This chapter's pretty short, but since it's been a while since I updated this I figured I should post something. This is essentially all about woogyu despite appearances by Dongwoo and Hoya. (Myungsoo's definitely going to show up in the next chapter. I can't say the same for Sungjong and Sungyeol.) Things finally start moving with Sunggyu and Woohyun, but don't get your hopes up because Sunggyu's still an idiot. Enjoy~

"What's going on with you and Woohyun," Dongwoo asks Sunggyu in a hushed voice as he leans across the table. Woohyun's just gotten up to go to the bathroom. Dongwoo glances at his retreating figure to make sure he hadn't heard.

It's been a couple days since Woohyun found out about Sunggyu's powers. While they've both been trying to pretend nothing's changed, there's no hiding the fact that things are definitely different. The easy and open relationship they'd had seems awkward now; like they're forcing their friendship. It’s exactly what Sunggyu had been afraid would happen. Except he doesn't think Woohyun is jealous. Just hesitant. But Sunggyu can't blame him. Even though Sunggyu's gotten much better at blocking outside thoughts and he's assured Woohyun that he won't intentionally read his mind, sometimes things slip through the cracks. He can understand why the other might be tentative about spending time with him. (Especially when he's keeping his own secrets from Sunggyu.) It still stings, though.

Sunggyu shrugs, resisting the urge to turn his head to look in Woohyun’s direction. Howon had offered to take them out for dinner and, as someone who would never say no to free food, Sunggyu had immediately accepted for the three of them. He didn't even need to know the reason. He stuffs a whole dumpling in his mouth and pushes it to one side so he can talk. "There's nothing going on between me and Woohyun." (He does too know how to play it cool.)

"That's kind of the problem."

Sunggyu turns his head sharply to look at Howon who's seated next to Dongwoo. "What's that supposed to mean?" Howon starts to answer, but a hard jab from Dongwoo's elbow makes him wince. He occupies himself with his half-empty glass of beer instead, rubbing the sore spot on his side grumpily. "Does he know about Woohyun, too," Sunggyu asks Dongwoo. "How does he know before me?"

Somehow everyone seems to know whatever it is Woohyun's not ready to tell Sunggyu. Everyone except Sunggyu, that is. It makes him wonder if it's something incredibly obvious that he should have noticed by now. And maybe that's why Woohyun had been mad at him. Or it could be that he doesn't trust Sunggyu like he did before. Somewhere in between Dongwoo's surprising arrival and Sunggyu's even more surprising powers there must have been a moment where Woohyun felt like he didn't know the man he'd been calling his best friend. A moment where he started to doubt the friendship they’d built over the past two years. That could explain why Woohyun's hesitating on telling him.

Howon scoffs into his glass and fixes Sunggyu with a judging look. "I just have eyes," he says dryly. He dodges another elbow jab from Dongwoo.

"Why is everyone being so cryptic about this," Sunggyu wonders out loud to himself. What exactly could Woohyun be hiding from him?

"It doesn't matter who knows what," Dongwoo tells him, a hint of reproach in his voice. "When Woohyun wants you to know, he'll tell you."

Sunggyu can only sigh. He wants to give Woohyun the time and space to work up the courage to be honest with him—he owes him that much. But at the same time, his curiosity is driving him crazy. He drops his head onto the table next to his bowl and groans.

"You're full already? Are you sick?" Woohyun's voice is bright with amusement and when Sunggyu looks up at him he sees the smile on his face. He takes his seat next to Sunggyu, unaware that he's just interrupted a conversation about himself. "In all the time I've known him, Sunggyu's never finished eating so fast," he says to the other two. Dongwoo laughs along with him, the sound surprisingly genuine.

(Sunggyu's always envied how easily his friend can adapt to new situations. And how good he is with people. Not that Sunggyu's particularly bad at it. It's just that it seems like Dongwoo doesn't even have to try to make anyone feel comfortable around him; it's as natural to him as breathing. Sunggyu wishes it could be as effortless for him. Maybe then he and Woohyun wouldn't currently be awkwardly dancing around each other.)

"I don't know anything about that," Howon chimes in, "but if you want to see an actual human vacuum I'll introduce you to my friend Myungsoo. I'm pretty sure he can eat more than the four of us combined."

"You should bring him by the store," Dongwoo suggests, downing the last of his beer. Sunggyu had insisted that that be his last glass as no one wants to have the "honor" of dragging him home. He's not even close to tipsy, but the other three men had outvoted him so his next drink will have to be something non-alcoholic.

Howon makes a noncommittal sound and looks down at his empty plate.

"Does he not know about your powers?" Woohyun keeps his voice low despite the fact that the restaurant is busy enough that the noise from the other customers easily drowns out their conversation. It doesn't hurt to be careful.

"No, but I'm sure he's guessed it by now."

Dongwoo nudges him in the ribs again, this time in a more playful way. "You say that like it's a bad thing. It helps to have at least one person on your side. Someone you can trust. I don't think I could've gotten this far if it wasn't for Sunggyu. He was the only person I trusted to tell about my powers when I first found out. And he's always had my back no matter what." He smiles over at Sunggyu who had raised his head at the sound of his name. "And you're lucky," Dongwoo continues as he turns his attention back to Howon. "You have three other people to watch your back if you want us to."

Howon glances up, his eyes flickering between Dongwoo, Sunggyu, and Woohyun. "It's probably too late to try to get rid of you guys anyway," he sighs. He says it with a resigned sigh, but Sunggyu can sense his relief. He wants their help—needs it, really—even if he doesn't want to admit it.

Dongwoo is all smiles as he pulls Howon into a hug. Howon goes along with it, smiling despite his surprise at the sudden display of affection from a man he'd only met a few days ago. The mood feels lighter at the table now. Or maybe the dark cloud that had been hanging just over Sunggyu finally clears. Either way, the rest of the meal passes by with jokes and light teasing. Howon slowly starts to open up as the night progresses. He and Dongwoo hit it off right away. They practically ignore Sunggyu and Woohyun as they get to know more about each other. Sunggyu doesn't mind, though. He can see that Howon's not as bad as his first impression had led him to believe. And if Dongwoo likes him, then Sunggyu's willing to give him a chance as well.

---

Dongwoo and Howon ditch them after dinner with an excuse that’s clearly poorly thought out. Although Sunggyu catches a couple of panicked thoughts from him, Woohyun doesn't put up much of a fight. He isn't completely opposed to being alone with Sunggyu. Which is a relief. But in all the time Sunggyu has been friends with Woohyun—in all the time he's known him, there's never been as long of a silence between the two of them as there is now. Not even when they were fighting.

They've been driving around in Woohyun's car for almost twenty minutes. There isn't a destination in mind, mostly because neither of them could agree on one. Despite the circumstances Sunggyu is enjoying their time together; another thing about Woohyun he hadn’t realized he would miss until it was gone. He knows he shouldn't have expected things to always be the same between them (even before Dongwoo and their superpowers and whatever else has happened in the last couple of months). Relationships change, friendships change, everything changes; that's just a fact. But now that there's this unspoken tension between them, he can't help missing the old days. Laughing and joking with Woohyun, confiding in him, or really just talking to him. They used to talk about everything; from simple, trivial things to deep conversations. They used to be so close.

"How are you not weirded out by all of this?" It's a question Sunggyu's wanted to ask Woohyun for a while. Throughout everything that's happened, his friend has remained surprisingly calm. Sunggyu had expected more skepticism or fear or panic.

Woohyun glances at Sunggyu briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. "All of what?"

"This," Sunggyu gestures vaguely. "This science-fiction-comic-book-type thing. None of it makes any sense, but you accepted all of it so easily and you don't even seem afraid of us or what we can do. I just... I don't understand how you're so willing to believe us. Especially me and Howon considering you haven't actually seen what we can do."

"I don't need to," Woohyun says. His eyes are still trained on the road, but Sunggyu doesn't have to look into them to know Woohyun's being honest. It's clear in his voice. "I trust you."

There's a familiar fluttering in Sunggyu's stomach. He brushes it off as relief. He'd been unsure of where he stood with Woohyun, of what their friendship had become. And now Woohyun is telling him that he trusts him and Sunggyu feels a smile stretching across his face. Things might change, but that's not always a bad thing.

"You don't mind hanging out with a bunch of freaks like us," he asks.

"You guys aren't freaks." As they come to a red light Woohyun looks over at him. There's a smile on his face to match Sunggyu's. "Well, maybe by certain definitions of the word," he corrects himself at the disbelieving look Sunggyu gives him. "But not to me."

Sunggyu only realizes they've been staring at each other when the car behind them honks. They both jump and face forward. "The light's green," Sunggyu says uselessly as Woohyun steps on the gas. They fall into another silence, the sounds of the tires on the asphalt and the radio filling up the car. Sunggyu can feel his heart still racing in his chest. His cheeks are getting warmer and the fluttering in his stomach feels like it's been magnified by a thousand.

By the time he gets his heart rate under control and tames the blush on his cheeks, Woohyun is pulling up in front of his apartment. He stifles his sigh of relief. Even though it had been nice, things have turned awkward and Sunggyu doesn't think being together in such a small space is going to make it any less so. He has his hand on the door handle, a quick thanks to Woohyun for going out of his way to drop him off on the tip of his tongue, when Woohyun stops him with a hand on his arm. Sunggyu turns to look at his friend in confusion. "There's something I need to tell you," Woohyun says quietly.

"Oh?" Sunggyu tries not to seem too eager. He's been dying for Woohyun to finally talk to him; so much so that he's sure the other must have realized it by now. "What's up?" He cringes inwardly at how transparent he sounds.

Woohyun doesn't seem to notice. In fact, he looks a lot like he's regretting opening his mouth. His hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly enough to turn his knuckles white as he chews contemplatively on his bottom lip. Whatever he has to say must not be easy. Sunggyu reaches for Woohyun's shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze. Another minute passes before the younger man decides to speak. He switches the car off first and then shifts in his seat to face Sunggyu, keeping his seatbelt buckled. "Has anyone ever told you what an idiot you are?" He doesn't wait for Sunggyu's response. (How is he even supposed to respond to that? It's probably rhetorical.) "I've been trying to let you figure it out on your own, because I thought it was obvious—I mean, even Howon figured it out and I met him three days ago. So it really shouldn't take you this long."

The more Woohyun talks, the more confused Sunggyu gets. "I'm still waiting for you to tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me," he states. Being called an idiot isn't really the announcement he was expecting.

Woohyun huffs in frustration. There's a frown on his face when he turns to look at Sunggyu. "You see; this is why it's so hard being in love with you. I have to spell it out for you for you to know in the first place."

"Well, I'm sorry I—wait, what?" Sunggyu deflates before he can finish the sarcastic comment. The anger he'd felt dissipates and leaves him vacillating between confusion and surprise. Woohyun just said he loves him—that he's in love with him. His mouth is hanging open in the most unattractive way. "How long..." That's about as much as he can get out.

Woohyun's voice is small when he answers, all of the fight gone in the wake of his confession. Yet he still holds Sunggyu's gaze. "Almost a year."

Knowing Woohyun, he probably knows how long it's been down to the minute. He would remember something like that. But Sunggyu chooses not to press him on it. "Why didn't you tell me before," he asks instead. Woohyun had said he was waiting for Sunggyu to figure it out himself, but that couldn't have been his plan from the start.

"I thought about it; I even planned on doing it, but..." Woohyun looks down at his lap. It's hard to tell with only the light from a streetlamp shining through the windshield, but it seems like he's embarrassed. "I was scared," he admits and now Sunggyu's completely sure that he is. Much like Sunggyu, Woohyun doesn't like letting others see when he feels vulnerable; when he feels weak. Sometimes Sunggyu is the exception to that rule. Woohyun trusts him enough to let him in. He lets him see the man behind the front he tends to put up. Now appears to be one of those times and Sunggyu knows he should tread carefully. This is about Woohyun's feelings for him and his heart, essentially.

"Did you think I would reject you?"

Woohyun nods slowly, his shoulders slumping and his head sinking lower. "And that we'd stop being friends because of it. Even if I can't be with you in that way, I still need you in my life. I still want to be your friend."

Sunggyu doesn't think before he reaches out. He tilts Woohyun's head up with a gentle hand under his chin. It's hard to name the emotion in Woohyun's eyes as he stares wide-eyed at Sunggyu. Probably because there are quite a few of them. "I need you, too," Sunggyu confesses. It feels weird to say the words. He's never had to say them, to Woohyun or anyone else. But he means it. Woohyun is important to him. Even if it's hard for him to show it doesn't make it any less true.

Please kiss me.

Sunggyu's eyes immediately drop down to Woohyun's lips. The thought probably wasn't intended for him (Woohyun doesn't look like he's ready to be that bold), but now that he's heard it he can't just ignore it. He should do something about it.

Woohyun's eyes grow even wider as Sunggyu leans in. He sees a mixture of fear and excitement in them before they flutter shut. Sunggyu hesitates for a second, the realization that he's about to kiss his best friend—that he wants to kiss his best friend—finally sinking in. He'd never imagined doing anything like this with Woohyun. He's always thought of Woohyun as a friend and assumed that the other felt the same way. Yet here he is, diving head first into something he hasn't even fully thought through.

The first touch of their lips is just that. Sunggyu brushes his lips against Woohyun's lightly and Woohyun responds immediately. He presses their lips together firmly with an eagerness that's strangely reserved. He's not hiding his feelings for Sunggyu, but instead holding back from showing how strong they are. Which might explain why he pulls away first. He brings a hand up to cover the one Sunggyu still has on his chin.

"You heard me?"

Sunggyu's eyes blink open to find Woohyun right in front of him. He still looks equally scared and thrilled. Sunggyu nods after a moment when he makes sense of the question. Woohyun's lips are still on his mind.

"Does this mean—are you—I mean, do you—" Woohyun can't seem to settle on a question. He can't hide how hopeful he sounds or the smile on his face. Do you love me, too?

After such an intimate invasion of personal space it's only fitting to wonder where they stand with each other. Sunggyu can see the sense in that and his answer is easy. (In hindsight he'll remember that being honest still requires a good amount of tact.) "No," he says bluntly. He doesn’t need telepathy to hear the sound of Woohyun’s heart breaking in his chest.