"I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!" Heechul's song was slurred, and a classic was slowly turning into a drunken massacre of giggles and unnecessary comments. "I feel pretty! And witty! AND GAY!"

"Shut up, Heechul-ah! You are gay! ... Ouch!"

The second comment had been made by Kyuhyun, who had then recieved a slap to his backside, something he didn't appreciate, apparently, since Heechul's phone started making an annoying high pitched squeal that seemed to only effect the man whose phone was affected.

Hankyung, who hadn't been drinking much, but was still intoxicated, wrapped his fingers around Heechul's thin wrist and tugged hard. Caught unaware, Heechul stumbled closer to Hankyung, who then slid his fingers down to clasp around Heechul's hand. Since Heechul seemed to have no objections, the group grew silent. So silent, in fact, that Ryeowook hadn't noticed Henry come up behind him, but the older male just played it off that Henry was keeping any sound from reaching his ears.

"Rui, I'm very scared. They're acting so weird," the youngest member of their close-knit group told him, and Ryeowook could only laugh, placing a hand on his shoulder, eyes flicking very briefly to see 18921641o7 flash above his head. "I mean… Kui Xian is being so silent."

Ryeowook took Henry by the arm, gently, and pulled him closer to whisper in his ear.

"That is because there is a ghost in the presence."

Henry seemed to understand quickly and instantly set about to walking directly next to Kyuhyun, his head tilting this way and that every few seconds, a thin smile on his lips. Ryeowook noticed this, grinned, and moved up ahead to talk to Eeteuk, who was nose deep in a conversation on his phone.

When Ryeowook glanced above the oldest's head he felt his heart ache.

18649642

He didn't know how long exactly that was, but it was short enough. Ryeowook let out a soft sigh, making the leader look over at him, blinking as if he hadn't realized Ryeowook was there. Ryeowook could only smile faintly, trying to push aside the guilt he felt.
"Ah, Ryeowook! You look upset, what's wrong?" Eeteuk asked, smiling.

"… Teukie-ah, how many months is 18649642 seconds?" Ryeowook asked, trying to keep his voice at an innocent tone, hoping the leader didn't catch how his voice pitched when he said months.

"Uhm… Maybe about seven. Why?"

"That man back there-" Ryeowook pointed in the direction they came, since they had just passed a man not a few minutes ago; why else would Heechul have been screeching so loudly? "only had that long to live…"

Eeteuk clicked his tongue and shook his head, turning his attention to the phone as he typed out a reply to whatever email Kangin had sent him.

"The poor man, I only feel bad for his friends and family." Suddenly, Eeteuk burst out laughing, the high 'annoying' laughter that Ryeowook really could not get enough of. "Ryeowook-ah, look at this!"

Ryeowook zoned out the moment Eeteuk shoved the white phone into his face. He really did care for the two, but Eeteuk should learn to keep his personal business with Kangin just that- personal. Eeteuk finally removed the phone after Ryeowook let out a few convincing noises. When the leader was gone from his side, Ryeowook was alone, which maybe was best at that moment.

He couldn't quite bear even with himself for knowing that Eeteuk was going to die soon and he said nothing about it.


---

The darkness was relaxing to Ryeowook. It meant he could come across anyone and look at them, and because he couldn't see them clearly, he would not be able to see the numbers floating just above their head, plain as day to him. He wasn't sure why, but every number looked differently. Sure, they were all 'written' in red, but each way it was shown was different. When Ryeowook looked at Eeteuk's he saw a nice script, probably one he learned while studying in England, and when he looked at Kyuhyun he saw digital numbers, so that often times Ryeowook would mistake them for a digital clock that went to some millionth of a second. Because of that, Kyuhyun would often joke he had forever to live.

Often times, when Kyuhyun said that, Ryeowook would glance to Eeteuk and fill his stomach drop and turn at odd angles that frequently left him running for the bathroom. When coming back he would just lie and say it had been something he ate, but of course, the meals he ate were always the same as the groups, so they had to know there was something up. The group would joke about it, but it stopped. One night on his way back to the group he heard them joking about their numbers- saying things like one must almost be at zero. So, instead of going back to the group, Ryeowook went to his room and slammed the door. They knew something was up then, and Ryeowook would always avoid the question they all wanted to know.

Who was it?

Ryeowook would never admit who it was, and maybe that made him a coward, but he really didn't have the heart to tell anyone. He was even afraid of admitting it to himself that he knew, just because he didn't want to know. After all, this was the life of an afflicted, one that he knew well, but didn't want to know well.

None of them did. Not one single person in their close group of thirteen liked the idea of having to know things that others didn't, of having responsibilities they didn't think they were mature enough to handle. Well, some anyway.

Kangin had an ego the size of his strength, and he was strong enough to lift a whole eighteen wheeler… without breaking a sweat. So of course he thought he was strong enough to handle his powers, but everyone knew he couldn't. Eeteuk would always look bruised and broken some mornings- the same mornings he said they needed to go out furniture shopping.

Heechul wasn't exactly the "responsible" type, but his insecurity kept his powers in check- most of the time. He was always afraid to change, since he considered himself pretty already, but he was always afraid that he might do something- maybe make his ring fingers longer than his middle fingers, do something that could some way make him less pretty.

Not a lot of people in the group considered Hankyung's "talent" a curse, but he was always horror stricken when they went to new places where they spoke languages that he was the only one to know. Sometimes he refused to translate for the others, and of course this angered Heechul who would throw a temper and his hair would turn a red so bright that Ryeowook had to look away or be blinded.

Of course there was Kyuhyun, too, who seemed to use his powers more for himself than others. Ignore the fact that he never wanted to fix the fuse box when they blew a circuit (everyone knew it would just take him a snap of his fingers) or that he could easily fix the television in the living room (also, it was as easy as a snap of the fingers). No, Kyuhyun used his powers for… Stracraft.

There was also sweet Donghae who really hated his gift the most, after Ryeowook of course. He wasn't a nature person, but he was sweet enough not to complain when they needed him to revive a dead house plant or hurry the growing process of some nice herbs Henry kept in hi window. After all, it wasn't too great that all Donghae could do was control the life of plants- he had no physical control over them. He couldn't make them move or grow a certain way. He had tried once, yes, but he was found in Henry's room passed out next to his tomato plant that had somehow withered away.

There were also the strange ones like Siwon and Sungmin, who could only be seen in their "element". That didn't mean they were like Zhou Mi and just wasn't. They were. Sungmin could be seen only in the dark. The darker it was, the clearer he became. Sure, some of their group often complained that they shouldn't be able to see him in the dark (after all, you need light to see) but for some reason Sungmin was the exception. It was almost as if he were his own light- everyone joked he was pale enough, which would just make him go paler and, in the end, brighter. Siwon was the opposite- he couldn't be seen in the dark at all. At least, not like normal people. He would almost blend into the darkness, like some sort of chameleon, basically the same way Sungmin disappeared in the light. A lot of people objected that Siwon should be the "dark" one and Sungmin should be the "light" one, but since Eeteuk drew the line on that, no one's said a thing.

Shindong was also strange. He… well he inflated. Literally. When he was mad he would start to expand and just become a human… no, Shindong sized balloon. He wouldn't float, but it got to be a little bit of a problem when he got mad at dinner because someone ate the last bit of pork. After all, their living room served as their dining area, and their living room wasn't that big.

Lastly there was Eunhyuk. His power was one that everyone joked about, even Ryeowook though he felt it was wrong. Eunhyuk didn't mind, though, he'd actually laugh along and agree with them. He saw auras, and everyone said that he probably had the weirdest aura of them all- but of course he "power" worked just like Ryeowook's. They couldn't see anything if they looked into a mirror. They both tried. The only real proof was that Eunhyuk had been doing his hair in the mirror and when he turned around he was startled to see Zhou Mi's aura behind him, since he hadn't seen it in the mirror.

---

The next morning was on Ryeowook was used to. Heechul was wide awake but complaining noisily from the small table in the kitchen while Hankyung looked around, desperately searching for a bottle of main medication he would not find. Kyuhyun stole the first chance of any computer time in order to play Starcraft. Henry was at his shoulder muting the sound to all but Kyuhyun, who always seemed impervious to the hangover everyone else suffered. It seemed that Sungmin busined himself in the kitchen since Siwon was supervising some pots and pans that were seemingly making breakfast on their own. The pans on the stove had a number floating near, and Ryeowook smiled.

"Good morning, Sungmin-ah, would you like some help?" he questioned as a pan, and the slow decreasing number, floated by.

"No," Sungmin said, his voice not far from the floating pot. "Siwon is helping me."

Ryeowook looked towards the tall Christian man, who only smiled sheepishly before returning to the slicing of some onions for whatever it was that Sungmin was making. Ryeowook smiled and excused himself to wake up the others. The first room he passed was empty, but that was to be expected. It was the room Sungmin shared with Eunhyuk, who was already out for the day doing… something. The next room only had one occupant, who was still sound asleep in a big mass of blankets. The other bed was cleanly made with a small towel folded at the end for whenever Ryeowook or Sungmin decided to do laundry.

"Shindong-ah?" Ryeowook whispered as he approached the bed, reaching out a hand to shake the large man beneath the blankets. "Breakfast is being made."

It seemed that in a matter of seconds Shindong was up and out of his room. He was still in his pajamas, but at least he was fully dressed. Ryeowook sighed, left the room, and crossed the hall to the next room. There, he knocked, unsure of what he would find on the other side. Eeteuk was the one to open the door. Like the room Heechul and Hankyung shared, there was only one bed. Kangin sat at the edge of the bed behind Eeteuk, black pants on and nothing else but a grin. Eeteuk had his head tilted at Ryeowook when the younger man finally pulled his eyes away from Kangin to Eeteuk.

"Excuse me," Ryeowook muttered, turning away and heading straight up the hall towards the room he shared with Henry. However, instead of taking a right to go into that room he took a left and entered the smallest of the two (and a half, but did that matter?) bathrooms in their flat.

"Ryeowook, you haven't even eaten!" Eeteuk called after him, but that didn't matter.

Ryeowook's stomach still churned and while he only gagged a few times, he still couldn't get rid of a phantom taste in his mouth. It tasted of blood, since Ryeowook had bitten his lip so hard that it started bleeding, and the acid taste of vomit. It wasn't pleasant, especially not when your head was swimming as Ryeowook's did. He turned his head when he heard someone clear their throat at the door and was almost relieved to see Henry standing there. Ryeowook hadn't told Henry who it was, but Ryeowook had a feeling Henry knew it was Eeteuk. He didn't need to be told, and Ryeowook had someone to fall back on when he felt like this.

"I'm sorry," Ryeowook told the younger man.

"Rui…" Henry's voice was stressed, his voice almost reaching the highest it could go.

"No, Henry, please, I'm fine," Ryeowook assured, smiling, even if it was forced. "Is breakfast ready? Tell them I'll be right out."

Ryeowook stood on shaky legs and Henry took a few steps forward to assist him, but Ryeowook just put his hand out to stop him, hand resting gently on his arm. Henry just frowned at him and remained where he was, playing the confused foreigner. Ryeowook sighed and gave in to Henry, letting the young male lead him out of the bathroom and across the hall to their own room.

"Henry, please," Ryeowook said, still keeping the fake smile on his lips. "I'm fine, really."

Henry would have none of it, though, and proceeded to sit Ryeowook on the bed before going to his own dresser, opening a top drawer and pulling out an amber bottle, walking back towards Ryeowook, who just tilted his head.

"It'll make you feel better," Henry told him, holding out the pill bottle. "It's for your stomach. I uh... I have to take them sometimes because of..." He motioned his ears, smiling guiltily.

"Ah," Ryeowook muttered, taking the pill bottle and looking at it.

Before Ryeowook asked how much he was supposed to take Henry's head snapped towards the door. The younger male quickly snatched the bottle from Ryeowook, shoving it into the drawer and taking Ryeowook by the hand and pulling him up. Ryeowook, not expecting to move so suddenly, stumbled to his feet and against Henry.

"Ryeowook, are you going to be ea-" Sungmin's voice cut off, and when Ryeowook looked over he could see the faint outline of his friend, since the hallway outside the room had the light turned off. "Ryeowook-ah, are you okay?"

Ryeowook stood shakily, but Henry was still holding his wrists, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Sungmin. Ryeowook almost thought he was looking past Sungmin, and it wasn't until he heard Zhou Mi's laugh fading down the hall that he knew why. He turned his head to face Henry just as Henry released his hands and walked to the door, pushing past Sungmin and down the hall. Sungmin remained at the door, switching off the light inside the room so that he grew even brighter in the dark. Ryeowook sat on the edge of his bed, letting out a sigh.

"I think Henry likes you," Sungmin stated, still at the door.

"Sungmin-ah, did you know-"

"BREAKFAST!"

Ryewook winced at how loud Shindong yelled, feeling bad that Henry was even closer to the source, since his ears were just a little more sensitive than the rest of the occupents in the apartment. Sungmin was looking down the hall when Ryeowook looked at him. Without saying anything, Ryeowook stood and walked past Sungmin towards the kitchen.

"What did you make?"

"... Breakfast," Sungmin replied, and Ryeowook couldn't help but feel his voice sounded a little distant.