Merry Christmas! (It's only 10:30-ish here, so I can still say it.) Here's my present. I didn't mean to take the whole month to write this, but I ended up rewriting pretty much the whole chapter and it turned out super long. 6k words long. (I was cursing in my head the whole time I was writing the second part and saw the word count go up by the hundreds.) So in this chapter, Sungyeol is properly introduced and all seven of them meet. You get to know his backstory and hopefully understand a bit more of his relationship with Woohyun. (I say "relationship" and sort of imply that there could be/might have been more to their friendship, but there's definitely nothing romantic between them.) Speaking of relationships, I have such a weakness for 2woogyu, I can never pass up an opportunity to include them anyway I can. Also, Hoya's a bit of a jerk in the beginning, but he gets better by the end. And lastly, I just want to give a heads up that there'll probably be another month-long wait for the next chapter. I have some prompts for Vignettes that I feel like writing and I also (foolishly) started a couple myungyeol fics, so I'm going to focus on those things for a little and then come back to this. Enjoy~

Sungyeol looked at the address on the back of the business card and then checked the numbers on the mailbox. They matched. Of course. It wasn't that he was expecting anything else; he just couldn't believe he was actually doing this. His mother would kill him if she found out. Which would be much more welcome than whatever his father would do. The last time they had spoken, Sungyeol's father had assured him that if he so much as thought of stepping out of line again he would beat every law into Sungyeol's head—figuratively, of course. (His father detested physical violence, especially as a form of discipline.) Sungyeol's fear of his father and urge to rebel against the man's strict parenting had fought a hard battle after that conversation. Only his mother's imploring had stopped him from further angering his father or hurting his own pride. She had asked him to lay low for a bit and Sungyeol knew he couldn't disobey her. She was always more lenient and forgiving about his and his brother's mistakes than their father. That seemed reason enough to acquiesce.

There weren't very many happy memories from his childhood. Private schools and a handful of tutors had been forced (in his opinion) onto him. When asked, his father said it was for his own good. If his relationship with his father could be called anything, a war would have to be it. His father wanted him to live and behave in a way that would most benefit him and boost his image, while Sungyeol just wanted to make his own decisions and not have to live up to other people's expectations. Neither of them wanted to give the other an inch and so they avoided direct contact. His main source of affection was his mother. She would often take his side whenever he and his father had heads. Even during his lengthy rebellious phase, which he knew he didn't deserve and he would always be grateful.

Since straightening out his life, he became more of a loner. It was partly by choice and partly because after cutting out the bad influences there weren't very many good ones left. He still kept in touch with some friends from school and went out with his co-workers on occasion. But he suspected his father kept tabs on him and the people he came in contact with. So, he tended to spend his free time at home bored out of his mind, but consoled by the belief that he was the one winning at the moment. His father expected (and probably wanted) him to slip up; that much was evident the last time they had spoken. He sometimes wondered if he was giving his father exactly what he wanted by keeping out of trouble and not bringing any bad publicity to their family's name. But he reminded himself he was obeying his mother's wishes, not letting his father control him.

After a moment's hesitation, Sungyeol pressed the doorbell. The familiar ding dong echoed distantly inside the house and was shortly followed by the sound of footsteps that increased in volume as they came closer to the door. In seconds Sungyeol stood face-to-face with his old friend. Well, ex-friend.

"Nice of you to show up," Woohyun said. There might have been just a hint of smugness in his tone.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, if my father finds out I'll make sure to take you down with me this time."

"I'll take that to mean you're in." Woohyun opened the door wider, moving to one side. Sungyeol accepted the silent invitation and stepped inside. "Everyone's excited to meet you."

Sungyeol suppressed a snort; he couldn't say he felt the same. Like being the new kid at school, he felt more anxious than excited. The question of whether this was a good idea or not still sat in the back of his mind.

Sungyeol had never looked down on Woohyun during their time in school. Their different social standings and class rankings had never mattered to him. But he had to admit that when he’d first stopped in front of the house they were now walking through, he’d thought he made a mistake. Although Sungyeol hadn't thought about Woohyun in years, he wouldn't have imagined him succeeding in life in any way. Unless finally getting caught after evading arrest counted.

The interior of the house seemed just as spacious as the exterior suggested. It was filled with spotless marble and large paintings and expensive-looking objects. Ironically, everything looked as untouched as Sungyeol's own apartment. He wasn't especially impressed, though; he had grown up in a well-off family and had been to many fancy dinners in the homes of similar families. The possessions of the wealthy had never interested him all that much. He couldn't understand the point of paying too much money for something you couldn't do anything but look at.

"Running a gang must pay better than I thought."

Woohyun let out a sharp exhale through his nose, stopping to glare at Sungyeol. "We're not a gang."

Sungyeol suppressed an eye roll. He settled instead on a (vaguely sarcastic) thumbs up. Sungyeol couldn't see why the other man was getting so worked up. And he didn't really care. They turned a corner in silence. Woohyun still looked moody when Sungyeol took a quick peek at him. He decided to give him a moment to calm down before continuing the conversation. "So how did you manage to become a gang leader," Sungyeol asked as Woohyun led them down a corridor. "Back in school you couldn't even convince freshmen to do your homework for you."

Woohyun scoffed. "I think you must be confusing me with some stupid elementary school bully. I didn't need anyone to do my work for me. And I told you, we’re not a gang. We’re a team."

"A team that goes around stealing things." Woohyun could call it whatever he wanted; it was the same thing to Sungyeol.

"We don't steal for the sake of stealing," Woohyun stated seriously. (Sungyeol got the feeling he'd probably said that a few times before.) "People hire us to assist them in acquiring rare or elusive items. We're professionals. We don't go around beating people up or wreaking havoc."

Sungyeol tried to hide his snort behind his hand. Woohyun was being serious; he should try not to offend him. "When did this become a sales pitch? You guys get paid to steal stuff. That's all you had to say." Woohyun huffed, clearly readying an argument. Sungyeol wasn't there to argue, though. (He didn't know why he was there, honestly. He wasn't into this kind of stuff anymore—he'd promised his parents to never do anything like this again. If he was smart, he would turn around and leave. Or he wouldn't have come in the first place. Well, he'd always heard he looked a lot smarter than he really was.)

"Look," Sungyeol started, resting his hand on Woohyun's shoulder to bring them both to a stop. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours he found himself sincerely trying to be nice to Woohyun. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. "It doesn't matter what I think you guys are. It's not like I'm one of you."

Woohyun nodded in agreement. He no longer seemed put out, but reluctant instead. After a moment's hesitation, he voiced the thought he'd been holding back. "You could be, though. One of us. If you wanted." He looked up at Sungyeol imploringly. It was futile when they both knew what Sungyeol's answer would be.

"This is just a favor. I'm not looking to join you. I shouldn't even be here right now."

"But you are," Woohyun countered. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Sungyeol remained silent to avoid admitting he'd been backed into a corner. "And we're here," Woohyun said, pointing to a pair of double doors a few feet away.

In the short amount of time it had taken them to reach that point, Sungyeol had forgotten about the five faceless men with whom Woohyun claimed to be working. The apprehension was back in full force, making Sungyeol once again doubt his decision. He didn't know anything about them—he barely knew anything about Woohyun if he was being honest. After all the thinking he'd done the night before about getting involved in anything related to Woohyun, he still walked blindly into it. He probably deserved whatever trouble was bound to crop up from even stepping foot into that house.

"Wait," he called out to Woohyun when the other started heading toward the doors. "You never told me what I'm supposed to be helping you guys steal." It was partly a stall for time and partly genuine curiosity. He was basically risking his freedom to help someone he hated and he didn't even know what they were going after. "Please don't tell me it's something cliché like diamonds or money."

"We're not like that." Woohyun smiled proudly at him like Sungyeol was supposed to congratulate him. Was it a feat that they weren't high-end thieves? "And this is more important. You must have something from your childhood that you wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. Something that you treasured. For Dongwoo that something is a lunchbox. It was a gift from his father and it means everything to him."

Although he found Woohyun's answer a bit underwhelming, Sungyeol wasn't so heartless that he couldn't at least sympathize. He was willing to accept sentimental value as a valid argument for theft. (His father probably wouldn't see it that way, but as long as he never found out they would be fine.) "I get it," he admitted. At Woohyun's quiet sigh of relief, Sungyeol realized the other must have been expecting some kind of rejection. He felt the need to defend himself even if Woohyun wasn't planning on questioning him. "Nothing comes to mind right now, but I believe precious memories should be protected. If this Dongwoo guy's memories are in a lunchbox, then he has every right to protect it."

The smile was back on Woohyun's face. He reached up to ruffle Sungyeol's hair before slinging an arm across his shoulders. He ended up having to tiptoe slightly since Sungyeol kept his back straight rather than accommodating Woohyun's lack of height. "Well said, Mr. Prosecutor's Son. You sound like one of us already."

Sungyeol easily brushed Woohyun's arm off. He instantly regretted being nice. "Let's just get this over with already," he sighed, irritated.

His annoyance wasn't enough to spoil Woohyun's fun, but the other man sobered up for a moment to give Sungyeol a mild warning. "Don't mention the lunchbox once we go inside. Dongwoo's still pretty upset about it even if he doesn't show it. For everyone's sake, it's better if you don't make him angry."

Sungyeol nodded and gestured for Woohyun to open the door. He wasn't sure what to expect on the other side. From Woohyun's words it didn't seem like he was about to meet a group of hardened criminals. There could very well have been a legitimate (albeit illegal) business going on behind the doors.

Woohyun entered the room first with Sungyeol a few hesitant steps behind him. The five men Sungyeol had expected were scattered around the room in various states of idleness. On one side of the room, two of them were sitting on a leather couch, their attention focused on the phones in their hands. In the center of the room, another two were immersed in an apparently exciting game of air hockey. If the amount of shouting and laughter was anything to go by. And then in a back corner, the fifth "team member" was sprawled on top of a pool table. Sungyeol almost missed him the first time he'd scanned the room. He couldn't imagine the table being comfortable enough, but where the man chose to sleep wasn't his business. To Sungyeol's relief, their entrance appeared to go unnoticed, most likely because of the noisy air hockey game.

The sound of Woohyun clearing his throat didn't change anything. Sungyeol wondered if he should reconsider branding Woohyun the leader. If he couldn't even attract attention he probably didn't deserve the title. With an impatient sigh, Woohyun took another step into the room. "Did you guys already forget why we're here?" That finally managed to get nearly everyone’s attention, their heads turning in Woohyun and Sungyeol’s direction. (The man on the pool table didn’t even move.) "I leave for five minutes and everyone decides to get comfortable. You should be trying to make a good impression."

"Yes, Mother," one of the men on the couch replied patronizingly. The men at the air hockey table snickered even as Woohyun sent them a sharp glare.

"Someone wake up Myungsoo," the other couch occupant ordered as he stood up. He took his time walking over to the front of the room. The way he seemed entirely over Woohyun's whining disguised as nagging convinced Sungyeol that there was no way Woohyun was in charge. (He'd already had his doubts.)

The so-called team gathered slowly in front of Sungyeol and Woohyun. One of the hockey players half-dragged the man referred to as Myungsoo over from the comfort of his pool table while the other three lined up, disinterested. Sungyeol wasn't as bothered by the reaction as he probably should've been. He was never that great at meeting new people.

Wrapping an arm around Sungyeol, Woohyun pulled him a little closer as he said, "Everyone this is Lee Sungyeol. We went to school together."

Sungyeol brushed off Woohyun's arm and even more space between them. He his lips as he tried not to feel intimidated by all the eyes trained on him. "I was told I'd be doing the driving. I assume that's important for this kind of thing, so I'll try not to kill us in the process."

The shortest guy was the first to step forward. His smile was bright and welcoming, not at all the expression of a supposed criminal. "Jang Dongwoo. Nice to meet you," he greeted Sungyeol warmly, holding his hand out.

Sungyeol felt like his arm might get pulled off with how enthusiastically Dongwoo shook his hand. Woohyun's earlier comment about not angering him seemed pointless. The other man didn’t look like he’d ever been angry in his life. "You, too." Sungyeol couldn’t help returning the smile. He found Dongwoo's amicable demeanor unexpectedly calming. Helping Woohyun almost didn't seem like the worst idea.

Myungsoo, still half asleep, mumbled out his greeting next. He was almost as tall as Sungyeol with dark brown hair that was disheveled on one side. Somehow that didn't make him any less attractive. The first thing Sungyeol had noticed was Myungsoo's well-proportioned face, but it had been more of an observation than anything else. All Sungyeol was interested in knowing was why someone like him—someone who looked like him—would want to be in that line of work. The smile Sungyeol gave him was several shades dimmer than the one he'd given Dongwoo, but still had the same amount of sincerity. If Myungsoo noticed the difference, it didn't show. He moved closer to Dongwoo to rest his head on the shorter man's shoulder. Sungyeol assumed he was checking out of the conversation, having done his part.

The third new face was probably the most intimidating. He was much shorter than Sungyeol (though still taller than Dongwoo), but height wasn't the problem. The scowl he'd been sporting since Woohyun interrupted the air hockey game was. He didn't look at all impressed by Sungyeol—not that the other could blame him.

"I'm Howon," the guy introduced himself gruffly. He didn't bother to initiate a handshake and Sungyeol couldn't have been more thankful.

"We usually call him Hoya," Woohyun supplied oh-so-helpfully.

"I'll let you know when you can."

Sungyeol dropped his gaze to the floor. He knew a warning when he heard it. Maybe Woohyun filled everyone in on Sungyeol's past (he knew more than Sungyeol was comfortable with him knowing) or maybe Howon had done some digging on his own. Either way, Sungyeol knew his presence wasn't entirely welcome. As quickly as it had come, the good mood Dongwoo had put him in was gone.

The young man next to Howon reached out to pinch his arm, hissing out a "be nice" as well. Howon winced and shot an annoyed look at him. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he settled for crossing his arms instead. The man next to him rolled his eyes at the childish behavior. His expression smoothed out effortlessly as he turned to look at Sungyeol. "Lee Sungjong," he said politely, holding out his hand. Sungyeol accepted it gingerly. "I would tell you not to mind him," Sungjong tilted his head in Howon's direction, "because he's not always like that, but he really is an all the time."

The room erupted into a mixture of laughter and enthusiastic noises of assent that easily drowned out Howon’s offended protests. In a way, it felt like everyone was on his side (except for Howon) and although Sungyeol hated to admit it, it was reassuring. It also reminded him of when he'd became friends with Woohyun. The other guys in Woohyun's circle had been wary of letting someone with such close ties to the police join them. Woohyun had stuck up for him, vouching that Sungyeol wouldn't rat them out. (That was probably what started his idolization of Woohyun. He didn't plan on ever admitting just how much he admired the older man, but he had a feeling Woohyun already knew.)

Although he was surprised the next time Woohyun comfortably slung an arm across his shoulders, he didn't immediately push it off. He could sense the grin on the other's face without even looking at him. "It's okay," he said to Sungjong, choosing to ignore Woohyun's incredibly close presence. "I've met my share of asses. I can handle it."

Howon scoffed, his scowl deepening. It wasn't likely that they would ever be anything close to friends. Sungyeol wouldn't let it get to him. He could accept that not everyone was going to like him. He wasn't planning on being with them for very long anyway; they'd just have to tolerate each other for the time being.

Sungjong offered him a smile before stepping aside for the last member of the team to introduce himself. The man hadn't said anything since calling for someone to wake up Myungsoo. He looked as serious as Howon, but without the thinly veiled suspicion. "I'm Sunggyu." Sungyeol would’ve preferred a handshake or polite bow instead of the awkward smile the other man gave him. "Let's try to get along while you're here, yeah?" Although it sounded innocuous, Sungyeol could tell it was really a reproach aimed at Howon. He also realized that it meant Sunggyu was the one in command, which he'd already guessed. Sungyeol easily nodded in agreement.

"Sunggyu's our leader," Woohyun stated the obvious. He stood up a bit straighter. (Not that it did anything for his height.) "And I'm the second-in-command."

Sungyeol finally shrugged off Woohyun’s arm. He wasn’t the only one to send a judging look the other man’s way. "Only you call yourself that. No one else agreed with you," Sungjong corrected Woohyun.

"I agreed with him," Dongwoo chimed in.

"You don’t count," Howon countered. Sungyeol thought Dongwoo’s pout was kind of cute, even though he was a bit lost at the turn of the conversation. "You always agree with him." The others nodded in unison. Sungyeol noted that Sunggyu looked particularly sullen in his compliance.

Having had enough of being snubbed, Woohyun moved to comfort a still sulky Dongwoo. He pulled the shorter man into a tight hug (that automatically included Myungsoo as the other was still using Dongwoo as a pillow) and didn’t let go as he addressed everyone else. "If you guys are done being mean to Dongwoo, can we go back to the actual reason why we’re here?"

"No one was being mean," Sunggyu denied. He seemed even more displeased as he looked at the two of them. Sungyeol filed away Woohyun’s eyeroll before he carefully let go of Dongwoo, who was reluctant to lose the contact. He would look into that exchange later. "And we've all introduced ourselves, so what else is there to do?"

Woohyun crossed his arms, a smug look settling on his face. He may not have been the leader, but he clearly did most, if not all, of the group's planning. And he prided himself on it. "They say teamwork makes the dream work."

"Nobody says that," Sungjong interrupted.

Woohyun continued as if Sungjong hadn't said anything. "If Sungyeol's going to work with us, we should get to know him better."

"I already told you I don't want to join you," Sungyeol reminded Woohyun. The way the other had worded it made it seem like Sungyeol was going to be a permanent member rather than just a fill-in. That didn't sit very well in his stomach. Nor did the voice in Sungyeol's head telling him he shouldn't have come in the first place if he didn't want his intentions to be misconstrued. He had a feeling he was going to hear that a lot (from himself and probably the others as well) for the next however long this thing lasted. "Plus, I think I know you well enough. More than I wish I knew, actually."

The admission was met with an awkward silence. Sungyeol was confused by the knowing looks sent his way until he heard Howon mutter, "I knew there was something he wasn't telling us." He wanted to laugh, but the very idea of there being any sort of romantic feelings between him and Woohyun was too absurd for him to manage any words let alone sounds. Fortunately, Woohyun picked up the slack.

"He didn't mean it like that." The rest of the team didn't look at all convinced. Except Myungsoo who looked like the gears were still turning in his head. Sungyeol wasn't entirely sure that he was even paying attention. "We were just friends."

"It's true." Sungyeol tried to back him up even though the skeptical looks hadn't left everyone else's faces. "There's no way I would've dated someone like him."

"You see? There's no—hey! What do you mean 'someone like me'?" Woohyun turned to Sungyeol, the hurt and betrayal in his eyes almost making Sungyeol want to take back his words. Almost. "Why wouldn't you want to date me? What's wrong with me?"

"Where do we start?" The snarky question came from Howon who finally had something other than a frown on his face. He looked close to amused.

"Just worry about yourself," Woohyun sneered at him. Whatever he was trying to imply didn't seem to faze Howon as the other man only grinned back. Sighing, Woohyun rubbed at his temples. "Can we please stop getting sidetracked?"

Sungyeol chose not to point out that they probably wouldn't get distracted so easily if Woohyun stopped talking.

⁞

Sungyeol stiffened when he felt Myungsoo's arms circle his waist and his head rest on his shoulder. He looked down at the other guy, who had his eyes closed and a drunk smile on his face, then over at Sungjong sitting next to him. "What is he doing?"

Sungjong glanced up from his phone. (Sungyeol was starting to believe it was permanently attached to his hand; the younger man had barely put it down since the moment they met.) "Oh yeah, we should have warned you about that." He didn't sound particularly concerned or apologetic. "Myungsoo tends to get clingy when he's drunk."

Sungyeol sat completely still. He never had to deal with a clingy drunk person before. Should he try to wake him up? "What am I supposed to do?"

"There's not much you can do," Sungjong shrugged nonchalantly. He took a drink from the obnoxiously bright cocktail Dongwoo had ordered for him and made a moue. A noise from his phone brought his attention back to the device.

Seeing as he wouldn't get any help on that side, Sungyeol looked over to where Sunggyu and Dongwoo sat next to Myungsoo. They had their heads close together with stupid grins on their faces, whispering who knew what to each other. Okay, no help from that side either. Woohyun and Howon had hurried off to pick up girls the moment the seven of them had stepped into the club. Sungyeol hadn't heard anything from them since.

"Hey." Sungyeol turned at the sound of a woman's voice, momentarily forgetting the drunk guy attached to him. A rather pretty girl stood in front of Sungjong who had also turned in his seat. She wore a short black dress with her long dark hair falling over her shoulders.

"Seolhyun." Sungjong’s smile was fond. "I didn't think you'd show up." Sungyeol was surprised at how much older Sungjong seemed with this girl in front of him.

"I had some time." They smiled at each other and Sungyeol figured there must have been another meaning to those words. "So, are you going to sit here all night drinking?"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

Sungyeol felt awkward watching them flirt, but they didn't seem to notice him. He wondered if he should introduce himself or make them aware of his presence. But at the same time, he was intrigued by whatever was happening in front of him and he wanted to see how their conversation would end. His curiosity won in the end.

"Should I wait for you to ask me to dance," Seolhyun asked, cocking her head to the side.

Sungjong leaned his elbows on the countertop and mimicked the way Seolhyun had tilted her head. "You could always ask me first." Sungyeol's eyes flickered between the two of them as they stared at each other. It was like watching a tennis match even though neither of them were moving.

Seolhyun broke first, stepping closer until she was standing directly in front of Sungjong. "You know where to find me," she said. She leaned down to speak right next to his ear. "If you change your mind." Her smile was deceptively innocent when she pulled back. Sungjong let her have the last word, staying perfectly still as she turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Sungyeol was almost disappointed to see her go.

"I like her." Sungjong looked at Sungyeol in surprise. Like he had guessed, the other had completely forgotten his existence. "Is she your girlfriend," Sungyeol asked although he already knew the answer.

"He wishes." Sungyeol jumped slightly at the sound of Myungsoo's voice. He thought the other had fallen asleep or passed out. (Was there a difference?) His arms were still tightly wrapped around Sungyeol and he continued to use Sungyeol's shoulder as a pillow, but now his half-lidded eyes were trained on Sungjong. "I'm pretty sure she likes you, too, so just go ask her out already."

"Shut up," Sungjong scoffed. From the way he blushed and took a large gulp from his drink, it was obvious he knew Myungsoo was right. A moment later he glanced over at Myungsoo. "You really think she likes me?" He didn’t bother to hide the nervousness creeping into his voice.

Myungsoo mumbled something that could have been either a "yes" or "guess". Sungyeol tried to gently push the guy back into his own seat, but to no effect. It was like pushing against a brick wall. "You two look good together," Sungyeol said to Sungjong, hoping to boost his confidence. It was also true. He gave the younger man an encouraging smile and a firm pat on the back.

"Okay," Sungjong said quietly. After tossing back the rest of his drink, his voice became louder and more determined. "Okay, I'm doing it. I'm asking her out."

Sungyeol started to wish him luck, but stopped when he remembered the drunk problem attached to him. "Wait. You can't leave me with him."

"You'll be fine," the other dismissed. "And look, Woohyun and Hoya are coming back." Sungyeol looked to where he was pointing at the two guys squeezing their way through the crowded dancefloor. When they finally got to the bar Sungjong had already headed off to find Seolhyun.

"Where's he going," Woohyun asked as he took the newly vacated seat. While Hoya sat in the next stool over.

"Apparently, a girl named Seolhyun is interested in him."

Woohyun's eyes widened at the news. "The kid finally grew a pair, huh?"

"Damn, I owe Dongwoo twenty bucks now," Hoya sighed. He looked briefly at Dongwoo and Sunggyu still huddled in their own world before his eyes fell on Sungyeol. Taking in the sight of Myungsoo clinging to him, Howon let out a quiet scoff. "You sure work fast."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sungyeol wanted to feel insulted, but he didn't know where the insult was in Howon's words.

Like the literal buffer he was, Woohyun cut in before Howon could reply. "Now kids, Sunggyu said to play nice." He raised his hand to call the bartender over from the other end of the bar. "So let's make a toast to, I don't know, friendship or whatever."

Sungyeol held up a hand when Woohyun slid a shot of tequila in front of him. "I don't really drink." He shook his half-empty bottle of water for emphasis.

"Of course you don't," Howon muttered. At least, that's what Sungyeol thought he heard. "That kinda defeats the purpose of coming to a club and sitting at the bar all night, don't you think?"

Woohyun turned to Sungyeol, mostly blocking his view of Howon's smug face. "If you don't really drink, then you must drink sometimes. And this can be one of those times. I'm not saying you should get drunk off your ," he clarifies when Sungyeol opens his mouth to protest. "But just live a little. Your dad's not looking over your shoulder right now."

Sungyeol tensed at the mention of his father. He couldn't agree with Woohyun when he didn't know for sure that his father wasn't really watching him. That was the main reason why he lived the way he did. Even if he didn't want to admit it to himself, his father still had a hold on him, he could still affect him. He rarely drank, he didn't smoke, he avoided dating. Anything that might invoke his father's harsh judgement, he did his best to stay away from it. Until now, that is.

Despite their years apart, Woohyun could still read Sungyeol like a book. He downed his own shot before gesturing for Sungyeol to do the same. "One drink won't hurt."

Sungyeol didn't know who was worse: his father or Woohyun. They were both worryingly good at messing with his head whether they knew it or not. And yet, as much as he wanted to hate them he couldn't find it in himself to truly despise them. He could never really hate them no matter how much he tried. That explained why he let Woohyun into his apartment, why he agreed to help him, why he came to a bar with people he barely knew. He'd been doing fine thanks to the distance he'd put between himself and the two of them. It was almost enough for him to believe he was thinking for himself. And now he had taken ten steps back to following Woohyun and letting him talk him into situations he'd probably regret.

The tequila burned on its way down, the warmth filling Sungyeol's chest and spreading through his gut. He took a sip from his water to get rid of the unpleasant taste in his mouth. That wasn't really his drink of choice when he chose to indulge. His eyes widened when Woohyun signaled to the bartender for two more shots. "You said one drink," he reminded the other.

"That hardly counts as a drink." Woohyun slid another shot of tequila in front of Sungyeol. He held up his own in anticipation of clinking their glasses together. After a moment Sungyeol picked up his glass and tapped it against Woohyun's before quickly downing the alcohol. "There you go." Woohyun smiled and gave him a slap on the back. "Now let's get rid of your baggage and then we can actually have fun."

After some gentle coaxing, Woohyun managed to pry Myungsoo's arms from around Sungyeol's waist. With him busy convincing Sunggyu and Dongwoo to take the drunk man home, Sungyeol was left unprepared when Howon hesitantly spoke to him. "I'm sorry...about earlier."

Sungyeol tried to hide his surprise as he looked over at Howon. The other didn't seem like the type to apologize for anything, even when he was clearly in the wrong. Howon's words from just moments before came to Sungyeol's mind. He couldn't possibly accept such a vague apology. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

Howon grimaced. Obviously, he'd been hoping Sungyeol wouldn't make a fuss. "I'm sorry for back at the house. And, you know, for just now. I was—"

"A ?"

Sungyeol half-expected the other to punch him. Instead, Howon laughed. An abrupt, almost bark-like sound, but still a laugh. The corners of his mouth even turned up. Sungyeol would've been less surprised to have Howon's fist in his face. "Yeah, I guess I was kind of a ," Howon agreed.

"Who’s a ?" Having succeeded in unloading Myungsoo on Sunggyu and Dongwoo, Woohyun warily joined the conversation. He must have expected the two of them to be at each other’s throat.

"I am, apparently." Howon seemed even more at ease despite admitting to being a twice.

Sungyeol figured he should finally accept the other man's apology. "You were," he corrected Howon. "But you don't seem so bad now so, I guess you're forgiven."

Howon snorted out a laugh. "You're kind of okay, too." He held his glass out and Sungyeol readily tapped his water bottle against it.

"Did you two just make up," Woohyun asked after watching their exchange in stunned silence. Sungyeol didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning like an idiot. "Are you friends now? Can he call you Hoya? You know what?" Woohyun spoke over Sungyeol and Howon when they tried to speak. "It doesn't matter. The team's all together and we're celebrating. Let's just go crazy." He grabbed Sungyeol's arm to pull him to his feet.

Sungyeol pulled back, keeping himself firmly planted on his barstool. "I think I'm crazy enough already," he said. He didn't know where Woohyun intended to take him, but he planned on resisting to the end.

Woohyun stopped pulling Sungyeol, though he still held onto his arm, and turned to Howon. "Come on, Hoya. I know you never turn down a dance."

"That doesn't mean I want to dance with you."

Sungyeol would've felt bad for Woohyun if he wasn't completely sure he would make a fool of himself if he agreed to go with him. "Yeah, I'm gonna sit this one out, too," he chimed in before Woohyun could try to convince him.

"You guys are really going to make me dance by myself?"

"I'm sure you won't be alone for long," Sungyeol assured him. Back in school, Woohyun had been incredibly popular. Sungyeol was too busy idolizing him to be jealous of how well-liked the other man was.

Woohyun's disappointed pout melted into a sly grin. He tightened his hold on Sungyeol, leaning closer. "Are you jealous," he teased as his smile grew wider. "Are you making an offer?" Sungyeol and Howon were synchronized in their looks of distaste. Their reactions didn’t make much of a difference to Woohyun, though. He started pulling on Sungyeol’s arm again and actually managed to bring him to his feet. "You don’t have to play hard to get with me."

"I promise you I’m not."

"Don’t worry; I won’t laugh at your dancing." Sungyeol rolled his eyes, but he knew Woohyun was telling the truth. He’d never made fun of Sungyeol’s insecurities when they were in school.

"On second thought," Howon started, the judging look still on his face. "I don’t want watching you two flirt to be the highlight of my night." With that he stood up and stalked off towards the dancefloor. Woohyun was all too happy to follow his lead, half-dragging Sungyeol as he tried to deny Howon’s claim. It was useless anyway. Sungyeol made a mental note to set the record straight about his relationship with Woohyun. That turned out to be rather useless as well. In the crush of the crowd and overpowering thump of music, all his thoughts were swept away. He let himself fall into the moment; he let his past and his worries and all of the unresolved bull he’d tried his best to ignore slip from his mind. Tonight he was "going crazy", as Woohyun put it, and not letting anything distract him from that goal.

By the time the three of them stumbled out of the club at two in the morning, they were all half-exhausted, half-exhilarated. Howon could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Woohyun, who had probably (definitely) drank the most, wouldn't stop talking. Sungyeol couldn't stop the huge grin plastered on his face or the (totally un-manly) giggles. If he slurred his words a bit or tripped over his own feet, the feeling of being free—really and truly free—would be more to blame than alcohol. He had been living on his own for some time, but he had never felt the kind of freedom (unconditional and unrestrained) that he felt that night. It was a new experience and something he wanted to get used to.