Sungyeol and Myungsoo

" Myungsoo?"

Sungyeol feels so stupid when he sticks his head out the door, looking the empty hallway up and down for any familiar person, preferably Myungsoo.

He can't leave the room any further. Firstly because he feels too weak to walk far and the bandaged wound hurts like hell and secondly because Woohyun, Sungmin and Sunggyu are asleep inside and he can't leave them alone that unprotected.

" Soo?" his voice is only a loud whisper. Normally it would be enough because Myungsoo never is too far away but today he gets no answer.

Sungyeol feels like he should get used to this. Everything is out of order either way and who knows if Myungsoo will ever fully trust him again after all the things he kept hidden from him.

Everything is so ed up, he thinks when he leans against the door frame.

" Sungyeol."

Sungjong walks down the hallway, a bottle of apple juice in his hands.

" Give me some." Sungyeol says without any greeting.

His throat is just too try to be polite.

The younger hands it over. " You should be in bed."

" I know. What time is it?"

According to the bright sunrays shining into their room it must already be midday or afternoon, but there is not clock in their room and the battery of his mobile died long ago.

" Around two I guess. You slept for a while. Must have been the medication."

" I still feel weak."

" That's why you should stay in bed! You got shot not too long ago! Did you pull out the IV!?"

Sungyeol shrugs. " They patched me up and now organ was damaged. I'll be fine."

Sungjong points to the chairs standing in the hallway, knowing that there is nothing he can say to change the taller ones mind. " Let's sit down there at least. Please."

Sungyeol agrees without too much of a ruckus.

" Better?" Sungjong asks after he carefully helped the older over into one of the chairs.

" Kind of."

His gaze wanders up and down the hallway again. " I was looking for Myungsoo."

" He was over there in that room when I left him earlier. With Dongwoo and the sniper guy."

" Why?" Sungyeol raises his eyebrow. He knows without Sungjongs answer but still he has to ask.

" Trying to get out information.", Sungjong says, biting his lip in distress. " I left when he got out a knife."

" That idiot is going to kill him."

It is in no way comforting or nice to what lengths Myungsoo would go for them... for Sungyeol. It happened once or twice and Sungyeol never liked it. Because in those moments Myungsoo changes too much.

Too much into someone he doesn't like. And sometimes Sungyeol is scared that he will find too much joy in hurting people and one day won't come back anymore.

" Maybe. But first he will get out what he wants to know. His gaze... I got so scared..."

Sungyeol pulls Sungjong closer in a sudden fit of brotherly love.

" It will be fine. Okay?"

" Today I don't think it will... I really don't."

Sungjong hides his face at Sungyeols shoulder and the latter feels so bad all of sudden, because he didn't look better after the youngest lately. When did he become so thin?

So he just sits there and tries to make up at least a bit for all these days he couldn't look after the others as good as he should have.

" I think Sunggyu will be mad at me." Sungjong says quietly.

" Why would he be?"

He can't answer anymore.

" Sungyeol?"

They didn't notice the opening of the door and only realize Myungsoo came out when he is almost next to them.

Nothing shows what he did just a while ago but then Sungyeol sees the blood drop on his shirt.

Sungjong smiles slightly. " Maybe you want to be alone."

" I--"

" No. It is fine. I will go inside and look after my brother and the two runaways."

With that he leaves them alone and slowly closes the door behind him.

Sungyeol never felt this... awkward with Myungsoo.

No...

With a sudden rush of fear he realizes it is not a feeling of awkwardness but that of being estranged.

Strangers...

The thoughts run through his head but he can't grasp the one telling him how it could get this far.

Again it is Myungsoo that saves him.

Like he always has and always will.

Because he knows Sungyeol better than anyone else.

He might not be able to read his thoughts, and he can't guess them all the time. But Sungyeols features are an open book to him and in all this years he learned how to handle those thoughts that sometimes seem to overrun his most precious person.

" Come here."

Myungsoo just waits in front of the all of sudden so frantic man, his arms outstretched like he did so often in the past.

" Myungsoo.", Sungyeol slowly reaches out for his hand, stops halfway. " Are we... still the same?"

Myungsoo doesn't answer because words never come that easily to him. So he just waits until Sungyeol slowly gets up. A tentative step and Myungsoo circles his arms around his body. Carefully, not to put too much pressure on his wound.

Sungyeol breaths slowly in his arms It has been a while since they have been in a position like this and he only realizes now how much he wants and needs it.

" Does it feel the same?" Myungsoo asks into the silence.

" Kind of..."

" Then we're fine."

" You think?"

" I know."

" Okay."

And Sungyeol always believes in Myungsoo.

Woohyun

I wake up what seems like hours later and find myself face to face with a sleeping Sunggyu. My eyes adjust only slowly to my surroundings. There, his eyelashes get sharper, then my disoriented eyes take in the dark shadows under his eyes.

Sadness that overflows me again.

I reach out for him and tenderly cup his face. He always liked the warmth of my hand and also today, he unconsciously moves closer to the warmth before he slowly opens his eyes and blinks a few times.

I feel bad.

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I whisper.

This is one of the rare moments we have lately. It feels like speaking too loud would destroy it.

He wipes over his eyes and shakes his head.

" No. It is fine. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

" You have to rest."

He tries to hide he is in pain but it doesn't escape me.

I find his hand under the blanket and take it into mine. " Are you in a lot of pain?"

" Kind of.", he knows lying is not an option. " But I have honestly been worse. Do you believe me?"

I do.

He can't turn his body too well so I decide to take actions into my own hands. My own body hurts like a - Donghae was right - but still I manage to lean over him and kiss him for what feels like the first time in years.

" I love you."

He smiles and hints me to kiss him again. This time my lips linger a tiny bit longer on his.

" Love you, too.", he says when I move back to my place at his side. " Even though you're an idiot."

" I am?"

His gaze turns serious now that he is fully awake. " It was stupid of you to leave like this last night. Do you know how worried I was?"

I move closer so my forehead touches his shoulder. " I'm sorry... I didn't think. I was so scared. You were in surgery. I didn't know what to do."

" Don't act like that ever again."

" Don't get shot ever again." I counter, my voice a tiny bit louder than before.

" It's not like I wanted to..."

" You never want to and still and up in those situations!"

" Don't bring that up again!"

It is not a real argument. Just both of us trying to get rid of the pressure building inside I guess.

He takes a deep breath. I can't see his face but I imagine how he stares at the ceiling while he searches for the right words.

" I'm sorry. Next time I will tell them to drive over me with a car."

I chuckle at his attempt to lighten the mood. Sadly I can't kick him.

" I need to speak to you about something."

" What is it?"

" When I was asleep--"

Sungjong comes in so I decide to talk to him later.

" You wanted to say something." Sunggyu says.

I caress his cheek. " Later."

" Hey.", Sunggyus brother says. " Feeling a bit better?"

He takes a seat next to still sleeping Sungmin.

" Felt better before but it is alright." I reply and swing my legs out of bed. Maybe a shower will help me to get rid of the tiredness... who am I kidding...

" You, Sunggyu?"

" How is the guy doing?" Sunggyu asks, avoiding the question.

Sungjong shrugs. " I don't know. Myungsoo came out of the room a second ago but I'm not sure if he got anything out him."

" Getting things out of him?" I ask in confusion.

Sunggyu puts me off. " You don't want to know... Anyways. I didn't want to fall asleep, it kind of happened. But thanks to Kyuhyun I found some information about the club Sungmin and you saw in your dream. I talked to a barkeeper on the phone and he remembered both of you."

I stop my movements on the way to the bathroom. " That means?"

" That doesn't mean too much. But there was something odd."

Sungjong and I prick up our ears.

"I asked the guy about his boss and he couldn't tell me anything about it. Told me he never saw him and that he only got orders to especially look after both of you. That means if we don't get anything out of the guy in the next room this is our most important hint."

And he looks so hopeful for a second that I can't help  but to walk over to him and kiss him.

" Thanks."

He looks at me in confusion. " For what?"

" For not giving up on me. And for not giving up on yourself."

How much I love his smile.

Another kiss.

" Sunggyu!"

That moment a for the grade of his wounds too active Sungyeol stumbles into the room, followed by Myungsoo that tries to keep him from stumbling -failing sadly- and Kyuhyun.

I look at their bloody clothes. " What happened?"

" The guy talked."

Sunggyu gets anxious in his bed. " What did he say?"

" First he didn't say anything at all.", Myungsoo points at Kyuhyun that went back to his seat next to Sungmin. " But five minutes with that guy over there and he talked like a book."

There is blatant admiration in Sunggyus gaze.

Kyuhyun shrugs. " He was easy."

" Sunggyu, Sunggyu! He said it was the prosecutor that put him on us! Woo Jiho!"

And I thought all hell broke loose already but the next second Sunggyus parents appear in the open door and the mess is complete.