Kyuhyun's mood ring had been gray since he broke up with Sungmin.  The color gray had a lot of negative meanings such as sad, tired, forsaken, pessimistic, worn out, stressed, remote, etc.  Indeed, those are the feelings Kyuhyun felt when Sungmin recently broke up with him.

 

 

But it has been a year now.  It's true that Kyuhyun hadn't exactly moved on yet but he was feeling better already so why was his mood ring still gray? Perhaps his mood ring was broken.  It was an antique mood ring after all since it came from his grandfather.

 

 

Anyway, he was an adult now.  He recently entered into the working world and specifically, into an advertising company.  Since he was still a newbie, he was basically used as an errand boy.  He was busy making coffee, buying snacks, delivering papers from person to person and other things like that.  From time to time, he submits an idea for advertising but the boss and other employees usually thought of his ideas being not very creative or original at all.  However, they comfort him with words like "You're still a newbie anyway.  You'll come up with something soon so for now, just learn well from us."

 

 

As an adult, he shouldn't believe in things such as mood rings anyway.  After all, a mood ring is just made of a liquid crystal and other components that would indicate a body's surface temperature which is why it would change colors.  He had this mood ring since he was very young though so simply out of habit, he continues to wear it.  He used to be amazed every time it changes color.  Now, it's just dull gray and it had been that way for a year now.

 

 

After a long tiring day at work, Kyuhyun decided to stop by a cafe.  All this time he had been making coffee and buying snacks for other people.  Right now, he just want someone to make coffee for him and buy snacks for himself.

 

 

"Hyung! It's been a long time! May I take your order?"

 

 

Kyuhyun looked up to see a familiar face.  The handsome waiter goes by the name of Suho.  Suho had only been a freshman in the university when Kyuhyun was in his senior year.  "My favorite dongsaeng! I would like to have Americano with ham and cheese sandwich."

 

 

Suho wrote down Kyuhyun's order.  "Favorite dongsaeng? But you haven't kept on touch with me, hyung."  He pouted a bit.

 

 

"Things had been rough, dongsaeng.  I'm sorry."  Kyuhyun tried to smile but it only turned out to be a bitter smile.

 

 

"I can see that, hyung.  You look thin and worn out.  I'll go get your order."  Suho only took 5 minutes before coming back to Kyuhyun's table.

 

 

"I didn't order this."  Kyuhyun said as soon as he saw the blueberry cheesecake being placed on his table.

 

 

"It's on me, hyung but you have to buy me dinner next time."  Suho chuckled before attending to his other customers.

 

 

When Kyuhyun left the cafe, he found out that Suho wrote down his cellphone number at the back of the receipt.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Over the next couple of days, Kyuhyun had formed a new routine in his life.  He wuold come home from work, change from his work clothes into something casual, hang out at the park near the cafe where Suho worked at, then Suho would show up and they would have dinner together.

 

 

They talked to catch up on each other.  Their conversation would always start with Suho talking about his school life and other things about the university then it would be followed with Kyuhyun about some gossips at his work place and complaining about his tiring work.

 

 

Then one day, Suho said.  "By the way, you never talk about Sungmin hyung.  How is he?"

 

 

Kyuhyun froze on the spot.  His close friends never talked to him about Sungmin since they broke up and he hadn't spent much time talking to his close friends since they're all busy with being newbies in their different line of work now.  "We broke up a year ago.  Two months after graduation to be exact."

 

 

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that hyung!!!"  Suho widened his eyes in surprise.  "You two were always together back in the university."

 

 

"Actually, Sungmin and I were already growing apart when you met us but since we were together since the start of the university, we wanted to stay together until university ends.  Then we decided to try after graduation but things just didn't work out."  Kyuhyun felt good after telling his story to someone who isn't a close friend but still someone who genuinely was concern and cared for him.  "What about you dongsaeng? Any university crush?"

 

 

Suho started to blush. "Um.. hyung.. actually... uh... he graduated already."

 

 

"Oh? Does that mean he's from my batch then? Or the fresh batch who recently graduated a 2 months ago?"  Kyuhyun asked curiously.

 

 

"Yours..."

 

 

"Ooohhh... who?"

 

 

"I'll tell you some other time hyung."  Suho lowered his face to hide his blush.

 

 

"Aish... you should just be comfortably tell me everything.  I can keep a secret."  Kyuhyun elbowed Suho's side teasingly.

 

 

"I'll tell you when your idea for an advertisement would finally be used."  Suho tried to make a deal.

 

 

"What? But that could be months or even years from now.  You crush surely would change by then." 

 

 

"If it'll change, then I'll tell you who I previously liked. Deal?"  Suho lifted up his pinky.

 

 

"Deal."  Kyuhyun connected his pinky with Suho's and noticed that his mood ring started to change from gray to blue green.

 

 

Suho noticed the change as well. "Hyung, your ring..."

 

 

"It's a mood ring.  I thought it's broken since it had been gray for over a year now specifically after Sungmin and I... well, you know."  Kyuhyun explained.

 

 

"Hyung, can I try it on?"  Suho asked in excitement over the mood ring.

 

 

"Sure."  Kyuhyun took off his ring.

 

 

Suho waited with an open hand expected for Kyuhyun to place it on his palm but instead, Kyuhyun held his hand and slipped the ring in his finger.  The gesture made Suho blush as his heart skipped a beat.  After a minute, the ring turned red.

 

 

"Must be because we were talking about your crush earlier."  Kyuhyun chuckled.

 

 

"Yeah."  Suho replied and was surprised at how accurate the ring was.  Just like most people, he believed it was just because of the temperature but then again, perhaps his body feels hot with the way he was blushing now.

 

 

"Suho, do you know what you just did to the mood ring and to me?"  Kyuhyun asked.

 

 

"What?"  Suho blinked.

 

 

"You brought color to my life and to my mood ring."

 

 

Suho could feel himself blushing harder than before.  "That's so corny, hyung."  He took off the ring and gave it back to Kyuhyun.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

They both didn't expect that the day would come very soon.  The next day, Kyuhyun submitted his idea for an advertisement.  He didn't have any high expectations but still, he felt good and more hopeful than usual with his mood ring turning blue.  A lot of his officemates have been commenting that Kyuhyun looked like he was in a good mood and was being friendlier than usual.

 

 

Even Suho noticed the change when they met for dinner.  "You seem... happy, hyung."

 

 

"It's because I have such a lovely dongsaeng."  Kyuhyun ruffled Suho's hair affectionately.

 

 

"Aish... hyung... don't do that."  Suho tried to fix his hair.

 

 

"But seriously, it's really because of you."  Kyuhyun said in a much more sincere tone.

 

 

"O...kay...."  Suho said in a disbelieving tone but still, he felt happy to hear Kyuhyun say something like that.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

By next week, Kyuhyun's boss congratulated him because they decided to use his idea for the latest noodle TV commercial.  That's exactly why Suho and Kyuhyun had noodles of that very same brand for dinner.

 

 

"You're treating me to instant noodles? You're so cheap, hyung!!!"

 

 

Kyuhyun laughed.  He knew that Suho was probably just joking or probably at least meant half of the joke but he couldn't care about that because he was in a really good mood.  "But it's special!!! My idea is going to be used to this noodle in a TV commercial. They even decided to get Super Junior as the endorsers."

 

 

Suho jaw dropped.  "Seriously? Wow! Congratulations, hyung!" He gave Kyuhyun a hug.  He only planned for a brief hug.  He didn't expect for Kyuhyun to hug him back tightly and didn't let go for a whole minute.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

"So we had a deal about you telling me your crush if my idea gets accepted."  Kyuhyun brought up their previous conversation.

 

 

Suho choked on his noodles and drank his water quickly.  "Hyung, can we talk about that after we have a full stomach?"

 

 

"Now or I'll give you a punishment."  Kyuhyun smirked evilly.  He continued to stare at Suho, who was becoming uncomfortable under Kyuhyun's gaze and kept on fidgeting on his seat.  "I just realized that you've grown up into such a handsome man.  How could you still not have a boyfriend?"

 

 

"Because the person I like is.... you, Kyuhyun." Suho finally confessed and dropped the formal speech.

 

 

The mood ring turned into a rare color called blue amber.  Some meanings of this color are enamored, desirable, mellowed, genuine, warmed, beguiled.  Kyuhyun's hand reached out to hold Suho's hand.  "Thank you for liking me all this time." 

 

 

Suho nodded.  He was expecting that the next few words that'll come out of Kyuhyun's mouth would be a rejection.  As he looked at their linked hands, he noticed how Kyuhyun's blue amber mood ring turned into red.  His suspicion was confirmed when he felt Kyuhyun kiss his cheek.

 

 

"I've always liked you as my dongsaeng but I'm beginning to like you more than that."  Kyuhyun's life even became more colorful as he gave Suho another kiss on the lips with the taste of noodles and love altogether with the mood ring turning pink without them noticing it.

 

 

THE END

 

 

A/N:  Comments please? ^_^  For more details about the mood ring and the theme of this fic, please refer to my foreword if you haven't read it yet especially to those who subscribed when I placed the foreword up the other day.  I updated my foreword.  ^^