This didn't turn out quite like I thought it would and I still don't know where this is going. Hoya finally shows up in this chapter (Sungyeol and Myungsoo were supposed to be here too, but things changed) and you get to know a bit more about Sunggyu's feelings for Woohyun (plaonic and possibly romantic). Also, it was only a matter of time before Woohyun found out about Sunggyu's powers. With all of that to look forward to, I'll stop talking now.

The first rule Sunggyu had made for himself after coming to terms with his telepathy was that he would never intentionally eavesdrop on his friends' thoughts. While it serves as good motivation to gain better control of his powers, it's also a line he won't cross. But he's now questioning exactly how morally wrong it would be to just take a little peek. It’s really the easiest way for Sunggyu to figure out what’s going on with Woohyun—without having to ask him directly, of course.

After days of Woohyun giving him the cold shoulder, Sunggyu is nothing short of surprised to see his friend on the other side of his (and Dongwoo's) front door. His arms are weighted down by several grocery bags full of fresh vegetables and raw meat and other random items. "Aren't you going to let me in," he asks with a smile that reaches his eyes, lighting them up in a way that Sunggyu has missed. He's missed Woohyun being genuinely happy to see him. Woohyun doesn't wait for Sunggyu's answer (not that one had been forthcoming) before brushing past him into the apartment.

Dongwoo rushes to help him carry the bags to the kitchen. "What's all of this?" He looks into one of the bags after placing it on the counter.

"It's probably been a while since you had a home-cooked meal," Woohyun says as he moves around the kitchen with the ease of someone who's spent a lot of time in it. He retrieves a pink polka dot apron from a hook near the doorframe. (Dongwoo hadn't noticed it before now in all the time he'd been living here. Probably because Sunggyu never wore it.) "And Sunggyu's a terrible cook, so there's no telling what you two have been eating. I figured I should come by and make you something." Rolling up his sleeves, he washes his hands and then fills a pot with water and sets it on the stove to boil.

"He really can't cook," Dongwoo agrees with a laugh. He stands at the counter unpacking the bags. Woohyun's probably brought more food than they currently have in the fridge. "I didn't know you could, though."

"Just well enough to get by," Woohyun admits modestly. Even with his back turned Sunggyu can still hear the smile in Woohyun's voice. The other has always liked hearing compliments, although he tries to hide it.

Sunggyu leans on the back of the couch in the living room and watches his two friends. He would go over and join them, but he doesn't know what to say. It feels like he and Woohyun had a fight and now Woohyun's being the bigger person and apologizing first. Sunggyu's starting to suspect that Dongwoo might've said something to him. Not the truth (because Sunggyu's supposed to tell him that), but something convincing enough for Woohyun to get over his anger. And Sunggyu's happy for that; happy to have his friend back. But there's still the guilt that's slowly eating him up inside.

Even though they haven't known each other as long as he and Dongwoo have, Sunggyu wouldn't hesitate to call Woohyun his best friend. He knows everything about Woohyun. Even the things Woohyun probably doesn't want him to know. And up until Dongwoo came back into the picture Sunggyu had been sure it went both ways. But now he's keeping such an important secret from Woohyun for reasons he's not entirely sure of just yet. Maybe he's afraid of Woohyun's reaction. Dongwoo had been one thing—he was a total stranger at the time. But Woohyun knows Sunggyu; he knows him better than almost anyone. Maybe Sunggyu is trying to protect him. From what, he doesn't know. His powers are hardly dangerous and he doesn't think he'll ever become good enough for them to be considered dangerous. Or maybe Sunggyu doesn't want it to change things between the two of them. Woohyun had obviously been jealous of Dongwoo at first. He's known Sunggyu longer and is much closer to him. Woohyun might feel left out now that Sunggyu and Dongwoo have something like this in common. That's the last thing Sunggyu wants.

You can join us, too, if you want.

Dongwoo's voice in his head brings Sunggyu back into the moment. He's gotten better at hearing the difference between spoken words and thoughts. The latter have a bit of an echo to them, like Dongwoo's does now. When Sunggyu looks back into the kitchen he sees that Woohyun is busy chopping up vegetables while Dongwoo stirs whatever's in the pot. Even though Dongwoo's attention is focused on Woohyun, Sunggyu can tell the other is waiting for him to come over. He hesitates for a second, his eyes going to the back of Woohyun's head, before pushing off of the couch and heading to the kitchen.

"So what's your plan for this Howon guy?" Woohyun's asking Dongwoo when Sunggyu steps into the room. He glances at the older man, a neutral expression on his face when their eyes meet.

Sunggyu looks away first. His face feels hot for some strange reason. The kitchen is a bit warmer than the rest of the apartment at the moment; that must be why. He stands on Dongwoo's other side, leaning a shoulder on the fridge. Woohyun's not the only one curious about how Dongwoo plans on gaining Howon's trust.

Dongwoo pauses his stirring so Woohyun can add the diced radish. "I'm still not sure," he answers with a slight frown. "I've been a little too distracted lately to think about it." He exchanges a quick look with Sunggyu. It doesn't help to lessen the other's guilt knowing that Dongwoo's original mission had been deferred because of him.

"Why don't you try approaching him again," Woohyun suggests. He opens the cupboard in search of the right spices to add to what Sunggyu realizes is soup slowly cooking on the stove. "Since it's been a while, maybe he'll be willing to listen to you this time."

"It's worth a shot," Sunggyu agrees. Dongwoo continues stirring as he thinks it over. "I'll go with you if you want," he offers, "you know, to vouch for you if he doesn't believe you."

"Me, too." Woohyun gives Dongwoo a lopsided grin when he looks over at him in surprise.

Dongwoo glances at Sunggyu before smiling himself. "Okay, let's do it."

With the combined effort of the three of them, they manage to make a decent lunch. Or, at least, it’s nearly decent. The soup turns out way too salty; not even copious amounts of water can save it. Woohyun stays for another hour after they finish eating. He and Dongwoo brainstorm plans for approaching Howon while Sunggyu pretends to watch TV. He’s still considering making an exception to his first rule. Even though he and Woohyun have barely said anything to each other, he doesn’t feel like it’s because Woohyun’s still mad at him. But at the same time, he’s not entirely convinced that things are okay between them. He stops the other man as he’s leaving, pulling the door almost fully closed even though he knows Dongwoo won’t eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Are we..." Sunggyu pauses, almost regretting opening his mouth. He clears his throat before continuing. "Are we okay now? You're not still mad at me?"

"Who says I was mad at you?" At Sunggyu's skeptical look Woohyun gives an embarrassed laugh. "Okay, I was a little mad at you," he admits. "But, yeah, we're good now."

The sincerity in his smile is exactly the reassurance Sunggyu had been looking for. The meal Woohyun had made was like an apology of sorts. Although not one Sunggyu had expected to get. If anything, he should be the one apologizing. "Good. That's, um, good." His stomach does a weird dance at the chuckle that comes from Woohyun. It's never done that before. He clears his throat again. Now is probably a good time to say goodbye.

Woohyun shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and steps closer to Sunggyu. He takes a deep breath before speaking. "Do you... know why I was mad at you?" He holds Sunggyu's gaze, looking both hopeful and anxious.

Sunggyu hesitates in giving his answer. He'd been sure that Woohyun was upset about being left out, but now he's doubting that. He wouldn’t be asking if that were the case. "Um, I think so." He considers changing his answer at Woohyun's disappointed "oh". That must not be the answer the other wanted.

"Don’t worry about it," Woohyun waves him off. His smile is clearly forced this time. "We’re good, okay?"

Sunggyu has a harder time believing it’s true.

---

At first Sunggyu thinks it's a of luck. It's just Dongwoo and him at the store (Woohyun's off and Sunggyu feels bad for being relieved that he isn't there). Sunggyu is busy organizing the new stock display when the bell above the door jingles. He doesn't bother turning around since Dongwoo's behind the counter.

"Hi, how can I—" Dongwoo's cheery welcome cuts off suddenly. Sunggyu, it's him.

Dongwoo's panicked voice in his head jolts Sunggyu, making him drop one of the CDs he'd been shelving. He spins around fast enough to make him momentarily dizzy. When his vision clears he sees Dongwoo backed against the wall with a guy—Howon, he guesses—on the other side of the counter. Sunggyu doesn't think before he acts. Or take another second to really look at the scene in front of him and see that although he's surprised, Dongwoo isn't actually afraid or in danger. His protective instincts kick in almost immediately, taking him across the store in a few long strides. He puts himself in between his friend and Howon who takes a step back. The bell above the door jingles even though the door itself doesn't open.

"Can I help you?" Sunggyu crosses his arms across his chest. He's not much taller than the other man, but that won't stop him from acting like he is. Despite the hint of muscles underneath the guy's shirt, he's sure he can take him.

Howon bristles at Sunggyu's hard tone, his eyes narrowing. "I just want to talk to him," he replies equally as brusque. Not that it's any of your business.

Sunggyu opens his mouth to tell him why this is very much his business when Dongwoo grips onto his shoulder. "It's okay," Dongwoo says. His voice is calm and steady, any trace of panic is gone from his face. He gives Sunggyu a small but reassuring smile. "We'll just talk."

Although he steps to the side, Sunggyu doesn't go very far. He and Howon exchange glares before the latter turns his attention back to Dongwoo. "I've been looking for you," he states.

"Me," Dongwoo asks incredulously. Sunggyu's also caught off guard. Although they'd hoped Howon had come around to the idea of having superhuman powers, they hadn't considered that the other man would be so willing. That he would come looking for Dongwoo.

Howon softens slightly, his shoulders losing some of their tension. "You said you could help me." When Sunggyu looks past the other man’s scowling face and arrogant attitude, he sees that Howon is going through the same thing he had gone through. He’s scared, of himself and his powers, and he just wants to gain some sense of control. (Or maybe Sunggyu is just projecting.)

"I can—or I can try, at least." The disbelief hasn't faded from Dongwoo's voice; like he's still amazed that Howon is standing in front of him. "What made you change your mind?"

"Well, I..." Howon trails off as he casts a wary glance at Sunggyu.

Dongwoo catches on quickly. "Oh right, this is my friend Sunggyu. You can talk about it in front of him," he assures the other man. "He knows everything."

"We have more in common than you think," Sunggyu says with a smirk. He's not even trying, but he can read Howon like a book. All of his thoughts flow into Sunggyu's mind in an almost endless wave. Sunggyu can't help but be grateful that he's so much better at controlling his powers. Had it been a couple of weeks earlier, he would have already cracked from the amount of information he's currently receiving.

What the hell's that supposed to mean?

Howon tenses at the same time the bells above the door jingle again, more violently this time. Dongwoo and Sunggyu both turn their heads toward the sound. It's hard to believe that Howon doesn't have control over his powers when he hadn't even flinched. Dongwoo hurries from behind the counter—over it, really; the flip-up door is merely a suggestion to him—and tries to smooth things over. Which he's actually good at.

"He means that he's like us. He has powers too."

"What kind of powers?"

Sunggyu starts to answer, but Dongwoo cuts him off. "We can get into that later. Tell me what happened to make you change your mind." It's not often that Dongwoo sounds authoritative; mostly because there isn't really a need for it. But now, he doesn't leave room for argument as he's pretty much commanding Howon to talk.

The change is just as shocking to Howon, who gapes at Dongwoo for a moment before replying. "Yeah, I, uh, I almost broke my friend’s nose with a book. I mean, it missed, but it was still close. Before I could pretend that it wasn’t me making things move because I never meant to do it. This time, though, I really meant it. Well, I was thinking about it and then it happened, but I wasn’t trying to hurt him. That’s the last thing I want."

Moved by the regret in Howon’s voice, Dongwoo reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder. His eyes hold the same amount of concern and understanding as they did when he’d comforted Sunggyu about his newfound ability. Even his words are the same. "It’s hard at first, but it’ll get easier."

Sunggyu expects Howon to scoff at the idea; that had been his initial reaction. It was hard enough to believe he had superpowers let alone that he would ever know how to use them. He doesn’t blame Howon if he’s skeptical.

But, surprisingly, Howon sighs in relief instead. “Thank you,” he says, laying a hand on top of the one Dongwoo still has on his shoulder. Dongwoo gives him one of his brilliant winning smiles and Howon responds with a more subdued one of his own. Sunggyu would be miffed—not jealous; he has no reason to be jealous—about the impromptu bonding the two of them are having, but a realization dawns on him. Howon is so ready and willing to believe Dongwoo because he’s been dealing with this by himself for much longer than Sunggyu. And he doesn’t have to be alone anymore; there’s someone who wants to help, someone he can trust. Not for the first time (and definitely not the last), Sunggyu feels his chest well with pride. Dongwoo is so much more amazing than either of them ever give him credit for. He couldn’t be anymore grateful to have a best friend like him.

---

Sunggyu had never thought of himself as the waiting up type, mostly because he'd never had anyone to wait up for. But eleven-thirty rolls around and he finds himself alone in his apartment sitting on the couch staring blankly at the TV. Dongwoo had left a few hours before without telling Sunggyu where he was going or when he'd be back. Sunggyu knows his friend is a full-grown adult who's capable of taking care of himself; the two years they'd spent apart is proof enough. But he can't help that he's worried about Dongwoo, especially when he doesn't know what he's doing or who he might be with. It's not that he doesn't want to call him to briefly check in—he knows how to play it cool (despite whatever Woohyun might say). He just doesn't want to impose. Maybe Dongwoo had a date that he didn't want to tell Sunggyu about. (He spends most of his time at the record store, but it's still a possibility.) Either way, Sunggyu doesn't want to interrupt.

He's just started drifting off to an infomercial about frying pans when the door knob jiggles. There's a grunt from the other side of the door as he sits up on the couch. He takes a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes before getting up and walking to the front door. For the second time in less than a week Sunggyu is surprised to find Woohyun on the other side of the door.

"Oh, you're still up." Woohyun manages to sound casual despite having Dongwoo draped over his back. His arm is still stretched out where he'd been trying to unlock the door. Sunggyu makes himself useful by taking the key from him and stepping to the side. "Thanks," Woohyun huffs sarcastically.

Sunggyu waits for him to shuffle into the apartment before closing the door and moving to help with their passed out friend. They lug Dongwoo into Sunggyu's bedroom and lay him carefully on the bed. Sunggyu eases him out of his jacket while Woohyun pulls off his shoes. Dongwoo remains dead to the world throughout all of it. Together it only takes them a couple minutes to tuck him in and make sure he's comfortable. (Sunggyu silently prays Dongwoo doesn't throw up any time during the night--not that he'll be the one to clean it up.)

Woohyun is quiet as they slip out of the room and Sunggyu feels the need to make up for it. "Dongwoo didn't tell me he was going out with you." He takes a seat on the couch, expecting Woohyun to join him.

"I asked him not to," Woohyun responds. He remains standing next to the couch.

Suddenly it feels like they've taken two steps back. And the last thing Sunggyu wants is for Woohyun to be mad at him again. Especially when he doesn't know the reason. He reaches out for Woohyun's hand, conscious of the weird feeling in his gut, and pulls him to sit down. "Why," he asks simply.

Woohyun stares down at their connected hands lying between them. A minute passes without him saying anything. Whether it's because he's thinking or he doesn't want to answer the question, Sunggyu doesn't know. If it were a couple months earlier he would have already badgered Woohyun into talking—or maybe the other wouldn't be reluctant to talk in the first place. But as it is now, he can only wait for Woohyun to open up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The question throws Sunggyu for a moment. He looks at the other in confusion. There's only one thing he hasn't told him. It can't be... "Dongwoo told me," Woohyun informs him when he sees the realization dawn on Sunggyu. "He didn't mean to and I swear I didn't mean for it to happen either, but we were drinking and he went a little overboard and I didn't stop him until after it all came out. I know you told him not to tell me. Because you were supposed to tell me. And I wanted to respect that—I really tried to, but I—" He cuts himself off as he looks away from Sunggyu. Pulling his hand from under the other's, Woohyun rests both of his hands in his lap, clasping them together tightly.

"I was going to tell you," Sunggyu insists. (He's all too aware of how cold his hand feels without Woohyun's. He ignores it.) As much as he tries to sound sincere he doubts Woohyun believes him.

"Don't you trust me?" Woohyun's voice is close to a whisper. Like he's as afraid of asking the question as he is of the answer. He still won't look at Sunggyu.

The question feels like a kick in the stomach. Or maybe Sunggyu is just being hyperbolic. Unconsciously, his hands tighten into fists. "Why would you think that," he throws back. He's not sure if this is still about his powers. It doesn't seem like it. "Of course I trust you. If this is because Dongwoo—"

"This isn't about Dongwoo!" The intensity in Woohyun's eyes as he finally looks at Sunggyu is strong enough to curb any argument he had been about to make. "I just wish you'd told me yourself. Earlier and because you really wanted me to know. Because you trust me."

The guilt Sunggyu had felt before is nothing compared to how he feels now. He knew hiding his powers from Woohyun was a bad idea. And seeing how much it had affected him makes Sunggyu regret his decision. "I had my reasons for not telling you, but now they seem more like excuses. Just know that it was never because I didn't trust you. Or because I trusted Dongwoo more."

Woohyun is silent for a long while, his gaze still fixed on Sunggyu. The older man tries his best not to look away. The way Woohyun is looking at him feels different than usual. It's serious with a touch of vulnerability and it turns the air between them more intimate than any other time in their friendship. It makes Sunggyu nervous and little bit of something else. (Excited? Confused? He doesn't know, but he's not ready to deal with it yet.)

No, it can wait. This isn't the right time.

Sunggyu catches himself before he can ask what that's supposed to mean. That wasn't for him to hear. Keeping his expression neutral, he reaches over to rest his hand on both of Woohyun's. He doesn't miss the way the other tenses at the contact. Or the strain in his voice when he finally speaks.

"It's getting late," Woohyun says as he rises from the couch, leaving Sunggyu's hand cold for a second time. "We can talk more tomorrow." He doesn't bother faking a smile.

Although Sunggyu wants to ask Woohyun what it is he can't tell him yet, he stays seated and watches him leave instead. There's something the younger man isn't ready to share and Sunggyu is willing to wait until he is. Because he trusts Woohyun.