Title; Beg Your Pardon
Fandom; Super Junior/Girl's Generation
Pairings; eventual Kyuhyun/Sooyoung, Sungmin/Sooyoung, Kyuhyun/Yoona
Rating; T
Summary; Kyuhyun tries not to fall (even more) in love. Sooyoung doesn't know what to do (with her heart). Sungmin knows more than he lets on. Yoona didn't mean to get involved in this. It's a tangled web of hearts and souls.

 

PART III; Flicker

 

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Sungmin is a lot more perceptive than he's given credit for.

Just because he wears pink and giggles a lot doesn't mean he doesn't notice the way Kyuhyun shuts himself down (his eyes don't shine as bright, his words are little harder, a little harsher) whenever Sungmin mentions 'Sooyoung' and 'girlfriend' in the same sentence.

He should've known better. He still remembers Kyuhyun's eyes widening ever-so-slightly as SNSD first introduce themselves to their sunbaes. He remembers Sooyoung stumbling over her words, blushing as Kyuhyun welcomes them to the 'idol life', his dark eyes trained on the tall girl.

(Sungmin remembers all of that, and yet he still asks for Sooyoung's number after a Chunji broadcast.)

It's not like he doesn't like Sooyoung. It's like hanging out with his best friend, pulling pranks with his partner-in-crime, having fun with someone he cares about.

(But he hasn't been in love with her for a long time.)

Sungmin knows Kyuhyun has a lot more heart than anyone he's ever met. He might not show it every often, might not give it out in gift-wrapped packages, but it's there.

He's the one who stays back after dance practice, perfecting his steps when everyone is at lunch. He's the one bent over the coffee table, scribbling lyrics late into the night until Leeteuk forces him to go to bed. He's the one who wakes everyone up in the morning, and makes sure that Shindong doesn't eat Donghae's share of breakfast or that Ryeowook didn't sit on Yesung's beloved turtle.

Kyuhyun pretends like he doesn't care, but Sungmin knows he really, really does.

So when he ignores Sooyoung’s calls for the sixth time (she’s taken to calling Kyuhyun more than him, but Sungmin can’t bring himself to care), Sungmin knows something is wrong.

“Kyuhyun-ah? Are you going to answer that?” he asks, innocently enough to make Kyuhyun look up from his book.

Kyuhyun’s eyes flicker to his phone (Sungmin can see a ghost of a smile on the younger boy’s face), before shrugging.

“It’s just Sooyoung-ah. She’s probably just going to bug about Yoona” he says nonchalantly, before focusing his attention on the words in front of him.

(Sungmin can hear the break in his voice, see the way his fingers clench tightly around his book.)

The phone stops ringing, and Sungmin wonders how long Kyuhyun’s been trying to pretend he doesn’t care.

“So…what do you think of Yoona?” he flops on Kyuhyun’s bed, nudging him curiously.

Kyuhyun doesn’t even look up.

“That’s none of your business, hyung” he replies, his voice void of emotion.

Sungmin scoffs disbelievingly.

“Please, bitch. You can’t tell me you don’t like her. You asked her out again! That’s got to mean something, right?” he presses, snatching the book away from Kyuhyun.

The younger man sighs, rolling his eyes.

“Give me back my book, hyung. Honestly, you’re like an overgrown child. Or Heechul” he snipes.

Sungmin waves it above his head.

“Not until you tell me about YoonKyu!” he sing-songs.

Kyuhyun makes a face, before slumping resignedly against his pillows, realizing Sungmin wouldn’t give up until he told the gossipy boy.

“Fine. God, you’re such a girl, hyung. You should just change your name Sungyeon and join SNSD”

Sungmin simply throws Kyuhyun’s book at said boy’s head.

“Whatever. Now spill”

Kyuhyun looks like he’s going to make another girl-group crack, before balking under Sungmin’s glare.

“Well…Yoona’s nice-” he begins, before his hyung gasps sharply.

“You hate her!” he squeals, pointing accusingly at Kyuhyun.

“What? No, I don’t! I just told you she was nice- what hell are you on, hyung?” Kyuhyun glares at the older boy.

Sungmin makes a tutting noise that reminds him of his mother.

“No man in the history of the universe has ever described a girl they’re interested in as nice” Sungmin says almost philosophically. “That’s like saying, ‘Siwon is ugly’ or ‘Hankyung doesn’t sound like a total fob’” he fixes Kyuhyun with a pained expression. “It’s just not true”

Kyuhyun throws up his hands in frustration.

“What do you want me to say then? That’s she’s so-so hot-hot?” he rolls his eyes.

“I just want you to tell the truth” Sungmin says softly, as if waiting for a confession (I’m in love with your girlfriend, always have and always will be).

But all he gets is Kyuhyun’s blank eyes, as if he wants to forget, as if he wants to start over and not fall for his hyung’s girlfriend this time.

“I want to like Yoona” his voice is quiet, determined. “I’m going to like Yoona”

And with that he leaves Sungmin alone in their bedroom. Sungmin sneaks a look at Kyuhyun’s phone.

7 missed calls
Sooyoung ^_^

(Sungmin thinks Kyuhyun’s just locked up his heart and thrown away the key.)

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