#.3

Please, kill me.

Hyukjae's eyes smolder for burning anger. He slams the fridge door and leans himself on it, having a mint-flavor popsicle in his hand that's more than ready to be thrown at the next person who'll dare to speak to say something that will exceed his limit of tolerance. He's been bearing his friends' commentary- -very non-friend commentary since they are making him unable to answer back.

What can he reply at 'Hyuk, why didn't you at least kick him, you know, there?' Hyukjae the popsicle, finds it not bad and then stuffs half of it in his mouth. That thought didn't appear in his head. He tries to bite the frozen mint, soon forgets the idea because it's too cold and it isn't a great sensation for his teeth. Anyway, back to the matter, he doesn't really know why he didn't do it.

He just looked at Cho Kyuhyun with a dramatic expression on his face, owl-eyes, then looked around him and hell if he was thanking his guardian angel that nobody saw them. Or seemed to have not seen them, if they did. Hope no, Hyukjae's brows connect. 

"Hyuk!" Junsu snaps his fingers in front of his face. "You here?"

Hyukjae contemplates responding with an ironical You see me here, don't you?, or if he should just say yes. In the end he chooses none of the above. He nods, and he immediately tells himself that he must plan a terrible joke or a remark on Junsu. Man, this guy's being the worst best friend today.

'Hyuk, he's gay, I think, and he likes you. I'm sure about this last one. He really truly likes you Hyukjae,dude. By the way, you fine with this whole thing of Cho Kyuhyun being homoual and liking to kiss you? You comfortable to having him around? Wait, why didn't you punch him? Ah, sure, right I remember. Anyway, let's talk about this vicenda of Kyuhyun being gay and liking to kiss you, 'cmon!'  Hyukjae suffocated an homicidal instinct at that moment. You don't go whispering these words at someone. All of those words that came out from Junsu's mouth are - -well, sorry for the language, but that's the appropriate term for it.

How many times does he have to say it?

Cho Kyuhyun isn't gay- -Cho Kyuhyun doesn't want to be around Lee Hyukjae- -Cho Kyuhyun doesn't like kissing Lee Hyukjae- -Cho Kyuhyun doesn't like Lee Hyukjae.

I don't want Cho Kyuhyun to like me.

"Hey! You're daydreaming!" Junsu wails and Hyukjae thinks this is the occasion he's hoping for. He hits his friend's cheek with his popsicle,earning an outraged look. It makes him feel so much better that he wants to do it again. Obviously, Junsu blocks him and retreats himself back. "Hyukjae, aish, you. . .you", Junsu doesn't complete the sentence, instead he opts for a glare. Hyukjae smirks, proud of himself.

It's then that Sungmin decides to stand in between them. He rubs his temples "You two are kids."

"Yup, they are", Donghae supports, putting a fist of chips in his mouth. He munches and, after finishing, he grins at Hyukjae from the chair he's been sharing with Jessica. Correction: half of the chair is empty, but Jessica is sitting on her boyfriend's lap. She's smiling at Hyukjae as well. And the latter doesn't like the way she's looking at him because he knows she's thinking about something. I don't want to know what, Hyukjae says to himself, don't wanna hear her at all.

But when does he get what he wishes for?

"I pondered about your situation and I arrived at a conclusion", Jessica chirps, resting her head on Donghae's shoulder. She doesn't say anything else,but it's clear like a crystal that she's expecting people to ask her what her head has elaborated. Jessica blinks, waiting. "I really did think a lot and I'm pretty sure I'm correct.", she insists.

Oh holy, Hyukjae's scared.

"Tell us babe." Donghae kisses her forehead and Hyukjae's eyebrows meet into a frown, looking at the friend. When Donghae sees him, Hyukjae takes a bite at the popsicle. He's still glaring. Totally unimpressed, Donghae considers him for a second flat before turning his attention to his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So what is it, love?"

Hyukjae remembers that Sungmin's house has a small room that was once reserved for guests that became a room where Sungmin's mother leaves all of the useless things that her husband and sons bought and that they are no longer using. In the case Jessica'd say something that Hyukjae won't approve- - and the percentage that this happens is pretty high- -Hyukjae will kill  Donghae and hide his body there. Sungmin's mother visits that room only a few times in a year anyway so there's a lot of time until that moment arrives and Hyukjae's positive he would certainly find another place to hide the corpse before someone finds it out.

Donghae is the one who prompted Jessica to reveal the result of her pondering after all, so he'd deserve that.

"Well. . .", Jessica begins and Hyukjae is terrified at how excited the girl sounds and he consequently directs his you're-a-ing-traitor-look at Donghae who's grinning.

The bastard.

". . .I agree with Junsu oppa". Okay, he doesn't like how this is starting. "I already told Hyukjae oppa my opinion and he knows that I do think that Kyuhyun likes him. Kyuhyun won't kiss Hyukjae oppa if he doesn't like him." Hyukjae is about to protest, but Jessica holds up her hand. "And even if we think about that first kiss like a method for Kyuhyun to ridicule Hyukjae oppa, why would he kiss him a second time in a cinema where no one can see them because the lights are off and people who are there have their eyes on the screen?", she's now talking to Hyukjae, her eyes fixated on Hyukjae's and a big and bright smile is offered. A big and bright smile that Hyukjae is disliking. Very much. Very very much. "He didn't kiss you again to ridicule you."

Hyukjae's mouth opens and then immediately closes. He searches in every part of his mind- - every corners- -here and there, up and down- -and he blinks and wishes that someone would dig a hole right here ,right now, and he would happily jump in there or the earth would swallow him and he would be happy if that impossibly became true because there's no way- -there is just no way that he cannot find anything to counter the bastard's girlfriend's logic.

He stares at her. 

She's staring at him too.

She's grinning.

And from the corner of his eyes he sees that Donghae's still grinning too and he doesn't need to have been born with the gift of telepathy to know that he is overly proud of her- -Donghae's overly endlessly proud of everything that his girlfriend does.

"Hey! Jessica-ah!" Junsu's pointing his finger at the couple and for a brief moment Hyukjae hopes that it's to side him, to protect him from those two creatures that act like they're married and go and try to spread love everywhere just because they have too much love, it's spilling on the floor, and they don't want to waste it and that's why they're doing this thing: try to form new couples. The girl in particular. Donghae's an accomplice, but it's equally his fault.

Idiot Hyukjae, he scolds himself, Junsu's on their side, don't you forget that detail.

"Jessica-ah", Junsu repeats, "That's my theory. Don't copy it, you copy-girl!"

"I didn't copy your theory Junsu oppa", Jessica explains, her lips pushed into a pout, "Mine differs from yours from language and clarity and contents."

Junsu blinks. "What?" He frowns. "And what exactly do you mean with differs from clarity?'

"That you're not able to explain what you say and when you try, it's equally difficult to understand", Donghae meddles in the conversation. "Sica's right. What you said to Hyukjae has absolutely nothing in common with what she's just said."

"What are you saying, dude?", Junsu says, clearly offended, "I can talk and people understand what I say and if they don't understand me it's because they're stupid."

Donghae holds back his laughter, biting his tongue. "You're saying that the entire humanity is stupid?"

"I- -what- -you", Junsu sputters. His saliva flies into different directions. "How- -how dare you Donghae-yah!" He folds his arms on his chest and sets his best glare on his face. He turns to Hyukjae, eyes pleading to help him, but Hyukjae obviously refuses.

This is called revenge and Hyukjae is childish like that at this very moment. But he has to admit that he is appreciating Junsu's claim of being the brain who thought about that stupid-but-Hyukjae-doesn't-know-how-to-stultify-it-for-now theory. At least Jessica isn't looking at him with that smile any longer.

Not getting anything from Hyukjae, Junsu proceeds on turning his head, this time to Sungmin (after maturely sticking his tongue at Hyukjae). "Hyung, Sungmin hyung, they're bullying me."

Sungmin looks at Junsu ,unblinking ,for an eternity. Then, like he has just woken up. "Oh",he says and smiles, "I support Jessica's theory."

"Hyung!", Junsu protests, his eyes look like they might fall from how much he widens them in total stupor for the fact of being ignored by the oldest guy.

"Actually. . ." Sungmin spins his head toward Hyukjae's direction, avoiding Junsu's gaze that are trying to burn a hole on his head. "I have a theory too.", he says. "Would you like to hear it?"

"No, thanks", Hyukjae answers, earning a grunt from Jessica that counters that she would like to know Sungmin's idea about this whole thing that hasn't anything to do with her, but is all about Hyukjae. And Hyukjae doesn't get why Sungmin doesn't count his rejection- - since the question's been made to him - -but instead nods at her. 

, I'm not ready for another bull about Cho Kyuhyun and I. Hyukjae walks to the bin and throws the remaining piece of popsicle. They make me lose my appetite. Great friends.

"I think. . ." Sungmin eyes Hyukjae while he's rubbing his chin. Hyukjae feels scared again. "That he. . ." He points at Hyukjae. There's a solemn pause in which Hyukjae stops glaring and starts paling and is beginning to think that maybe the Earth or someone up there has something against him and wants to eliminate him by making Cho Kyuhyun cross the line of his life and make him go crazy and by giving him a bunch of friends which Hyukjae doesn't know how to call. Are they friends? Maybe they are just like Cho Kyuhyun: they are trying to make him go crazy.

And they've been doing a really good job.

'. . .He likes Kyuhyun too', Sungmin states.

Silence fills the room.

Junsu gives Sungmin a look.

Jessica tilts her head and Donghae raises an eyebrow.

Hyukjae is petrified because he has lived with the convinction that Kim Junsu 's the stupidest person he's ever known and discovering that that's actually not true after all those years brings a big shock. He's just glad that the faces he sees on the other three reflect his thought.

Or not.

"I agree." Jessica spares a moment to think about it for another little bit, then repeats, "I agree. I completely agree."

"How?!", Hyukjae inquires,but doesn't give her the time to answer because he's showing his back at her and focusing on Sungmin. "A-and how can you say that? What are you basing your theory on hyung?"

"On the fact that you like him", Sungmin responds, blinking.

Hyukjae's certainty about Junsu being the one with only a working neuron is completely destroyed. "Hyung, a theory is something that you can demonstrate. You need proves. And I do not like Cho,okay?", he drawls in order to give everyone the opportunity to hear those words, to digest them and stop saying nonsense. "I do not like Cho."

"I'm older than you and I have high grades and I know what a theory is, Hyukjae. Your explanation was not required, thank you very much", Sungmin says, a scowl on his lips. "You do like Kyuhyun. And I have a proof: You always say that you do not like him, detest him, can't see him. But I didn't see you looking disgusted after being kissed by him nor I did see you wiping your mouth.'

'. . .', Hyukjae stays silent. He stays silent not only because he cannot classify Sungmin anymore- - he can't say if the guy is a complete idiot or a real genius. Plus, it's hard to re-built a certainty that you have just destroyed. You try- -but also because of the freaking logic that is better than Jessica's. And of course, he cannot counteract on this logic either. Who the hell has invented it?, Hyukjae doesn't know what to do. Just eat me up Earth. ing pretty please.

"I like how your brain works hyung", Junsu says, "I agree on your theory."

"Me too", Donghae joins.

Hyukjae's murderous instinct doesn't arise- - he stops it because he wants to murder too many people at this point and Sungmin's house's small room can't contain too many dead bodies.

Okay, Earth. I'm counting on you.

Eat me up.

"Hyukjae, say something."

Eat me up quickly.

-

Hyukjae doesn't like Sora's voice.

Despite the fact that his noona likes singing and she's not bad if you close an eye (and plug your ears) when she tries to reach high notes, unfortunately, her normal voice sounds like a cat's. She sounds like the neighbor's cat when Hyukjae stepped on his tail once by mistake.

Sora's voice is annoying.

Particularly annoying at seven o'clock.

Seven o'clock when Hyukjae has to get up and gets dressed, but he groans and slips his head under the pillow because it's too early and if Hyukjae was the principal of his school, he'd make the rule to start lessons at ten so that students could sleep longer.

"If you don't get up in ten minutes, I'll walk in and shout in your ear", Soora threatens, knocking on the door. She keeps on for a few seconds and then goes downstairs.

Hyukjae waits for a short while before snapping his eyes open.

He'd rather be castrated than having Soora shouting in his ears after a ty day like yesterday and a it's going to be ty day today. That is a sensation that Hyukjae has: it's going to be bad, a very bad day. Sometimes he wakes up with this feeling and something particularly terrible happens. Last time he did have this sensation the Literature teacher arrived at the class, saying that she wanted to test them about Shakespear's Hamlet, a book that they had to read during summer holidays. Hyukjae didn't read it and with no surprise he got a big,red F. 

"Hyukjae!"

"Noona, I'm coming downstairs. Just give me a minute to get dressed, will you?", Hyukjae says aloud, getting up. He walks barefoot to get his uniform and then throws it on his untidy bed. He goes in his bathroom and takes the toothpaste before leaving it on the sink a second after when he remembers that he hasn't got breakfast yet- - Hyukjae's mind is a disaster in mornings. He goes back in his room and takes his rucksack, puts in his books and then walks back to the bed, planning to now start dressing up.

He's buttoning his shirt when he notices that the screen of his phone's illuminating.

It must be Junsu, Hyukjae finishes to fix the last button, maybe he's asking sorry?

He takes his phone from the bedside table and sees that it's a text. He opens it.

From: Donghae

Sorry.Sorry.Sorry.Sorry.Sorry.Sorry.Sorry.