(omg why is people subscribing even though i haven't posted anything why are you so nice ;_;)
…hi.

even though it might not seem like it, this is more or less based on Pony Pony Run Run's Hey You, (from which i kindly stole a bit of the lyrics …sorry) and a bit of The Influent's Time to Kill (Wish We Had). I'll just put more random nonsense notes in the bottom.

! woohyun-centric. swearing; hints of ual situations.

Hey you. No, you don't have to go. No, you don't have to do so.

The light gleaming through the window is bright and hurts Woohyun’s eyes when he opens them. Being in the top bunk has more advantages that disadvantages, and apparently, the light striking him on the eyes first thing in the morning is one of the latter. He never considered it important, though, given the fact that they’re usually not at home by the time sun is rising. Actually, it’s been a while since he’s not awake by his alarm tone or one of the members banging at his door. It’s too late to be home. They had a schedule, didn’t they? Sunggyu told him last night.

Which leads to his next thought. Where is Sunggyu?

“Hyung?” he tries, coming down from the top bunk. Sunggyu's bed is made and neat (what kind of sorcery is this; Sunggyu doesn't ever make his bed). His leader is not in the room; did they leave him to go to practice purposely?

The answer comes when he opens the door of their shared room. Sungjong, Sungyeol, and Dongwoo are in the living room watching morning cartoons, munching loudly from a bag of chips, while Myungsoo and Hoya’s voices are coming from the kitchen. Sunggyu is nowhere in sight.

“Oh, hyung,” Sungjong says when he sees him, “Sunggyu-hyung left something for you.”

Questions start forming on his mind and confusion settles upon him. But everyone seems so normal he doesn’t give much thought. It’s probably not that important, and Sunggyu will come back soon. 

“What happened with the schedule?” he asks (instead of asking "Where's Sunggyu?"), scratching the back of his head and directing his steps towards the younger boy, who is extending a small envelope. It's strange, their presentation at Jeju Island is in only two weeks from now. They should be rehearsing.

“Cancelled.” Sungyeol shrugs. Okay, that’s all he needs to know.

He puts the envelope on the pocket of his sweatpants, and goes to the kitchen to help Myungsoo and Howon with the breakfast. It might not be so important. He will read it later.

Turns out that the small envelope contains something more important than he thought, and apparently, Sunggyu is not coming back unless he finds him. The piece of paper inside is not bigger than his palm, and small infinity signs cover the borders of it. He remembers this paper. It's a personalized fan gift, a useful one for once.

Sunggyu’s note (or maybe a letter, since it’s inside an envelope?) is short, messy, and nothing like him––or maybe it is like him; unorganized and lazy. It irks his curiosity:

To Woohyun:

I ran away. Sorry.

(The last word is crossed out until it’s almost impossible to recognize it. Woohyun does, anyway.)

I’m traveling by train.
Take the managers' car, not the van.
The keys are in the top drawer.
Will you come?
I hope you do. You know I'll wait for you.

(This time the last two sentences are so scribbled they're impossible to read, but Woohyun has the feeling they hold an important meaning.)

–Sunggyu

Later, when everybody decides to go out in their only free day they've had in months and the managers are too focused on putting up with the youngest member’s antics, he sits in the couch and pretends he doesn't want to go. His bag is in his room, already made. A change of clothes, his dark shades, paper money for highway fees, and a packet of cigarettes that Sunggyu has hidden under his bed are the only things inside the handbag, along with a notebook and a pen (blue, he likes blue ink better).

He decides to wear comfortable clothes, and alleges he prefers to wait for Sunggyu at home. The members shrug, uninterested, but the managers look more concerned once he mentions the leader. They let him stay with the promise that he’ll call when Sunggyu gets back, muttering something along the lines of "irresponsible leader" and "he'll see when he comes back today".

He hopes inside the car exactly ten minutes after they're gone, conveniently ignoring the fact that his license is only for motorcycles. Dongwoo has already taught them to drive, but there hasn't been enough time to go and take the test. There’s also a small detail like he has no idea where to go and, oh right; the managers––or probably the boss himself––will boil them alive when they get back (if he finds Sunggyu and they get back, that is).

Finding an ATM is not hard. He needs to take out paper money to pay for whatever he's going to need to pay for; otherwise the company can track him. (Here, point to Woohyun for being smart and figuring out that one on his own). So, he figures that it’s better if he does it now that they haven’t realized he’s gone. Later he’ll manage.

   To: Sunggyu
   so what now?

   From: Sunggyu
   i'm in suwon

   To: Sunggyu
   that doesn't answer my question

(he swears he can see Sunggyu shrugging)
 
   From: Sunggyu
   it'll take you about an hour to come here

   To: Sunggyu
   but how?

   From: Sunggyu
   Google Maps

Sunggyu doesn't answer any more messages for a while.

Two hours later (Google Maps said it would be roughly an hour and a half, that er) Woohyun manages to find the station in Suwon. He would text Sunggyu again, but his precious leader has been ignoring his texts for the past minutes, after a "no text while driving, what are we going to do if you get caught?." He has to give him points for still keeping some leader-sense. So, now he's lost in a train station full of unkown people, in a city he never visited before.

Well, at least no one has recognized him.
    
   To: Sunggyu
   you know, it would be easier to see you if you tried to stand on the tips of your toes

   From: Sunggyu
   i'm boarding a train to pyongtaek. you should eat and try to catch me later.

Woohyun, puzzled, plays with his thumbs along the phone. He looks around. The people come and go, everyone looking at different directions. There's a couple walking together, holding their hands. It must be around the time some schools end since he sees a group of school girls walking across from him––he cringes, hoping they don't recognize him––and a bunch of bearded guys who look far to old to be wearing a uniform, smoking in a small hallway of the station. All of these people, and no Kim Sunggyu in sight.

The signs in front of him tell him nothing useful. Just when he's about to reply so, another text from Sunggyu comes. It leaves him puzzled.
    
   From: Sunggyu
   you should also get yourself a map
    
   To: Sunggyu
   didn't you tell me to use google maps?
    
   From: Sunggyu
   you can't cross out cities there

Half an hour and a miserable pack of chips later, Woohyun is on his way to Pyongtaek. If he's making his calculations correctly––and Google Maps is right for once––Sunggyu will arrive in half an hour, and Woohyun will be there about another half an hour later. Even though he knows he'll probably be late, he parks in an open space next to the highway, pulling out his new map.

On the map he bought on the train station (10,000 won he's not going to have back, thank you very much), he crosses out Seoul and Sunwon, just like Sunggyu told him to, and circles Pyongtaek. He also marks the route he followed since he left the dorm (although it would be easier to save it online, huh, whatever).
    
    From: Sunggyu
  You're lame. And late

(and then,)

  I left something for you at a coffee stand on the subway station

He stares at the message. Somehow, he reads it with Sunggyu's voice on his head; it has a playful edge. A coffee stand. What a ing specificity. He's wondering how to reply when another message from Sunggyu comes.

  From: Sunggyu
  i'll be on daejeon in 2 hours, probably more. You still have a chance

Woohyun manages to find the coffee stand in record time, so he thinks he deserves something like a pat on the shoulder or a cookie or so. The employee from the coffee stand gives him a nervous smile and an over-polite bow when she receives him. Apparently she's an Inspirit, so he talks with her in the charming tone he usually has reserved for the fans, but still keeping wariness.

She asks for his autograph when she has the opportunity. The paper and pen are already set on the table, unsurprisingly. Apparently, she's going to keep it––and Sunggyu's––on her wall. He laughs, (hey, fans are fans. He should be more grateful.) and decides to give her another one.

"For here," he says, pointing at the stand. She starts blushing and thanking him, bowing––more than once––but he stops her when she asks for a picture. "I'm sorry," he fakes the disappointment mirroring hers, "but I haven't been here, nor have Sunggyu." He flashes a celebrity smile. She nods when she realizes the meaning behind his statement. "And, can I have a Moccha frappuchino?"

He ends up with the letter (note) from Sunggyu, a double Moccha Frappuchino, and a chocolate Muffin. The latter two being 'on the house', and screw calories, this is the best food he's had in months.

(Besides the love of the fans, that is.)

Later, when he's in the car parked on the outside of the station, he takes out the notebook he packed, along with the pen. It's dark blue, and has cute unofficial stickers of the members in the cover. The first pages have something scribbled on them, apparently from Dongwoo's handwriting. It's not his diary, though; he keeps that with himself every time.

It's on times like this when presents from the fans come in as handy.

Woohyun decides to ignore the doodles and notes from the front, turning the pages, until he finds an empty one. He rewrites the phrase found on the note left on Pyongtaek, the pen scratching the paper and bleeding blue ink. "I wish we had the time to," it says. Confused, Woohyun flips the paper, looks inside the envelope, puts it against the light. Nothing. The message looks incomplete. "Time to what?" he writes next to it.

Just what is Sunggyu thinking?

(Somewhere around him stopping to fill out the gas tank and getting a bottle of water to clench his thirst, he remembers something that, as well as everything that has happened today, holds a meaning behind. And he wants, maybe more than it would be sane, to know.

It's nothing more than a fragment; about him and Sunggyu, caught between a shove of practices [learning dances that break their tendons and singing until their throats are raw] and camera lights and a Pearl Metal Gold sea of cheering fans. It's about them, pressed up against each other and kissing forcefully, scraping pieces of each other's flaws and tossing them aside; leaving them out for the time being.

It's a kiss and a sigh and a pant and a groan––or maybe more than one, but all scratchy and cookie-cutter so it doesn't really matter. It's about everything and nothing, little details that make his head spin and his vision blurry because it feels like he's running out of oxygen. And the thought of Sunggyu's knowing smiles and quick and breathy kisses backstage or long after the members have gone to sleep doesn't help much, either.

He sees every moment that him, Sunggyu, is trying to help him; and he sees, as if he were a spectator, how Woohyun himself clings to the leader in desperation because he's tired of fake smiles and make-believe feelings.

He sees Sunggyu's face with smeared make up filled with pure and raw lust and bits of challenge here and there, and he's disgusted with himself. And once again this is not the most appropriate time to think about this, but he does it anyway and he questions––as he always does––why, why does it seem like he's always the one Sunggyu needs to help?)
   

Taking one of the cigarettes and lighting it up––even though he's in a ing gas station and this might not be so legal or safe altogether––he thinks that he might need to reconsider his priorities.

Sunggyu is nowhere in sight (as he's been all day) when he gets to Daejeon. It's five past seven, which means Woohyun is late again. This time, though, Sunggyu hasn't texted him, so the probability of catching him is still there. He finds a screen with the arrivals and departures listed. The subway station is only for local transport.

Oh. That's strange.

Just when Woohyun is about to text Sunggyu to ask about his whereabouts, his phone vibrates. The ID Caller is not Sunggyu, though, and that means everything but good news.

"You have three seconds to explain yourself, Nam Woohyun," his manager Hyoan hisses through the phone when he answers. "Three seconds."

Woohyun his lips, looking around. Admist the people coming and going on their daily routine, he feels paranoid all of a sudden. Of course, it's stupid to think that he could be found on that place. But how can he reply?  (How would Sunggyu reply?)

He's opening his mouth when Hyoan speaks again.

"Time's up." Hyoan's voice sounds far, far annoyed, and Woohyun realizes what is about to happen. " You don't even have a license, what in the––" his manager keeps going, but by this time he's separating the phone from his ear and hanging up. This will probably bring him a problem later, but oh well. Instead of answering the next three calls from the other managers, he decides to text Sunggyu.

    To: Sunggyu
  hyoan just called me. i'm on the train station, where are you?

  From: Sunggyu
  that's why you can't find me. who told you to look for me on the train station?
    
  To: Sunggyu
  then how are you going to come?
    
  From: Sunggyu
  by bus. And i thought you were the sly one
    
  To: Sunggyu
  fine, whatever
    
(Woohyun exhales sharply, frustrated. Sunggyu told him he was traveling by train; how in the world can he guess his leader suddenly decided to change his transport?)
    
    then how do I answer the managers?
    
  From: Sunggyu
  looks like we have to go back. what are you going to do?

You. Not me. Not us.

Sunggyu, that bastard, is putting the blame on him. And on top of that, he doesn't bother to answer his question. Sighing, he stares at the phone, which immediately starts vibrating again. Everybody at the dorm must be freaking out by now. After sorting his options, and analyzing the meaning behind Sunggyu's words, he comes to a decision (that he might or––nah, he won't–– regret later).

    To: Hyoan-hyung
  i'm looking for Sunggyu. give me five days

There is something about written language that makes him more courageous. Although he knows he could sweet-talk his way out of problems, it doesn't quite work when it comes to Infinite's managers. They, as well as Sunggyu (and the other members, when they have their bright moments) can see directly what he's up to, even though sometimes he can get away with it––but that's particularly in Sunggyu's case. It's scary to have someone knowing you so well.
    
    From: Hyoan-hyung.
  where are you two? We'll get you back kindly enough if you're lucky
    
  To: Hyoan-hyung
  we'll be back by wednesday. we'll work harder than the other five combined. deal?
    
Woohyun decides to find something useful to do while he waits for a reply; that is, cross Pyongtaek on his map and incidentally, Daejeon too. While he's walking around, he takes one of the brochures displaced on a table about tourism, under the "take one" sign. It's fairly small, but has interesting info about the place and quite a few attractions he'll never bother to check but still reads just because.

Hyoan's answer comes after he's reading through the brochure and contemplating if it would be better to call them, apologize, and let Sunggyu come back on his own.

Pff, of course it wouldn't.
    
  From: Hyoan-hyung
  That's not enough. Monday. We'll talk when you come back

(And couple of seconds later,)
    
  Remember you're not teenagers anymore

Sunggyu is not going to reach the station, for what Woohyun learns. He is, however, leaving another message somewhere in the Dunsan Grand Park. Google Maps tells him that the place is located in the Seo-gu District, not too far from his location. Sunggyu, is he stupid? What is he doing going to public places like that so randomly? What if the fans see them?

Woohyun takes another cigarette  when he's on the car, lighting it up and taking a long drag. They're down to half of the packet, he sees. Funny, Sunggyu never struck him as an avid smoker.

He snorts at the image presented on his mind, filled with dark amusement. Sunggyu taking and exaggerated long drag and later coughing. It'd fit him, always trying to be so cool, but coming out as lame in most of the cases.

(Woohyun wants to pretend it's not like he himself doesn't try to fit a persona.)

It takes him thirty minutes to reach the Park. Woohyun feels like in one of those absurd variety shows. Like in those where they have to complete missions and look for clues and whatnot. Those are the worst, but still necessary to please the fans and of course, "increase their popularity."  At the end of the day, it's worse than being enclosed in a room full of mirrors and practicing nonstop for an entire day, and Infinite ends up tired and confused with themselves and their Idol personas.

A part of him, a scared wary part of him, is expecting a camera crew to pop out of nowhere and start following him around while he searches for clues. (He can even see the captions: "Clueless Tree! Nam Woohyun is looking for some more clues!" and a little text globe next to his face that says: "what to do =_=U" or "~grumble, grumble~")

At least, the letter-note is easier to find that the ones the PD-noonas usually put in places too far to reach to have them hopelessly wandering around for a while. It's located on a bench, three meters from a weird post-modern statue that is supposed to resemble a woman's figure. Maybe Sunggyu thought about the things they have to go through when they're given missions on reality shows, and put the note on an easy place to locate. That sounds like something he would do.

He wants to be found, after all.

The note is like the other two. It comes inside a small envelope with the Woollim logo in the top left corner, like the others. The content, too, is as confusing as the others. Once again, Woohyun looks inside the envelope with hopes of finding something more useful.

"I wish you were made just for me." And a bit below, a small "Moru" between parentheses.

By this time, his phone is getting overflowed by unanswered calls and unread texts. They're from the rest of the members since the managers have given up. Woohyun decides to ignore them all and try to focus in something else instead. He calls Sunggyu.

While he waits for the leader to answer, he looks around the park. It's starting to get cold and chilly, even though they're in summer. It's also getting dark, powerful artificial lights rising over the dying orange and pink streaks from the sun. Sunggyu picks up the phone after the fourth ring.

"So you've ran out of options," Sunggyu's voice greets him with teasing dripping out of his words. "I thought you'd never call."

"Yeah, I figured you'd miss my voice someday." Woohyun smirks, and he can almost see Sunggyu's face mirroring him. "But I would like to know what's our next step."

"I thought you would last longer than this," there's a ghost of excitement on Sunggyu's voice, blocked by fake mockery. "Giving up already?"

"Who's giving up? I'm only… asking for more hints," Woohyun replies, juggling with the papers on his hands and the cigarettes on his lips. "Don't you want to play with me anymore?"

"Of course I want to play with you."

They keep bickering back and forth for the next couple of minutes. Their words turn to be more and more double-edged. It all goes back to those times when they had overcome their loath and their friendship was on the border of tension, rivalry, and a drop of sensuality that none of them would admit. Woohyun never knows whether Sunggyu's words (actions) are harmful or beneficial for them––for him; for himself.

"Time World Galleria," Sunggyu says out of nowhere, interrupting Woohyun's shameless teasing (flirting?), right before hanging up. Woohyun is left there, dumbfounded. Of course, Sunggyu always wants to have the last word.

"Time World Galleria," he repeats. Then, he drops the cigarette and steps on it, leaving a barely-visible trail of smoke.

Woohyun thinks that life wouldn't be so difficult if Sunggyu actually were in the Galleria. But of course, as every time that Kim Sunggyu is involved, Woohyun finds himself lost in yet another labyrinth––metaphorical, of course, they don't have time to find a maze of plants or stones. Because in all honesty, when have things with Sunggyu been easy?

He tries to use his brain cells for once and put his clues together. The hints are the two confusing notes Sunggyu left ("I wish we had the time to." To what, he doesn't know, and "I wish you were made just for me." He has to give Sunggyu a point on poetry on that one), along with the word "Moru," the location of the Time World Galleria, and the map with cities crossed.

The first two are messages Sunggyu wants him to know (or guess), but the other word, Moru, still holds a mystery. He has the feeling that's important. Could it be some sort of name?

A name. Then, something clicks on his head.

Unsure, he fishes out his phone out of his pocket and opens a search engine. On the search bar, he puts "Moru" and "Time world galleria." There are more than 70, 000 results, and the first link redirects to a blog about a café. What do they have in common? Simple, the Moru Brunch Café is located three blocks away from the Time World Galleria.

Maybe it will turn out that Sunggyu is going to leave another clue, but Woohyun has a hunch that the café is rather their meeting place.

The café is crowded with couples and groups of friends celebrating a Friday's afternoon. Woohyun is not afraid to go in there, but he, just as he did with the employee from the coffee stand, keeps his wariness. What if this isn't Sunggyu's meeting place? He wouldn't risk being caught by fans so easily.

While he's considering other possibilities––and concluding that this has to be the place––he catches a glimpse of someone. The person is wearing a gray cap and a black hoodie, along with dark blue skinny jeans. At first, he doesn't look out of the ordinary, but then Woohyun looks closer and if that's not the same person pressed so eagerly against him on late evenings, groaning and gasping with every touch.

It's Sunggyu; it has to be.

Woohyun jumps out of the car parked close to the café from where he was observing the café almost immediately. Thrilled, he fast-walks to meet him, the sound of his steps lost between the racket of the people on the café and shops around and his grin illuminated by the bright yellow city lights. He taps Sunggyu on the shoulder––the left. Sunggyu turns to the left side, as expected, but Woohyun is already leaning towards the right, amused the older man still falls for his joke.

When Sunggyu turns back to the right, his expression is not as amused as Woohyun's, hiding his half-hearted grin under a piece of cloth. He's all for going undercover, with his dark cap covering his dyed caramel hair and a mouth mask occupying half of his face, but it's him; Woohyun knew it was him. He's carrying one of those brown grocery bags with one hand, and two coffees with the other. Takeout and coffee. Woohyun feels glad to be right. Sunggyu was waiting for him.

Without much thought, he leans forward and pulls down the mask, kissing him. The kiss is not too short, but it's not long either. Sunggyu doesn't kiss him back, and his eyes are wide open (as wide as his eyes can open, anyway), but he then they're back to normal, and he doesn't pull away. When they break away, Woohyun hears something similar to a gasp, and he's not sure if it comes from Sunggyu himself or from someone else close to them.

He ignores it and leans forward again. This time Sunggyu meets him halfway, and the kiss is shorter and harsher. Just like all those times before. Sunggyu's lips leaves them too early for his liking, but the look on his eyes is calm and unimpresed, as if he was expecting that to happen. However, Woohyun knows he's being self-conscious and maybe––just maybe––this is not the appropriate place to kiss him so eagerly.

"You taste like cigarettes," Sunggyu says, pulling the mask back on after his lips. With half of his face covered, he looks more secure than he is in reality. "Where's the car?"

"Let's go." Woohyun tugs at his sleeve and turns.

Sunggyu kisses him more commandingly once they're in the car. It's fast and hard and just like every other time they've been together before. When they break off––Partially unwilling to, but their lungs scream for oxygen and well––he demands to see the map. Woohyun takes it out, unfolding it. It's the same lenght of the car's dashboard.

Sunggyu takes the blue pen Woohyun offers, uncapping it. "We'll be on Gyerong," he says, circling the name of the city. "Then we'll move to Nonsan, Iksan," (he circles the other names as well) "and finally Gunsan."

"And then what, hyung?" Woohyun asks, staring at the planned route. When he looks up, Sunggyu's eyes meet his, and they're bright and hopeful. "What are we going to do then?"

Sunggyu shrugs, giving a last look to the map before starting to fold it. "I don't know," he says. "Let's go step-by-step. How long has been since you ate?"

"I ate a bag of chips on my way to Pyongtaek. Then the girl from the coffee stand gave me coffee and a muffin."

"Then we should probably eat dinner," Sunggyu suggests, grabbing the brown bag. "I have take-out."

Two hours and a city later, Woohyun parks the car on the back of a gas station on the side of the highway, where the lights are more dim and it's easier to hide under an umbrella of anonymity. It's 11:30, and he's pretty sure than by this time the members are busy on the practice studio, directed by Hoya and Dongwoo. They're used to going to bed late and waking up early, to get two or three hours of sleep at night sometimes; but he's been on the road all day, driving even if he doesn't have a license, and the strips of the highway are starting to get blurry and tangled. Sunggyu is not help either, dozing off here and there, and later gazing through the window. He doesn't offer to drive.

Woohyun moves from the driver's seat to the back seat, using his bag as pillow. Before he lies along the seat (it's slightly uncomfortable since he doesn't completely fit and has to fold his knees) and closes his eyes, he hears the passenger's seat leaning back. Looks like Sunggyu is trying to find a good way to rest, too.

He's falling asleep already, when the sound of a door opening and slamming shut wakes him up. He doesn't open his eyes, he knows it's Sunggyu, but then the door of the back seat opens again and he's hit by the chilly wind of the night. The door slams shut again, and then, he feels a weight on top of him and a heavy breathing.

When he opens his eyes, Sunggyu's eyes encounter his. They can barely make each other's shape, but Woohyun is sure he can see stars on them.

"You're heavy," he says, his voice coming out hoarse. Sunggyu says nothing, instead, he moves forward until their faces are barely touching. "What are you doing?"

"The front seat is cold." (That's an excuse, he can turn on the heater if he wants to) "I feel more comfortable here." (That's an excuse too; there's no way to be comfortable in this cramped space.)

"Right, because you're not the one being crushed."

"I'm sure you can live with that."

They stay in silence after that, but Woohyun feels like the other wants to say something else. He shifts his knees, bumping with Sunggyu's left, and the older male tells him to make space. Then, between both of them moving on the cramped seat and trying to make themselves as comfortable as they can, Sunggyu's hand finds its way to Woohyun's chest and his legs on each side of the other's thighs. He sits right in his pelvis kind of grinding, and suddenly, the entire mood is switched.

Woohyun gasps and looks at Sunggyu, who is now in a half sitting, half hovering position. Their eyes meet again, and this time, the stars clouding his retinas become galaxies. It's different from every other times that they've been together, but at the same time, a familiar feeling lingers in the air.

"What are you doing?" Woohyun asks again. This time it comes out as a bit more than a whisper, as if he doesn't want to be heard. Then, something unexpected happens. Sunggyu smiles.

"What do you think I'm doing?" His tone is playful yet it keeps a pang of shyness; nothing like he's heard before.

He tries to rise, applying more pressure on the chest to find support, and slightly grinding on the area where he's sitting again. Woohyun lets out a shaky breath at the feeling, and when his body unwittingly responds at the friction, Sunggyu gasps too. But then he rises completely and the back of his head hits the car's ceiling. Sunggyu curses at the pain, and stops midway to massage his head. Woohyun, worried, hurries to help him, but he ends up hitting his forehead with the ceiling, too.

"," he says. "Are you okay?"

Sunggyu laughs softly, still massaging his head. "You should ask yourself that." He sighs, dropping his shoulders with an exaggerated movement. "I ruined the mood, didn't I?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Let's try a different position."

They wriggle on the cramped space again, trying to accommodate themselves. Between smacking their heads on the ceiling (again), stops, let me–s and hold ons, Sunggyu ends up straddling Woohyun, who is finally sitting like a normal person.

"What now?"

"I don't know," Sunggyu says. Then, he wriggles his body again and asks if he's still hard, groping.

"God, why are you making this so awkward." Woohyun says, burying his embarrassed face on Sunggyu's chest. He can hear the heartbeat, fast-paced and excited. This is something new.

"This is going to be pretty uncomfortable," the older male says, but Woohyun is more focused on the rise and fall and the heartbeats on his chest. Unwarily, his hands sneak around Sunggyu's waist, holding him close.

"Hey, at least you don't have the buckle digging at your ."

Sunggyu snorts. "I'm going to pretend that's not an insinuation of some sort." He puts his arms around Woohyun and leans forward––this time carefully; he doesn't want to hit his head again. "And I'm the awkward one."

Woohyun takes the tip of the leader's shirt, looking at him. He wants to find something, but doesn't know what. On his memories, Sunggyu hasn't ever said anything to stop him, but he hasn't encouraged him to continue either. It's always him the one who takes and takes and Sunggyu simply lies there, giving, because he knows that's the only way the other seeks comfort. But know Woohyun is not sure; for the first time he doesn't know how to continue without hurting Sunggyu.

And then, Sunggyu nods. The galaxies on his eyes explode and it only takes a slight curving of his lips for Woohyun to give in.

For the rest of the trip, Woohyun and Sunggyu stay silent. Occasionally, Woohyun glances at the older male, finding him leaning against the window with his hoodie used as a pillow. It's ten past ten, and they haven't had breakfast. For the record, even though Dongwoo has taught both of them how to drive in hopes that someday they'll pass the test and get a license, he is the only one who has been driving all the time. Sunggyu doesn't even bother to offer switching.

After stopping for lunch in Iksan, and visiting the Jewerly Museum––Incognito. Who knows if the news of their getaway already spread from Seoul?––their awkwardness is broken. Still, Woohyun can't (and won't) forget the Sunggyu he saw last night; the one who indulges, but still wants something for himself and whose eyes hold so so much that makes him want to find everything.

Sunggyu is, in his own words, keeping him from falling asleep with his melodious voice. He's sitting on the front passenger seat, erasing the missing calls and reading aloud the member's texts from Woohyun's phone. The battery of his own died after he played for hours.

"Here, this is from Sungyeol," he says. "It's written all in capital letters. It says 'Why didn't you tell me? Now who is going to cook?!' it also has like ten exclamation marks and an emoticon flailing his arms.

"The next one if from Myungsoo: 'I thought you were the ones with common sense' and an emoticon with half-lidded eyes. Oh, and the one from Hoya says 'this is something Dongwoo would do, but you?'

"Dongwoo's is pretty much like Sungyeol's, only that this one includes a 'buy me something nice' and a peace sign. I'm sure he wants a toy."

"And Sungjong? He's the only one who's left."

"Let me see." Sunggyu taps here and there, and scrolls to avoid the manager's sulking via text. "Oh, here it is. It was one of the first ones. It says, 'Take care of hyung.' Huh, he only put 'I'm going to take your room' when he texted me. That brat."

Woohyun laughs, oddly lighthearted. "You never know what he's thinking."

"It's Sungjong," Sunggyu replies, as if that could explain something. "But what is he saying? I'm older. You don't need to take care of me."

Woohyun hums, eyes never leaving the road. He won't admit he would, because that guarantees him a pinch on the arm or worse, a sulking Sunggyu for the rest of the trip. Instead, his hand makes it's way towards Sunggyu's, and with a swift movement, he takes it. Sunggyu tenses at first, but then their fingers interlace. They don't look each other directly, but glance from the corner of their eyes.

"I never asked you what did you mean," Woohyun says. They're leaning on the hood of the car, watching the sunset. If they were in one of those dramas, they'd be lying close, hands resting on waists or shoulders and gazing at each other lovingly. But alas, they're not on a drama of twenty chapters where the lead characters will end up married and living happily ever after. For starters, they can't even get married.

Sunggyu and Woohyun aren't touching each other, aren't even close. They're silent, hands on their pockets and minds wandering far from there.

"About what?"

"The notes you left me," Woohyun explains. " 'I wish we had the time to,' " he says, making air quotes with his fingers. "Time to what?"

"I don't know," he says, shrugging. Of course, he sees Woohyun's skeptic look and adds, "to kill? To spare? What do you think?"

That makes sense. Woohyun snorts. Sometimes things are less complicated than what he thinks. "I think," he says, "that we need more time for ourselves. Is that what you were aiming for when you decided we should run away?"

"Time for ourselves." Sunggyu nods. "I like the sound of that."

"And the other one? 'I wish you were made just for me'? I have to admit I taught you well."

"What did you teach me, grease 101?" Sunggyu says with irony, but his open laugh gives away much of the feeling. "I told you, I don't know." But, In front of Woohyun's questioning stare, he falls again. "It's just that––I can't say it."

"You can."

"Of course, you're not the one who's talking." Woohyun knows what is Sunggyu trying to say, after all, he knows Kim Sunggyu. Even though all the confusion they go through every time they're shoved in front of a camera (or a thousand), they've known each other for two years and another big chunk during their trainee days. He has to have at least a glimpse of Sunggyu's personality.

Still, he wants to hear him saying it with his own words. Somehow, he knows Sunggyu has a different way of speaking his mind, like when he says they should make fun on him on their variety shows instead of saying he wants attention. Every Idol does, and Sunggyu is not an exception, but he's not as blatant as, let's say, Woohyun himself. So, he wants to see Sunggyu try his best.

"Aren't you going to tell me? I'll forget about it then."

"No. It's just––don't laugh," he warns, pointing finger and all. Then, he takes a deep breath and his voice changes to a more serious one. "Nam Woohyun who speaks sugary words and belongs to the fans and the media and the members, but not to himself. I want a part of him––of you––but not the one you always offer. I can't be some kind of getaway that you need when you can't take enough and be cool with that. I'm not a saint."

Woohyun sees Sunggyu directing his gaze towards the sun that hides and hides from the judging look from a city that doesn't understand. Suddenly, he daydreams of both of them lying together, just like they are now. But instead of a road and a distant city, he sees the waves coming and going with monotony and Sunggyu's eyes full of light and everything in a palette of watercolors like in the paintings he used to admire when he was younger.

"And yet," Sunggyu continues, shaking him out from his dream, "here I am, here we are, being in a literal getaway. I'm surprised you accepted."

"I didn't know what was I getting into." It's funny the thousands of uses for that phrase.

"So do you regret coming?"

Woohyun shakes his head. "It's nice in here," he says, unable to find a better word.  "Although I still don't understand."

"What can I say? I am a little selfish; I also want a bit of Nam Woohyun. I want him to see me as something else than something to depend on."

Something.

Something.

Sunggyu lets out a long breath when he finishes. They're silent after that, immersed in the dying streaks of the sun and the latter rise of the twilight and the night. Woohyun tries to process the words, to digest them fully. And when he comes to a conclusion, when he does––

––He laughs.

"You stupid!" Sunggyu yells annoyed, widening his eyes, and throws a punch (a weak one) at him. "I told you not to laugh!"

But what he doesn't know (or can distinguish––it might be because of the eyes) is that Woohyun is not trying to mock him. His laugh is light, sincere. He feels oddly happy with Sunggyu, but partially guilty with himself. He has been selfish, but no more. Not when he can see Sunggyu's half lidded eyes and embarrassed smile and feel so full. Not when he knows Sunggyu will support him, but not let him be dependent––at least not in a mere corporeal way. Not when he realizes that maybe he's always belonged to Sunggyu; even if it was a small part that started growing.

The next three days are a mess of crossed-out cities, a map bleeding blue ink, and a road that expands in front of them endlessly; infinitely. It's Woohyun leaning forward and putting their lives in danger just for a kiss he knows he's going to get, and it's Sunggyu singing with all the voice (an passion) he has (he's ever had) and coming up with silly ideas like hey, let's write a song! or what if we go to all the way to Busan?

On Sunday morning, Sunggyu's sleepy voice wakes him up from under the covers. They're on a room of an anonymous hotel they find along the road, where they don't even have to show and ID. "I want to go and travel around the world someday. It will be the two of us only. Just like we are now."

"You know we'll have to go through a lot to see that happening, right?"

"I know." Sunggyu turns, messy hair and morning breath as a greeting from him. "But I also know I have you. We have each other, don't we?" He scoots closer, interwining his feet with Woohyun's.

Woohyun nods, grabbing him by the waist. He leans closer and after giving him a kiss on the forehead, he says: "We do."

first of all: holy sunggyu's song is coming out today.

there, now that i got that out of my chest, let's continue. i have to apologize because i have the feeling the distance/time between cities may not be correct (i tried my best okay, i've never been to sk ;_;) and… yeah, this is kind of ambiguous, weird-paced, and all over the place. yay for that. (sorry)

fun fact: the time world galleria and the moru brunch cafe do exist, i looked that up. lol @ woohyun googling for help (i'd do that too).

on a (pseudo) unrelated note, this is the first one! don't expect the others to be like this (i hope). and lol, i didn't realize there's a (kind of) reference to the main title. i like stars alright.

thank you for reading, subscribing, and commenting. really. i hope you liked this …thing.