

He crumpled the tiny slip of paper and threw it aimlessly. He admitted that the actual cookie tasted delicious. He merely preferred not having the fortune with it.

“Stop polluting the environment,” Changmin said, picking up the small crumpled paper from the ground that was a half of a foot away from the trash can and threw it. Kyuhyun ignored him and continued playing his video game. The boxes of Chinese food were scattered around, from the coffee table to the side table to onto the couch. It was extremely messy and Changmin cringed at the sight.

“If only fangirls would see you now…”

“I don’t care,” Kyuhyun replied. “My house, my rules.”

“I wonder what Jongwoon-hyung would think.” Kyuhyun glared darkly, the noise from the game echoing with groans and splatters.

“Bull’s eye.” Changmin smirked. He stepped over a pile of empty boxes to sit on the sofa. As he sat, he heard a crunch of an empty box and pulled it from under him, revealing a flattened rectangle. He threw it to the pile in disgust and made a face at Kyuhyun.

“Clean up this dump. The fortune cookie said to ‘start doing’.”

“How did you know what the fortune cookie said when you threw it away?” Kyuhyun asked, eyes not leaving the game.

“You said it out loud again,” Changmin answered, propping his feet up on the table and made a small room from the other pile of empty boxes. “You do that quite often.”

“I don’t,” Kyuhyun said as he hit the buttons of his controller a bit too hard. Changmin looked from the controller to Kyuhyun.

“You stock up on fortune cookies, don’t you?” Changmin mocked as he reached out for one that was on the table. Kyuhyun glared.

“Fortune favors the brave.” Changmin said his mouth full of the sugar, vanilla cookie.

“Oh for God’s sake, stop eating with your mouth full, you’re getting crumbs all over!” Kyuhyun angrily waved his hand in an attempt to slap Changmin. To his dismay, Changmin laughed at his failed attempts, being less focused on a game.

“The great risk is not taking one.” Changmin read a different fortune, snapping the cookie in one hand, still getting crumbs on the couch. He dangled it in front of Kyuhyun’s face before letting it fall on the video game controller. Kyuhyun glared darkly but Changmin was unaffected, making himself feel at home by sitting with his legs prompt up and wide open and his arms stretched over the couch, the pieces of the cookie he crushed in one hand. Changmin caught Kyuhyun’s look but shrugged.

“Blame your fortune cookies.” He said, again with a mouth full. Kyuhyun gave him a disgusted face and returned to his game.

His game character died two minutes later. He gave up then, turning the console off and stretching his legs on the table and throwing his arm at the back of the couch. The noisy crunching of cookies was loud enough to disturb Kyuhyun again. He threw a glare back at Changmin who smiled shamelessly and continued eating.

“You lie during your interviews, don’t you?” Kyuhyun said, with as much heat as one would give to a best friend. Changmin shrugged and continued eating, reaching for another random fortune cookie.

“You must try, or hate yourself for not trying.” Changmin read out loud, popping the pieces of vanilla cookie into his mouth. He chewed a bit silently this time, eyeing Kyuhyun as a frustrated look was written all over his face.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to try. God knows he’s tried so many times, before and even during Jongwoon’s time in the military. There were so many things left unsaid. He remembered the horrible, choking feeling he had when Jongwoon announced he was going to live with his parents. The feeling came back when Jongwoon told them all first that he was enlisting and that he preferred not to have a press release to announce it to the fans. He wanted to leave quietly, without saying goodbye.

And didn’t Kyuhyun just want to smack his head for that. He ran a hand over his face, before leaning back, his head hanging on the couch. He didn’t want to revisit that horrible, choking feeling. But Changmin was right, damn him. He was going to regret it for the rest of his life if he doesn’t try it. Because that’s just how Kyuhyun was. He knew what he wanted and he would fight for it. Even when the fear threatened to consume him, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Reaching over, he took an already crumpled fortune and opened it. “Love can last a lifetime, if you want it to.”

Changmin was watching his every move. The way he was positioned on his seat, the way his body was tense, the firm lines of his shoulders showing from the shirt he was wearing. The way he dropped his head, letting it dangle low from his neck that Changmin thought it was going to snap any second. Kyuhyun’s fingers played with the crumpled piece of paper.

“I’m going to regret this…” Kyuhyun whispered. Changmin slid a piece of paper in front of him. “You already know the answer to the questions lingering in your head.”

Shaking, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but snort. He felt delirious. He leaned back, a hand on his forehead and his breathing in gasps because he couldn’t stop laughing. Changmin smiled at him, understanding completely why he was laughing. After a minute, Kyuhyun wiped the corner of his eyes and breathed in deep gulps. “God,” he said. “I’m taking advice from a cookie. Why.” It wasn’t even a question.

“I’m going crazy.” Kyuhyun admitted and Changmin nodded, letting the small, crumpled fortune paper hit his chest.

“You have lousy aim,” Changmin taunted and Kyuhyun threw him a cookie. He caught it with one hand, but it crumbled into pieces. Kyuhyun took one himself and crushed the cookie. He ate the crumbs before opening the fortune.

“Your golden opportunity is coming shortly.” Kyuhyun frowned, the fortune seemingly vague yet eerie. A knock came to the door.

“Kyu?” Kyuhyun froze because he knew that voice. He would always know that voice, even in the crowd with thousands of fangirls screaming and chanting. He would always hear that voice. “Are you here?”

Kyuhyun’s head snapped at Changmin who jumped back in surprise. He was shocked that he didn’t hear Kyuhyun’s bones snapping. But Kyuhyun’s eyes were wide and scared and panic was written all over his face. He looked like he was pleading. He didn’t know what to do. Changmin shook his head.

“Kyuhyun?” They looked at the door. If they didn’t answer soon and they were found out that they were there anyway, there might just be blood. “Is it a bad time?”

Yes, it was, because Kyuhyun was just coming to terms to making the first move. He wasn’t ready for the actual thing! Jongwoon sounded like he was bored and if Kyuhyun knew him (he did); he wanted company to ease some loneliness.

“Go!” Changmin mouthed silently. Jongwoon’s temper was infamous even outside Super Junior and Changmin was one of those people who would rather not experience his bad side. If he made a sound, he would get killed, he was quite sure.

“Uhh…” Kyuhyun answered dumbly. Changmin smacked his forehead soundlessly because this was not the time for Kyuhyun to be rendered useless. “Yeah, hang on, hyung.”

Changmin held his chest, forcing his heart to stop beating. Kyuhyun made his way to the door with difficulty. Now that he was the one who had to walk through it, his room was absolutely filthy. He really couldn’t let Jongwoon see this.

He opened the door only a fraction, his head popping out. Jongwoon was wearing casual clothing, a white shirt that was thin enough to see what he was supposedly wearing underneath, snug and fit to his body. A black, open blazer over his shoulders, the sleeves folded up to his elbows. His jeans were also black and dark, but a lot more hugging than his shirt. Kyuhyun swallowed down a blush.

Jongwoon looked at him through dark eyelashes. Inevitably, Kyuhyun knew he was blushing already. “I don’t suppose you could, well, watch a movie with me?”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Uhm,” he began. “With Donghae and Hyukjae?” Jongwoon shook his head, eyes open and searching. “Just you and me.”

Kyuhyun swallowed, his heart beating loudly against his chest and his blood rushing to his ears. “Hang on.” He closed the door and Jongwoon nodded a bit too late.

Changmin threw an empty paper box that used to contain probably some Yangchow rice. Kyuhyun protested albeit silently with a deadly glare. Changmin pointed at him and at the door, mouthing some words though Kyuhyun wasn’t that adept in lip reading. He stood there, confused and head tilted in one side.

Irritated, Changmin scratched the back of his head and scrambled with unbelievable ease to the coat hanger behind him. He threw a long coat at Kyuhyun, who caught it with his face than his arms that were stretched out. Kyuhyun pulled the coat off of his face and glared at Changmin. He pointed again at the door and made a pushing movement with his hands. “Go, go!”

Finally realizing what he said, Kyuhyun moved fast, opening the door and nearly bumping into Jongwoon. “Hyung!” Shocked, Jongwoon looked at him. “Yes.” The smile Jongwoon gave him was wide and bright.

After the door closed, Changmin was smiling to himself and realized that he was still holding the fortune cookie Kyuhyun threw at him. He cracked it when he was trying to get Kyuhyun’s coat and it completely crumbled after he threw it. Shrugging, he opened the fortune and laughed.

“Everyone agrees. You are the best.”

Changmin jumped on the couch and placed his feet onto the table. He held the remote control and flipped the television on. “Damn right, I am.”

A/N: Remember, this is a DOUBLE UPDATE. Be sure to go back to the short before this!

Fortunes are from here. Also, I have the same disclaimer towards Changmin as I had with Jonghyun. The difference is, I don’t know him as much as I would like. I only ever watched them with their Balloons PV, then listened to most of their acapella songs and then there was the Explorations of the Human Body special, so that’s pretty much it. If he’s anyone’s bias (he used to be mine, if I went on to full fledge fangirling towards DBSK), I’m sorry he’s so out of character.