There were a lot of things in life which Kyuhyun questioned about. Why is there hunger and poverty in the world? Why do governments keep building weapons of mass destruction? Why are stupid people allowed to live? 

Why is he best friends with someone as hateful as this one laughing at his embarrassment?

“Haha, it’s not that funny,” Kyuhyun sarcastically told off his friend for possibly the 10th time in the space of just 5 minutes.

“You sh-should have s-seen both your f-faces,” Changmin seemed not to have lost any amount of amusement, “I th-think Siwon is s-scared of y-you now,” and kept on laughing, thumping his friend’s shoulder.

Kyuhyun shook off Changmin in disgust. At least Minho just gave him a consoling hug before going away to laugh his head off. Coach Choi had given the team a 10-minute break after the incident. Well okay, the players were actually already due one and Siwon’s accident merely reminded the Coach that. Although Kyuhyun tried not to think about what his friend’s dad thought about him causing such a disturbance on his first practice appearance.

The other players were now just goofing around, some went to the bathrooms while others chatted with friends in the stands. The victim though was out of sight and Kyuhyun remembered guiltily that Siwon had hobbled back painfully to the locker rooms right after he was able to stand. Or more precisely, half-stand, half-crawl but he had refused the aid of anyone who offered to help.

Remembering this, Kyuhyun unconsciously found himself making his way to the gym, passing players who smiled in sympathy and a few others who jokingly covered their own privates. Kyuhyun just gave them a small smile acknowledging the joke but he silently listed them in his head. He was sure to pay them back next time and he grinned nastily at the thought.

But for now, he still had to apologize to Siwon. He hadn’t been able to given the ensuing commotion following the incident and he felt bad about that. 

Besides, he still had a game to win.

*************

“You can let go of my hand now.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?” Ryeowook retorted, “Geez Kyunnie, just because I said you were handsome before doesn’t mean that I’d actually want to date you,” he said as he successfully pried his hand from the other.

Ryeowook wasn’t sure but did he actually hear Kyuhyun whimper? He had come to the soccer field to pick up his friends for dinner and had actually been surprised when Minho told him that they’ll all be there minus Jonghyun who had to study for a test tomorrow. He got there when practice was already finished and had been even more surprised to see Kyuhyun and Changmin actually on the field, apparently, part of the soccer team.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been absent last Saturday, something’s up, he thought as he stared at Kyuhyun who was freshly showered but looking slightly dishevelled as if he dressed up without knowing what’s going on.

Kyuhyun definitely knew what was going on though and that was why he had latched on to the older boy’s hand the moment he saw him. He needed to transfer that sensation on something else, needed to take away that lingering memory…

“Dude! The heck is wrong with you?!” Changmin asked, a little surprised. He and Minho had now also reached Wookie’s car and Kyuhyun at once clung to him. And clung he did, he had given Changmin a hug from the back, something that was common for him to do. But as Changmin stepped away from the hug, his right hand never left his friend’s chest, andthat wasn’t common.

“Is something the matter, hyung?” Minho asked. This time Kyuhyun had draped an arm around his shoulders. He didn’t mind his hyung’s affections, he actually loved it but he did wonder why Kyuhyun had to rub and squeeze his shoulder.

His three friends kept looking at him in wonder until Changmin decided that Kyuhyun must just be suffering from delayed shock and when Ryeowook asked why, Changmin gleefully recounted Kyuhyun and Siwon’s accident earlier.

Kyuhyun let them joke about it as they piled in Ryeowook’s car. He took the stuffed giraffe on the dashboard and rubbed his right hand all over it and squished it in turns. It was better for his friends to think that he was still suffering from embarrassment at the incident because what happened in the locker room with Siwon wasn’t embarrassing at all. Oh no. It was more of a God-this-is-the-appropriate-time-for-you-to-end-the-world-do-it-now moment.

He paused in squishing Ryeowook’s poor giraffe and looked down at his right hand. My hand is now scarred for life.

He had gone in search of Siwon to apologize earlier and found him expectedly in the locker room. Siwon thankfully, wasn’t in a fetal position, nor was he shouting curses at Kyuhyun so he took that as a good sign and approached the slightly hunched form of the goalkeeper.

“Uh, hyung,” Kyuhyun began a little nervously, “I-…”

“Kyu!” Siwon head snapped up and he had a bewildered look in his eyes, “What are you doing here?!”

Is he mad? Kyuhyun took a deep breath and decided to get on with it, “I’m really sorry, Siwon. The ball, I didn’t think it would hit you um, down there. I’m just, I’m so-…”

“Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen all the time. Well, not accidents like this but you know,” Siwon smiled, although Kyuhyun could see that it was strained around the edges and knew the older boy was still hurting.

“Can I get you anything? An ice pack perhaps?” Kyuhyun asked then he frowned in confusion as Siwon visibly shrunk back from him when he leaned over him.

“It’s fine, my ah, stomach’s hurting, that’s all. It’ll pass eventually,” the older boy replied as he slowly scooted away from Kyuhyun’s hovering form.

“Ah yes, I read somewhere that your stomach will hurt for a while,” Kyuhyun wasn’t sure what came over him but he found it positively delightful that Siwon seemed to fear his nearness and being Kyuhyun, he couldn’t help but push it a little more.

“Hey hyung, you’re sweating, tsk,” Kyuhyun said in mock regret as he took a towel and gently wiped Siwon’s face. He could feel Siwon shudder and he instantly withdrew to see if it was because of disgust. But no, it wasn’t. Siwon just really seemed nervous…and wary.

What? Does he think I’ll kick him there again for good measure? Kyuhyun thought amusedly. He supposed he should be repentant and sympathetic. Getting hit in the groin was by all accounts, a very painful experience, not that he had experienced it or was planning to but he could of course imagine it. But Siwon squirming helplessly under him justentertained him to no end. 

“I’m really so sorry hyung,” Kyuhyun said softly, trying to sound apologetic, as he continued to wipe the goalkeeper’s neck, shoulders and arms with calculated, gentle . His motives for doing this were not entirely for benevolent reasons but a small part at the back of his mind definitely reminded him how attractive the older boy was. He ignored it of course.

Siwon seemed to be relaxing under Kyuhyun’s ministrations if the slackening of the death grip he had on the edge of the bench he was sitting on was any indication. And that was when Kyuhyun decided that teasing Siwon further was a good idea. He wondered why he was doing this, when Siwon was obviously very vulnerable right now but then again, he decided because that was exactly it; the older boy couldn’t do anything to him in the present state he was in.

So impishly, Kyuhyun dropped the towel and gently laid his hand on the other’s stomach. Instantly, he could feel the muscles clenching under his touch and Siwon asking tensely in an agonized whisper, “Uh, Kyu? Wh-what are y-you doing?”

“Does your tummy still hurt?”

“Not so much, jus- just a twinge.”

He should really feel sorry for the guy but the look of vulnerability on the other’s face overwhelmed him. Kyuhyun smirked as a very wicked plan crossed his head. Let’s make him squirm a little more. So he let his hand flutter a little lower. He was going to aim for the other’s thigh.

Sometimes though, Kyuhyun could miscalculate.

Siwon had bucked up nervously and Kyuhyun’s hand landed on something else. Basically, what he had just hit minutes ago.

Strike two.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Ryeowook’s voice cut through Kyuhyun’s reverie and he realized he had the stuffed giraffe in a death squeeze. They had already arrived at Roddy’s, the popular diner in the town square. It was always packed with college students like them since it was only a few blocks away from the campus but since it was Monday night, they were able to get a table.

“I just need to wash my hands,” Kyuhyun said as the others sat down and he quickly made his way to the bathroom before the others could remind him that he just took a shower. 

At the sink, he lost no time in pumping the liquid soap dispenser and rubbed his hands fiercely. It didn’t matter that he had precisely done this in the showers after the practice. He needed to wash away that ghostly sensation of having touched…

Ugh! Kyuhyun wished that he was disgusted because it would have made his life easier. But no, oh no. He was acting this way because he felt entirely the opposite. He had felt Siwon’s throbbing flesh underneath his hand and it was wreaking havoc on his senses. He felt giddy, excited, nervous and…

“Hey!”

“WAAAH!”

Donghae abruptly stepped back, “Whoops sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

Kyuhyun quickly took some paper towels and dried his hands. He mentally kicked himself for shrieking like that. Because people like him do not shriek!

“Yeah, you just surprised me,” he said a little snappily.

Donghae didn’t take offense; aside from being essentially a good-natured person, he was also acquainted with Kyuhyun’s abrupt manner.

“Well, I just saw your friends outside so I figured you were here as well. Anyway, the team’s also here so we decided to share a table.”

“That’s…great.” Well seriously, what else could he say?

Wait a minute, did he just say the “team”?

The bathroom door opened and in walked the boy he was planning to avoid for at least some time. Like a few years perhaps, or even decades if need be.

.

Kyuhyun quickly mumbled something about seeing them outside and dashed out the men’s room. He wasn’t sure if Siwon’s face seemed a little red. Well, it didn’t matter because he was sure his own face was white as sheet.

What absurdity was this! He had spent two years of his college life only seeing Siwon a dozen times or so when they passed by each other on campus or when he hang out with friends who knew Siwon too. And now fate seemed intent to fix that because the day hasn’t even passed and here they were, seeing each other again.

He sat between Ryeowook and Minho as he got to the table. He really didn’t want Changmin’s teasing right now. As it was, he shouldn’t have bothered because his friend was busy…scowling.

“I really didn’t appreciate what you told me earlier,” Changmin said in a low voice to Yunho who was sitting opposite him.

Everyone at the table seemed to be busy talking to the ones beside them but Kyuhyun knew everyone was really straining their ears to hear what the two were fighting about. Heck, he and Minho were doing the same thing. 

“Why? What’s wrong with what I said?” Yunho asked in a mild tone and with a serene face, clearly not wanting to let the others see that there was something wrong with him and Changmin.

“Just because you’re the team’s star player doesn’t mean you should look down upon new players like me,” Changmin retorted.

“I only said that if you’re going to quit in the end, then just better do it now. Why? Did it hit close to home?” Yunho countered then he gave a small smile, “Oops, sorry. That wasn’t meant to refer to baseball. Oh I remember, didn’t you quit on that?”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Kyuhyun turned to see that Donghae had arrived and there was a confused expression on his face. Everyone started to talk to each other more loudly and completely ignored Yunho and Changmin.

Changmin’s face was red but he just muttered, “Nothing.”

Yunho meanwhile shook his head and just said, “Difference of opinion. Nothing big.”

Dinner went on peacefully after that. The talks became general and were centered mostly on the upcoming Sigma Mu Halloween party and the new recruits of the girls’ volleyball team. Kyuhyun avoided looking in Siwon’s direction although he realized halfway through the meal that it wasn’t needed since Siwon seemed to be avoiding catching his eye too.

As the night progressed, people started to say their goodbyes and Kyuhyun wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or annoyed that Siwon was one of those who left early. Ryeowook signalled for them to leave as well when only a few of them were left.

Ryeowook dropped them off at the nearest bus station. While waiting, Kyuhyun came to a decision and spoke up.

“Hey, about our game. I have a better target in mind. Why don’t we change it?” Kyuhyun said in his most persuasive tone, “I was thinking maybe I should go after Donghae instead. I mean, he’s the team captain and he’s very friendly to everyone. It’ll create a bigger impact if I get to bring him on Follies’ Night.”

He was looking at Minho but it was Changmin he was really trying to persuade to agree. Minho would surely side with him. It didn’t matter now if Changmin to no end about his secret crush on Donghae. He could handle that better than having to face Siwon again.

“Well, we did just start and the Follies is still a long way off…” Minho said hesitantly.

Kyuhyun saw Changmin frowning from the corner of his eye. Ugh, just agree to it, you idiot! 

Their game was that whoever gets to make his target agree to go to Follies’ Night was the winner. It was the most important college event before the Christmas holidays. The Follies was a masquerade ball and an event that had an unspoken tradition in the university. It was usually couples who attended it, established couples. Or if they weren’t, it was an unofficial announcement for people who went there together that they were exclusively dating.

So it was basically a testament to how drunk and out of it they were that Saturday when they planned it. Even Victoria and Gyuri were smart enough to avoid doing a charm battle for the Follies.

“I’m okay with it.”

Kyuhyun did a double-take. What? Just like that? He looked at Changmin intently, searching for signs if the other was teasing him but he was serious.

Then Changmin added, “I’d like to change my target too. You can give me any other guy, I’ll do it.”

Minho tapped a finger to his chin and said thoughtfully, “I suppose Jonghyun can be persuaded to agree if I’m okay with it, right hyungs?”

“Yeah,” the two boys said almost at the same time and Kyuhyun tried to keep the relief out of his voice.

“Well then…” Minho began then he smiled sweetly, “No.”

---

TBC♥