Present day:

Ryeowook laughs at Kyuhyun and Kyuhyun wonders if it’s okay to find the walls interesting again but now that he has turned, it’s too late to take the action back.

There Ryeowook sits, on the stupid hospital chair looking perfect even with the marks of sleeplessness and restlessness. The marks of a broken heart and Kyuhyun’s heart aches. He tries not to look at Ryeowook’s eyes but the older man is braver than Kyuhyun gives him credit and his gaze captures Kyuhyun’s soon enough.

 Kyuhyun feels so young and vulnerable.

“It was this same room where I thought you and Changmin were more than just friends.”

Kyuhyun wants to ask, would it have been better if we were, but he knows it’s a pointless question.

But then again, he isn’t sure if he would address the question to Ryeowook or himself.

Ryeowook’s laugh is hollow and Kyuhyun finds himself grimacing.

“But how wrong I was. It’s kind of amusing.”

“Why?” Kyuhyun’s voice is hoarse and he tries to clear his voice and Ryeowook almost looks at him with the most sincere look ever casted on him and Kyuhyun almost feels loved again.

“Because I could have made the move already at that time but… yeah. And do you remember those rumors after your fight with Changmin at the cafeteria?”

To that Kyuhyun has to snort. Those were ridiculous times, he still has no idea how those rumors had spread, it had been confusing and ridiculous at that time. Ryeowooks’s smile is frozen when Kyuhyun steals a look at him.

 “And after that, it was me who brought Sungmin to your life. The person you really fell in love with.”

There is so much bitterness in Ryeowook’s voice.

----

Year and one month ago:

Meet Jung Yunho who Cho Kyuhyun just knows he won’t like

“So you are a musician.”

Kyuhyun smiled wide as he tried to answer but his mouth was full of food so it’s kind of hard and it might have looked ridiculous because Ryeowook snorted. He leaned in and wiped something off Kyuhyun’s face and Kyuhyun finished whatever he was eating in somewhat awkward silence before answering.

“Not really but one day I would like to be. I sing and play piano a little… and dance some. But singing is my passion.”

“Oh cool. I would like to hear you sing someday.”

Kyuhyun nodded and avoid the coming awkward silence, stuffed more food into his mouth.

“And you?” he mumbled between his bites. “What’s your passion?”

Ryeowook smirked.

“Cooking. I really love cooking. Donghae who you met earlier, cooks with me often. He is such a disaster in the kitchen but the poor kid tries. You can join us sometime if you like. The more the merrier.”

“Ah, cooking and baking isn’t my thing but it would be nice anyway. I can be your guinea pig if you need to try out new recipes. I love eating.”

“Yeah, I can see that”, Ryeowook teased and Kyuhyun could feel his cheeks reddening. “Also a dinner with friends it’s always nice.” Ryeowook’s gaze switched over somewhere behind Kyuhyun. 

“Oh, Minho.”

“Ryeowook hyung. Kyuhyun, what’s this I heard about you being in a car accident?”

Kyuhyun smiled sheepishly at Minho who had popped out off the nowhere and was now standing there, besides their table.  It’s been three days since the school had started and Kyuhyun just might have avoided Minho. Because Minho’s face told him that his sport loving friends wasn’t pleased with him.

Kyuhyun still remembered the first time he had dumped into the young man. It had been a week after Kyuhyun had gotten the letter of acceptance from the school. He had moved away from his parent’s house and closer to his new school. He had been coming back from the grocery shopping because everyone knows that after moving in, your fridge is empty. It always was and Kyuhyun had spent way too much money on food that day but he hadn’t cared. He was going to have one man feast because Changmin had been too busy with whatever the best friend had been doing. 

 He had been stepping out of the elevator when someone who had been waiting the elevator but had decided it moved way too slow and moved to the side to take stairs but then the bling of the arriving elevator had alerted that someone and then that someone had decided to take the elevator again. Then the collision had happened.

He had landed on his when Minho had only swayed a bit (he had said something about strong midriff and balance and Kyuhyun didn’t care). How embarrassing had that been? Kyuhyun had snapped something nasty at the man who had scrunched up his face and snapped something equally snarky back. While they had been bickering whose fault the collision was, they hadn’t even noticed that the elevator’s door couldn’t shut because Kyuhyun had been on the way. But Minho eventually had noticed. The other man had shrugged and offered his hand and helped him up. Kyuhyun still could see how pack of bread and some snacks were lost when the door closed behind him and the elevator started moving again.

“Food is gone.”

Minho had looked at him with an amused expression which didn’t quite fit in the essence he was giving with the sport clothing but jocks were jerks anyway in Kyuhyun’s book, and offered a canned fruit back to him.

“I can lend you some.”

And that’s how Kyuhyun’s one man feast had become a dinner of two. From that moment they had been friends, clicked somehow so well, the game night had proved it in the end that they were meant to be friends. Thou Minho was too obsessed with sport of any sort for Kyuhyun’s liking but as long as Minho didn’t force him to play sports he was fine. Not that Kyuhyun didn’t like keeping himself fit but it was more of “whenever I feel like it” not Minho’s way of getting too obsessed with winning and being in shape and counting calories. Kyuhyun was competitive but he drew the line where he had to run around after a ball.

“Yah!”

Minho swatted Kyuhyun’s head to get him back in reality from his memories.

“Oh, I was just spacing out and—“

“I told you it’s not healthy to space out. What’s wrong with your face? It looks so swollen…” Kyuhyun winced as Minho grabbed his chin and turned his head so he could see the damages better.

“Some guy named Changmin got his hands on him”, Ryeowook replied for Kyuhyun. Minho blinked and then sneered before pulling a chair for himself.

“You deserved that.”

Minho just smiled and he could tell a smile was creeping into Minho’s hard face. Minho might act like a nagger but Kyuhyun knew that deep down he cared a lot of people around him. Ryeowook stood.

“Give me your number so I can inform you when and where you will meet your guide for this semester. All the first years have one.  I need to go to practice.”

They exchanged numbers and Ryeowook was off. Minho snarled at him when Ryeowook wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Stay away from that guy.”

“Why, he seems nice.”

“Nice guys are bad from the inside.”

Kyuhyun stared at Minho and the other one stared back. Their intense staring was interrupted by the message sound Kyuhyun’s phone was giving.

“Oh, it’s from Changmin.” Kyuhyun told happily and Minho took a sip from his drink. He wriggled his nose disgusted.

“Soda? Seriously Kyuhyun, I thought you knew better.”

“Ryeowook bought it.”

“Of course. See, he is bad!”

Kyuhyun ignored him and read Changmin’s message.

“He tells me to come at the second floor’s dance studio… I think he and Jaejoong ended up there then…”

“Jaejoong…? As in Kim Jaejoong?”

Kyuhyun shrugged without looking his companion; he was too busy answering the message.

 “I don’t know but how many Jaejoongs there are…?”

Minho snorted and said nothing more. Kyuhyun answered to his best friend that he would be there soon and started to stuff the remaining of his food into his mouth. Minho helped him by stealing his chocolate crisps. Minho was kind enough to point him the stairs but he wouldn’t come with him, as he said, he had better things to do than hang around with idiots. Kyuhyun smiled and waved his goodbye before he started to climb up.

And because he was Cho Kyuhyun, he managed to get lost. He ended up in the second floor but couldn’t find the dance studios. Because the floors were huge. The whole building was huge and because Kyuhyun actually had no idea where anything was because he had missed the guiding, he was lost in the complex called the second floor.  

“You seem to be lost…?”

Kyuhyun almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice behind him. He whirled around and there’s a nice looking guy leaning on the door way of one of the rooms. Kyuhyun smiled and bowed at him. Even thou the man was shorter than him, he had the feeling this guy was an upper classman.

“Ah, yes, I’m kind of lost. I was looking for the dance studios…”

“Oh, they are in the other end of the floor.” The guy smiled sheepishly and Kyuhyun found himself smiling back.

“Wait, I will get someone who will lead you…Yunho! There is a lost first year; I know how much you love doing this so could you please show him where the dance studios are?”

Kyuhyun didn’t hear what this Yunho guy answered but soon enough there’s another male standing in the door way, smiling too..

“The way to the dance studios? Sure thing Jongwoon. Kid, follow me!”

Yunho walked past him waving his hand as in order to make Kyuhyun follow him. Kyuhyun didn’t like the way he called him a kid. He bowed to Jongwoon again and jogged after his guide.

“With a hand like that you won’t be able to dance much.”

Kyuhyun glanced at his hand which was supported to his chest. He liked this Yunho guy less and less.

“Oh, I’m just meeting some friends there. I sing and… play piano when this is healed.”

Yunho smiled at him. “Okay then. If you are doing some singing, we might meet again in those rooms where you found us. Because I sing too, the third year.”

Kyuhyun nodded as they turned around the corner.  He could already hear some beats coming from rooms. Yunho whistled. “Someone has good rhythms going on.”

Kyuhyun almost wanted to say that he could find his way from this on. He didn’t want to Yunho to see Changmin dance because when Changmin danced….Kyuhyun’s heart would beat way too fast than it should for a friend. He didn’t say a thing thou and followed Yunho. They stopped by one of the room. There’s some girl group practicing so they move one. Finally they found the right room.

Kyuhyun watched as Changmin made his moves and Jaejoong followed close behind. There’s one more male in the room but he wasn’t dancing. He was sitting by the stereo system and he was smiling widely as he watched two others to dance. Kyuhyun knew those movements, those hips moving and swaying. Jaejoong swayed incredibly smoothly too. From his visual angle Kyuhyun saw Yunho to move.

He didn’t get a change to stop the other one. He didn’t get himself to move and block other one’s way to the dancing room. He couldn’t get himself to say “piss off” and prevent Yunho to be lured in due Changmin’s hip swaying. He could only watch how Yunho pushed the door open and started clapping.

All three turn around and Kyuhyun could see how Changmin opened his mouth to snarl at the approaching male but Yunho was faster.

“That was awesome. You guys looked great! I am impressed.”

Kyuhyun noticed how Jaejoong moved forward, like blocking Changmin from the other man.

“You must be first years, I haven’t seen you around.”

“First year yes, but not in this department”, Changmin snapped behind Jaejoong, eyes narrowing. The not dancing boy put the music down and jogged closer them all.

“Well that’s a shame. But welcome again. I would like to see you dance more.”

Changmin snarled silently but Kyuhyun could tell he was happy from the praises. Yunho smiled and then turned towards the door.

“Your friend was lost and I helped him to find the way here.”

Changmin smiled but didn’t look at him. His eyes were on Yunho.

“Oh, he has that tendency to get lost.”

 Yunho laughed and Changmin pushed past Jaejoong.

“He spaces out so much that I think he will lose himself someday.”

Kyuhyun locked his eyes with Jaejoong and they had a mutual agreement of being left out.

****

****

The feeling of mutual agreement of being left out with Jaejoong didn’t last long. Yunho seemed to have connections and after a couple of days Jaejoong was a part of Yunho’s circle too. Minho told him later (Minho’s social circle was wide for a first year student but he was easy to socialize with) that his friend’s friend had actually pulled Jaejoong into that little circle. And Kyuhyun wasn’t really pleased with this. Sure, he and Changmin did hang out but because their majors were different, their time together was limited to lunch breaks and it seemed like every time they’re having fun, Yunho would ruin it by wanting to Changmin to come with him, never inviting Kyuhyun with them.

Minho on the other hand made him hang around with his friends but Kyuhyun wasn’t that fan of sport department even thou couple of upper classmen were nice to him. Lee Hyukjae was ridiculously stupid with his stupid gummy smile and Choi Siwon even more idiotic with his hysterical skin ship. And even thou Kyuhyun (he would never say it aloud) enjoyed his time the two seniors, he still sometimes thought those two just made fun of him.

He also hung around with Ryeowook, who was trying to keep him in with what was going on around. He hadn’t yet introduced the mysterious guide for him, since the said guide was busy and so was Ryeowook so sometimes Kyuhyun felt lost and lonely, everyone being so pulled into their own things.

And it actually got worse when he caught Yunho and Changmin red handed making out in (as they thought) an empty corridor. His best friend went and got himself a boyfriend without telling him. Not that he hadn’t guessed something like this wouldn’t happen eventually, considering all the looks those two kept sending at each other’s way, but it still was like a slap on the face.

Being the sort of a third wheel . And it was soon enough when it started to show from Kyuhyun’s face and Changmin was a person who would open his mouth when someone was trying to hide his frustration.

They used to snap at each other time to time but it was always done in a friendly manner, like every best friends bicker. This on the other hand was the unleashing the frustration. It wasn’t nice and they ended up yelling at each other in a full cafeteria.

Kyuhyun was stubborn and he sat there, staring after Changmin. He wasn’t going to run after him, oh he wasn’t. Not today, not tomorrow but maybe the day after that. But now he was pissed off, he didn’t want to see Changmin or Yunho or ing anybody—

There’s a tray placed beside him and as Kyuhyun gazed up, Hyukjae smiled a little uncertain at him.

He breathed fast; it’s almost hard to breath. Hyukaje was there, Kyuhyun didn’t know why he was there but there he was, sitting with him and holding his trembling hand. Kyuhyun took a breath in, blinked and sniffled. Hyukjae clung and rocked him, from left to right. And suddenly, somehow Kyuhyun really knew that their hearts beat the same. They beat the same rhythm of being scared of being left alone.

Meet Lee Sungmin who makes Kyuhyun feel

Kyuhyun wasn’t sure when or how Hyukjae got him out of the cafeteria and to the beach, Kyuhyun didn’t remember how they got there or what was said during the trip. He thou remembered standing there, the waves hitting on his ankles and Hyukjae’s hands on his shoulders and the whispers of let it all out.

And they screamed to the sea.

They went to have ice cream afterwards, they laughed and cried, throats sore and eyes red. They had a blast and when they walked Hyukjae had slipped his hands around his arm and leaned to his shoulder. It felt nice. It felt warm.

“You will make it up with him”, Hyukjae had told him with the voice of experience but Kyuhyun wasn’t that positive. He had said some hurtful things to Changmin and he knew that Changmin took them by heart. He was always like that and Kyuhyun really regretted what he had said but he couldn’t turn back the time now.

Even thought Kyuhyun didn’t except much he was still forming a plan of how he would make it up to Changmin. Because he needed Changmin, Changmin was his friend; he couldn’t let a guy come between them. It’s not worth of it. He was having his lunch at the cafeteria, brain working hard to come up with a perfect plan. He was slurping his noodles, staring intensively at nothing but which beneficially chased away everyone from the table in front of him.

Kyuhyun was too deep in his plan making to even notice how Minho blobbed down right in front of him. 

“So are you and Hyukjae an item now?”

Kyuhyun blinked and noodle hung from his mouth. Minho only arched an eyebrow, waiting. It took Kyuhyun’s all unoccupied brain cells to get him back to reality. He made a funny noise from his throat and Minho rolled his eyes.

“Because it looks like it.”

“We are not an item”, Kyuhyun finally managed to say, gulping the noodles down. Minho didn’t look convinced and Kyuhyun shook his head and turned his attention back to his food.

“How did you even come up with that kind of rubbish? We are close, yes, but not that close.”

“Oh, there have been rumors…”

Now Kyuhyun almost choked on his food.

“What rumors?”

Minho rolled his eyes. “I see. You are that obvious so you don’t even see it.”

“See what?”

Minho looked at him with a hard look which Kyuhyun couldn’t read into. The younger male just turned around and left him blinking and confused.

When he saw Hyukjae later, he told about his conversation with Minho to Hyukjae and all he got in response was a boisterous laughter. Kyuhyun on the other hand didn’t found it funny at all.

Hyukjae’s laugh died down eventually but little giggles escaped from his lips time to time. Kyuhyun groaned and slumped down, annoyed.

“It’s not funny hyung.”

“It is actually. He is jealous.”

 Kyuhyun just stared at Hyukjae who was making the most pleased expression Kyuhyun had ever seen on other’s face. Kyuhyun started to suspect that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know where he had gotten himself into.

“Hyung, he is dating a girl, you know, Sulli or whatever her name is.”

“But he is still jealous, you see.”

Kyuhyun didn’t see it, he wanted to tell Hyukjae to stop making his head hurt.

“He just is worried.”

“About what? You being a gay or being in relationship with me?”

“Hyung! Stop this. It makes no sense!” Kyuhyun wailed, falling face first to the sofa and he gained some strange looks from students passing by.  Hyukjae just giggled and patted him on the head.

“You are silly, Kyukyu.”

And with that he stood and danced his way to the class leaving Kyuhyun blinking and confused.

“Hey, you are Cho Kyuhyun right?”

Kyuhyun blinked up at the blond guy who sounded so bright and happy, standing next to the sofa they had been occupying before Hyukjae had left.

“Oh yeah, that’s me.”

“Good. Ryeowookie told me you had your arm supported. My name is Lee Sungmin and I’m your guide for this semester, Ryeowookie must have told you about it. Also I’m a music student, as you’re, third year. And I must apologize, I have been kind of busy with my own stuff to really contact you but now I have cleared my schedule, I have time to help you because I heard you missed your first days.”

Kyuhyun nodded slowly, trying to understand why this cute creature was smiling at him, and oh boy, did he smile brightly.

“I can offer you a coffee or something and we can discuss over the subjects before today’s afternoon lessons, right?”

Kyuhyun nodded again and followed the shorter male to the cafeteria. Sungmin kept chatting all the way through the line of coffee shopping (hot chocolate for Kyuhyun thank you very much, with extra cream) and all the way to the closest table where they could talk in peace. Sungmin talked kind of lot about Ryeowook while fishing some papers from his back pack.

“Ryeowookie told me that you play piano, that’s cool. When are you getting that cast off?”

“Aaa next week.”

“Okay, that’s cool. I sing and dance. I would like to sing many songs without caring what genre they are supposed to be.   I don’t like being labeled in one type song singer. Ryeowookie also thinks the same, he thou wants to act too, musicals and stuff. Oh, here.” Sungmin pushed some papers closer to Kyuhyun who glanced at them from the other side of the table.

“Those are supposed to be filled by the end of this month.”

Kyuhyun carefully turned the papers towards himself so he wouldn’t look at them upside down and vaguely remembered having those at home. He took them as Sungmin talked.

” I heard you have met Donghae too! He and I are high school friends and now it’s so cool that we are in the same university!”

Kyuhyun smiled at him and sipped his drink. By the end of the hour Sungmin had helped him to fill the papers and promised to help him get them delivered to the right person and soon enough they found themselves talking about much more happier things than just school work. And when bunch of people kind of stare at them Kyuhyun remembered that there’re rumors about himself and Hyukjae and murmured aloud if it’s because of the rumors and how those rumors even started.

“Oh, it is just that someone spotted you guys yesterday on a date.”

Kyuhyun blinked at Sungmin who just smiled, leaning on his hands.

“What!?”

Sungmin snorted and Kyuhyun rolled his eyes.

“Can’t a guy have ice cream with a friend nowadays without that someone assumes right away that they are a couple?”

Sungmin sniggered.

“So you aren’t an item?”

Kyuhyun just stared at him, mouth hanging open.

“I thought more of you!”

Sungmin burst into laughter and almost fell from the chair.

“Oh your face is so funny!”

Sungmin kept giggling for a while and Kyuhyun even considered dumping him right there and then but Sungmin kept clinging to his arm so maybe the other one knew what he was thinking so there’s no escaping.

“Don’t worry Kyuhyunnie, can I call you Kyuhyunnie?”

There was a lump in Kyuhyun’s throat as Sungmin blinked up at him.

“Y-yes, s-sure whatever.” Kyuhyun cursed inside his head for his shuttering.

“Speaking of the rumous, I was about to say that Hyukjae told me right away where he had been whole night. He woke me up just to tell me that you had shared some ice cream.”

Kyuhyun blinked, his heart feeling heavy suddenly.

“Woke you up?”

“Yep”, Sungmin was smiling that stunning smile again and Kyuhyun had to avert his eyes to prevent blushing.

“Do… do you live together?” Kyuhyun mentally slapped himself for shuttering, again. Sungmin just hummed.

“Yep. We moved together when he got kicked out and I had been accepted here.  We are roommates.”

“Oh.”

Sungmin grinned sneakily.

“Who is now assuming things, Kyuhyunnie?”

Kyuhyun felt his face heat up and Sungmin burst into laughter.

“I wasn’t! Hyung, I swear I wasn’t thinking anything that sort of!”

Sungmin couldn’t say anything, he just laughed because Kyuhyun’s face was just that priceless. When his laughter eventually died down Kyuhyun was already half way through is snacks. Sungmin snorted and patted his head.

“Really. I haven’t heard any rumors, only the ones Hyukjae told me.”

Kyuhyun shrugged, still little worried but Sungmin’s reassuring smile made his heart beat a little steadier. 

“And totally to different note, do you have anything to do later this week? On Thursday?”

“No, I have nothing. Why?”

“Oh, I will be just singing to the audience and I would like to have some familiar faces there.”

Sungmin smiled but Kyuhyun could tell he was little nervous so he blasted a huge smile on his face.

“Of course I will be there!”

Sungmin grinned and run a hand through his hair, like a sign of relief.

“I knew I could count on you, Kyuhyunnie.”

Kyuhyun grinned and sipped his drink thinking that he liked spending time with Sungmin.

****

****

Kyuhyun saw Donghae in the audience when he got there. He was with some boy and when they both smile Kyuhyun could only think how cute they looked together.  The concert was the little performances put together with bunch of older students from their school in local mall, and the songs were in foreign languages, preparations for the concert had been some sort of summer class for the students. There wasn’t that much audience yet but Kyuhyun was sure that when they started to sing, some would stop to listen.

It took five performances before it was Sungmin’s turn and Kyuhyun clapped when the announcer said Sungmin’s name and Donghae’s yell hid underneath the rest of what the MC was saying and Kyuhyun can’t help but smile. His claps, however, died down when someone followed Sungmin and walked on the other side of the stage, a microphone in his hand, smiling to the audience and Sungmin who had situated himself on the other side of the stage.

Kyuhyun didn’t know Ryeowook was going to be singing a duet with Sungmin, there had been no talk about that. He had just assumed that the other one was in the food or restaurant managing department. He watched how those two looked at each other with the most trusting gazes before the music filled the air and Kyuhyun felt like something deep inside of him slumped deeper. He listen how Ryeowook started to sing and even thou Kyuhyun felt like panicking, he can’t help but admit how wonderful Ryeowook sounded and soon Sungmin followed, his voice little deeper but still singing the most beautifully that Kyuhyun’s heart felt heavy from the admiration. The song was Japanese but the translation was provided on the screen behind the singers during the whole event and Kyuhyun gulped. Then they both sing together and Sungmin turned towards Ryeowook and both of the start to walk back to each others.

Kyuhyun’s feelings were mixed. He felt so lost but at the same time he couldn’t make himself walk out. He was captured by their voices and his breath hitched when they hit the part where they basically sang at each other “Sometimes, people hurt others while getting hurt, each of the dyed colors are different, but
I will go on living while I create my own story, that's why I will never, ever give up...” And silence that waited after their high note’s got goose bumps running down Kyuhyun’s skin and the looks on older men’s eyes when they sang “You're not alone because I'm protecting you. I thought that I'd like to see your smiling face
Time soothes, it flows with the pain” and when it was the end of the song, they ended it with the stares at each other and “the light of the day gently shines on us” and a smile broke into Ryeowook’s face, he took steps forward and as they rushed out of the stage, Kyuhyun saw how hands encircled Sungmin. Kyuhyun knew it was stupid, he didn’t even really knew Sungmin but it felt like his heart burst into little pieces which were cruelly stomped by the two older men disappearing behind the stage.

_______________________________________

(o(

I'm not really that invested in HoMin business but. It happened. Things happened. BDDD Also at least one of the ninja parings made their appearance aaaand yeah. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

And oh, the wonderful MinWook duet was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeE6WV6FKDY