HERA

“So…” I looked over my shoulder to look at Luhan, “what do you guys want for dinner?”

He thought with a little pout on his lips. “I don’t know; fried chicken, maybe.”

“Take outs? Again?”

He nodded.

“Don’t you guys cook?” I asked.

“Sometimes Chanyeol or D.O cooks for us but that’s like once in a blue moon. Most of the time we’re just too busy with work we don’t have time to cook.”

Oh. Not that their eating out in nice restaurants but…

“Then, I’ll cook for you tonight.”

Luhan and Lay gaped at me like I said ‘Hey, I’m an alien and I can breathe fire!’ Seriously, what’s with the stares, people?

“You…cook?” Lay blurted out. He shifted his head to the right and created slits with his eyes, eyeing me suspiciously. “You sure?”

“What?”

“You don’t look like you cook,” Lay said. Luhan hit the top of his head.

“LU-GE!”

Luhan smiled. “Sorry about his small brain. He’s really just so 4D at times.”

“Hey!” Lay argued, “What I only want to say is that she’s so sophisticated and gorgeous I thought she can’t handle cooking. And besides, she’s a designer so I thought that’s the only thing she knows.”

OUCH! DAGGER TO THE HEART.

Luhan gaped at Lay. “I didn’t know you know the word sophisticated.”

Lay’s eyes were slits again as he stared at his hyung.

I smiled shyly. “No, really, I can cook. And I’ll prove it to you with tonight’s dinner.”

A door opened and peered in Mr. Happy Virus. “Did someone say dinner?” Chanyeol said with the biggest grin on his face.

“Here he is again,” Luhan sighed.

Chanyeol, as what I heard from his group mates, is a bottomless pit. He rarely says he’s full at the dinner table; it’s more like “What’s next?” or “Challenge accepted!” when he finish the food on his plate.

“No, I mean I’ll help, if you need any,” Chanyeol said, looking at Luhan.

Luhan pointed to me. “She’s cooking, not me.”

Chanyeol looked at me. “Oh,” was the only thing that escaped his lips.

I stood up. “Well, it’s okay. I’ll boss Suho around later when I cook.” I laughed.

“Umm, I’ll help,” Chanyeol raised his hand, somewhat hesitant. “I’ll ask Kyungsoo to help too. He’s a decent cook that me.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t…”

He shook his head while showing a smile. “No, it’s okay, honestly. So, what’s our menu?”

SUHO

I woke hearing D.O’s rants to Chanyeol. “You’re doing it wrong!”

“How did you know I’m doing it wrong?” Chanyeol argued, mixing a huge amount of batter (I think) I a mixing bowl with a larger than life whisk. His and D.O’s face were covered in flour, and the kitchen floor was a flour dumpsite.

Hera was standing close to them, smiling from ear to ear while cutting vegetables.

“Look at the batter, it’s too liquidy. We’re not eating pancake soup!” D.O yelled at the towering Chanyeol. Poor D.O, he looks like a kid next to the giant.

“Hey, I know I’m right okay, so just calm down,” Chanyeol beamed.

D.O sighed in frustration. “I’m so going to say ‘I told you so’ later when that batter turned to pudding, not pancakes.”

Chanyeol just smiled.

“What’s going on?” I asked. The three of them bolted to look at me.

D.O and Chanyeol pointed to Hera.

“We’re cooking dinner,” she simply answered with a smile.

I looked at the floor.

“I’ll clean it up,” Hera seemed to be reading my mind.

“It’s okay,” I said, “I’ll do it.”

D.O and Chanyeol’s jaw dropped.

“Did I just hear that or am I just hearing things?” Chanyeol whispered audibly to D.O. He answered, “I don’t know,” D.O shook his head, eyes about to pop out of its sockets.

I clenched my teeth and the two of them turned their attention to the spilling batter. D.O started to add flour in the batter again, Chanyeol now zipping his mouth.

“Crazy…” I whispered.

“Hey,” Hera jokily elbowed my arm. “That’s not nice.”

“What are you cooking?” I asked, changing the topic.

“You’ll see,” she smiled.

She started cutting vegetables again; I helped her clear the counter top. How can she cut vegetables so delicately and expertly? The carrots and peppers are julienned neatly; zucchini sliced perfectly; glass noodles cooked just right. Her hands are just so skillful.

I stared at her hands (and her face) some more when…

“I’ll probably melt from your burning stares, Joon Myun,” she smiled shyly.

I smirked and looked away.

D.O and Chanyeol are now frying the pancakes, I’m guessing kimchi pancakes from its red color, thankfully, quietly.

“Hyung,” Sehun called, “your phone ringing!”

“I have it with me,” I said, checking my pocket.

Hera set the knife down the counter. “It’s probably mine.”

And, she headed for our room.

I walked over to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. I whispered to their ear, “Clean up your mess, kids.”

Both of them grunted.

I headed to the living room. Luhan was watching TV while Lay was sleepily watching with him, hugging his guitar. I sat next to Lay.

“Hey,” Lay miraculously wakened from his sleepy hollow. “Hera is so cool.”

My eyes widened from that statement. “How can you say so?”

He held his finger as if counting as he enumerated Hera’s talent. “Well, she drew me so perfectly just a while ago.” That; well I already know that. “She can cook.” Well, we have to test her cooking before we say she’s good at it. “And, she can play the guitar!”

Lay was so amused, his dimples sunk even deeper. His eyes glowed brighter than the light above our heads.

“Really? She can play the guitar?” That; I didn’t know. “Is she good?”

“Well, she just said so but didn’t play. She said we’ll play together.”

Chanyeol’s ear, even in our silent conversation, never failed him. “She can play?” he said, pointing to our room. “Woah, this calls for a guitar session later. Oho~ I bet she’s… NOT that good.” He smiled mockingly.

“Yah!” Lay bickered back, “If she can design clothes and draw faces so awesomely, there’s no way she’ll at guitar.”

I stared incredulously at Lay’s face when I heard those words coming out of his mouth. I’m the one who’s supposed to say something nice about Hera, not him!

“Suho,” she called from the doorway of our room. “Can you come here please?”

I stood up and left. Lay’s ‘compliment’ is still ringing in my head.

“I’m so sorry,” was Hera’s first words when I came inside the room.

I looked alarmed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

She guiltily bit her lip. “I don’t think I can cook dinner for you guys. I’m needed in Xenon right now.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, and I need to go right now,” she said, taking her apron off. She gave it to me. “What should I do?”

“Don’t worry, D.O and Chanyeol can handle dinner. It’s not a big deal,” I smiled, trying to relieve some of her guilt.

But she still bit her lips. “But I promised…”

“Shush, it’s okay,” I held her hand. “Go; I’ll explain everything to them.”

She hugged me. “Thanks Joon Myun.”

She asked me to leave the room so she can change. Then, I went to the kitchen.

“What happened to Hera-noona?” D.O asked.

I explained Hera’s situation. “So, I’m afraid you’re in charge now Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol sighed. “Why is he in charge?” he said, putting down the spatula on the counter. “I’m taller.”

“Yeah, ‘cause your height’s the reason you can cook. My …” D.O went to finish cutting the vegetables. I helped the two cook in Hera’s behalf. After an hour, the food was served.

Everyone was huddled in the dining table, eating happily. Miraculously, the pancakes turned to pancakes, not pudding, like what D.O predicted. Chanyeol bragged every few minutes that he cooked everything that we’re eating and D.O would constantly snort at his remarks.

The maknaes, Sehun and Kai, were wolfing down the stew, leaving none for Tao who’s just right beside them. The hyungs, Kris, Xiumin and Luhan just ate quietly. The noisy ones, Baekhyun, Chen and Chanyeol seemed to enumerate every ingredient and argue about how everything should be cooked. The quiet ones, D.O and Lay, just ate, sandwiched in between the noisy ones and the maknaes. Poor D.O and Lay. I was sitting beside D.O and thanked him like four times for the delicious food. Chanyeol would immediately ask for his ‘Thank you’ as well.

The doorbell rang. I stood up and went to the intercom.

“Who’s there?” I asked.

No one answered. No one’s showing on the monitor. That’s strange.

I called again but to no avail.

I walked to door and opened it. I checked from left to right to see if there’s someone. A pair of legs was flatly slumped to the floor. Hera was sitting on the cold concrete, her eyes b with tears.

I crouch down to look at her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

A tear fell.

“Hera…”

Two tears fell.

“Come on, tell me what’s wrong. Please…”

She looked at me, still wordless.

“Stand up. Let’s go inside. Tell me everything.” I helped her stand up. Then, she wrapped me in a tight embrace, her arms laced around my neck.

“Hera…”

Her warm breath on my neck sends shivers all over my body. I hugged her tightly as well.

She sniffled.

“Let’s go inside,” I said once again.

I felt her loosed her grip. The next thing I knew, her lips were pressed gently into mine.

AH! Finally I updated. Do you guys know how it pains me to not update. Huhu... Author-nim, wake up! I was too busy reading other fanfics "ignored" mine. *guilty*

So what do you guys think? Let me know. Thanks.

~Crina